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A Hatton-Brown Publication
Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone: 334.834.1170 FAX: 334.834.4525
Volume 45 • Number 9 • November 2020 Founded in 1976 • Our 468th Consecutive Issue
Publisher: David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer: Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell Senior Editor: Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor: David Abbott Senior Associate Editor: Jessica Johnson Associate Editor: Patrick Dunning Publisher/Editor Emeritus: David (DK) Knight Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing: Jacqlyn Kirkland Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 334.699.7837 800.669.5613 • bdevane7@hotmail.com Advertising Sales Representatives: Southern USA Randy Reagor P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 904.393.7968 • FAX: 334.834.4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net
Renew or subscribe on the web: www.timberprocessing.com
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THE ISSUES
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NEWSFEED
Big-time Contributors To Industry John Porter Price Had Vision
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VAAGEN BROS. LUMBER
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TONY HOOPER SAWMILLS
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DRY KILNS & ACCESSORIES
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MACHINERY ROW
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Improvement Is The Name Of The Game
A Lesson In Wood Products Manufacturing
Great Technologies Keep Coming On Orders Are Still Looking Good
MAIN EVENTS
To Be Virtual Or Not To Be
COVER: Vaagen Bros. Lumber has embraced Lean improvement methods at its home base in Colville, Wash. Story begins on PAGE 14. (Jessica Johnson photo)
Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 905.666.0258 • FAX: 905.666.0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.timberprocessing.com Member Verified Audit Circulation
Western USA, Western Canada Tim Shaddick 4056 West 10th Avenue Vancouver BC Canada V6L 1Z1 604.910.1826 • FAX: 604.264.1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook 604.619.1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com
International Murray Brett 58 Aldea de las Cuevas, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net
Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 10 times annually (January/February and July/August issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—TP is free to qualified owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors, foremen and other key personnel at sawmills, pallet plants, chip mills, treating plants, specialty plants, lumber finishing operations, corporate industrial woodlands officials and machinery manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions are $55 annually: $65 in Canada; $95 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. Funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE: 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberprocessing.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Processing magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorse nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Processing. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A.
Postmaster: Please send address changes to Timber Processing, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, Alabama 36102-2419 Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade
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THEISSUES
Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief
THEY LEFT BEHIND LASTING IMPRESSIONS 6
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ur fine team at Hatton-Brown Publishers is responsible for producing six trade magazines, one of which is Timber Processing. Those six magazines translate into 46 issues per year, so you can see we’re basically on a magazine-per-week schedule. My point is not to boast about the amount of work we do, but rather that in the never-ending haste to put another magazine out the door (as we say in the business), we sometimes lose sight of the forest for the trees. The accumulation of editorial material to fill a magazine is always a lively challenge, and “always” comes down to the wire, and only when glancing one last time through this issue of Timber Processing before we uploaded it to the printer did it dawn on me that this issue includes three obituaries on men whose contributions to the wood products industry were important and numerous. Obviously I knew the obituaries were in the magazine because I put them in there and edited and wrote some of the copy, but their collective significance didn’t strike me until I stepped back and took a longer look. John Porter Price, 80; Harold (Red Thomas), 94; and Fred (Brud) Horstkotte, Jr., 97, were big-time innovators and contributors. Price, from Arkansas, started out as a logger and a lumberman, and then invented the rotary drum debarker to enhance his sawlog and chips production. It turned out so well, and drew so much interest, that he formed a company for the purpose of fabricating and supplying drum debarkers and chip mill technologies. Then he had the foresight to see that paper companies would prefer to contract out their chips production, so he formed another company that ran independent chip mills for that purpose, and became probably the largest producer of chips in the world. I’m sure you’ve heard of RedBuilt, the company that produces and distributes various engineered wood products. The “Red” in RedBuilt is for Red Thomas. Thomas, from Idaho, started out selling lumber and then came upon an open web truss product created by architect Art Troutner. Thomas convinced Troutner this was something special and they teamed up to form Trus Joist with Thomas as the promoter of what became a string of products such as I-joists and laminated veneer lumber. Ultimately down the winding road, RedBuilt was formed when some of the Trus Joist crowd, including Thomas, bought back from Weyerhaeuser the Trus Joist business Weyerhaeuser had purchased from them. Fred Horstkotte, Jr., from Oregon, known to many as Brud, put his design and engineering signature on many a Western sawmill, as did his father and namesake before him. They also had several patents on various sawmill technologies. In fact the Oregon Historical Society Research Library contains thousands of architectural drawings, photograph albums, and records relating to their designs and construction of lumber mills from 1915-2000. Interestingly, all three of these men were quite skilled at their respective hobbies: Price, duck hunting; Thomas, piloting airplanes; and Horstkotte, snow skiing. “The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” —Thornton Wilder TP
Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail:rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING
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NEWSFEED
PRICE KEPT EXPANDING HORIZONS
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ohn Porter Price, a patent inventor of the rotary drum debarker for debarking treelength logs and who developed a highly successful business on the concept of starting up and operating independent chip mills to supply contract chips to paper companies, died October 13 in Biloxi, Miss. He was 80. The second son of Olyn Stephens and Helen Morrison Price, Price was born in Monticello, Ark. His older brother Ben taught him the love of the outdoors and hunting, hobbies that subsequently led him to the timber industry, following in the footsteps of his father. Price grew up working at his father’s transportable sawmill in the woods. After putting himself through college at Arkansas A&M by cutting pulpwood, Price served a stint in the Air National Guard before returning home to work for L. D. Long, first as a logger and subsequently to build a hardwood sawmill. Price later purchased the sawmill in 1965 and started his own company at the age of 25 as J. P. Price Lumber Company. Price often commented that although he had a college degree in forestry, he learned more about the timber industry from watching and working for his father and L. D. Long, as well as working among the loggers deep in the woods of southeast Arkansas. By the late 1970s, in addition to producing lumber he had pieced together a chip mill and become a major chips supplier to the International Paper plant in Monticello. But as bark requirements became more severe, he realized conventional debarking wasn’t going to do the job. Then, as Price said, “Necessity got us 6
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John Porter Price, 1978 Price drum debarker, 1988
Price, left, and Dick Carmical at the grand opening of Gloster Chips in Mississippi, 1988
into the drum debarker business.” In 1981 he started up a drum debarker built mostly with parts Price fabricated himself. The 9 ft. diameter by 60 ft. long debarker operated with hydraulic drive and was mounted on truck tires. The setup also enabled more efficient merchandising of the sawlog butts off larger pulpwood logs. Always the entrepreneur, Price saw an opportunity to market the design, fabrica-
Price formed Firehunt Duck Club in the 1960s.
tion, erection and installation of chip mill equipment. He formed Price Industries, Inc. and sold his first drum debarker in 1983. By the late 1980s he had sold 30 drum debarkers and related chip mill machinery. “We’ve made improvements to every one of them,” Price said, pointing to modifications to the bark chute and infeed hopper and also building drums as large as 12x90 ft.
Price’s visionary thinking did not stop there. He believed the paper companies would move from their own chipping operations to outsourcing the wood yards and chips production, just as the industry had shifted from company logging crews to contractors. Price formed The Price Companies, Inc. and in 1988 started up his first two chip mill operations: Coastal Chips in Fernandina Beach, Fla. as a supplier to ITT Rayonier, and Gloster Chips supplying James River in Gloster, Miss., the latter also where Price provided his first rotary log crane. The Price Companies ultimately became one of the largest chip producers in the world. In 2007, Price retired, handing over the reins to his right-hand man, Dick Carmical. Price created a culture in the company that still bears his name to always take care of the customer. Price went on his first duck hunt when he was 11 years old and never lost the love of seeing mallards land in the green timber. In the 1960s, he formed Firehunt Duck Club, which is well known today for its management programs for wildlife and for always leaving the land “better than you found it.” He had an incredible sense of humor and once he gave you a nickname, it would stick to you for life. He was a prolific reader of
“It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for continuously debarking treelength logs in a rotating drum debarker, by continuously feeding groups of treelength logs generally axially into the drum with a continuously driven main conveyor, and along a low friction region or auxiliary feed means between the discharge end of the main conveyor and the inlet of the drum.”
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NEWSFEED books and a philosopher. Carmical says that Price during his retirement continued reading, hunting, fishing. “He loved to travel. He would drive cross country listening to audio books to explore some old cavalry trail or some old historical point of interest,” Carmical says. Carmical adds of Price, “Above all else he was a gentleman.” For those he mentored in his business life, they all say they are “standing on the shoulders of a giant.” Price is preceded in death by his parents, Olyn and Helen Price; his brother, Dr. Ben Olyn Price; and a granddaughter, Savannah Ashley Dearman. Survivors include his beloved wife, Kay Reed Price, of Monticello, Ark.; his daughter, Mary Ashley Price, Biloxi, Miss.; one granddaughter, Alexandra Nicole Dearman, Barcelona, Spain;
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two step-daughters, Lauren Ashley Gober, Columbia, Mo., and Kallie Michelle Gober, Nevada, Mo.; and a step-grandson, Oakley James Gober, Nevada, Mo. Memorials may be made to: Delta Waterfowl Foundation, 1412 Basin Ave.; Bismarck, ND 58504, 888-987-3795; or to: Children’s Hospital Foundation, Attn: Foundation Department, 1 Children’s Way, Little Rock, Ark. 72202.
