In Springfield, Oregon, Rosboro operates an integrated site with a sawmill and glulam production facility. In 2024, the decision was made to comprehensively expand the site for a total investment sum of US$120 million. First, Rosboro replaced four of its nine drying kilns with continuous kilns. Then, a new planing mill and sorting plant were built. The third phase, which is currently underway, involves the construction of an additional glulam production facility – Rosboro’s fourth overall.
“These investments were necessary to continue meeting future market requirements and to position the company for the next generation. Some of the existing glulam lines have been in operation for several decades,” Brian Wells, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Development at Rosboro, explains. Rosboro’s team spent about a year evaluating various options. “Kallesoe precisely understood our requirements and designed the line accordingly. Combined with their numerous reference projects, we were confident that we had found the right partner in Kallesoe,” Wells adds.
New developments inside the line
To be able to meet market requirements in the future, too, Rosboro is investing in a new glulam production line designed by Danish plant manufacturer Kallesoe © Kallesoe
The new production hall covers approximately 14,000 m². After conditioning, the lamellas pass through a System TM finger-jointing line. The adhesive is cured inside a Kallesoe high-frequency tunnel that is powered by a 65-kW generator. According to Kallesoe’s CEO Kristian Kallesoe, the maximum feed speed is 120 m/min. “The finger-jointing machine was specially adapted to US standards, which require mechanical testing of each joint. Thanks to a new development, the test force can be applied at full speed immediately after curing in the high-frequency tunnel,” Kallesoe explains.
At the moment, the first plant components are being installed, including the four-layer sorting system for the finger-jointed lamellas. In total, 84 containers of equipment are being shipped from Europe to the US West Coast © Jakob Wassermann
Next, a Rex planer planes the lamellas, which can be up to 20 m long. The lamellas are then temporarily stored in a four-level sorting system. To save space, the adhesive application system is installed below the sorting system. Before the adhesive is applied, another planer can adjust the lamella thickness if necessary.
Two 200-kW high-frequency presses are available for the production of glulam beams. The press bed is designed for maximum cross-sections of 1,270 by 380 mm. The beams, which can be up to 20 m long, are produced in three cycles. “The pressing time per batch is less than nine minutes,” project manager Dean Locke tells us. Rosboro uses the waste heat from the presses to heat the building. The planned annual production capacity is 120,000 m³.
High surface quality
After pressing and final planing, any defects can be repaired at a patching station. A crosscut saw then cuts the elements to the required final dimensions. “The majority of our production output goes to wholesalers’ logistics centers in standard lengths of 20 m,” Locke says. The final processing steps before packaging involve a sanding machine and marking station.
Parallel large-scale projects
A collaborative partnership: Robert Paulson and Roland Hernandez (both Stiles), Bruno and Kristian Kallesoe, Jeff Morrison, Dean Locke, Brian Wells (all Rosboro), Casey Harless Stiles and Darko Zimbakov (Homag) (from right) © Jakob Wassermann
“In addition to the project at Rosboro, we are in the middle of another major project in the region. Both lines are designed for a single product, i.e. one for glulam and one for CLT. This way, we could optimize individual process steps. However, the parallel project execution is quite the logistical challenge,” Kristian Kallesoe tells us.
Kallesoe is working closely with Stiles, the US subsidiary of the Homag Group, on project execution. As Kallesoe’s local contact, Stiles ensures smooth project coordination and customer service. “The collaboration with both partners is going very well and thanks to Stiles, the rapid supply of spare parts can be guaranteed, too,” Locke emphasizes. Production on the line is scheduled to start in mid-2027.
