Panolam's Operations Manager John Eberly talks recently about the laminated panels at the Auburn plant. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

AUBURN — If you’ve been bowling since the 1980s in this country, chances are the lanes you rolled the ball down were made in central Maine regardless of where you live. And they were made from layers of paper, not strips of wood.

Tucked away in the woods and surrounded by light industry near the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport sits Panolam Surface Systems, known for many years locally as Pioneer Plastics. The name has changed to Panolam but it remains the sole supplier of high pressure laminate, or HPL, synthetic bowling lanes to the top three manufacturers of bowling products — Brunswick, AMF and US Bowling.

It’s the same plant where laminate countertops and other laminate products have been competing with brands like Formica for decades. The products today are more varied and have become much more advanced.

Synthetic lanes began replacing wooden lanes in the 1980s because they’re more durable, require less maintenance and are harder than a bowling ball, making for a more consistent experience for bowlers.

It all starts with giant rolls of brown kraft paper, Panolam Operations Manager John Eberly said. “The resin is impregnated into the paper … by the time it comes out the back is dry and is cut to size.”

Standard sheet size is 5 feet by 12 feet, but it also comes in a narrower size of 44 inches. On the production floor, workers stack individual treated sheets 40 high for the next step in the process.

“It goes into a press,” Materials Manager Brad Tripp continues. “Then depending on the thickness of what we’re making will dictate how much pressure, how long to cook it for …” Trip equates the process to baking, noting each product has its specifications and tolerances and ultimately it’s the application that dictates the process.

Giant rolls of printed stock that will be customized and pressed into bowling lanes and other products are stacked on Jan. 10 inside Panolam’s Auburn plant. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

In the 1990s, glow-in-the-dark lanes were introduced for what is known as cosmic bowling. That’s achieved by inserting paper sheets that show up under black light. Cosmic bowling was hailed as the future of bowling, targeting the younger crowd and drawing young bowlers in late nights and weekends.

Nowadays, augmented reality or immersive bowling uses computer-generated graphics and scenes projected onto an even different surface of synthetic lane that is white in appearance. It’s marketed as an interactive and immersive game.

If a customer wants yellow lanes or black lanes or any variety of wood color, it’s available in dozens of choices.

Once the panels are formed and bonded, they are trimmed and inspected to very exacting specifications for each manufacturer. But just moving the sheets requires a lift, or manipulator, as they weigh several hundred pounds each — even if they are only three-eighths of an inch or seven-sixteenths of an inch — depending on the application.

Donna Favreau and Derek Caron move a laminated panel recently at Panolam Surface Systems in Auburn as it’s readied for shipment. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

From start to finish it takes a few days to create the panels, which are shipped nationally and internationally. The life expectancy of synthetic lanes is between eight and 13 years, although many last longer, depending on actual use and which part of the lane the panel is from.

There is a small team at Panolam dedicated to bowling lane production — inspectors and graphics for the most part. Bowling lanes comprise about 20% to 25% of what comes out of the plant, so production people can work on different products.

Panolam was recently awarded the Governor’s Heritage Industry Award, one of four awards for business excellence given out every year. The award states Panolam produces 95% of the world’s bowling lanes. While that is impossible to verify, it is safe to say that Panolam Surface Systems produces most of the synthetic bowling lanes in this country as the sole source, and a good portion of the lanes around the globe especially in Europe and the Middle East.

A maintenance worker uses a bike on Jan. 10 to get around at Panolam in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The company was also cited for its commitment to the community and its employees — about 25% of whom are immigrants primarily from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. They are provided free English lessons on-site, there is a full-time translator and the company pays for transportation for employees who need a ride to get to work.

“We’ve been a bridge for some to get to a better place,” Eberly pointed out, but he said there’s no favoritism involved. “We’re not saying just because you are a New Mainer you’re here to stay. You’ve got to perform like everybody else.”

Lanes at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston are seen in May 2024. They are synthetic and made by local manufacturer Panolam Surface Systems. Photos of Lewiston are displayed at the end of each lane. Richard Plourde photo

The factory uses a Japanese style of management known as Gemba, a concept started by Toyota. Each section in the plant has a Gemba board, with safety information, and is seen as a proactive method of communication with a goal of increased efficiency and product improvement.

“No employee in any department can say they don’t know about safety — it’s on that board,” Tripp said. “Quality — this is where your department stands on quality this week. Productivity — this is where we stand. This is how many orders we’re passing, so they know what’s going on … and they know what’s expected of them.”