Kronospan Plans Alabama Operation

Kronospan announced it will begin construction of a new oriented strandboard (OSB) manufacturing plant on its 460 acre site in Oxford, Ala. Employing 125 , the new facility will have a footprint comprised of 44 acres of new development, including substantial areas designated for product storage, rail spur and loading docks. Groundbreaking for the $350 million facility is scheduled for later this year.

“We’re very pleased to announce the next project at our Oxford site,” says Hans Obermaier, CEO of Kronospan’s North American companies. “This is not only an opportunity to further expand our portfolio of wood panel products in the United States but also meets our customers growing need for high quality construction materials. Just like the other plants on our site, the OSB plant will be constructed with our sustainability principles in mind and will further enhance our negative carbon footprint status.”

This latest expansion is one of several new investments Kronospan has made in recent months. New equipment for the site includes an extension of its existing medium density fiberboard press, a new water treatment plant, expansion of manufacturing capacities of its existing particleboard plant and the ongoing construction of a new wood yard. Capital projects of more than $89 million have occurred in the last six months or are currently in progress at the Oxford site.

“Kronospan is very proud of our commitment to job creation in Calhoun County and East Alabama,” says John Connell, Director of Human Resources at Kronospan. “As we continue to grow our operations in the U.S., we are very conscious of the impact on our local communities and are consistent in our philosophy of creating a sustainable future for generations to come.”