THE Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed timber manufacturing business Timberlink’s announcement it will invest $100m into its Australian sawmills, which will see its processing capacity increase by more than 15pc.
“This announcement from Timberlink is terrific news for Australia’s forest industries,” AFPA chief executive Ross Hampton said.
“It demonstrates confidence in the sector, will secure over 1350 direct and indirect jobs in regional Australia, as well nearly 300 jobs during the construction phase and will support timber supply for Australia’s construction industry.”
Major upgrades will start at Timberlink’s timber manufacturing facilities at Tarpeena and Bell Bay in Tasmania.
At Tarpeena, the investment will mean installation of a new saw line, stacker and edger as well as additional contraflow and batch kilns for drying timber.
Upgrades to road and storage facilities will take place, improving safety onsite.
At Bell Bay, new planer mill equipment will be installed along with a new internal road system to help with the increased traffic flow and improve safety conditions.
With previous capital upgrades, Timberlink has already increased its capacity by 50pc since it took over the sites in 2013.
“This $100m investment shows just how much Timberlink takes innovation seriously and how committed the business is to the timber industry and the communities in regional Australia it operates in,” Mr Hampton said.
“I look forward to this investment creating further opportunities for Timberlink, its employees and the communities that support the company.”
