Two Harbors mill gets $6 million upgrade

The Louisiana-Pacific plant in Two Harbors will see $6 million worth of improvements in the coming month.

The project entails installing a new press, a machine that presses wood chips under extreme heat and pressure into sheets of siding, according to Plant Manager Steve Twining. Twining said the press will increase the plant’s capacity by about 25 percent.

“This is a huge investment in this facility. One of the (vice presidents) in Nashville said we have secured the future of this mill,” Twining said. LP is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

The plant will close for 28 days while the new press is installed by a crane. The old press, which is almost 30 years old, will be lifted out and the new one installed through the roof. The crane being used is so large that a smaller crane was needed to erect it.

Twining said about 100 employees will stay on the payroll through the month, completing various maintenance and "housekeeping" projects, while 32 employees were temporarily laid off. Twining said a number of employees volunteered for the time off.

As reported in the News-Chronicle in October, the project has received funding from a mix of sources. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board provided a $2 million loan for the project, and the remaining funds came from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the company and Lake County.

“We support LP because they are a large contributor to our tax base ... and they have a number of good quality jobs up there,” Lake County Commissioner Brad Jones said. "For me, it’s a no-brainer."

Twining said they expect the plant to resume normal operations on Feb. 27.

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