RED THOMAS DIES AT 94 Harold Eugene (Red) Thomas, who was the pitchman behind the development of open web trusses and engineered wood I-joists and a cofounder of Trus Joist Corp., died August 21 in Boise, Id. He was 94. The son of Ralph and Ruth
during this meeting that Troutner mentioned a new type of joist that he had invented, which he called “truss deck,” built with 1x6 tongue and groove boards for the chords and connected by steel rods. This was the beginning of a very unique partnership that would evolve into Trus Joist Red Thomas, left, and Art Troutner check Corp. and Trus Joist out their wood I-joist. International, a public Thomas, he was born in company whose annual sales Glenns Ferry, Idaho and grew would reach a billion dolup in Nampa and Boise durlars—and this after starting in ing the depression. At 11 1960 with $8,000, some mayears old he became deeply chinery and an old barn, and religious. Thomas graduated the idea that “we’ve got to from Nampa High School in have something better than a 1943 where he also met Phyl- 2-by-4,” Thomas recalled. lis Swayne who would be“We created a whole new income his wife and companion dustry of laminated veneer for 68 years. They would lumber.” Thomas convinced have three sons. Troutner to make him the exAfter one semester at the clusive marketing agent. University of Idaho, Thomas In 1960 they launched left school to join the Navy Truss Deck Corp. The first and received the WWII Vicproduct used 2x4 machine tory Medal. He went to Mestress rated wood chords and teorology School and was the tubular steel webbing. It stationed at Sandpoint Naval was adopted for commercial Air Station in Seattle. His construction projects ranging contribution to the war effort from office complexes, was to collect weather data restaurants and convenience for ships and planes, which stores to apartments and meant flying out to sea on warehouses. blimps to report the weather. Throughout the 1960s the Thomas graduated with a company developed a family degree in forestry from the of trusses for the light comUniversity of Idaho in 1951. mercial market. In 1969 they He sold lumber for a compa- produced the wood I-joist with ny in Minneapolis and devel- 2x3 or 2x4 flanges and plyoped a love for the lumber wood as the web. Thomas and industry and made it his goal Troutner had always been conto become proficient in every cerned about wasted wood aspect of the business. His from their production, espemotto was to make a decicially as access to high quality sion about what you want to timber resource began to dedo then learn everything you cline due to the environmental could to make it succeed. movement. Then in the early In 1956 he was selling 1970s they developed a lamilumber for several wholesale nated veneer lumber product lumber companies when he called Micro=Lam for use in met Art Troutner, a well headers and beams and as the known area architect in Boise flange for the I-joist. Ultimatewho had use curved laminatly the company introduced ed beams in the design of the LVL flanges with OSB webs. Boise Little Theater. It was As Truss Deck grew,
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NEWSFEED Thomas and Troutner began franchising and in 1969 the company merged its franchise operations into one company called Trus Joist Corp. In 1990 Trus Joist entered into a joint venture with MacMillan Bloedel as Trus Joist MacMillan. In January 2000 Weyerhaeuser purchased Trus Joist International for $720 million. Nearly 10 years later, in 2009, Thomas was an investor when Atlas Holdings LLC, in partnership with a group of former leaders of Trus Joist Corp., bought the Trus Joist Commercial business back from Weyerhaeuser. They named it RedBuilt in honor of Red Thomas. RedBuilt remains a significant producer and distributor of engineered wood products to this day. Troutner had died in 2001. RedBuilt released a statement upon the death of Thomas: “As co-founder of Trus Joist and RedBuilt’s namesake, Harold’s business values of respect for the associates, great customer service, and strong communities, along with his passion for a better way to build, are at the core of who RedBuilt is today. From all of us, ‘Thank you, Harold, you will be missed.’” Thomas loved to fly and was a skilled instrument pilot with more than 10,000 hours logged. He owned many airplanes and used them in business, adventure and philanthropy. Thomas established a Foundation for the purpose of helping Christian organizations. Thomas was preceded in death by his parents and his wife. He is survived by three sons and an extended family including two great, great grandsons.
TIMBERLAND FIRM PLANS SAWMILL Mission Forest Products, a subsidiary of Timberland Investment Resources, LLC, 10
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plans to build a sawmill in Corinth, Miss., costing $160 million and creating 130 jobs at the mill and providing economic and employment opportunities for forest products firms and workers based in north Mississippi. Mission Forest Products, which expects to be operational by 2022, will be capable of producing 250MMBF annually. The state-of-the-art pine sawmill will be financed through capital provided by investors that TIR represents. “Our objective is for this mill to become one of the lowest-cost and most reliable suppliers of high-quality dimensional lumber products in North America,” says TIR Managing Director Christopher Mathis. “We intend to do this by capitalizing on three things—the abundance of high-quality timber in the area, Corinth’s proximity to the growing housing markets of the U.S. South and lower Midwest, and the lowcost, high-efficiency nature of the mill’s design.” Mathis says the project has received tremendous support from Governor Reeves and the Mississippi Development Authority; The Alliance of Corinth, including President Clayton Stanley; Alcorn County Board of Supervisors; city of Corinth and the Tennessee Valley Authority. TIR decided to locate the mill in Corinth due to the rail and road access it offers to growing population centers like Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham and the lower U.S. Midwest—all areas where lumber demand is high and is projected to increase in the future due to commercial and population expansion. In addition, the area surrounding Corinth, which sits where the state lines of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi intersect, also is a prime timber-growing region that currently is underserved with sawmilling capacity de-
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NEWSFEED spite the plentiful inventory of high-quality timber that is growing in its vast forestlands, which are generally owned by local families and large institutional investors, such as those TIR represents. TIR also was attracted to the Corinth area because it has a skilled forest products workforce—one that includes well-trained and highly experienced mill workers and other forest products professionals like loggers, truckers and silvicultural contractors. “Agriculture is Mississippi’s top economic driver, and our abundance of forestland—nearly 20 million acres statewide—provides tremendous opportunities for economic growth and job creation in this vital sector,” comments Governor Tate Reeves. “I am honored to welcome Mission Forest Products to our state and look forward to the economic ripple effect the opening of this state-of-the-art sawmill will have on the the local economy of Alcorn County, and all of Mississippi.” Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for infrastructure improvements. The company also qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate Program, which provides a rebate to eligible businesses that create new jobs exceeding the average annual wage of the state or county in which the company locates or expands. Alcorn County and the city of Corinth are providing grant funds and in-kind assistance for infrastructure improvements.
NEIMAN PURCHASES GILCHRIST MILL Interfor Corp. is selling its sawmill in Gilchrist, Ore. to Neiman Enterprises Inc. The Gilchrist sawmill, which specializes in ponderosa and lodgepole pine boards, has been curtailed since mid-June
of this year due to COVID-19 related economic factors. Prior to its curtailment, the mill produced approximately 80MMBF per year and employed 150. Neiman, based in Hulett, Wyo., is a privately held, third-generation family business with pine board sawmill operations in Wyoming and South Dakota and a stud mill in Colorado. Neiman intends to restart the mill in the near future and rehire a substantial number of the furloughed employees. Neiman will also consider capital investment opportunities for the facility. “This transaction represents a significant step for the Neiman group of companies,” says Jim Neiman, President and CEO of Neiman Enterprises Inc. “We look forward to restarting the mill in short order and partnering with the employees and community to ensure the long-term success of this historic operation.”
VICKSBURG MILL CONTINUES GROWTH Vicksburg Forest Products is investing $40 million in a saw line and drying technologies as it expands its lumber mill operations in Vicksburg, Miss. The project is expected to create 60 jobs. “We look forward to working with the local economic community and the state of Mississippi to support further investment in our facility and the surrounding area,” comments Vicksburg Forest Products Manager Billy Van Devender. In 2018, Vicksburg Forest Products, which is headquartered in Jackson, purchased the Vicksburg sawmill. The facility underwent a largescale transformation and is currently producing 75MMBF of SYP lumber annually. Post expansion, Vicksburg Forest Products will be capable of producing 180MMBF. TIMBER PROCESSING
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LEANING IN
TO LEAN By Jessica Johnson
Vaagen Bros. Lumber has always done things a little bit differently. COLVILLE, Wash. uane Vaagen says that over his decades in the lumber business, he’s heard the same thing over and over. It’s a chorus really, when he
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tours people through his mill: “That won’t work.” He says over the years as his family business has tried different things and pushed things past their specs and really their life expectancy, it’s always the same. “That’s not going to work like that.” And yet Vaagen always finds a way to not only make it work, but make it great. For over four generations, Vaagen Bros. Lumber has produced dimensional lumber to the tune today of 175MMBF in the town of Colville, Wash., the last “big” small town in the U.S. before the Canadian border in eastern Washington. Vaagen says first it was in the 1970s when they installed a lumber sorter from a Southern engineering and manufacturing firm that he heard the speculation that he wasn’t going to get his chosen technology to work. In late 2020, that lumber
sorter is still going. “I learned to just agree, because they are probably right. I just don’t know if it’s not going to work in 30 years or 80 years,” Vaagen laughs. As Vaagen’s daughter, Emily Baker, serving the family business as Lean Team Leader, is quick to point out, “We might get frustrated with some of our vintage machinery, but its fed families. Its worked, and worked hard. We appreciate that.” The Vaagen family looks at their machinery as an asset, absolutely, but as Duane’s son, Kurtis, who now serves the family business as Vice President of Operations, explains: Everything is vintage but everything has been modified in some way. Nothing is operating on manufacturer spec—including that lumber sorter from 1976. In recent years there has been pres-
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sure to just get a new sawmill, Duane says. “What we realized is we weren’t ready to do it.” So, instead of retooling the mill, or building a new one, the Vaagens decided to first invest in their people, the team members running the machine centers. They did this by jumping headfirst into Lean manufacturing—the popular way of doing things across healthcare and other manufacturing industries but not particularly popular with sawmilling because of the large number of raw material variables.
