Sale of Uniboard 'Mega' MDF Plant to Arauco Finalized
By Rich Christianson | 01/25/2012 1:32:00 PM
MONCURE, NC -- Uniboard USA LLC announced it has completed its sale of its MDF and thermo-fused melamine (TFM) facilities in Moncure to a subsidiary of Paneles Arauco.
The $62 million agreement had previously been announced on Dec. 29, 2011.
Uniboard's versatile Moncure plant opened in February 2010 and represented a $160 million investment. Though dubbed as the “Moncure MDF Mill,” the plant’s more than 120-foot-long Dieffenbacher press also is able to produce particleboard, high-density fiberboard (HDF) and low-density fiberboard (LDF) in thicknesses ranging from 3/16 inch to about 1-1/4 inches.
In addition to the Moncure MDF mill, Arauco also purchased a nearby facility that houses a pair of TFM lines. The two Moncure plants primarily service manufacturers of cabinets, closets and other panel-based products in the southeastern United States, with a large volume of capacity being shipped to the Pergo laminate flooring plant in Garner, NC.
Uniboard Canada Inc., which maintains four MDF and particleboard mills in Canada, and Pergo are owned by Pfleiderer of Neumarkt, Germany.
Arauco, based in Santiago, Chile, is a diversfied forest products company. It produces plywood, millwork and mouldings, MDF panels, lumber and pulp. The company's subsidiary - Arauco USA - is based in Atlanta, GA.
As part of the agreement, Arauco will license the Uniboard Melamine collection for sales in the U.S. Southeast.
Rich Christianson is Associate Publisher and Editor at Large of Woodworking Network. During his 25+ years covering the wood products industry, Rich has toured hundreds of manufacturing plants throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His reporting has covered everything from the state of the industry and impact of wood imports to technology and environmental issues. In his current capacity he is responsible for editing the daily Woodworking Network Update newsletter and coordinating events including the annual Closets & Home Organization Conference & Expo and the Canada’s biennial Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo.
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