NEW ZEALAND - Fletcher Building Ltd., based in New Zealand, has placed an order with the German machinery manufacturer Dieffenbacher for a plant dedicated to the production of Fine OSB.

The installation of this new plant will take place at Fletcher Building's Laminex facility located in Taupo, situated at the heart of the North Island of New Zealand. An integral component of the new plant will be Dieffenbacher's innovative belt dryer.

The belt dryer serves as a prime example of how Dieffenbacher's technology contributes to the sustainability of the forthcoming plant. Sustainability, along with digitalization, advanced plant engineering, and operational excellence, forms one of the core pillars of Dieffenbacher's intelligent plant concept, known as CEBRO. The belt dryer excels in its energy efficiency, boasting low thermal energy consumption.

Fletcher Building's upcoming CEBRO plant will possess the versatility to manufacture both fine OSB and traditional OSB. Fine OSB, a unique type of board, features an OSB core layer enveloped on the top and bottom by particleboard layers. This amalgamation offers a blend of OSB's robust mechanical properties with the surface quality characteristic of particleboard.

The new plant is set to replace a particleboard production line that currently houses a nearly half-century-old single-opening press provided by Dieffenbacher to Fletcher Building back in 1974. Paul Thorn, Fletcher Wood Products Capital Works Manager, remarks, "It's truly remarkable that our old press served us so faithfully and for such an extended duration. With proper upkeep, we anticipate that our new Dieffenbacher plant will endure just as long."

The construction phase in Taupo is slated to commence in early 2024, with startup operations targeted for the fourth quarter of the same year. The full-scale production is anticipated to be underway by mid-2025.