GETTING THERE Once again, Vaagen found himself calling around, talking to people and hearing the chorus: “It won’t work.” But, after getting the Vaagen Executive Steering Team together, which included Duane; Baker; Kurtis; David Bruce, Vaagen Bros. CFO; Josh Anderson, Vaagen Bros. Vice President of Procurement; Daryl Evans, Colville Plant Manager; and Peter Deibel, Colville Controller, and really digging into the idea, it started to come together. Kurtis says the mill has always pushed the people to cre-
ate the value in the lumber, so Lean did make sense. It especially made sense, he says, when looking at another facility in the area that had unfortunately closed down, but should have closed many years prior. “The employees, during the guidance of Lean, kept it going for probably five extra years,” he notes. That sort of employee ownership is second to none, and the kind of culture Vaagen Bros. wanted to have. Partnering with Simpler Consultants, an IBM company that specializes in Lean manufacturing, the Vaagen Lean journey started in 2018. Bruce comments that the biggest thing that sold the leaders on Lean was it got rid of the excuses: “It’s a very complex business in general, but when you look at how this process and the amount of paperwork and studying and just time that it takes to do the Lean process and put it with the complexity of a sawmill, it takes commitment. But it is absolutely worth it.” Officially, the Lean process at Vaagen is called the Vaagen Improvement Path (VIP), and is a continual improvement
program that identifies specific places where the mill can eliminate waste, increase productivity and better ensure that customers get the quality expected from Vaagen. Baker says it is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process. As part of VIP, she holds many “events” where areas of the facility, process and company are targeted for improvements. These events take months to prepare, and take five days to complete once the event actually begins. After that, there are weeks worth of sustainment follow up visits; it truly is a continual journey. She laughs, saying that at first the Executive Team thought having one person dedicated to Lean, someone from the outside familiar with Lean, would be enough. It quickly became evident that not only would the company need that person, but also need multiple people in Colville dedicated to Lean, including Baker as the leader, and one person dedicated to Lean in the other two sawmills Vaagen owns and operates in Usk, Wash. and Midway, BC. “We wanted to make
Left to right, Kurtis Vaagen, Duane Vaagen, Emily Baker
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Vaagen implemented pre-sorting line years ago.
MSR has long been a Vaagen specialty.
sure this is the safest place out ble without their father, who there,” she adds as to why they was the first recipient of the decided to go full throttle on Timber Processing Person of Lean, “and you have to do that the Year award in 1989. by making continuous im“We’re blessed with a leader in provements.” our father who reads more and Bruce says that in addition researches more about this into the safety benefit, Lean has dustry than anyone I’ve ever helped control costs. “In 2016, met. He kind of brought this ’17 and ’18, even though lumidea to us and said; ‘I think this ber markets were pretty good, is the way forward.’ He was we noticed our costs were risright.” ing. We had a lot of money invested in training people, and HOW IT WORKS we were hiring more people. Before an event, and after This process was designed to the Executive Steering Team solve some problems without has gone on a Gemba Walk, having management do it. We Lean program pushes setting and realizing objectives; not to menthe employees of an area, want the people that are doing tion putting parts and shop spaces in order. along with employees that the work to be part of the somight work in other areas or lution.” Again, helping to departments but used to work make Vaagen a place to be in the target area evaluate the proud of, Duane says: “It’s a current state of a specific asplace we all call home.” pect of their work area. One For Bruce, while he saw example of determining the the many benefits in Lean, as current state is evaluating the the CFO it would be difficult cleanliness of a worksite; or sometimes to reconcile the lack of standards and processes overall, long-term benefit for a specific task. Then, the with the short-term cost ingroup will evaluate the revestment. “There’s so much source constraints, where focus on culture and not so someone might notice there are much focus on the bottom simply not enough people line immediately. The payneeded for a given task. back is going to come. After evaluating the current state, the There’s always that flavor of the month realize what each really is. “Even if you next step is for employees to meet tobook; this is a journey that never ends can do a little bit each day, it’s amazing gether and determine the target state. In and always trying to eliminate waste. We what the end of the year improvements other words, what should the current all go on ‘Gemba Walks,’ which means will be,” Baker adds. state be like? In the case of leaving tools going to where the work is being done. For Kurtis, who is dealing with proIt’s a hands-on way of really seeing what duction on a daily basis, the Lean way of or materials out, it would simply be putting things back in their place after a is going on and getting at the root of an doing things articulated what he always issue. We use an acronym on these wanted from the employees. “We always job is done. Or with the lack of standards or processes, it would be a matter of walks, DOWNTIME.” DOWNTIME wanted our people to come up with the making sure all employees know what to stands for: Defects—Overproduction— solutions. Before it was being pushed on Waiting—Not utilizing human potenthem, coming from the top. Now they are do when a particular player is gone. Following the initial steps of evaluatial—Transportation—Inventory—Mobringing the solutions to us,” he emphation, employees move forward with detion—Extra processing/over processing. sizes. “It was a format of something termining how they can reach their new Baker and Bruce say once you train we’ve always tried to do, we just didn’t target state. This is done by utilizing a yourself to look at things in the DOWNhave it lined up correctly.” series of three tools: gap analysis, soluTIME way, those things will jump out in But Kurtis is quick to say that none of an almost overwhelming way once you the Lean journey would have been possi- tion approach and rapid experiments. 16
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Beginning with gap analysis, employees work together to determine direct causes that keep them from reaching their target state. Employees then can brainstorm solutions. Once a solution is agreed upon they are now ready to test the solution through a series of rapid experiments. Did it get the result they were expecting? Or are there other solutions? After conducting rapid experiments and determining what didn’t work, the team now has a tested and tried and true solution that does work. It will now become part of their operating procedure and may be applied to other areas of Vaagen. Creating a completion plan is the first step in applying the new solution. The completion plan is a document that states what will be done by whom and by when. This step ensures follow through. Now that the completion plan has been put in place the target state becomes a confirmed state and as time continues employees will experience the new positive outcome. All that’s left is to document any insights from applying the VIP process. Baker says that a lot of times the sawmill would have a mess and clean it up only to have it return to the messy condition it was before it was ever cleaned a year later. This would be extremely frustrating. So the completion plans make sure the mill is not backsliding. As an added benefit, it really helps with morale. “When someone puts a lot of effort into something and then it just goes back to the way it was, then they are much less likely to try again,” she says. Instead of just being gung-ho about cleaning up specific areas of the mill, Lean gives them a formula to get things done.
David Bruce, CFO
Colville production is around 175MMBF annually.
THE BENEFITS When Baker and her Lean team go through an area before an event needs to be done, they utilize “6S” which stands for: 1. Safety 2. Sort 3. Set to flow 4. Shine 5. Standardize 6. Sustain “When we go through an area, this is the model we follow to make sure we are getting to a spot where it will stay that way.” After an event, and the 6S are reached, the Lean team spends four to five weeks doing nightly audits of their level of sustainment, giving a score. “It almost becomes a competition between departments to reach sustainment level the fastest,” she says, bringing levity to something that can sometimes seem overwhelming. ➤ 18 TIMBER PROCESSING
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New improvement program enhances customer relations.
Vaagen lumber has been a mainstay in the Northwest.
17 ➤ Back when the idea of Lean was first brought up, Baker says an employee survey showed that employees felt like communication was one of the biggest issues among the employees and management. An event that brought about daily huddles solved that. It was Vaagen’s first event and led by team member, Krystle Valli, the Lean team coordinator. During the daily huddle, every department discusses what the goal is, safety, production targets. “We cover a lot of ground with those huddles,” Baker comments. “The huddle doesn’t seem like a value-added activity because it’s 15-20 minutes where we could be producing just to talk. But it is.” More than 75% of the Vaagen workforce has been through the Lean 101 training and every major area of the company has had an event to implement some sort of improvement. For example, Bruce adds that with an event in the hydraulic hose room, where spare parts were stored for the truck shop, Vaagen has been able to drop spare parts inventory significantly and has recognized about $500,000 in savings in better managing what is needed. “We’re turning our lumber inventory pretty much two times a month; it used to be one time a month. We’re trying more of a pull from our customer rather than push our inventory,” Kurtis adds. In the last year and a half, after about six months of Lean, he says the mill started pulling material out to the planer, rather than pushing it out to the dry kilns from the sawmill. The mill used to have stockpiles of inventory in all locations because Kurtis thought these batches were the way to increase productivity. So, the rough dry, rough green and log inventory have all come down to a level that is a lot more manageable. He adds succinctly: “Lean really did save us coming into the COVID scare. If this would have happened a year prior, with the log inventory that we had, we TP would have been in big trouble.” 18
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FROM WOODS
TO MILLS By Patrick Dunning
Tennessee’s Hooper operation is wellversed in all facets of the timber products business.
