LEXINGTON, N.C. — Wood-based materials manufacturer, EGGER Wood Products, recently completed construction of a $22 million decorative paper saturation line at its Lexington, N.C. facility.

The new line will infuse decorative papers with resin adhesive necessary for thermally fused laminate (TFL) production. The increased capacity will alleviate supply chain issues and logistical costs, while allowing for greater production flexibility to better serve customers in the North American market.

Previously, saturated papers were shipped from EGGER’s manufacturing facility in St. Johann in Tyrol, Austria, a process which could take up to three months. The local saturation line will therefore reduce the company’s carbon footprint, as well as: 

• Allow for greater production flexibility to produce different board sizes and formats which will better serve the company’s customers in North America 
• Provide faster delivery times for the EGGER Decorative Collection and custom orders
• Increase capacity to alleviate supply chain issues and logistical costs

The company said in a statement that the investment allows EGGER greater efficiency by significantly reducing waste and managing costs.

During TFL production, a short cycle press uses high heat and pressure to fuse the saturated paper onto both sides of raw particleboard, creating decorative TFL panels for use in interior design applications.

In addition to the completion of the new saturation line, September also marks the three-year production anniversary of EGGER’s Lexington plant, which first started operations in 2020. 

During the past year, nearly $90 million in new investments have been completed at the company’s North American facility, including a third lamination line, a wood recycling center and a third dump trucker – plus the new paper saturation line. In total, these four investments have added 50 additional jobs to the company’s Lexington facility, which now boasts nearly 500 employees.