Roseburg Plans New Sawmill In North Carolina

Roseburg Forest Products continues to expand operations in the Southeast U.S. with the recent announcement it will build a 400MMBF annual production capacity, 375,000 sq. ft. facility on 200 acres in Weldon, NC in Halifax County.

The sawmill operation, which will be called Roanoke Valley Lumber, is expected to begin site work in early 2022 with startup expected in the fourth quarter 2022.

“Low interest rates, a surge in home remodeling, and growing demand for single-family housing are pushing the industry to increase domestic lumber production capacity as quickly as possible,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery says. “This new mill is an exciting strategic growth opportunity that integrates well with our other North American operations and client base. We are grateful to the state of North Carolina, and the county and town partners who helped make this project possible.”

Roseburg is already the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley area, following its 2017 purchase of 158,000 acres of timberland in North Carolina and Virginia. Once completed, the mill will also make Roseburg a significant employer in the area, with 137 new jobs anticipated over the first two years.

“Our business model of growing trees, converting them into high-quality wood products that improve people’s lives, then replanting to start the process over again is testament to our long-term commitment to our industry and the communities where we operate,” Senior Vice President of Operations Jake Elston says. “We are excited to build and operate a world-class facility, while growing our relationships and serving key clients on the Eastern Seaboard with expanded product offerings.”

Roseburg currently has 14 manufacturing facilities in North America, including the country’s second largest short lumber stud mill in Dillard, Ore. The company carefully selected the site for this new mill, with criteria including market demand, business climate, and workforce readiness at the top of the list. The selected site’s proximity to the company’s Roanoke Rapids timber management office was a factor as well.

Roseburg has contracted with BID Group to design, build and equip the greenfield sawmill complex.

“We are excited to partner with the BID team to expand our manufacturing capacity with our first state-of-the-art turnkey lumber facility in the U.S. South,” Mulbery adds. “Working with an industry leader like BID provides the confidence that this major project to further enhance our vertical integration will be done right and delivered on time.”

The new operation will incorporate the full spectrum of BID’s best-in-class wood processing technologies including equipment, software, automation systems, Artificial Intelligence enabled optimization, and plant-wide Industry 4.0 solution, Oper8. BID’s Integrated Solutions Team will provide design, engineering, planning, fabrication and installation services for the turnkey project. BID will incorporate Rockwell’s new leading-edge solutions, including site wide Safety PLC technology.

“We would like to thank Roseburg for their trust in BID, gained through a rigorous and extensive evaluation process, to deliver this project. We are humbled and honored that they have chosen to partner with us for their next major growth investment and ongoing operational excellence,” comments Alistair Cook, President and CEO of BID Group.

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