Tafisa Canada started up of its fifth TFL panel press line for producing two-sided embossed and in-register textured composite panels in 4-foot by 8-foot and 5-foot by 9-foot sizes. The line will aid the production and on-time delivery of its new VIVA panels, whic feature embossed in-register textured surfaces.

Fourteen composite panel facilities and one corporation as a whole were recognized for their safety achievements during the Composite Panel Association's annual spring meeting held last week in Tucson, Arizona.

Capacity for the North American composite panel industry is expected to increase 4.21 percent in 2016, driven by increased demand for engineered wood for use in cabinetry, furniture, flooring and other products.

Mainstream media coverage on composite panels has failed to recognize the CARB compliance of products manufactured in North America, and the efforts made by the industry in addressing formaldehyde emissions, says CPA President Jackson Morrill. Regulatory enforcement is also needed to ensure a level playing field that keeps non-compliant products out of the marketplace.

Laminate flooring and panel producer Kronospan has entered the U.S. flooring market, acquiring Clarion Boards Inc. and Clarion Laminates LLC. The Shippenville, PA-based Clarion Industries says it is the only fully integrated laminate flooring operation in North America. Based in Austria, Kronospan operates an MDF mill in Alabama.

Arauco North America is investing $325 million to build the largest continuous press particleboard mill in North America. Located in Grayling, MI, the new mill will produce 424MMSF (750 MCM) of panels per year, along with full lamination capabilities to support the Prism TFL decorative surfacing program.

In a move which will double its capacity, RedBuilt LLC is adding a laminated veneer lumber line at its Stayton, OR, facility, one of four manufacturing plants by the Boise, ID-based company. RedBuilt manufactures engineered structural wood products for commercial and multi-family applications.

The new president of the Composite Panel Association, Jackson Morrill is no stranger to the woodworking industry. He took time recently to share his thoughts with Woodworking Network on the challenges and opportunities ahead for the composite panel industry.

ARAUCO announces the debut of PRISM, a new brand name for the company's thermally fused laminate (TFL) products produced in North America. The PRISM brand will represent ARAUCO's collection of 76 designs, as well as any future exclusive design releases.

SMITHERS, BC - A Northern Engineered Wood Products (NEWPRO) particleboard facility is filing a permit amendment to become a wood pellet manufacturing plant.  Particleboard production has been halted at the Smithers, BC, plant since January 2014.