Widest CLT panels in Canada: Element5 partners with Ledinek for fully integrated production line
By: Jo-Ann Teo
As the spotlight shines ever more fiercely on the sustainability and a reduced carbon footprint of our built environment, timber remains a material of choice for many architects and developers. Canada-based mass timber experts Element5 are now producing the widest cross-laminated timber panels in Canada, thanks to a brand-new fully automated production line supplied by Ledinek Read on to find out more.
Founded in 2015, Element5 specialises in the design, fabrication and assembly of timber buildings. After purchasing the assets of a small cross-laminated timber (CLT) factory in Ripon, Quebec in 2016, the rapid growth of the company spurred the construction of a second plant in 2019. The new plant, located in St Thomas, Ontario, was completed within a year and the first test panel was produced in December 2020. With the annual production capacity increasing by a factor of five to almost 50,000m3, Element5 was able to shift the focus of the Ripon factory to the research, development and testing of new products, as well as production of value-added assemblies such as crosslaminated insulated panels.
SELECTING A NEW LINE
Back in 2019, when the Element5 team first embarked on finding the perfect CLT and glulam production line, the main goal was to select a vendor that offered a fully automated system with seamless integration from beginning to end and demonstrated performance in mass timber automation. Strong vendor-client partnership was also a priority, and that included high levels of customer support during and after the commissioning stage. The manufacturing team toured several European facilities and conducted extensive research before selecting the Ledinek line.
THE LINE
Within the 137,000sqft St Thomas factory, the fully integrated production line does everything – from lumber conditioning and finger-jointing to sanding and CNC machining of the finished components. The line also features Ledinek’s new Z-Press which edge glues the panels and produces a superior appearance-grade finish free from cracks and gaps.
The CLT panels produced on this new line are up to 3.5m wide and 16m long – the widest CLT panels available in Canada; in addition to Element5, it is only produced at this width by one
other Canadian manufacturer that operates on the west coast. With fewer panels, less lifting time and a reduced number of connections needed, mass timber projects will benefit from the design and material efficiencies of this wider format panel.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
According to Chris Latour, Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering at Element5, the Ledinek team’s guidance and support were the largest factors for success. Ledinek stressed the importance of Element5 operating the equipment while the installation team was still present and able to assist when required.
“By the end of the commissioning stage, the Element5 team was operating the equipment independently,” said Latour. “Ledinek also sent senior staff to inspect the equipment and complete documented operator and maintenance training to ensure the team was educated and equipment was validated.”
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
All in all, the Ledinek line met and exceeded the team’s expectations on multiple fronts.
“The design and quality of workmanship by Ledinek cannot be summarised to explain the level of detail they have considered to ensure constant success and ease of operation,” shared Latour. “The components are uniform to minimise inventory, the custom components are designed to withstand constant production and the controls systems are designed to shorten the installation period to a minimum.”
The dedication of the Ledinek team also greatly impressed the Element5 team. Despite the unforeseen circumstances that arose from the pandemic, the entire line was installed, commissioned
and certified within the project’s projected timeline. This was possible thanks to numerous sacrifices of the installation team; due to border restrictions and the need for quarantine, the Ledinek team made the decision to stay in Canada for the entire installation process. Being so far from home in
Slovenia for such long stretches did not impact their attitudes and dedication. According to Latour, many of Element5’s engineers continue to keep in touch professionally and personally with the Ledinek team due to the strong relationships built throughout the project. P
