LP Building Products is planning to expand manufacturing capacity of LP SmartSide treated engineered wood siding products to meet increased demand.
LP’s plans for major investments in capacity expansions encompass all LP SmartSide products: a full product portfolio, and wide offering of lap, panel, trim, and soffit. Expansion involves both a planned mill conversion to product production and increasing capacity at two current siding facilities.
“These expansions will enable LP SmartSide Trim & Siding to continue its above market growth, reach new markets and customers, as well as help improve our service levels,” said Brad Southern, SVP and GM siding for LP Building Products.
LP has identified its facility at Swan Valley, Manitoba, Canada, as the best option for a mill conversion to LP SmartSide siding. The project is still in the preliminary planning stages, subject to applicable regulatory approval, and the approval of the LP board of directors. If approved, the mill will begin LP SmartSide production by 2016. At capacity, it has the potential produce 350 million square feet of LP SmartSide products annually.
Other siding capacity expansion projects include expanding lap capacity at LP’s Hayward, Wis. mill, and adding trim capacity at LP’s Newberry, Mich. mill in 2015. In 2014, LP completed an expansion of primarily lap and trim capacity at its Tomahawk, Wis. mill.
Combined, these planned expansions will take LP’s system capacity for LP SmartSide products to more than 1.5 billion square feet.
“Capacity expansions allow LP to make more LP SmartSide products available in more places in order to build better homes and sheds, and complete better residing jobs and home improvement projects,” said Ben Skoog, director of business marketing at LP Sidings.
“Increasing numbers of builders, remodelers, shed fabricators, and DIY-ers have revealed the value of LP SmartSide products to the extent that demand growth exceeded our expectations in 2014. With our current growth trajectory, we need incremental capacity to service demand in 2015 and beyond,” said Skoog.
Installed on builders’ homes
Builders installing LP SmartSide siding on their own homes as a point of proof.
“I’ve used LP SmartSide engineered wood siding as a builder since 2000. I believe in the product so much that I installed it on my own home seven years ago. I love its look, durability and easy maintenance,” said Ryan Brown, operations manager for Sea Pac Homes, a premier home builder of the Pacific Northwest.
“I went with the highest recommended product in our market, LP SmartSide engineered wood siding. I live in the rainy state of Washington and my LP SmartSide siding has performed great. I plan on building again in the future. When I do, I will yet again choose LP SmartSide siding,” said Steven Dann of Reality Homes Inc., custom home builders in Oregon, Idaho and Washington.
Sales of the product lap and trim grew an impressive 18 percent from 2013 to 2014during a slow-growth residential-construction market. That continues a sales growth trend of steady market share gains for LP SmartSide lap and trim since prior to the 2008 recession.
The products have more than 17 years of successful performanceand offer a 5/50-year transferrable limited warranty compared to some 25- to 30-year fiber cement siding warranties. Visit www.LPSmartSide.com for complete warranty details. LP’s proprietary SmartGuard process provides additional strength to the products, and supports moisture resistance, termites and fungal decay.
For more information about LP SmartSide Trim & Siding, call 888.820.0325 or visit www.LPSmartSide.com.
