LP Announces the Start of LP SmartSide Production at its Sagola, Michigan Facility

LP Building Solutions has announced that the first LP SmartSide products will be manufactured at its Sagola, Michigan facility on March 15, followed by the first APA-approved SmartSide board on April 7.

In 1988, LP’s Sagola facility opened as an oriented strand board (OSB) mill. To satisfy the rising demand for SmartSide products, the company announced a multi-year, gradual expansion of its siding production capacity in 2021. At the time, LP Sagola was one of two plants announced for conversion from OSB manufacture to SmartSide siding, along with LP’s Houlton, Maine mill.

LP completed the first phase of Sagola’s conversion to a siding mill safely and effectively, culminating in the pressing of the mill’s first siding board on March 15, exactly one year after breaking ground on the project. LP Sagola is currently producing APA-certified and trademarked siding after confirmation testing by APA – The Engineered Wood Association (an organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute for defining national consensus standards for engineered wood products).

“Expansion projects like this one in Sagola allow LP to meet increased demand for SmartSide siding across North America while positioning us for long-term growth,” said Jason Ringblom, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Siding. “This outstanding achievement is the result of the talent and determination of LP’s Sagola team, with invaluable assistance from Engineering, Capital Procurement, and other LP departments.”

LP Sagola will be able to produce roughly 330 million square feet of SmartSide siding yearly at full capacity, bringing the company’s total siding production capacity to approximately 2.3 billion square feet.