MF Technologies opens

Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 1, 2004

Tribune reports

MF Technologies, a wood manufacturing plant, officially opened for business in Albert Lea Wednesday, with a ribbon cutting.

The company broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot building in January and started moving equipment in April, according to Claire Vermedahl, CEO of Alamco Wood Products in Albert Lea.

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Alamco’s relationship with MF Technologies goes back several years when the local company fabricated pieces for the Japanese company. With seven facilities located in Japan, officials wanted to expand to the U.S. and it made sense to locate to Albert Lea, he said.

&uot;We’ve helped them through various stages (of their opening in the U.S.),&uot; he said. &uot;All the pieces kind of fell together. It’s just a good fit.&uot;

The close proximity of the two plants allows for a close relationship and Vermedahl expects to continue to share resources.

&uot;There could be a companion project at some point in the future,&uot; he said. &uot;This allows us to work together.&uot;

The MF Technologies plant in Albert Lea manufactures lumber for the MasterFit Framing System in which lumber is drilled, cut and notched to fit together in a precise order to create a house frame. The plant can prepare the lumber for an entire house frame in about four hours.

The advantages of the system, Vermedahl said, is less waste at the construction site, less skilled labor required to put the frame together and it is very sturdy.

If the new company grows as its marketing forcast predicts, it could mean several additional jobs by the end of the year, he said.

MF Techologies is the first such manufacturing facility in Albert Lea and one of the earliest in the state to take advantage of the JOBZ incentives.