ST. THOMAS, Ontario – Element5 said it is on track to possibly begin production of cross-laminated timber before the end of the year. When completed, the 12,320-square-meter facility will be Ontario’s first operation dedicated to manufacturing mass timber to the construction industry.

Element5 said it is on track to possibly begin production of cross laminated timber before the end of the year. When completed, the 12,320-square-meter facility will be Ontario’s first operation dedicated to manufacturing mass timber to the construction industrry. The company recently began installing automated equipment from Ledinek to manufacture CLT and glulam, a major part of its planned $50 million investment. In a blog post on its website, Element5 says the fully integrated production line “does everything from lumber conditioning and finger-jointing of lam-stock to sanding and CNC machining of the finished components.

“The line also features Ledinek’s new ‘Z-Press’ which edge glues the panels and results in a superior appearance-grade finish free from cracks and gaps.” The press will be capable of producing CLT panels in variable thicknesses up to 16m by 3.5m.

Element5 already operates a mass timber manufacturing plant in Ripon, Quebec. The company said the two plants have a combined production capacity of more than 50,000 cubic meters per year.

CLT has emerged as a popular building material for floors, roofs and exterior wall panels. Glulam is used for beams and columns.