Huber Engineered Woods has commissioned its new OSB plant in Broken Bow Oklahoma.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based business, part of the US$1bn turnover JM Huber Corporation, has spent more than US$130m on the new facility. Construction began in 2002.
To date the company has concentrated its plants on the East Coast, but says the new mill is “ideally placed” due to the large supply of southern yellow pine and labour availability in the area. The plant will employ about 150 people and is expected to generate a total of 250 jobs in service and support.
Technology for the mill was supplied by Siempelkamp of Germany and its subsidiaries and holding companies ATR, Büttner, CMC-Texpan, Imal, Pal, and SHS.
At the heart of the facility is a 8.5ftx60.3m Siempelkamp continuous ContiRoll press with annual capacity of 550,000m3 3/8in OSB.
The Büttner drum dryer system at the mill is also a giant. Weighing in at a total of 209 tons, it had to be delivered in sections and assembled on site.
The plant automation and control systems were supplied by Siempelkamp group members ATR Canada and ATR Germany.
