Raute Corp. has signed a contract worth 93 million Euros with Metsä Wood, part of Metsä Group, for the technology delivery of a new Kerto laminated veneer lumber (LVL) mill in Äänekoski, Finland. This order, the biggest in Raute’s history, is a proof of Raute’s versatile expertise.

Metsä Wood is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of engineered wood products. Metsä Wood is building a new Kerto LVL mill in Äänekoski to increase its total Kerto LVL capacity by 50%. The mill’s annual production capacity is approximately 160,000 cubic meters and the production is expected to start in late 2026.

The order includes all main production processes from veneer peeling to LVL pressing, using automated R7-Series technologies from Raute. All lines are equipped with analyzers for grading and MillSIGHTS software for data capturing.

The ordered machinery, which will be manufactured at Raute’s production units in Lahti and Kajaani, Finland, as well as in the company’s partnership network, and is expected to be delivered between the first quarter of 2025 and first quarter 2026.

“By investing in the best available technology in the industry, we significantly develop Kerto LVL’s production efficiency and ensure a safe and versatile work environment for our personnel. Our long-term cooperation with Raute and the development of the mill’s technological solutions together offer excellent conditions to succeed in achieving these goals,” says Jaakko Anttila, Executive Vice President, Metsä Wood.

Georgia-Pacific, along with partners The Georgia Forestry Foundation and Jamestown LP, met with state and local leadership to discuss how prioritizing and utilizing sustainable structural building materials such as mass timber not only has a positive effect on our environment but Georgia’s economy. The event was held at 619 Ponce, Atlanta’s first Georgia-grown and locally manufactured mass timber building utilizing a regional supply chain, located at Ponce City Market. CLT and glulam were both used in the 619 Ponce project.

Led by Georgia-Pacific Vice President of Stewardship John Mulcahy, and Jamestown Principal and CEO Matt M. Bronfman, attendees included U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, and various leaders from the state legislature, including state Sen. Russ Goodman, chair of the Senate Agriculture committee, 8th District, Rep. Robert Dickey, chair of the House Agriculture Committee and Community Affairs, 145th District, Rep. Lynn Smith, chairwoman for the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, 70th District , Rep. Marcus Wiedower, 121st District , and more than 40 CEOs from around the state.

Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), scheduled for next March 14-15 in Atlanta, continues to add speakers to it lineup. The event, which is hosted by Panel World magazine and Georgia Research Institute, will be held for the ninth time at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta.

Additions to the list of keynoters include Greg Lewis (left), vice president, Wood Panels, Forest Economic Advisors LLC, and Hanoch Magid, CEO of SMARTECH.

Lewis’ talk will be entitled “Strong Demographic Tailwinds Will Support Wood Panel Demand Mid-Decade.” Following near-term market weakness in late 2023 and the first part of 2024, FEA expects healthy demand growth to resume in 2025. Construction markets will improve and absorb the growth in capacity. Lewis writes FEA’s monthly Panel Advisor and is the primary author of FEA’s quarterly Panel Forecasting Service publication. He has also co-authored studies on the international wood panel and lumber industries.

SMARTECH’s Magid will address his company’s implementation of AI technology, and how it can reduce the use of raw materials such as wax and resin, increase productivity, improve quality and stability, and reduce environmental impact, enabling producers to stay ahead of their competition. Magid boasts an impressive tenure of more than 30 years in leadership roles in global high-tech companies, focusing on innovative technology, customer support and operations.

Lewis and Magid join a keynoters lineup, as previously announced in the last issue of Panel World, that also includes

• Roy O. Martin III, chairman, CEO and CFO of RoyOMartin (Martco), who will speak on “Empowering Culture: Navigating Change while Preserving a Culture of Excellence”
• Christian Dieffenbacher, CEO of Dieffenbacher, with his talk entitled “Future-Oriented by Tradition”
• Stuart Gray, CEO, Roseburg, “Looking Back to Look Forward: the History and Future of Roseburg Forest Products”
• Matthew O’Malia, co-founder of TimberHP, speaking on “Prefabricating the Future with Wood”
  

The PELICE full agenda is expected to be announced in November.

For exhibitor information, contact Fred Kurpiel: [email protected]
For presentation information, contact Rich Donnell: [email protected]