Timberlink investing in the future

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has officially unveiled the NeXTimber Cross Laminated Timber and Glue Laminated Timber facility and Timberlink Tarpeena green mill upgrade.

The February 29 launch event was attended by more than 300 people, including South Australian Minister for Primary Industries, Regional Development and Forest Industries Clare Scriven, District Council of Grant Mayor Kylie Boston, District Council of Grant CEO Darryl Whicker, Member for Mackillop Nick McBride and South Australian Forest Products Association CEO Nathan Paine.

“This unique facility in South Australia’s Limestone Coast presents tremendous opportunities for value adding, product diversification and market expansion for the state’s $1.4 billion forest industries as well as the ability to contribute to the construction of taller and more complex timber buildings,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“I congratulate the Timberlink team, and everyone involved in delivering this project which will have significant flow on benefits for the Limestone Coast economy and that of the whole state.

“The State Government is committed to a smart, sustainable and inclusive economic path for increase resilience and competitiveness for our forest industries and is why we were pleased to contribute $2 million of funding towards this new state of the art facility.”

The newly commissioned NeXTimber facility is Australia’s only combined CLT and GLT (Cross Laminated and Glue Laminated Timber) radiata pine mass timber facility, and the first in Australia to be integrated with a structural timber manufacturing plant.

The NeXTimber facility can produce CLT panels up to 16M long and 3.5M wide, and GLT beams up to 12M long.

Mass timber products offer an exciting alternative to traditional construction materials and can help to reduce the embodied carbon of a project. These timber structures can be built up to 12 stories and even taller when combined with other materials in a hybrid timber construction.

Timberlink’s $70m capital investment to build a mass timber production facility was announced in 2020, supported by a $2m grant from the South Australian Government under the Strategic Business Round 2020 of the Government of South Australia’s Regional Growth Fund.

The NeXTimber brand was announced in 2021 with the tagline ‘it’s what better tomorrows are built on’.

Ground was broken with the first sod turn in Tarpeena in 2022 and construction of the site continued until late last year.

The facility has been taking orders since November 2023 and has created new jobs not only during the construction phase, but on an ongoing basis with over 30 new full-time positions.

Minister Scriven said South Australia’s forest industries have a long and proud history of sustainably growing and utilising our local resources to address the growing demands for timber, both domestically and internationally.

“This new facility at Tarpeena continues that tradition of innovation, both by showcasing some of the world’s best new innovations and supporting greener, secure and modern employment opportunities, all critical ingredients towards ensuring Limestone Coast communities continue to thrive,” Minister Scriven said.

“This initiative, which the State Government is proud to support, links in with other government commitments to the industry including a $15 million investment towards the establishment of the Forestry Centre of Excellence in Mount Gambier, the $2.346 million upgrade of the South East fire tower network including the installation of ground breaking artificial intelligence based bushfire detection and monitoring system and the $2 million contribution to assist the rollout of projects identified in the South Australian Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan.

“It certainly is an exciting time for the Limestone Coast and South Australian Forest industries as a whole.”

Timberlink’s NeXTimber facility development followed their 2019 announcement of a major timber manufacturing upgrade, with more than $90m invested over the ensuing three years, installing a new saw line, stacker and edger, contraflow kiln and batch kiln and drying building.

This project created more than 200 jobs in the construction phase.

Timberlink Chief Sales, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Officer David Oliver said this upgrade to the Tarpeena green mill was a testament to Timberlink’s commitment to innovation through timber manufacturing.

“By increasing the amount of timber that we can process here in the Limestone Coast region, we are directly supporting the local economy and jobs in the region,” he said.

Timberlink CEO Paul O’Keefe said they were well positioned to play their part in supporting the Australian government’s COP28 commitment to increase the use of timber in the built environment by 2030.

The South Australian Forest Products Association CEO also welcomed the investment.

“It is official – South Australia is home to the most sought-after building product, Mass Engineered Timber, with thanks to Timberlink who invested $70 million into expanding their manufacturing facility to produce mass timber products for residential and commercial construction”, Mr Paine said.

“Innovative technologies like engineered wood products are a clear example of how timber is influencing the future of the construction industry whilst contributing to a net-zero economy.

“South Australia’s forest products industries are already building the nation through growing and processing 35 per cent of the nation’s locally produced house framing timbers, 25 per cent of the nation’s particle board and now this new facility will deliver CLT and GLT products that offer a greener, more sustainable alternative to steel and concrete in mid and high-rise construction projects.

“Each year, the South Australian plantation estate sequesters 4.64 million tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere, making timber the Ultimate Renewable. The CLT and GLT timber products that will be processed by NeXTimber will provide carbon negative mass timber products for use in mid and high-rise constrictions helping create a cleaner, greener future.

“It is investments like this which generate economic, environmental and social opportunities for the South East, further empowering the forest and timber industries in South Australia.”