Interfor Permanently Shuts Hammond Sawmill in Maple Ridge

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Vancouver, B.C.-based Interfor Corporation announced plans to restructure its B.C. coastal business. As part of this, the company has decided to permanently close its Hammond sawmill located in Maple Ridge, B.C. The decision will eliminate 147 jobs at the facility, out of which 131 are unionized members belonging to the United Steelworkers Union Local 2009.

Commenting on the decision, Duncan Davies, President and CEO, Interfor stated that the company fully recognizes the impact the decision will have on employees have been serving the company for several years. The company will work closely with the affected employees in order to mitigate the impacts of the closure by exploring job opportunities at the company’s alternative locations as well as outside the company, he added.

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The closure of the sawmill will help Interfor to bring the manufacturing capacity across the coastal B.C. area in line with the available log supply in the region. It must be noted that the regional industry has been badly hit by log supply challenges over the past two decades. Incidentally, the Hammond sawmill has been operating on a one-shift basis for several years now, on account of various factors including severe log supply constraints.

The mill will continue to process and ship the remaining log and lumber inventories. The closure of the mill is expected to be completed by Q4 2019.

As part of reconfiguring its B.C. Coastal business, the company will explore opportunities to boost log supply to Acorn sawmill in Delta, B.C.