SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — One year after announcing a historic $700 million investment in its manufacturing operations in Southern Oregon, Roseburg Forest Products said that construction at two new plants in Dillard, Oregon, is "well underway."

In April 2023, the company announced a plan to invest $700 million over the next four years to upgrade and expand its manufacturing operations in Southern Oregon, where the company was founded nearly 90 years ago. The investment includes the creation of two new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, and technological improvements and upgrades at existing plants in rural Douglas and Coos counties. 

Dillard Components will be the first of the new plants to come online, with startup expected in late summer 2024. The plant will convert specialty MDF panels manufactured at Roseburg’s MDF plant in Medford, Oregon, into Armorite Trim, a finished exterior trim product for residential and shed use. Roseburg recently introduced Armorite Trim to the market.

Dillard MDF will use wood residuals from Roseburg’s local mills and other regional suppliers to manufacture standard MDF panels, as well as thin high density fiberboard (HDF), often used in cabinetry, doors, and other applications. The plant will produce panels with a thickness range from 2mm to 28mm.

Once fully operational, the two new plants will employ approximately 120 people in the community where Roseburg was founded nearly 90 years ago.

“As equipment orders arrive and construction progresses, it’s exciting to see our plans for these investments take shape and become reality,” said Tony Ramm, senior vice president of manufacturing . “Roseburg was first established in this area in 1936, so investing in these projects at home is especially meaningful to the company. We look forward to seeing how they contribute to the future of the company and our team members, and the economic health of Southern Oregon.”

The two plants together will be capable of producing the following:

• MDF panels: 175 million square feet per year on a ¾-inch basis, or 310,000 cubic meters per year
• Primed Armorite exterior trim: 70 million square feet per year on a ¾-inch basis, or 124,000 cubic meters per year

• Interior molding: 90 million feet per year
   

   

The two new Dillard plants represent a significant portion of Roseburg’s $700 million investment in its Oregon manufacturing assets. The investment also includes improvements at existing Roseburg plants in Oregon, such as significant upgrades at our plywood plant in Riddle, Oregon., including two new lathe lines and a new hardwood plywood line, and a new dryer at our plywood plant in Coquille, Oregon.