Louisiana Pacific closes two mills indefinitely

Building products supplier Louisiana-Pacific Corp. has announced indefinite shutdowns at oriented strand board mills in Chambord, Quebec and Athens, Ga. for the fourth quarter.

Company officials at the Nashville based company say the souring housing market is to blame.

"We are faced with one of the weakest housing markets in decades, which has substantially reduced the demand for OSB. In these conditions, we simply cannot justify running these mills. With these closures, we should improve our operating efficiencies while satisfying all the needs of our customers," says OSB executive vice president Jeff Wagner.

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Wagner says the closing was difficult economic decision, and the company regrets the impacts it will have on employees.

Annual OSB product capacities at Athens and Chambord are 375 million and 440 million square feet, respectively.