Ainsworth Lumber reintroduces OSB XL 9 ft. and 10 ft. panels in response to demand created by trend for higher ceilings, VP of sales says boards require less cutting and installation labor, reducing costs for customers

Wendy Lisney

VANCOUVER, British Columbia , October 8, 2013 (press release) – Ainsworth’s 9-Foot and 10-Foot Long OSB Answers Clear Market Demands for Longer Panels

Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. (TSX: ANS) “Ainsworth” or the “Company” – a leading manufacturer and supplier of engineered wood products for residential, commercial, and industrial applications – today announced the reintroduction of two popular OSB products, under the Company’s new OSB XL brand. To answer clear market demands for OSB panels longer than 8 feet, Ainsworth now offers OSB XL 9-foot and OSB XL 10-foot OSB panels. These longer OSB XL panels are offered in addition to Ainsworth’s standard 8-foot OSB products. Ainsworth’s OSB XL 9-foot and 10-foot OSB panels are available in multiple thicknesses, and even custom length, just like the Company’s 8-foot OSB product line. For more information, visit www.BetterBoard.com.

“With the recovering housing market and the trend toward higher ceilings in building designs, the demand for longer OSB boards is very clear, and we are thrilled to offer our customers a more complete OSB product line. Additionally, with longer boards, we see a unique opportunity to offer our customers cost avoidance on labor, since there is less cutting and installation labor required when sheathing with longer OSB boards,” said Bart Bender, Ainsworth’s Vice President of Sales. “The launch of our OSB XL 9- and 10-foot OSB panels is another sign of Ainsworth’s responsiveness to the needs of our customers, and that’s something we have always taken pride in.”

The launch of OSB XL comes on the heels of Ainsworth’s re-opening of its High Level, Alberta OSB mill after an extensive equipment upgrade and the filling of 135 new positions. Moreover, Ainsworth recently announced the continued success and broad market acceptance of its innovative pointSIX® Flooring. With sustained, compounded double-digit growth in its third year on the market, pointSIX Flooring has achieved success that has even exceeded Ainsworth’s expectations. Additionally, for its marketing efforts around the launch of pointSIX® Flooring, Ainsworth is a recent “Gold” winner in Hanley Wood’s Annual Brand Builder Awards. The Brand Builder Awards recognize the most innovative and effective marketing campaigns throughout the residential and commercial design and construction industry.

About Ainsworth

Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of oriented strand board (OSB) with a special focus on value-added specialty products for markets in North America and Asia. Ainsworth’s four OSB manufacturing facilities, located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, have combined annual capacity of 2.5 billion square feet (3/8 inch basis) OSB. Ainsworth is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ANS.

For more information: www.ainsworthengineered.com.

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