Martco, LLC, the parent company for timber sourcing and manufacturing company RoyOMartin, has announced it will invest more than $30 million to install technologically advanced production equipment at its plant in Allen Parish. The site produces oriented strand board (OSB) for the housing industry.

To win the Oakdale project, Louisiana Economic Development offered a competitive incentive package that included a performance-based Retention and Modernization Grant valued at $455,400.

The RoyOMartin OSB plant is one of the parish’s largest employers, and the expansion will allow the company to retain its 232 full-time employees who earn an annual average salary of $75,000. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will also result in nearly 600 indirectly supported jobs in the state.

“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 the talent and training companies need to compete,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said in a news release.

OSB is an engineered wood that uses a combination of wood strands and adhesives to create strong, dimensionally-stable panels, which is commonly used in commercial and residential construction for wall sheathing, floor underlays, roof cover and I-joints. By adding new components to its hydraulic press, including a new press hood, and completing other planned maintenance in the eight-building facility, the Oakdale plant aims to improve its product and efficiency, while replacing aging equipment.

“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,” said Terry Secrest, executive vice president of manufacturing and product sales, in a news release.

RoyOMartin is headquartered in Alexandria, with additional plants in Chopin, Louisiana, and Corrigan, Texas.
 
Source: neworleanscitybusiness.com