LINWOOD — EGGER Wood Products announced Thursday it will invest $50 million in additional equipment at its Davidson County facility and create at least 35 new jobs.

EGGER, an Austrian-based manufacturer of wood-based materials such as particleboard, opened a plant just across the Rowan County line last year. The plant is the company’s 20th globally, but its first in North America. As market demand for the companies products has increased, EGGER’s supervisory board has made the decision to invest $20 million for an additional lamination line and $30 million for a recycling center as part of the phase one buildout of the site.

The new lamination line, which will be the third located in the plant, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2022 and will increase the plant’s thermally fused laminate production capacity by 50%.

“This facility was created with the intention of adding a third and fourth lamination line as market demand increased,” Carsten Ritterbach, plant manager for commercial services, said in a news release. “In light of the supply chain disruptions experienced around the world this year, increasing production capacity is one of the best ways we can serve our customers in the United States and Canada.”

The company says its third lamination line will reduce lead times for customers and allow for the manufacturing of products that have not yet been produced in North America, including EGGER “Feelwood” panels, featuring wood grain designs and textures that are meant to mimic real wood.

Installation for the $30-million recycling facilities will begin in the second half of 2022, with completion projected for early 2023. EGGER currently uses pre-consumer recycled materials such as sawdust and wood chips from sawmills and other wood producers. The investment, including large scale grinders and sifters, will allow for the recycling of wooden construction waste such as boxes, pallets, and trimmed wood into additional raw material for particleboard production.

“These recycling facilities will increase availability of raw materials within 90 miles of our facility while furthering EGGER’s sustainability goals,” Ritterbach said. “This will reduce delivery costs and vehicle emissions, while also keeping this waste wood out of local landfills.”

The projected 35-40 new jobs from the investment will be in addition to the more than 450 jobs already created. In total, EGGER’s 15-year, three-phase project is expected to create 770 jobs, with a total investment of $700 million.