WestRock Upgrade Should Reduce Turnaround Time

According to a report in the Louisiana Logger newsletter, WestRock is investing $97 million to upgrade its mill in Hodge, La., which includes log yard upgrades that should reduce log truck turnaround time. When the improvements were announced last fall, and WestRock mill GM Eric Taylor, said, “the main thing is that we’re improving the long-term viability of the Hodge mill.” Loggers will be especially interested in the two new radial cranes that will replace a single linear crane that will essentially double the rate that log trucks can be unloaded. Taylor adds that loggers should “save a significant amount of time.”

The upgrade will increase the capacity of chips made at the mill site, and new equipment will allow logs to be chipped more efficiently as WestRock replaces an outdated slasher process with a state-of-the-art long log system.