Article Number: 3655
Pergo/Uniboard parent acquires East Coast panel manufacturing facility, Help's strengthen vertical integration
RALEIGH, N.C.—As part of its strategy to strengthen its North American laminate flooring business operations, Pfleiderer AG, the parent company of Pergo and Uniboard, has purchased ATC Panel’s Moncure, N.C., manufacturing facility. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
While the plant will be owned and operated by the Uniboard Panel Division, James Hogg, president and CEO of Uniboard, said the acquisition is part of a strategic plan to strengthen the company’s leadership in engineered wood panels in North America and will benefit Pergo by improving its vertical integration capabilities and decreasing lead times for obtaining key manufacturing components.
George Kelley, president and CEO of Pergo, said the Moncure facility is in an optimal location to service Pergo with the particleboard essential for the production of its laminate flooring. “The proximity of this facility to our manufacturing plant in Garner, N.C., means Pergo will be able to further increase its manufacturing efficiencies and more quickly fulfill orders from our valued specialty partners.”
As part of expansion plans, Hogg noted the company will invest more than $120 million in the plant over the next year, which will primarily be used to fund the construction of a state-of-the-art MDF/HDF (medium- and high-density fiberboard) mill on site.
The new facility will be able to produce well over 225 million square feet of raw MDF/HDF a year. Ground has already been broken with a completion date target of October 2009. The existing plant, which currently employs close to 160 people and produces more than 156 million square feet of particleboard and value-added melamine annually, will remain in production, he added.
“The installation of our MDF/HDF lines will put us in a favorable position to supply our sister company, Pergo, and our customers located in the Midwest and Southern U.S.,” Hogg explained. “The acquisition of the Moncure facility is a reflection of Uniboard’s long-term commitment to our customers, especially on the East Coast and solidifies our offering in laminate flooring through Pergo.”
While the plant will be owned and operated by the Uniboard Panel Division, James Hogg, president and CEO of Uniboard, said the acquisition is part of a strategic plan to strengthen the company’s leadership in engineered wood panels in North America and will benefit Pergo by improving its vertical integration capabilities and decreasing lead times for obtaining key manufacturing components.
George Kelley, president and CEO of Pergo, said the Moncure facility is in an optimal location to service Pergo with the particleboard essential for the production of its laminate flooring. “The proximity of this facility to our manufacturing plant in Garner, N.C., means Pergo will be able to further increase its manufacturing efficiencies and more quickly fulfill orders from our valued specialty partners.”
As part of expansion plans, Hogg noted the company will invest more than $120 million in the plant over the next year, which will primarily be used to fund the construction of a state-of-the-art MDF/HDF (medium- and high-density fiberboard) mill on site.
The new facility will be able to produce well over 225 million square feet of raw MDF/HDF a year. Ground has already been broken with a completion date target of October 2009. The existing plant, which currently employs close to 160 people and produces more than 156 million square feet of particleboard and value-added melamine annually, will remain in production, he added.
“The installation of our MDF/HDF lines will put us in a favorable position to supply our sister company, Pergo, and our customers located in the Midwest and Southern U.S.,” Hogg explained. “The acquisition of the Moncure facility is a reflection of Uniboard’s long-term commitment to our customers, especially on the East Coast and solidifies our offering in laminate flooring through Pergo.”
 |