Vancouver, BC— West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., with its head office here, recently announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Angelina Forest Products lumber mill located in Lufkin, TX for approximately $300 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments. The transaction is anticipated to close following successful completion of U.S. regulatory reviews and satisfaction of customary conditions.
The new turn-key facility, which produces Southern Yellow Pine (“SYP”) lumber products, began construction in 2018, commenced operations in late 2019 and is expected to progress toward full production capacity of approximately 305 million board feet over the next three to four years. The transaction includes approximately $4 million of target working capital and approximately $24 million of supplemental tax attributes that are expected to result in a direct cash flow benefit to West Fraser.
The acquisition is another step in West Fraser’s continued expansion of its U.S. lumber operations. The new, highly efficient facility is expected to be a top quartile mill that will integrate with and support their existing East Texas lumber and OSB business. Anticipated to be among the lowest cost operations in the Company’s lumber mill portfolio, the Lufkin mill is strategically located near low-cost and abundant fiber as well as large and growing end-markets and its additional lumber production will allow West Fraser to better serve the Company’s growing customer base in Texas and the southern U.S. Upon completion of this transaction, West Fraser will have combined Canadian and U.S. lumber production capacity of approximately 7.0 billion board feet, with U.S. capacity of SYP lumber representing approximately 50 percent of the Company’s capacity.
West Fraser is a diversified wood products company with more than 60 facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. From responsibly sourced and sustainably managed forest resources, the Company produces lumber, engineered wood products (OSB, LVL, MDF, plywood, and particleboard), pulp, newsprint, wood chips, other residuals and renewable energy. West Fraser’s products are used in home construction, repair and remodeling, industrial applications, papers, tissue, and box materials.
For more information, go to www.westfraser.com.