T
TOONE, Tenn. he Hooper family and kin are renowned in the Tennessee Valley region for being a friend in each step of the wood harvesting and sawmilling process. Their portable sawmill tradition began almost a century ago with Malcolm Hooper, father of Tony Hooper, 64, owner of Tony Hooper Sawmills, Inc., hauling logs in an old pickup truck to his all-manual groundhog diesel sawmill. Tony has built on his father’s foundation and pursued crosstie markets heavily since the company’s founding in 1970, including the installation in 2018 of a second sawmill company and site, Northside Lumber & Sawmill LLC in Bolivar, Tenn., only seven miles to the south of Toone. Crossties are revered as their bread and butter and for good reason: the area’s Hatchie River bottoms are perfect for large growth and the Hooper sawmills are set up to take advantage of the big logs to produce crossties as well as cants. Tony’s two sons-in-law manage his sawmills: Blake Sowder at Northside Sawmill & Lumber in Bolivar, and Richard Crowley at Tony Hooper Sawmill in Toone. Tony Hooper Sawmill operates a Wood-Mizer WM4500 industrial sawmill with vertical bandmill thinkerf technology along with a Hurdle headrig; while Northside Lumber runs two (two and three head block) Hurdle mills. 20
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The WM4500 model can saw lengths up to 27 ft. and yields additional footage with a 1/16 in. kerf.
The Hooper’s Wood-Mizer averages 10MBF a day.
Between the two mills they average 250MBF weekly. “Years and years ago a big industry came here for ties,” Tony recalls. “We knew then we like taking a tree all the
way to a finished product.” It’s easier for Tony to purchase and select-cut parcels of land with his logging crew, and believes landowners get more bang for their buck this way.
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“It works better for me to buy land, timber and all, turn around and harvest the wood, then resell the land so somebody can see what their getting.” He owns several thousand acres across Tennessee. The family dynamic works well for the business. Two of Tony’s nephews oversee hauling procedures from the logging site. His brother-in-law is a foreman, and Tony’s other nephew, Timmy Hooper, is the company’s timber buyer. Species harvested include: red and white oak, gum, beech, birch, cottonwood and mixed Both sawmills weigh gatewood supplied by Tony’s personal logging crew using Weigh-Tronix scales. woods. Dimensions of 4x6 cants, grade lumber, and random lengths and widths are sold green to Logs are placed on one of two infeed make changes to future models.” cabinet, flooring, furniture and stave mardecks feeding to either the Hurdle mill or Their Hurdle saw blades have a 1⁄4 in. kets while a portion of the Hooper and the WM4500. kerf and average three to four times more The Wood-Mizer is regularly used for Northside Lumber product mix is dedicatMBF daily, about 30-35MBF a day. sawing specialty products with species ed to 7x9s and 8x6s for crosstie markets. A pair of Barko 495ML knucklebooms such as cypress, bridge matting beams “We only cut timbers that will make at fit logs to size and feed a Fulghum deand longer lumber up to 27 ft. and cuts least a crosstie,” Timmy says. “We don’t barker before going through each mill. close to 10MBF a day. Timmy says the cut anything under 14 in. on the stump After processing, the lumber falls directly Wood-Mizer blade’s 1⁄16 in. kerf yields apand primarily stick to hardwoods.” onto the grade chain to be manually gradproximately 33% more product per log. ed while slabs make their way into a 60 “It only takes a couple men to run it and in. Fulghum chipper. MILL OPERATION you’re gaining footage per log.” He also At the Northside operation, John Tony spends his days on the logging notes how quick the remote Wood-Mizer Deere wheel loaders and a WA200 Kosite, at the sawmill, or in his truck going installation was. “They have their own en- matsu wheel loader transport logs to a to-and-fro. He says people in the area pre- gines and you can set it up on location rePrentice 3206 knuckeboom to be sorted fer both sawmilling and logging to elimially quick.” Softer woods are typically cut before feeding a Morbark debarker. A nate the middle man. “A lot of mills are using the Wood-Mizer. stationary Barko 295E electric boom dependent on gatewood from other logHurdle Machine Works, Inc. manustocks two parallel infeed decks leading gers, and loggers are hard to come by so factures Hurdle headrigs about 40 miles through each Hurdle circle saw headrig that’s why we have our own,” he says. from Toone in Moscow. Owner Mr. E.J. before traveling down custom-built roller “We’re in a comfortable niche.” Hurdle was a personal friend to the chains to be manually graded or sent The Hurdle mill setup is under a sepaHoopers who helped in many early dethrough a Morbark 60 in. chipper. rate roof than the adjacent Wood-Mizer signs. “We’ve been using Hurdle mills Wood-Mizer band saws are sent to a operation at Toone. Loads are scaled on a since we started in the ’70s,” Timmy third-party filer. Blake of Northside Weigh-Tronix then unloaded with 624Ksays. “Collaborated together on a lot of learned how to file from an old man who II and 524K John Deere wheel loaders. things; he’d come watch us saw and previously worked with the family for 50
Tony Hooper’s daughter Natalie, center, and husband Blake Sowder, a partner at Northside Sawmill & Lumber LLC, with their son, Travis
Tony Hooper, owner of Tony Hooper Sawmills, Inc., Northside Sawmill & Lumber LLC.
Tony’s daughter Mandy, and wife to Richard Crowley, partner at Tony Hooper Sawmills, Inc. TIMBER PROCESSING
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years before going out of business, and now helps with circle saw filing for the company and surrounding sawmills.
MARKETS “Selling lumber two years ago brought in twice what it brings now,” Tony says of recent red oak depreciation. Effects of the US-China Trade War bleeding into the novel coronavirus pandemic were felt by Northside Lumber. “Several factories temporarily shut down which impacted our lumber sales,” Sowder adds. Other companies trying to produce minimal board feet effectively overstocked their inventories and marginalized lumber prices. “Another company we sell to just started buying back this month. They wouldn’t take a load from us for three months,” Sowder says. “It’s been pretty rough in some ways but it’s coming around.” In spite of soft red oak markets, Timmy believes white oak markets are the hottest he’s ever seen. “The white oak market is really hot right now,” he says. “It’s kind of been saving us. We’re staying away from tracts with red oak and buying dense white oak tracts lately.” Tony’s logging crew is traveling
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The Hurdle family and the Hoopers have a relationship spanning back to the sawmill’s inception in 1970.
Tony has expanded his reach in the sawmilling industry by adding a stave operation; an entity of Northside Lumber.
Northside Lumber was founded in 2018 and increased overall production three to four times with its duo of Hurdle headrigs.
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A beehive of John Deere forklifts feed a Barko 495ML knuckleboom before going through a Fulghum rosserhead debarker.
Both mills trend heavy to white oak for crosstie and stave markets.
farther for logs, but the price is right. Majority of stave and veneer logs go to American Stave Company, Marshall County, Ky. to make stave logs for whiskey barrels. The demand for stave logs is a major reason white oak markets are thriving, leaving the family wondering why there aren’t many instate stave markets. “There’s barely any stave companies owned or operated in Tennessee,” Timmy says. To compensate for the gap between consumer and supplier, Tony recently completed installations of a two-line, turnkey stave operation featuring Brewer equipment. The 13,000 sq. ft. facility is attached to Northside Lumber and will begin producing stave logs early next year. Tony Hooper Sawmill and Northside Lumber sell 7x9, 8x6 crossties, and 10 ft. switch-ties to Classic American Hardwoods Inc., Memphis; Somerville Tie Companies, Holly Springs, Miss.; and Koppers, Inc., Jackson, Tenn. Lumber is sold green to Ashley’s Furniture manufacturing plant, Ecru, Miss. and flooring company, Bruce Hardwood Flooring, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Local pallet stock companies purchase 4x6 cants. Tony says that sawmilling has been in their family for generations. “The sawmills are something we’ve always done,” Tony says. “It gives my guys something to do in the winter time so we don’t have to lay them off.” When it’s cold and wet his crew is producing heavy-duty, 2 in. thick, three-ply mats from mostly cottonwood and used personally or sold to the state. The Hooper family has created jobs for many families in their rural community; several employees are long-timers. Fifty-five are employed between the two mills with 10 more crew members in the woods. Both sawmills run four, 10-hour shifts and catch up on maintenance on TP Friday. 24
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DRYKILNS EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies supplied these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.
