The South Australian Forest Products Association has hailed the start of Timberlink’s $63 million NeXTimber facility in Tarpeena in the State’s South-East as the first step on the road to transformative change in the way we build the buildings of the future. Source: Timberbiz
South Australian Forest Products Association CEO, Mr Nathan Paine, said this new state-of-the-art facility would not just drive job creation, it would also deliver more sustainable engineered wood products and will also be Australia’s first combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing plant.
A total of 27 full-time permanent jobs will be created when the facility opens in 2023 rising to 50 at full output. A significant number of additional jobs are also being created during the construction phase.
The NeXTimber range will be manufactured on Timberlink’s Tarpeena site from Timberlink timber, sourced from local certified pine plantations. The plantations, like Timberlink, are under the ownership of funds managed by New Forests.
“South Australia’s forest products industries are already building the nation through growing and processing 35% of the nation’s locally produced house framing timbers, 25% of the nation’s particle board and now this new facility will deliver CLT and GLT products that offer a greener, more sustainable alternative to steel and concrete in mid and high-rise construction projects,” Mr Paine said.
He said that each year, the South Australian plantation estate sequestered 4.64 million tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere, making timber the Ultimate Renewable.
The CLT and GLT timber products that will be processed by NeXTimber will provide carbon negative mass timber products for use in mid and high-rise construction helping create a cleaner, greener future.
“This project, with the support of the South Australian Government through the Regional Growth Fund, is another step to a cleaner, greener future and demonstrates the capacity of the South Australian forestry industry to drive new manufacturing jobs that not just deliver new products but also generate new employment in the State’s South-East,” Mr Paine said.
“The support of the Regional Growth Fund and the private investment it catalyses is a clear demonstration of the positive outcomes that can be achieved through targeted support from Government.
“As part of SAFPA’s State Election Platform, we are calling on all political parties to support quarantining funding in support of new domestic manufacturing projects, projects that will support employment and economic growth in the region,” Mr Paine said.
South Australia’s Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham said the combined manufacturing plant would boost local timber production and provide an alternative for steel and concrete in mid and high-rise construction.
“Timberlink’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Tarpeena will be a game-changer for South Australia’s timber industry and it’s very exciting to see construction now underway,” Mr Basham said.
“The new manufacturing plant will provide a commercially viable and carbon-friendly alternative to steel and concrete for construction which is a win-win for South Australia,” he said.
To support the launch of the NeXTimber brand, Timberlink has released a new video. Watch it at: https://youtu.be/IJ4dXBqVB88
