BENNETTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – ARAUCO, a global manufacturer of forest products, announced on Wednesday that it would be closing its medium density fiberboard (MDF) production facility in Bennettsville on May 18.
The Bennettsville mill is currently offline because of market conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from the company. The release goes on to say that the facility will be permanently closing because of a broader assessment that the older manufacturing platform is no longer competitive in the prevailing MDF market compared to the company’s other more advanced MDF platforms.
“The decision to close this mill was a difficult one,” Pablo Franzini, president of ARAUCO North America, said in a news release sent to News13. “We are working diligently to provide options for affected employees to help them through a difficult transition. We are committed to meet all of our customers’ needs from our other facilities.”
In 2015, ARAUCO announced it was expanding its existing particleboard operations in Marlboro County. A $30 million investment was made to expand its Bennettsville facility.
Established in 1967 as Industrias de celulosa Arauco S.A. in Chile, ARAUCO has grown tremendously since its inception.
As of 2015, the company was serving clients in more than 75 countries.
More information about the company can be found by clicking here.