American Wood Dryers ThermoVent by American Wood Dryers— manufacturer of single pass continuous track and package kilns—is a powered flat-plate air-to-air heat exchanger that harvests the heat energy in the hot, wet venting air (usually wasted energy) to preheat the entering cold, dry ambient air (by up to 70°F) to keep the air temperature inside the dry kiln very nearly constant. The simple modular design enables easy installation that can be used on all types of kiln roofs such as peaked, sloped or flat. The ThermoVent is controlled by the wet bulb temperature (or EMC) just as your vents are now. Duct American Wood Dryers ThermoVent heat exchanger mounted powered intake and exhaust fans are reversible and controlled by the kiln schedule. Vent fan speed is controlled to accommodate different air densities (hot moist air is lighter than cold dry air, so the fans run at variable speeds). Benefits include: l Air-to-air heat exchangers are more efficient than thermal fluid types and are simpler systems to operate without pumps and plumbing. l Shorter drying time; up to 15% less than without ThermoVents. l Much shorter heat-up time; half or less than without ThermoVents l Improved product uniformity. l Energy savings of up to 20%. Recent installations have been showing a ROI even when there is the option of selling energy back to a utility as the lumber quality and energy savings are significant.
A.W. Stiles Contractors At A. W. Stiles Contractors, we have done everything imaginable when it comes to hardwood and softwood dry kilns. From new greenfield construction to minor repairs, control upgrades and steam piping, we cover all the bases. With new custom kiln builds we keep our customers involved in the process to make sure they are getting exactly what they need and want out of their new kiln. On the repair side we offer kiln reskins, roof replacements, steam piping, new custom heating coils, controls, competitive kiln part pricing, protective kiln coatings and scheduled kiln maintenance. A couple of the most requested kiln repairs are kiln reskins and roof replacements. A kiln reskin consists of removing the existing wall sheeting and insulation, repairing any structural damage, then replacing with new wall sheeting and insulation. With older kilns there may be some damaged areas in existing wall sheeting from everyday use. These damaged areas can cause the insulation to basically act like a sponge with A.W. Stiles Contractors specializes in kiln modifications, including reskin and roof replacement. the moisture in the kiln. Once the insulation becomes water logged over time it will start to sink in the panels. This will cause your kiln efficiency to decrease. Over time it can add hours to drying a kiln charge. We all know how important it is to be as efficient as possible in the business. Kiln roofs are not only a big part of kiln efficiency but also a huge safety concern. If a kiln roof has been leaking for a while there could be extensive damage to the kiln structure. This damage is not always visible from inside the kiln. This can be extremely dangerous if any employee has to access the roof of the kiln. If you have a few minor leaks or major roof issues, let us help. If not attended to properly a minor leak can turn in to a major one over a short period of time. Our customers are like family and they do the most advertising for us because, let’s face it, we all know one another in the industry. Let us help you and your company with all your kiln drying process needs. 26
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DRYKILNS
BID Group
In a continuous dry kiln, the operator must ensure steady wood flow. To do so, the carts on the dry end must be brought back to the green end. To complete this task, the operator must get out of his vehicle and connect the cart to the chain. This operation is risky, so BID Group designed an innovative and automatic cart attachment system. Now, the operator can stay in his vehicle and connect carts easily and safely. Unlike the chain and pin-based systems, the quick connect cart attachment system doesn’t require any manual labor, since the connection is done automatically. It reduces significantly the total time required to connect carts, so the operator can focus on other tasks. But most importantly, the operation is done safely without any compromise. The quick connect cart attachment system has been used and tested for over a year and has proven its efficiency. This simple and clever mechanism is powered by gravity. It uses a hook that BID Group quick connect cart attachment pivots on an axle which grabs the end plate of the next cart. A stopper limits the stroke to naturally position the head horizontally while preventing it from over flipping. The head of the hook will line up perfectly with the frame to give a visual confirmation that it is locked in place. To release it, simply lift the cart. This attachment system is designed to easily connect with a cart from several angles. So, the operator can connect, by approaching his vehicle, from whatever side is most convenient. The quick connect cart attachment system is made of superior steel alloy and can pull up to 60 ft. of carts fully loaded. It is also compatible with all types of loaders and pushing systems, so it is possible to install and use this attachment system in any existing installation. As for maintenance, you only need to grease the axle to protect it from contaminants and extend the reliability and durability of the equipment. Spare parts are inexpensive and can be replaced in minutes without causing any downtime to the kiln.
Brunner Hildebrand Brunner Hildebrand Lumber Dry Kiln Co. specializes in kilns for softwood and hardwood. The company’s expertise ensures that customers receive individual dry kiln solutions tailored to their needs. Each solution is chosen based on the requirements of the customer in terms of capacity and lumber grade. The priority is in providing the best-engineered, installed and serviced product in the market today. The company’s service network is on standby to provide full after-sales support, either on location or by remote access. Recently, the company introduced Hildebrand Weight Precision Technology (HWPT), which is capable of weighing entire lumber stacks in wireless Brunner Hildebrand wireless weight precision technology mode. In contrast to the former Brunner Hildebrand in-kiln-probe system, this is a massive improvement because it produces more accurate results and it may easily be integrated into the daily work routine by using weighing devices looking just like regular 4x4s. In combination with the new Vector EW control system, which shows kilns in appealing 2D and 3D mode, customers benefit from a superb level of accuracy and practical implementation. The latest kiln development is the single-direction Hildebrand continuous kiln (HCK), which is the right solution for mills that produce large volumes of lumber, e.g. dimension SPF. While developing the HCK, Brunner Hildebrand put great emphasis on creating exactly the right drying conditions for the respective lumber moisture content. Integrated into the kiln carts, the HWPT devices ensure full control. To provide best results, the technical features of each individual drying zone are customized to the drying state and moisture of the lumber passing through. Special emphasis has also been placed on energy-saving measures in the Hildebrand continuous kilns, such as the company’s special GreenKilns system with large cross-flow heat exchangers and the application of frequency-controlled fan motors throughout the kilns. Automatic indexing of kiln carts is performed hydraulically by powerful pusher units integrated in the feeding section of the kilns. Systems can be single-track or multi-track with lengths according to the desired production volume. It’s also applicable for drying different lumber dimensions simultaneously in one continuous kiln. 28
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DRYKILNS
Lignomat
Lignomat offers a wide variety of products and technologies to control lumber drying, steaming, heat treatment and condition rooms. We also offer stand-alone monitors for wood moisture, wetbulb dry-bulb temperature, EMC, wood core temperature and integrated sample scales. Our control systems are in operation worldwide and have been fine-tuned for more than 40 years. Lignomat’s newest kiln and predryer control systems have proven to be a great tool to dry lumber better, safer and more efficiently. The new systems are the culmination of 40 years of experience in engineering kiln control systems for the lumber drying industry in the U.S. We offer control systems for softwood and hardwood kilns, high temperature kilns, dehumidification kilns or vacuum kilns, for new installations or as retrofit for existing systems. We also have developed with great success a control system for the specific needs of predryers. Latest software development allows Lignomat’s systems to be integrated in an existing network with many new and additional safety features. The control systems can be remotely operated, monitored and controlled with any mobile device via nearly any operating sysLignomat offers a great variety of control systems. tem with or without Internet. Lignomat’s text alert feature automatically sends specified alerts to a cell phone with no third party service or costs. Alerts include “kiln halted,” “over temp,” and “schedule complete,” to name a few. The versatile systems can be easily tailored to a customer’s needs—starting with diverse drying schedule selections, which include time-based, moisture content-based, weight samples or loss/day schedules. The kiln operator can choose from a library of customer designed drying schedules to start the drying process. However, the system is so flexible that this schedule can be changed within the drying cycle. Unique scheduling, AHDC, peak energy management, and steam optimization are a few more tools at the kiln operator’s disposal for efficiently drying with Lignomat control systems.
