SPRINGFIELD, Miss (From news reports) -- Roseburg Forest Products is selling its particleboard plant in Taylorsville, Mississippi, ending its operations at the plant on Aug. 21.
Another forest products company has entered into an agreement to purchase the plant in a transaction that is expected to close later this year, RFP said Friday in a news release.
RFP acquired the Taylorsville plant from Georgia-Pacific in 2006. The plant is now among the oldest particleboard mills in North America, and its press equipment and technology are too old to compete with other, newer mills, the release said.
The plant currently employs about 100 workers. RFP said it will work with local resources to assist those workers as the closure date nears.
"The decision to permanently close a plant is always difficult, and we know this closure will have a significant impact on our team members," RFP's Chief Operating Officer Stuart Gray said in the release. "Unfortunately, our Taylorsville mill is no longer able to compete in a business segment that is dominated by modern mills that are more efficient and less costly to operate. We are very encouraged that the sale of the plant will provide jobs in the future, and that we will continue to serve our customers with product from our particleboard mill in Simsboro, Louisiana."
The Simsboro plant is more competitive due to its modern manufacturing platform, RFP said.
RFP is headquartered in Springfield. The company recently announced a $700 million investment in manufacturing in Oregon, including a new plant, Dillard MDF (medium density fibreboard), which will make both medium- and high- density fiberboard, and Dillard Components, which will produce medium density fibreboard trim suitable for exterior applications.
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