NASHVILLE, Tenn. — LP Building Solutions celebrated the successful completion of a multimillion-dollar conversion and expansion project to enable its New Limerick, Maine facility to produce LP SmartSide Trim & Siding products.
LP Chair and CEO Brad Southern was joined by Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senator Susan Collins, and LP Houlton Plant Manager Nathan Whitney as speakers at the event. Southern, Governor Mills, and U.S. Senator Collins officially brought the mill back to life at the press of a button following the conclusion of remarks, while all employees and guests enjoyed lunch and a tour of the mill.
“Today, we celebrate an important milestone for this plant and for the people of Maine,” said Governor Mills. “For decades, workers here at LP have produced Maine-made building materials used in homes across the nation and around the world. After a celebrated history of manufacturing oriented strand board and laminated strand lumber, LP Houlton’s $150 million investment will enable this plant to produce 220 million square feet of LP’s flagship product—SmartSide trim and siding—right here in Maine. On behalf of the people of Maine, I extend my deepest gratitude to LP for the investment that made this conversion possible.”
Southern offered congratulations to the assembled LP team of approximately 90 local and corporate employees on a successful conversion and expressed high hopes for both the Houlton facility and LP’s Siding business.
“One of the reasons we decided to do this expansion at LP Houlton is because of the high-quality workforce here,” Southern said. “That certainly proved to be true during the project and the ramp up period. We’re very appreciative of all the hard-work, agility, problem-solving and resilience of this workforce to get the project done on time and ramp up into well-executed and efficient SmartSide production.”
To meet growing customer demand for the product, LP announced a phased, multi-year plan in early 2021 to expand siding production capacity, starting with the conversion of LP’s Houlton facility from the manufacture of oriented strand board (OSB) and laminated strand lumber to SmartSide siding. The mill pressed its first siding board in late March 2022, while continuing construction to add the ability to make additional SmartSide products. At full capacity, LP Houlton will add approximately 220 million square feet of SmartSide capacity to LP’s siding business, bringing the company’s total capacity to nearly 2 billion square feet.
The mill’s conversion to siding production will increase sustainably and locally sourced annual fiber consumption by 30% and substantially increase expected shipping volumes.
Commissioned in 1981 as an OSB mill, LP Houlton is the company’s second-longest-running facility. With the successful conclusion of the major capital investment project, LP’s commitment to its 160 LP Houlton employees, their families, and the local community remains strong.
LP has continued to grow its SmartSide production capacity, with the company’s Sagola, Michigan facility beginning its own conversion from the manufacture of OSB to siding this summer; siding production is expected to begin in Sagola in the first quarter of 2023. The Houlton conversion also reinforces LP’s commitment to expanding its presence in the repair, remodel, and new-home construction markets on the East Coast, coming soon after breaking ground in Bath, New York, on an LP SmartSide ExpertFinish facility in July.
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