Structurlam Looks To Reboot
The temporary closure of Structurlam Mass Timber’s Conway, Ark. cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam plant and the apparent severing of the plant’s relationship as a major supplier for Walmart’s new low carbon footprint and energy efficient corporate campus in nearby Bentonville marks yet another growing pain for an industry that’s just getting started realizing its amazing potential.
In 2019 Structurlam announced that the new campus project was to be fed by Structurlam’s new CLT facility that included a $90 million investment to upgrade a former steel mill and convert it to a CLT plant. Structurlam would become the “exclusive supplier of mass timber products” to the new Walmart home office campus, covering 350 acres, two million square feet of floor space and multiple office buildings.
The project moved along, and many were surprised in January this year when Structurlam officials announced the plant would be closing due to a “customer” contract cancellation and that there are no plans to enter into a new commercial agreement with the “customer.”
Structurlam CEO Matthew Karmel refers to it as a “commercial dispute, but we cannot discuss the specifics.” More specifically, according to a source in the CLT industry, the plant may have “overcommitted” to Walmart while dealing with startup issues, and there may have been dispute over product quality or composition. Following the 2021 bankruptcy of Katerra and its CLT plant in Spokane, Wash.—which set out to revolutionize the construction industry using pre-fab building and mass timber construction principles but couldn’t get out of its own way—the mass timber industry had re-gained the momentum, and is definitely expanding as designers, engineers and architects learn more about it.
Karmel says the state-of-the-art Conway plant has met the vigorous startup challenges “with flying colors—its cross-laminated timber and glulam production capabilities already exceed its plan objectives and its processes have been validated repeatedly by the APA to exceed U.S. regulatory standards.” Karmel adds that Structurlam is in a strong position to resume Conway operations and support new customers as the rapid growth of mass timber across North America continues to drive demand for manufacturing capacity.
In May 2022 Structurlam named Karmel as CEO. Prior to joining Structurlam, Karmel served as the CEO of Crenlo Engineered Cabs. Previously, he led other companies in North America and Europe in a broad range of industries, including Klenk Holz AG, the largest sawmills group in Germany, as the company’s CEO & Chairman. He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton University and completed a general-management executive program at INSEAD Business School in France.
Structurlam operates mass timber manufacturing operations at its home base in Penticton, BC.
Latest News
Global Softwood Lumber Exports Rising
Global softwood lumber trade increased 12% year-over-year to reach a new record-high of 121 million cu. ft. in 2016, according to Wood Resources International. Since the global financial recession in 2009, there has been a steady climb in international trade of...
B.C. Envoy Says Window Is Open For U.S. Softwood Lumber Deal
B.C. Envoy Says Window Is Open For U.S. Softwood Lumber DealBritish Columbia’s softwood trade envoy says there’s a slight opportunity to quickly negotiate a new lumber agreement between Canada and the United States, but if a deal can’t be reached by the summer or fall...
Purdue University Scanner May Boost Lumber Industry
The hardwood industry adds $17 billion to Indiana’s economy. Since 1898, the hardwood lumber industry has relied on the human eye to detect knots and other imperfections as a way of determining the quality of lumber. Despite some inefficiencies, this form of grading...
Lumber Prices Headed Higher Amid Canada-U.S. Trade Dispute
A mini-trade war between the U.S. and Canada is set to send lumber prices higher. At issue is the price Canadian foresters charge to cut down a tree, which is known as stumpage. The Canadians charge less than their U.S. counterparts, explains Kevin Mason, managing...
Ehinger, Fery, Whelan Left Their Marks
Article by Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief The last time I spoke with Paul Ehinger was four years ago. He called and wanted to know how he could get a copy of a book my small company, The Donnell Group, had published a couple of years earlier on the former Coe...
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.