LAVAL, Quebec — Uniboard, a Canadian-based producer of biocomposites and value-added products, has invested $5.5 million in an innovative robotic material handling system at its Val-d’Or, Quebec, plant. 

This investment, the company says, puts Uniboard at the leading edge of composite panel manufacturing in North America in terms of innovation, productivity and processes.

"This investment is part of the overall third phase of Val-d’Or’s Renaissance Project, our particleboard modernization program which is scheduled to come on stream in summer 2025 and affirms Uniboard’s leadership in the North American engineered wood products arena" says James Hogg, President and CEO of Uniboard. “Employing autonomous guided vehicles to transport our panels simply compliments the $350 million Val d’Or modernization project focused on achieving highest efficiency. Using advanced technology plays a strategic role in strengthening relationships with existing clients, developing new customers, markets and business opportunities while improving overall productivity at the facility.” 

In addition to its ability to produce value-added TFL products, the Val-d'Or plant also leverages the capabilities of its onsite Unires resin plant, making it one of the most integrated production sites in North America. 

In June of 2022, Uniboard announced plans to invest $250 million into constructing a continuous press at the state-of-the-art mill in Val-d'Or. The cutting-edge technology promises to completely redefine industry standards, enhancing our production capacity from 300,000m³ to 500,000m³ and drastically increasing our range of available sizes and thicknesses.

According to a Uniboard video, phase one of the modernization program started in 2015 with a $53 million project followed in 2020 by phase 2 with an additional investment of $50 million. Project Renaissance, its third and final phase, is slated for completion in 2025.

Programme Innovation Bois (PIB) of the Province of Quebec provided funding support to Uniboard to reduce the new technology risk in this applied innovation.