Rossi Group opens new US hardwood mill in western Pennsylvania
31 July 2018Rossi Group LLC of Connecticut has opened its new mill at Emporium in western Pennsylvania, one of the most advanced in America, following the destruction of its sawmill by fire just 15 months earlier.
Production of graded lumber will be sold to domestic and long-standing Rossi customers around the world.
President Ted Rossi says the new mill will produce 50% more graded sawn lumber with the same staff and help to secure jobs for up to 250 local families for at least the next 40 years.
Emporium sits at the heart of some of the best hardwood forest in the eastern US with high quality and sustainable supplies of cherry, red and white oak and other species.
During the construction of the highly automated mill, key operating staff have been trained and certified by the National Hardwood Lumber Association in NHLA Grading Rules, so that the mill now has nine graduate graders. Every decision in the mill affecting quality will be made only by a certified graduate grader.
“We now offer the best in technology, timber resources, production expertise and market experience to ensure that Emporium Hardwoods can be considered the gold standard for American cherry and other species of American hardwood lumber,” said Mr Rossi.
The mill was unveiled in June with tours by the Penn York Lumberman’s Club and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
