At its 62nd Annual Meeting in September, the Maine Forest Products Council (MFPC) presented LP Building Solutions with the Council’s Outstanding Manufacturing Award.
The award, presented by MFPC President Ryan McAvoy, recognized LP’s commitment to manufacturing excellence, and southern Aroostook County, as demonstrated by its investment in the LP Houlton mill to transition its production to LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding.
LP Houlton Plant Manager Nathan Whitney accepted the award on behalf of LP. It marks the first time LP has won the MFPC’s Outstanding Manufacturers Award.
“It was an honor to accept (the award) on behalf of all the employees here at Houlton, and it was a testament to LP’s commitment to Northern Maine,” Whitney says. “It will be proudly displayed here at the mill for all to enjoy.”
LP recently shared that it plans to add a second line to the facility in Houlton. The second line will produce 340 million square feet per year following ramp-up and add more than 100 jobs to the community.
“Our conviction to invest in siding growth over the years has enabled us to meet incredible customer demand,” says LP Executive Vice President and General Manager of Siding Jason Ringblom.
“We are excited to invest in the Houlton community and position ourselves for greater penetration in the Northeast market.”
The announcement of the Houlton addition, which is contingent upon state and local approvals, comes less than a year after the first board was produced on its new siding line in April 2022.
The additional 340 million square feet of production will enable the Houlton facility alone to produce more than 500 million square feet per year and brings LP’s total SmartSide production capacity to roughly 2.6 billion square feet.
This project will add a new forming line and press, with Houlton joining LP Hayward as LP’s second two-line siding facility.
LP Houlton was commissioned in 1981 as an OSB mill, LP Houlton is the company’s second-longest-running facility.
This marks the third time that LP has invested in a major capital expansion project at this site, and the second since 2021—illustrating its continued commitment to the facility and the community.