McConnell Industries On November 1, 1970 Cliff McConnell left a family business and formed McConnell Industries to design and manufacture lumber dry kilns specializing in direct fired southern pine kilns. At the family business he was responsible for the design and manufacture of fossil fuel air heaters used in drying cotton, paint bake ovens, and other manufacturers’ lumber kilns. During this period an oil fired heater was developed that could fire direct into a cotton dryer without discoloring the cotton. During the oil embargo in 1973 fossil fuels such as natural gas and #2 fuel oil became scarce and expensive. A direct oil fired kiln had been built for Joe N. Miles Lumber Co. in Bogalusa, La. in 1971 and the company in 1973 needed a second kiln. Oil was McConnell Industries is celebrating its 50th anniversary. rationed to the amount purchased the prior year and the company did not have access to natural gas. In a meeting, a reference was made by a major lumber company about a company in San Diego, Calif. that they understood had developed a burner that would burn fine wood type material that may have an application in the forest products industry. From a phone call and visit to San Diego to the Energex company, we learned the company at that time had built three suspension burners. One was on a classified paper burner for the Navy; one was burning sander dust in a tee-pee burner; and one was on a plywood dryer. Energex was not familiar with softwood lumber kilns. In reporting back to Miles in Bogalusa we felt the Energex burner could be used for heating a lumber dry kiln using hammermilled dry planer shavings as a fuel source. A 68 ft. double track kiln holding 120MBF was designed and built with a 36 in. ID model 27 Energex burner as heat source. Burner reportedly had capacity of 27 million BTU/hr, later re-rated to 24 MM BTU/hr. Only fossil fuel required was a one million BTU/hr propane burner to light the wood fire and run for 45 minutes. The kiln was started up the first week in January 1974. LUA Insurance Company wanted to be on site during startup. Energex also had a startup man on site. First charge was run with only a few glitches, but when the kiln was opened, lumber was very black. Energex said they had a man with more experience whom they sent in two days later, but results were the same. Energex 30
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DRYKILNS had told us of the combustion that would take place inside the refractory lined combustion chamber. The lumber condition was like we had seen on oil fired installations with a mis-firing oil burner. Our success in firing oil into lumber or cotton was to have refractory combustion chamber after the burner so that there were no unburned hydrocarbons leaving the burner that could be quenched by the recirculating atmosphere. The Energex burner was backed up 8 ft. and a refractory lined chamber was installed. The following kiln charges had no indication of the carbon black residue. The Miles people were very happy. LUA was concerned that we were putting products of combustion direct into the lumber drying chamber. LUA did admit that the fuel cost saving with our system along with savings by direct heating rather than converting to steam was how the industry was going to have to go. We worked with LUA to develop a set of standards for wood direct fired kilns that are still being used today. In 1976 the control of the Energex company was acquired by a competitor and McConnell, who had been making major modifications to the Energex burner, began designing and manufacturing their own dry fuel suspension burners. McConnell had installed nine Energex burners. Since that time more than 300 McConnell dry fuel suspension burners have been installed, some as far as Scotland, China, Philippines, and many in Canada. Numerous improvements have been made on the suspension burner including a patent in 1990 on a chamber to reduce the grey ash carryover from a suspension burner. Dry fuel burners are offered from 15 to 50 million BU/hr. In 1985 Alan Kasper was building a fairly crude green sawdust burner to heat small dry kilns. However it was working well enough so that McConnell felt it had possibilities in larger kilns. A meeting with Kasper found he was interested in a hardwood mill he owned in Missouri and wanted to phase out of the burner business. McConnell purchased the rights including drawings to sell and manufacture the Kasper burner, which was a sloping grate with ash dump grates. McConnell built eight of the Kasper type burners including an early burner used to heat the Pollard dual pass kiln; the first 8 grate burner in 1989; and the first burner to have continuous fuel feed in 1991. With Canadian companies investing in U.S. lumber companies and making major additions, including dual pass kilns that required larger sawdust burners with more sophisticated controls, McConnell was the first to develop a sloped grate burner with automatic control of temperature in gasification chamber as well as primary and secondary chambers, which resulted in an extremely clean, easily controlled burner with continuous fuel feed. For batch type kilns requiring more burner turn down, McConnell developed a control system that can provide a 10/1 or greater turn down without introducing fresh air or dumping heat to atmosphere. McConnell burners are used extensively for heating rotary dryers and hot oil systems in the board industry as well as direct fired lumber kilns. The decision was made several years ago that the burner market is less crowded than the dry kiln market and the company is concentrating on only offering heating systems for other companies’ dryers. In 2015, son-in law Warren Poe, with an engineering degree from Texas A&M and 25 years experience in designing and erecting cellular towers, joined the company as Chief Project Manager. Other key employees include Don Hicks, who has been with company since startup of first wood burner; Jimmy McDonald, auto CAD designer; and Teresa Shell, who handles all office functions. McConnell is interested in working direct with mills or dryer suppliers in supplying wood fueled heating systems either with dry fuel suspension burners or sloped grate green sawdust burners.
MEC Dry Kiln Séchoir MEC Dry Kiln is celebrating its 30th year of business in the industry in 2020. With more than 300 dry kilns sold in Canada MEC Dry Kiln has built a solid reputation in the industry. This solid standing has been based on many distinguished advantages that positions MEC as one of the most important dry kiln partner/suppliers. How? Through its important investments in Research and Development and its unsurpassed customer service. Today MEC offers a wide variety of kilns at the best quality ratio: l Single or double pass l Rails or packages l Continuous (dpk) l Hybrid or 100% electric MEC also offers the services of kiln upgrades and rebuilds. With more than 100 modernization kilns projects done in its existence, MEC provides to its business partners the ultimate MEC Dry Kiln: 30 years and counting performance of their kiln. MEC programmers have developed a unique kiln control program called the VIP II. This kiln control program can be installed in all brands of kilns in the industry. Many customers with competitive kilns have opted for MEC VIP II control program for numerous reasons: l Because of its best quality ratio l Many VIP II have demonstrated an average pay back of four to six months l Its unique intuitive interface ➤ 34 32
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DRYKILNS l Its
complete alarms program that is displayed on the interface and sent by e-mail, SMS in real-time MEC dry kilns encompass a unique moisture meter plate called KilnScout. This unique wireless system demonstrated an average ROI of four months and provides numerous advantages such as: —Accuracy: Shut down with confidence directly from moisture content —Increased production: Reduce drying time and improve kiln efficiency —Improved grade recovery: Reduce aggregate moisture content standard deviation —Safety: Eliminate the need for hot checks —Reduced energy costs: Through fan speed, temperature, and shutdown control by moisture content —Low acquisition costs: No wires, wireless system MEC Dry Kiln invites all mills with future kiln projects to call them. They will experience rapidly the level of know-how, service, and unique solutions that MEC has offered for 30 years. MEC solutions are developed to be positioned as the most reliable and affordable in the industry. Our engineers, programmers and technicians who create our innovative solutions are highly qualified and experienced.
Mühlböck One of the latest innovations from the Austrian drying specialist is the Progressive kiln FLOW. Although Mühlböck has been scoring globally for several years with their Progressive kilns and various heat recovery systems, they still saw further potential in making the Progressive kiln even more flexible than before. Mühlböck explains the origin of this idea: “Many of our customers have noted that with the forklift transport in the yard and time consuming loading/unloading of the conventional kilns, the logistics of their modern sawmill and planer mill process is interrupted. The Mühlböck unidirectional Progressive kilns ensure simple and fast loading and unloading, while the automatic transport system with buffer zones can eliminate the need for night shift forklift operation. And by combining these features with the drying qual- Mühlböck new Progressive kiln FLOW combines the advantages of a continuous and a batch kiln. ity of conventional batch kilns, due to the 4.0 industryready Mühlböck K5 drying control system, the Mühlböck Progressive FLOW fills in the logistic gap and increases productivity.” With their first of its kind green energy biomass project in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Can. well under way, it is no wonder that the Meadow Lake Tribal Council has also decided on the most modern kiln drying technology for their NorSask sawmill. The handson expertise that Mühlböck brought to the table for this ambitious project appears to be the convincing factor. And Mühlböck’s engineers are working closely together with their Canadian counterparts for MLTC, in order to ensure that their Mülhböck Progressive FLOW continuous kiln with 1306 Heat Recovery will work seamlessly with the sawmill’s cogeneration and logistics systems. This continuous kiln that will handle over 81MMBF of NorSask’s lumber per year is scheduled to be installed next summer.
Nyle Dry Kilns Kiln drying is a process in our industry that is sometimes considered the necessary evil, occasionally resulting in financial and even emotional pain! However, when this process becomes a well oiled machine it can transform into a highly profitable, gratifying operation that produces true works of art. Nyle Dry Kilns has spent decades providing high quality kilns and services to the lumber industry. “At Nyle we believe that every company wants to improve their kiln drying performance, efficiency and results but sometimes they don’t always have a clear path to make that happen,” says Jeremy Howard, President of Sales and Marketing. “We believe we can help draw that map.” With that belief, Nyle recently unveiled their new industry leading Dry Kiln Optimization program. Nyle’s Dry Kiln Optimization program is designed to give sawmills every tool needed to become more efficient and 34
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Nyle kiln specialist, Henco Viljoen, checks the kiln controls.
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DRYKILNS profitable. The program starts with a complete review of each facility, their current standard operating procedures in regards to the kilns as well as a comprehensive analysis including thermal imagery, kiln equipment grading and more. Once the review portion of the program is complete they then create a training course and provide on site training completely tailored to the individual sawmill, management style and operator. In addition to the training, the sawmill will receive a detailed report on their kilns, processes and recommendations on how to further improve the efficiencies of each kiln. Nyle wanted to clarify that this program is designed for all sawmills, not just those equipped with Nyle kilns. “We hope that by sharing our knowledge, helping to improve results, increase kiln efficiencies and reduce the lack of understanding that can sometimes exist we can in turn help the industry to produce a higher quality product,” Howard adds. “Please reach out to us with any questions or comments and let us show you that Nyle is here to help!”
