Canfor Corporation
Canfor and Canfor Pulp are committed to sustainability throughout our operations. We turn close to 100% of our fibre into lumber, pulp and green energy.
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Canfor Corporation (Canfor) is a leading Canadian integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), involved primarily in the lumber business, with production facilities in Canada (BC and Alberta) and the United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas) and forest operations in British Columbia and Alberta. In October 2016, we established US headquarters with the opening of Canfor Southern Pine’s new corporate office in Mobile, AL.
Canfor Corporation holds a 53.6% interest in Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (Canfor Pulp), which is based in Vancouver, BC, and is a leading global producer of pulp, paper and green energy. Canfor Pulp owns and operates four pulp mills in northern British Columbia.
Canfor Pulp’s three mills in Prince George are among the lowest-cost NBSK pulp producers in Canada. They have a production capacity of 1.21 million tonnes of northern softwood market kraft pulp, 90% of which is bleached to become northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp. It is the world’s fifth-largest producer of market NBSK. It also has a facility in Taylor with an annual capacity of 220,000 tonnes of bleached chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp.
Canfor Pulp’s specialty paper group produces about 140,000 tonnes of kraft paper from a forest resource with high-strength, fine northern fibres that bond better than almost any other fibres in the world. We have bleached, unbleached and coloured grades.
At the end of December 2016, Canfor Corporation directly employed about 6,380 people. This includes employees from Beadles and Balfour Lumber Companies in Georgia that we acquired through a phased purchase that closes in early 2017.
Canfor’s lumber operations have a current annual production capacity of approximately 5.8 billion board feet of lumber. This includes 100% of the volume of Beadles and Balfour.
We have high-quality assets in strong fibre regions and, as a result, a significant proportion of our lumber production comprises premium specialty and high-value products, including Square Edge lumber for the North American market, J-Grade lumber for the Japanese market, and machine stress-rated lumber used in engineered applications such as roof trusses and floor joists. The emphasis on value products continued in 2016 with the acquisition of Wynndel Box and Lumber, which has a mill in a region of southeastern British Columbia that has exceptionally high-quality fibre.
Canfor holds approximately 11 million cubic metres of annual harvesting rights for its solid wood operations under various forest tenures located in the interior region of British Columbia and in northern Alberta, and we harvest logs from those tenures to supply our interior lumber operations. Any shortfalls in mill requirements are made up with wood purchased from those areas. Our operations in the United States mostly purchase logs from private land holdings.
Canfor’s lumber facilities produce wood chips as a byproduct, and sell these to pulp mills, including Canfor Pulp mills. We also harvest pulpwood – logs unsuitable for the production of lumber – from our northern forestry operations, and convert this to chips, which are sold to Canfor Pulp and other pulp producers.
We continue to advance our One Canfor model so Canfor and Canfor Pulp can operate as one company, both equally important in the ultimate success of Canfor Corporation. We implemented the third phase of an integrated information management resource for sales, inventory, transportation and the supply chain, and launched a new platform for human resources across the company. Both companies continue to recognize sustainable benefits from this integration and alignment, especially in the area of residual fibre management.
Canfor is committed to being the global leader in supplying diverse and innovative, quality wood-based products to our highly valued global customers. We work with diverse stakeholders to develop and deliver a vision for sustainable forest management so we can produce the truly responsible products our customers rely on.
In 2016, Canfor and Canfor Pulp companies once again were among BC Business top 100 companies in BC ranked by revenue – Canfor placed #11 and Canfor Pulp #41. Canfor also made the list of BC's top employers for 2016 for encouraging lifelong learning and helping employees plan for life after work, among other things.
Canfor and Canfor Pulp are committed to research and development related to forest management, fibre analysis, manufacturing processes, quality control, and product and building systems development. We are active members of key industry research and development organizations, and maintain connections to developments in industry research and technical information through our relationships with various associations, universities, research institutes, suppliers and customers. Canfor Pulp operates a dedicated open innovation centre in Vancouver.
Canfor and Canfor Pulp maintain an ethical and responsible approach to all business actions, and support a culture of integrity throughout the organizations and in their relationships with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Our Code of Conduct sets out appropriate conduct by all Canfor employees to ensure our company obeys all domestic and foreign laws and meets our high ethical standards. Our Disclosure Policy provides guidelines on consistent disclosure practices for all company directors, officers and employees.
The company also recently unveiled a set of refreshed company core values that incorporate employee input from all parts of the business to ensure that today’s values reflected our business, brand and culture of today.
Employees are encouraged, and in some cases required, to report any concerns about violations to the Code of Conduct or Disclosure Policy. The Whistleblowing Policy states that the company will not take or allow any reprisal against an employee who reports violations in good faith.