LP Building Solutions celebrated the completion of a conversion and expansion project to enable its New Limerick, Maine, facility to produce LP SmartSide Trim & Siding products. After a history of manufacturing oriented strand board and laminated strand lumber, LP’s $150 million investment will enable the Maine plant to produce 220 million square feet of LP’s flagship product.
“One of the reasons we decided to do this expansion at LP Houlton is because of the high-quality workforce here,” LP chair and CEO Brad Southern said in a prepared statement. “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.”
LP announced a phased, multi-year plan in early 2021 to expand siding production capacity to meet growing customer demand for the product. The Houlton 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. According to LP, the mill’s conversion to siding production will increase sustainable and locally-sourced annual fiber consumption by 30% and increase expected shipping volumes.
Commissioned in 1981 as an OSB mill, LP Houlton is the company’s second-longest running facility. In addition to the investments in Maine, LP has made efforts to increase its production capacity for SmartSide elsewhere across the country. The company has begun the conversion process at its Sagola, Mich. facility. LP said the conversion in Maine reinforces the company’s commitment to expanding its presence in the repair, remodel, and new-home construction markets on the East coast. The company recently broke ground in Bath, N.Y., on an LP SmartSide ExpertFinish facility.
