Wesbeam’s major manufacturing upgrades at Neerabup

Wesbeam have reached an important milestone in our ongoing manufacturing transformation with the successful commissioning of two advanced processing technologies at our state-of-the-art Neerabup manufacturing facility in Western Australia.

Delivered with support from the Australian Government’s Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation Grant, under which Wesbeam was awarded $4.486 million, these upgrades have enabled us to invest in advanced automation and smart manufacturing technologies that improve production efficiency, increase log recovery and enhance overall plant output.

Green Veneer Composer: Maximising Veneer Recovery

A key component of this upgrade program is the installation of our new Green Veneer Composer, supplied by Meinan. Positioned directly beneath the lathe, this fully automated, unmanned system recovers usable veneer segments from the tail ends of peeled ribbons and recomposes them into continuous whole veneer sheets.

By recovering and recomposing material that was previously lost in the peeling process, the Green Veneer Composer enables us to maximise log utilisation and efficiently process smaller-diameter logs. This improvement is expected to deliver up to an additional 5,000 cubic metres of veneer annually for downstream drying and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) production, supporting both operational efficiency and sustainable resource use.

Log Conditioning Chamber: Improving Hardwood Processing Performance

Complementing the Green Veneer Composer is the newly commissioned Log Conditioning Chamber, a specialised pre-processing unit designed to soften hardwood logs before they enter the lathe.

Conditioning logs prior to peeling reduces mechanical challenges such as equipment wear, spinouts and core failures – issues traditionally associated with processing certain hardwood species. As a result, the Log Conditioning Chamber improves equipment reliability, reduces maintenance interruptions and extends asset life.

This upgrade is forecast to increase veneer yield from difficult-to-process hardwoods by up to 5 per cent, while also enabling us to successfully process a broader range of timber species, strengthening supply flexibility and resource resilience.

Supporting Growth in Local LVL Manufacturing

Together, the Green Veneer Composer and Log Conditioning Chamber form a key part of our broader strategy to enhance manufacturing capability and reinforce Wesbeam’s position as a world-class, world-scale LVL producer supporting the Australian construction industry.

“These strategic investments reinforce our commitment to manufacturing excellence and sustainable local production,” said Kathy Morris, General Manager of Manufacturing at Wesbeam. “By improving material utilisation and plant efficiency, we are expanding the capacity and resilience of Australia’s engineered timber supply chain.”

These upgrades build on earlier innovations introduced across our Neerabup facility and were made possible through the Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation Grant program, which aims to strengthen productivity, sustainability and competitiveness across Australia’s wood processing sector.

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Source: Wesbeam