Smithco Smithco’s 2000 m to 84 in., 12-blade propellers are primarily used in track-loaded lumber kilns drying softwoods. Designed for high-volume airflow at increased static pressures in the 2.0 to 2.5 in. (500 to 620 Pa) range with a maximum rotational speed of 840 RPM, these propellers have adjustable pitch blades and tested reversibility with full-flow in both directions. All Smithco propellers feature keyed taper lock bushings and stainless steel hardware, and the Smithco Degree Gauge allows you to easily set the blade pitch. Smithco 12-blade propeller for dry kilns
Ultra Air Systems A key component in modern continuous dry kiln (CDK) operations is the green sawdust fuel delivery system. This “free” source of fuel drives the economics of the process, and with storage silos allows the kilns to run 24/7 while most of the mills themselves run four or five days per week. The flexible and efficient system for green fuel transport is pneumatic conveying. But these systems have had an Achilles Heel—that being the fabricated “wear back” style elbows that have been used to change direction as the routing through the plant requires. These elbows and bends see severe duty and are a frequent source of leaks, and critical kiln downtime for repairs. Ultra AiR Systems, LLC of Franklin, Tenn. has introduced the Ultra 600 Induction Hardened Elbow, eliminating that problem, providing up to 10,000 hours of maintenance free service at a comparable initial cost to traditional wear backs. By using actual hardened steel pipe bends, the transitions on the inlets and outlets are eliminated. And through the patented bending and heat treating process, the interior surface of these elbows is 600 Brinnell. Test units on green sawdust systems are shown to last two to four times longer than traditional wear back elbows on identical applications. Ultra Air Systems induction hardened “orange” elbows
USNR USNR’s ongoing technology advancements continue to produce excellent lumber quality while minimizing kiln operating costs. The Atlas Density Grader revolutionizes the way we sort lumber for drying. This new system is proven to reduce energy consumption and drying time, while increasing grade yield, length yield, and planer throughput. Atlas Density Grader allows you to sort out lumber variations in moisture content (MC) so you can create intelligent recipes for drying, optimize kiln time and energy, and maximize the quality of your dried lumber. This reliable and affordable system uses a smart sensor that integrates with the mill PLC and sorter systems to deliver more than 250,000 accurate and repeatable weight and density measurements per second. Atlas weighs the whole board up to 50,000 times per second at each weigh bridge, so the reported density is the average for the whole board and not just a localized density like other systems. By adding extra weigh bridges, the system can accommodate applications from 6 ft. studs to 28 ft. lumber lengths. Atlas works on high-speed systems operating at 240+ LPM. Weight results are paired with scanned volume measurements resulting in reliable density values for the whole board. Atlas systems have no temperature or surface moisture limitations. Infrared, microwave, and X-ray density systems must be adjusted for temperature changes and will not work with frozen surfaces or cores. 36
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DRYKILNS Considerations: l Sorting dry boards with dry boards (<50-60% MC) allows drying two adjacent lengths in the same package. Dry kiln time is typically fairly short. l Drying wet boards (<130% MC) allows for higher BTU input for a longer duration. l Assign dual or triple bins only for the highest value or production volume dimensions. This results in a larger payback. l Different species tend to have different MC. Going from non-segregated Douglas fir and hemlock/fir kiln loads to two density/moisture segregated sorts, the kiln time reduction can be in the range of 20-25%. l Separating the production into three density/moisture sorts may reduce the standard deviation to approximately 2% or better for each sort. l Better knowledge of green moisture distribution allows you to tune the kiln schedules by season, by dimension, by species, and by harvesting region. USNR technology improves dry kiln efficiency, lumber quality.
Valutec As the leading developer and world leader in continuous kilns, Valutec has delivered more than 1,500 continuous kilns to sawmills around the world. In October 2019, the company commissioned North America’s first TC continuous kiln at Pleasant River’s Moose River site in Jackman, Me. and now the feedback is in: “It does a great job, in a lot less time than we’re used to and puts out a much better product,” says Fred Haigis, Lumber Yard Supervisor at Moose River. “The installation process was smooth without any major issues. And when we saw one of the kilns in our mill for the first time we knew North America’s first Valutec TC continuous kiln operates at Pleasant River’s operation, we made the right decision,” states Jason Moose River, in Maine. Brochu, owner of Pleasant River Lumber. A TC-kiln comes with distinguishing features such as high flexibility and superior capacity. It gives the operator the possibility to create the ultimate drying process with unlimited freedom to mix dimensions, minimal moisture content variation and reduced risk of checking. Annual capacity can reach 125MMBF with target moisture contents down to around 12–18%. The principle is based on the timber package being fed length-wise through zones in which the air circulates laterally across the drying channel. This enables the separate regulation of the climate in different zones according to a schedule that comes very close to the ideal schedule of a batch kiln. “The leap in technology has fundamentally changed the way of working at many sawmills. Higher flexibility creates significant advantages, particularly when it comes to planning. Competition is extremely tough in the sawmill business, where margins are tight. So, customers in this sector rely on high efficiency and quality,” explains Ingo Wallocha, Managing Director, Valutec Wood Dryers Inc. In April Valutec commissioned its second North American TC kiln at Pleasant River’s site in Dover, Me. Due to COVID 19 regulations the commissioning had to be done remotely. “Corona has forced us to challenge ourselves and find new ways of working. Since the outbreak of the virus we’ve successfully commissioned kilns remotely in North America, Russia and Europe. This has been possible because we have proven solutions with well functioning components,” Wallocha adds. The startup of the TC-kiln at Moose River has not gone unnoticed. Before the Corona outbreak several sawmills visited the sawmill to take a closer look at the Valutec TC-kiln and the response has been overwhelming as Valutec has already sold two more kilns to North America, including Canada’s first TC to a sawmill in New Brunswick. “I can honestly say that whoever sees the Valutec TC-kiln at Moose River probably won’t buy another kiln again. Whenever I talk to the guys as Moose River or Dover I’m really proud to hear that they’ve had the best experience with our kilns,” Wallocha says.
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DRYKILNS
Wood-Mizer
Kiln drying lumber is a simple, cost effective method recommended for anyone who wants to increase profits by selling dried lumber. Kiln dried wood typically sells for a third more than green lumber and eliminates the need for customers to incur costs associated with drying lumber before use. In addition, dry lumber kills infestations, hardens pitch, preserves color, and controls shrinkage while also reducing risk of developing fungal stain, decay, rot or mold. Dry lumber also machines, glues, and finishes better, resulting in nails and screws having higher holding power. Finally, dry lumber weighs more Wood-Mizer dehumidification kiln than 50% less and is over twice as strong and stiff as green lumber. Lumber that is not dried under controlled conditions with a kiln is prone to warping and other degrade that diminishes its selling price and workability. With a Wood-Mizer kiln, successful drying for better profitability is easy and affordable for virtually any size operation. Wood-Mizer offers dehumidification and solar kilns with capacities ranging from 300 to 35,000 board feet for drying lumber. The Wood-Mizer KD series of kilns feature 100% corrosion resistant aluminum cabinets and specially coated dehumidification coils to ensure quality performance and an extra-long life. The KS solar kiln is a simple and economical system for starting to kiln dry lumber. Visit www.woodmizer.com to download a free Introduction to Kiln Drying Guide. Wood-Mizer kiln offerings include: —KD150 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - Compact, entry-level dehumidification kiln for drying lumber between 300 and 1,000 board feet. —KD250 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - High-quality dehumidification kiln for controlled lumber drying of 1,500 to 4,000 board feet. —KD450 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - High-performance dehumidification kiln for producing up to 15MBF of kiln dried wood. —KD550 Dehumidification Kiln Kit - Commercial dehumidification kiln for precise controlled lumber drying up to 35MBF. —KS50 Solar Kiln - Cost-effective solar kiln for drying lumber up to 3MBF.
