Arauco Announces Layoffs At North Carolina Plant

Arauco Panels USA, an American subsidiary of a Chilean plywood manufacturer, is cutting jobs in Chatham County.

That’s according to a WARN filed with the state of North Carolina this month. A WARN – Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notification – is a filing that is required when a company closes a plant, cuts 500 jobs or eliminates one-third of its local positions. The move, effective Jan. 6, impacts 48 jobs in Moncure, according to the notice.

According to the WARN, the move is a downsizing – not a closure – of its particleboard facility, impacting jobs in a variety of functions, including human resources, finance, production and sales.

“The layoffs are due to a downturn over the last several months in the market,” reads the notice signed by Sally Polen, manager of human resources for Arauco North America. “Although our sales team has been working hard to combat the market conditions by revising pricing strategies and engaging our existing customers while actively seeking new customers, unfortunately, our efforts have not surpassed the market pressures on our volumes.”

The plant has “struggled” to maintain a normal order volume, the notice continues, adding that other measures the company has taken include reduced hours, reduced overtime and overall cuts in spending. Forecasts, the filing reads, show similar volume weakness in 2017.

From the Triangle Business Journal: bizjournals.com.

RELATED ARTICLES

ARAUCO CLOSING EUGENE MDF

PANEL WORLD NOVEMBER 2020

 

Latest News

Roseburg Orders Super-Long Dryer

Roseburg Forest Products has ordered a veneer dryer for its plant in Coquille, Ore. from Westmill. At 204 ft. length, the dryer will be the longest veneer dryer in North America, according to the participants. The 6-deck, steam-heated jet dryer is designed to dry the heaviest moisture Douglas fir, hemlock and spruce…

Boise Cascade Announces New SC Distribution Facility

Boise Cascade has announced plans to expand its South Carolina operations with a new facility in Walterboro, with a $9 million investment that will create 30 new jobs. This new facility marks Boise Cascade’s first distribution location and second facility…

China’s BFP Orders Fine OSB Plant

Chinese wood-based panel producer, A Beautiful Family Plate Making Co. Ltd. (BFP), has contracted with Dieffenbacher for a complete Fine OSB plant in Guangxi, China. Installation of BFP’s new plant is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023. The first board is expected to be produced in fall 2023…

First CLT Office Opens In DC

Opened in fall 2022, the first mass timber commercial building in the U.S. capital city features more than 108,000 sq. ft. of mass timber. The building is an innovative retrofit at 80 M Street SE in Washington, DC: Termed an overbuild—extra stories atop an existing building—the expansion features three floors, where columns of mass timber are visible from the interior…

Find Us On Social

Newsletter

The monthly Panel World Industry Newsletter reaches over 3,000 who represent primary panel production operations.

Subscribe/Renew

Panel World is delivered six times per year to North American and international professionals, who represent primary panel production operations. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!