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Sonae Arauco orders new IMAL belt dryer to upgrade drying system at Beeskow PB plant
steam-powered drum dryer at Beeskow.
Above: IMAL belt dryers under construction
Sonae Arauco has ordered a belt dryer from IMAL to upgrade the drying operations at its particleboard line at
Beeskow, Germany. IMAL said it received the order on July 11, with the new belt dryer to replace an old
LP siding products outperform OSB in second quarter financial results
US engineered wood products manufacturer Louisiana-Pacific Corporation saw its siding sales perform better than OSB panels in Q2, the company reported in its latest financial update. LP says its siding division
recorded an 11% growth in net sales during Q2 to US$460m due to 9% higher volumes and 2% higher prices. OSB net sales decreased by US$101m to US$250m, driven by lower prices and a slight decline in volumes. Adjusted EBITDA across the business was US$142m, a decrease of US$86m, while consolidated net sales decreased by US$60m to US$755m.
The business invested US$68m in capital expenditure during Q2. “LP’s siding segment grew and captured share to set new records for sales volume, sales revenue, and EBITDA in the second quarter,” said
LP chairperson and CEO Brad Southern. “While the OSB market is challenging currently, with commodity prices at multi- year lows, LP will continue to execute its OSB segment strategy safely, with efficiency and discipline,” added Mr Southern. The OSB segment
manufactures and distributes OSB structural panel products, including the innovative value- added OSB product portfolio known as LP Structural Solutions. For H1, OSB net sales reduced by 22% or US$147m to US$517m, while adjusted EBITDA for the division over the same period reduced by US$143m to US$73m. Capital expenditures
related to strategic growth and sustaining maintenance projects are expected to be approximately US$180m and US$170m, respectively, for full year 2025.
The new belt dryer will be installed at Beeskow in a complete turnkey project including all steelwork, electrical installation and automation up to the production start-up, which is planned for the end of March 2026. The steam power will come from the existing turbines that produce electricity. The capacity of the new belt dryer will be 24 tons/hour of evaporated water. IMAL has reported several recent belt dryer contract successes for both large and small capacities.
Other recent projects include to Linex (France),
Kastamonu (Turkey), Swiss Krono (France), and Tokyo Board (Japan). Start-up of two belt dryers at Linex took place earlier than scheduled, with a similar quick turnaround also being planned for Beeskow. Others that are already in operation include two at Swiss Krono France and Kastamonu Turkey (2023- 2024), whereas the two belt dryers for Tokyo Board Japan were supplied in 2024. IMAL has four belt dryers
under construction at the moment: one of which is to be ready by the end of the year in Spain, one in the Baltics, and two belt dryers with three decks, the first in the world, which will be installed in North America.
International Panel Products Symposium postponed to 2027
The International Panel Products Symposium (IPPS) in Wales has been cancelled this year due to ongoing restructuring in Bangor University and adjustments in the BioComposites Centre itself.
The long-running biennial IPPS, which is a global event focused on technical and research updates in the wood-based panels industry, had been due to take place in October this year, but will now be postponed until October 2027.
Bangor University has been in the news for implementing cost saving measures after reporting a £13m deficit in a recent financial report. It is cutting 78 jobs in a bid to make savings worth £5.3m. The BioComposites Centre at Bangor University released a statement saying it had been “tough” to postpone the event this year. “While we had substantial
interest in the event, it became clear that quality of experience might be negatively affected by the ongoing situation,” it said. However, the decision to reschedule will allow the team to turn its attentions towards delivering a high-quality industry-facing Master Class event in September 2026. The next full International Panel Products Symposium will be in October 2027. “We have often sought to balance the full conference – every two years – with a smaller and more focused IPPS Master Class event in the intervening year,” said Professor Graham Ormondroyd of the BioComposites Centre. “We are aware of enormous progress in the panels sector meeting new challenges in recycling and novel feedstock processing systems – so the 2026 Master Class will pick up on this topic.”
www.wbpionline.com | August/September 2025 | WBPI
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