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Tolko to upgrade OSB line at re-opened Alberta mill

July 27, 2017 - Tolko has ordered two pocket batch feeders to upgrade its OSB line at its re-opened High Prairie, Alta., mill.

The OSB mill was restarted in June 2017. It had been closed since 2008 prior to that when the North American housing market fell and forced the mill to shut down.

Production is expected to resume in the first quarter of 2018.

“We are confident that current improvements in market conditions are sustainable and that customer demand for Tolko oriented strand board products will remain strong,” said Tolko president and chief executive officer Brad Thorlakson in a release. 

Tolko has ordered the pocket batch feeders from Surrey, B.C.-based equipment manufacturer Kadant Carmanah Design. 

“We’re very happy to see this mill resume operation and to be awarded the order for critical equipment for the OSB line upgrade, said Kadant Carmanah president Michael Colwell. “Tolko and Kadant Carmanah share a long history of partnering to make the best solutions possible.”

Once fully operational, the mill is expected to directly employ approximately 175 people.

July 27, 2017  By  Tamar Atik