Martco, LLC, the parent company for timber sourcing and manufacturing company RoyOMartin, will invest more than $30 million to install technologically advanced production equipment at its Allen Parish plant. The plant produces oriented strand board (OSB) for the housing industry.
“RoyOMartin is a third-generation family-owned business doing business in Louisiana for more than 100 years, and I am thrilled to see this company positioning itself to thrive for many more,” Louisiana Economic Development secretary Susan Bourgeois said in a prepared statement. “Louisiana timber has long supported the national housing industry, and so has our skilled manufacturing workforce, which continues to meet the challenge of modernization with talent and training companies need to compete.”
OSB is an engineered wood that uses a combination of wood strands and adhesives to create strong, dimensionally-stable panels. RoyOMartin plans to arm its hydraulic press—used to mold together the OSB—with new components, including a new press hood. The investments will also help complete other planned maintenance in the eight-building facility.
“Our Oakdale OSB facility has been a cornerstone of RoyOMartin since it produced the first panel in January 2007,” Terry Secrest, executive vice president of manufacturing and product sales, said. “Throughout the years, the facility has consistently been the safest and highest-producing OSB manufacturing in North America. With the high production rates, the press needed replacement to meet the growing market demands. Given the strong workforce, timber availability, proximity to the fastest-growing housing markets, and Louisiana’s improved economic development climate, this $30 million investment secures the Oakdale mill’s status as a world-class manufacturing facility in Allen Parish for many years to come.”
RoyOMartin is headquartered in Alexandria, La., and has additional plants in Chopin, La., and Corrigan, Texas.
