Louisiana Pacific

Louisiana Pacific (LP) is a building solutions company that manufactures engineered wood building materials including OSB, structural framing products, and exterior siding for use in residential, industrial and light commercial construction.

LP was producing Shake in their Roaring River, NC plant, but the capacity of that facility was very limited. Based on sales projection and market demand, it was necessary for them to create more capacity in their network.

There were several factors that were considered when determining the location for the new Shake Line. One of the most impactful factors was the freight cost. They saw a significant savings in producing the Shake at the same facility that manufactured the panel. Secondly, the decision to locate the line in Swan Valley was determined in order to simplify how they service the market.

Biele provided complete solution of the shake line. The front half, which takes the blank 4’x8’ sheet and saws it to the required shake dimensions and the back half of the line that allows for grading and packaging.

The line takes a blank 4’x8’ shake panel and first cuts it down to one of two sizes. It’s capable of cutting a 8” wide shake or a 12” wide shake. After the board is cut to its desired width, it is combined into a stack of 16 smaller pcs. These 16-piece stacks are then profiled so that have the “Shake” appearance. The next step is painting and drying. This equipment was supplied by a different vendor, but Biele integrated it smoothly on the overall plant.

After the boards are properly dried, these are transferred again to Biele equipment where the 16-piece stack is singulated, inspected for quality and stacked into mini packs. The mini packs are stacked to create a complete unit to be shipped to the customer.

Because this line was more automated it was able to produce more product with less manpower. The new shake line increased line speed that is capable of twice the production of the Roaring River line. This increased capacity will allow LP to meet future customer demand. The automation has brought tighter specs and more consistency when manufacturing a product that should be always exactly the same.

Regarding the programming, LP describes that Biele has some of the best programmers in the industry and it shows in the sophistication of the line. Shortly after setting up the line, they were able to quickly reach the designed production level the line was built for. This was done with very minimal programming issues. Biele was able to work effectively with other vendors to integrate their equipment so that the line functioned as one unit rather than separate, individual pieces of equipment. Biele was also very quick to respond and work through startup issues that they came up.

The experience in this project has been very positive from both sides. In the words of Danaillie Woodfine, Regional Engineering Manager at LP, “Working with Biele exceeded my expectations. The team went above and beyond to ensure we received a quality product. Biele was able to adapt quickly to changes in order to keep the project on track. I would definitely recommend Biele for future projects”.

Derek Boychuk, Specialty Product Manager Supervisor highlights that “I have been very fortunate to have worked with many different equipment providers and I can honesty say that Biele has been at the very top of my list. Their professionalism, their knowledge and their experience producing world class equipment in the wood industry is very evident”.