Eugene, OR, December 19, 2006--Weyerhaeuser said it is closing a plywood mill in Springfield, Oregon and a veneer plant in Coburg, Oregon, causing the loss of 128 jobs.
The move is part of a restructuring plan that includes job cuts and plant closures.
"There's a shrinking demand for plywood panels because of the decline in housing starts and the increase availability of alternative products. After careful consideration of all the options, a decision was made to close the two facilities," Cathy Slater, vice president of veneer technologies, said in a statement.
The plywood mill had 86 employees, while the veneer plant employed 42 workers.
Weyerhaeuser said it will dispose of the manufacturing assets over the next few months and will work with environmental agencies to fulfill all regulatory requirements. Equipment at the facilities will go to other Weyerhaeuser veneer technology plants in Oregon.
The company said it was indefinitely curtailing production at an eastern Kentucky site that makes wooden beams, impacting about 40 workers.
On Friday, Weyerhaeuser announced plans to close a sawmill in Toutle, Washington, cutting about 130 jobs, and said it planned to build a new, more efficient mill at an existing lumber finishing operation in Washington. It also recently shuttered its Mountain Pine, Arkansas, veneer and plywood mill, which eliminated 340 jobs.
