Isobord Enterprises to Construct Two Additional Strawboard Manufacturing Plants

Furniture World News

Isobord Enterprises Inc., manufacturers of premium engineered ISOBORD™ panels, has announced approval by its Board of Directors to construct two additional StrawBoard manufacturing facilities in North America. The construction will be the second of a multi-phase expansion program planned by Isobord Enterprises that may include up to six plants. Approval of the expansion plans came at the June 3, 1999 Board of Directors meeting in Elie, Manitoba. Site selection for the company's second and third plants is expected to be completed later this year. Construction of the second plant is anticipated to take place in 2000 with construction of the third facility anticipated for 2001. North American sites for both new plants are currently being researched by senior management. "Our Elie facility is capable of producing 144 million board feet of ISOBORD annually," according to Frederick Thompson, president and CEO of Isobord Enterprises. "We anticipate that each of the new plants will exceed that output, giving us the potential for over 480 million board feet of " ISOBORD production on an annual basis from the three combined facilities." With news of the plant expansions also comes the announcement that Isobord Enterprises will be moving into the value-added business. In addition to manufacturing commodity ISOBORD panels, the company plans to explore immediate options for laminating and milling its ISOBORD product in Canada. "ISOBORD is an extremely versatile, environmentally sensible product," says Thompson. "The product has already enjoyed tremendous acceptance in the marketplace and now we're exploring the development of the product in a variety of additional ways." ISOBORD is a premium engineered panel that is competitively priced and made from finely chopped wheat straw and a synthetic polymer resin. The environmentally responsible product is made from straw after wheat has been harvested and uses no formaldehyde in the manufacturing process. The Canadian-based company holds both United States and Canadian patents on the manufacturing process. For more information on ISOBORD, industry representatives may call the company at 503-242-7345. For information on the facility and operations, the media may contact Kathy Ziprik at 770-577-8255.