THE OneFortyOne (OFO)Jubilee Wood Products sawmill in Mount Gambier will continue to undergo cutting-edge investment amid $19m flowing into the site for new projects.
The “world class” plant has already undergone a $19m investment over the past 18 months as it continues to transition into one of the most efficient domestic processing mills in Australia.
Part of the city’s timber landscape since the late 1950s, the mill is already the second largest facility of its type in the nation and employs more than 300 people.
The fresh investment will see two major new capital projects rolled out at the sprawling timber processing site.
Work is set to start this month with the purchase and installation of a new scanner and two new highly efficient continuous drying kilns.
These two significant projects are foreshadowed to be completed next year.
OneFortyOne Australia executive general manager Cameron MacDonald yesterday welcomed the new investment to the site.
“We are excited to see the positive impact of our ongoing investment across the mill, ensuring it continues to be a world class plant for many years to come,” Mr MacDonald said.
The company executive said the investment would ensure job security for the team and was another positive for the regional economy.
“Maintaining the internationally recognised timber industry in the Green Triangle is critical to ensuring that Australian grown and processed timber products are competitive against those imported from overseas,” Mr MacDonald said.
OneFortyOne took ownership of Mount Gambier’s Jubilee Highway Sawmill in 2018, which was formerly owned by Carter Holt Harvey.
According to OFO, the purchase cemented the company’s commitment to the Green Triangle region and marked the first of many significant investments to be made at the site.
Following a capital project to reduce emissions, the mill is now fully compliant with air quality emissions regulations, according to new monitoring by the state’s environmental watchdog.
The integrated forestry company has installed cutting edge new systems using cyclonic technology to capture the fine particles from the emissions leaving the boilers.
Air pollution stemmed from the two 20-megawatt wood-fired boilers that produced heat and steam for the mill’s drying kiln.
The Jubilee Highway mill is South Australia’s largest sawmill, covering 65ha and processing more than 750,000 cubic metres of timber per year.
The Environment Protection Authority had worked with the previous owners – including Carter Holt Harvey – to try to solve the problem, placing an environment improvement program on the mill’s licence as far back as 2009.
