Oct 28, 2026 · up to 123 roles
Not linked to AIWest Fraser is indefinitely curtailing two US mills in the fourth quarter of 2026: its Huguley oriented strand board (OSB) mill in Lanett, Alabama, where its notice to the state lists 123 employees to be laid off from 2 January 2027 (up to 123 jobs, it told the Valley Times-News), and its lumber mill in Leola, Arkansas, for which it gave no number of job losses (the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that West Fraser said the mill employs about 100 people and that it is exploring moves to open positions at its other operations).
The reason West Fraser gave
"These decisions are the result of continued weakness in demand for wood products used in new home construction and repair and renovation applications." ... "With no near-term visibility on an improvement in demand, we took further steps today to align our supply with customer demand through the indefinite curtailments of our Huguley OSB mill in Lanett, Alabama and our lumber mill in Leola, Arkansas."West Fraser, in its third-quarter 2026 results release of 28 October 2026 (the second sentence is chief executive Sean McLaren's)
The release mentions automation only in its plans for capital spending (projects focused on the optimization and automation of the manufacturing process), not as a reason for the curtailments, and no report read (the Valley Times-News, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) tied them to AI or automation.
Source: West Fraser (press release): West Fraser Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results and Indefinite Curtailments in its OSB and Lumber Portfolios. Checked Oct 31, 2026.