From:
[www.kdrv.com]

DILLARD, Ore. — Roseburg Forest Products announced on Wednesday that it will shut down its particleboard plant in Douglas County, part of a "multi-million dollar investment in new technology" in its western manufacturing operations.

The closure is expected to affect 179 current employees at the Dillard Composites plant, which has been in operation since 1965. Some machine centers will keep operating for up to 60 days. Roseburg said that it will offer current employees positions elsewhere in the company.

“The decision to stop production at a facility is never easy, and these transitions have significant impact on the people involved,” said Jake Elston, Roseburg Senior Vice President of Operations. “We have already begun working with our current team members on this upcoming transition to identify other opportunities within the organization.”

Roseburg said that it went through an "extensive study of strategic investment opportunities" for building its business model in the west, and the company indicated that it would be investing in automation.

“The analysis led to the decision to close Dillard Composites and look toward the investment, growth, and continued modernization of our western integrated business model,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery said. “The coming investment in automated technology will create a more competitive business and allow us to maintain a robust, long-term presence in Douglas County, the state, and the industry as a whole.”

The company says that it will still be manufacturing particleboard at its plants in Missoula, Montana; Simsboro, Louisiana; and Taylorsville, Mississippi. The company is based in Springfield, and has several other facilities in Oregon, including one in Medford.