COMING IN DECEMBER Cutting Tools Technologies
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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MOISTURE CONTROL Part 2: Kiln Drying By Steve Maurer ontrolling moisture is key to producC ing a quality end product. Ironically, despite being where moisture is altered
the most, kilns are also often the most overlooked. West Fraser’s Thermal Energy Supervisor Martin Andres has been with the company for more than 42 years, and knows the importance of kilns as well as anyone. “With wets, you will obviously get claims,” Andres says. “Even though we don’t get a claim for over-dries, it degrades the wood and you’ll end up with more end and surface checking. The lumber shrinks just that much more so you end up with skip on your wood.” Understanding how wood dries is crucial to developing effective drying schedules. Finding the right mix of temperature control, air flow and relative humidity improves the quality of the boards sent to the finishing stage. By finding the correct mix, mills can lessen problems such as wet claims, checks, warping, and unnecessary transportation costs due to excess water weight. l Previous Methods Previous methods of measuring included weight sensors that were used to chart the drying process of sample boards. Using that data, it was possible to develop calculations for estimating moisture content. However, this provided more of an educated guess than reliable, repeatable results. As more advanced technology produced more reliable methods, the process improved. Two types of metering sensors took readings directly from the lumber charges. The first in-kiln sensors developed detected the resistance between two probes inserted into the edge of boards. The data was collected by a handheld meter. Resistance values were extrapolated to indicate moisture content. While this was a vast improvement, giving more accurate data from inside the kiln, there were limitations. First, the data came from a single representative board. While several probe sets could be used, the number of data collection points was limited. The second limitation was probe placement. Driven into the
edge of the board, not the face, the probes could not measure at the optimal point for moisture release. Used primarily in batch kilns, the probes were inserted before charge placement. Hot checks at various stages of the drying schedule were used to gather data for calculation. Real-time measurement could not be gathered, particularly during the early development of this type of sensor. Additionally, hot checks required shutting down the kiln and bringing it to human-friendly temperature levels. In a direct-fired kiln, this also meant venting noxious fumes. After measurement was complete, the kiln was restarted, resulting in lost time and wasted energy. l Drying Innovations Other problems occurred with hot checks, primarily that there were less people to do them. As mills looked to reduce costs, many experienced kiln operators were transferred to other parts of the mill, or given added responsibilities that diverted their attention. With this loss of knowledge, technology was needed to pick up the slack. Initially, wired radio frequency (RF) sensors were developed for batch kilns. These sensors use RF to determine capacitance, another method of determining moisture. Plates are non-invasively inserted between the stickers. With a plate near the top of the stack and the other near the bottom, a more representative value of the entire charge package is possible. Instead of a limited number of data collection points, moisture content value of up to 17 cubic feet, per sensing unit, are tracked. Cables connected the sensor plates to computer-based monitoring hardware, and software, outside the kiln. The data can be displayed, allowing the operator to manually make changes, or integrating with the kiln controls for automation. Especially with southern yellow pine, the variability of guessing when to shut down was removed. With the development of continuous dry kilns (CDKs), static sensors were no longer feasible, leading to the development of wireless RF sensors. With no cables to tie them down, the sensors travel with the charge. These sensors also integrate with the kiln controls for either man-
ual or automated operation. Up to 100 sensors monitoring moisture and temperature sets can be used per kiln, meaning the operator gets a more complete view of what’s going on inside the kiln, and can adjust the schedule accordingly. “At a particular division, we were in need of replacing aged control equipment so we evaluated the [RF sensors] to ensure they would provide the right moisture content,” Andres says. “So far we have experienced time savings and consistent results using the moisture sensing system. We have not had wet lumber since it was installed.” Using kiln systems connected to each other via network or internet, multiple kilns can be monitored and controlled from one location, also helping to offset the lack of operators. According to Tony Nadeau, Sechoir MEC’s Dry Kiln Automation and Control Director, “We worked with a customer that bought kilns for two different sites. We installed KilnScout systems for each kiln with eight sensors per system. MEC’s sensor system was modified so the customer was able to monitor both sites from one location. The RF sensors and data collection units allowed the mill to monitor and modify the drying schedule for each kiln.” l What’s Next? Despite providing several benefits including additional throughput, grade recovery and remote monitoring, in-kiln sensors are continuously being improved to keep up with the needs of modern lumber mills. The most pressing need for these mills is uptime. The sensors are now being built with Internet of Things (IoT) predictive maintenance features that actively notify the operator when there are upcoming issues, such as low battery strength. This allows action to be taken, before issues, and loss of data is prevented. Additionally, software has been built so that the kiln no longer needs to be relied upon as the sole manager of moisture—it can be monitored from the beginning of the process, from sawmill to the kiln. TP Article supplied by Finna Sensors and written by Steve Maurer, an industrial copywriter. Next issue: Part 3: Planermill.
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MACHINERYROW USNR Announces Several Orders Dempsey Wood Products of Orangeburg, SC has ordered a planer mill trimsort-stack line to increase its capacity and expand its product line. The line will allow the mill to process 16 ft. lengths, and cut-n-two into shorter lengths. It is scheduled to start up in early 2021. The order features a Revolver lug
loader with MillTrak backlog control, Transverse High Grader, Multi-Track Fence, clamshell style trimmer, low profile stacker and WinnTally sorter management integrated with the THG. This mill previously ordered a Counter-Flow kiln conversion for its USNR batch kiln, also scheduled to start up in the first quarter. It also recently ordered new USNR optimization and controls for its merchandiser.
● Holzwerk Schilling GmbH of Rot a.d. Rot, Germany is investing in vision scanning from USNR. The BioVision side profile scanning system will scan the exposed faces of a sawn cant after the sideboards have dropped away to identify cant visual characteristics. This data will be used to sort each cant for “high quality” or “low quality” destination. The BioLuma 2900LV sensors will be mounted above and below the belt on the resaw outfeed to scan top and bottom faces of the cant. The system will detect knots and color variations for rot, and will provide a solution for sorting the cants for further downstream processing. The BioLuma 2900LV combines HD laser profiling and HD color vision along the full length of the piece into a single sensor allowing USNR optimization to identify and classify defects for accurate grade classification. ● 2020 continues to be a successful year for USNR’s Cambio debarker product line. The latest addition to the order book is a CamShift 600 modular debarking system ordered by the Moelven Soknabruket sawmill in Sokna, Norway. CamShift is USNR’s modern and modular adaption of traditional Cambio debarking technology, allowing for a variety of configurations to match different application requirements. This particular unit comprises a CamTrim flare reducer, a Cambio 600 debarking rotor, and six CM 600D direct-drive feedworks modules that transport logs through the machine. Both the flare reducer and the rotor slide out of the machine for easy maintenance. USNR will also deliver a CIM 800 log infeed and an outfeed conveyor. This system will replace a Cambio 800 and will be installed during summer 2021.
Stiles Will Support Minda North America Minda and Stiles announce Minda’s acquisition of Deal Manufacturing in North Carolina and the subsequent formation of Minda North America. Stiles will continue to be the sales, service and support partner, while Minda North America will integrate and manufacture technologies necessary for the mass timber industry. Charles Martin, who has been with Stiles for more than eight years, becomes President and CEO of Minda North America, which will be based in Granite Falls, NC. ➤ 44 42
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MACHINERYROW Kalmar Promotes Forklifts ChargePod Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has launched its containerized ChargePod solution for electrically powered forklift trucks. The solution addresses growing customer demand for cost-effective mobile outdoor charging solutions and is ideal for customers such as sawmills, where large parts of the operations are outside, mean-
Kalmar ChargePod container
ing that space is at a premium. The Kalmar ChargePod provides a complete charging station inside a standard 20 ft. container that can be located almost anywhere on site. Two sets of forklift truck batteries can be charged simultaneously, and the container is insulated to make it suitable for use in both cold and hot climates, with AC cooling available as an option. The ChargePod is suitable for charging batteries used in Kalmar light and medium electric forklift trucks.
Delta Signs On tsb-bescom Industrial motion control manufacturer Delta Computer Systems announce that tsb-bescom of Duiven, Netherlands is the newest authorized distributor for Delta’s best-in-class RMC motion controllers. tsbbescom offers customers in the Netherlands and Belgium a line of complementary industrial sensor and control technology. “The addition of tsb-bescom is an example of Delta’s long-term development in global markets,” comments Delta CEO Steve Nylund.
Norra Timber Increases Drying Capacity Sweden’s Norra Timber is investing in three batch kilns for each of its sawmills at Kåge and Sävar. The capacity increase totals around 85,000 m3 (36MMBF). “We’ve enjoyed good returns on previous investments, which has led to a production increase according to plan. This means we must now increase our kiln capacity. We studied various alternatives, but in the end Valutec was able to offer the best solution,” says Johan Oja, Technical Manager at Norra Timber. Norra Skogsägarna and Norrskog merged in May 2020 to form Norra Timber. This means that Norra Timber has three modern sawmills in northern Sweden located in Hissmofors, Kåge and Sävar, which together produce more than 780, 000 m3 (331MMBF) per year. In conjunction with the investment, Norra Timber decided to upgrade the control systems for its existing batch kilns with Valmatics 4.0—28 control systems in all. Valmatics 4.0 combines simulator technology with adaptive control, enabling the simultaneous optimization of capacity, quality and energy consumption. Installation of the kilns will begin in November 2020. 44
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ATLARGE Horstkotte Left Imprint On Mills Fredrick William (Brud) Horstkotte Jr., who designed sawmills and plywood plants for more than 60 years, died August 15 in Portland, Ore. He was 97. Horstkotte was born in Spokane, Wash. and moved to Portland at an early age. He served in the Army 13th Airborne Division and spent VE day in Paris. Upon graduating from MIT he served as Clerk-of-the-Works for the expansion of the Oregon Lumber Co. mill at Dee, Ore. in the Hood River Valley. He soon went to work with his father, Fred Sr., at F. W. Horstkotte and Associates where he spent the next 63 years designing sawmills and plywood plants from the same office in the American Bank Building. Horstkotte was incredibly dedicated to his clients, many of whom became lifelong friends. These included SDS Lumber Co, Brooks Scanlon, Ochoco & Malhuer Lumber Companies, Willamette Industries, Collins Pine and many others. Early years were spent skiing on Mt. Hood and Horskotte joined the Mult-
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ATLARGE nomah Athletic Club Ski Team as an Athletic Member and later won the Oregon High School Ski Championship. He continued to cherish his time skiing Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor and Sun Valley
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with his buddies and especially his two granddaughters. He is survived by his wife, Joan Preble, whom he married in 1955. They had two children.
Adel Moves Ahead With Pellet Mill A proposed 450,000 metric tons per year industrial wood pellet mill to be built in Adel, Ga. is gaining steam. On September 21 the Adel City Council voted to annex a 171 acre industrial park area in Cook County into the city of Adel and to re-zone the property from agricultural to heavy-industry. Meanwhile the wood pellet plant project owner, Renewable Biomass Group, has applied for air construction permitting for the plant, which would export its wood pellets to overseas markets as fuel for electricity generation. The company hopes to commence construction in the fourth quarter of this year with commercial production beginning in the first quarter of 2022. The Renewable Biomass Group web site indicates the company wants to develop 2 million metric tons per year of industrial wood pellets projects over a seven-year period. The RBG web site also shows Craig Whitlock as CEO with experience in international business development; Jeremy Ham as CFO with experience in capital raising; and Patrick Madigan as general manager and director. Madigan was head of Ireland electricity producer Bord na Mona’s bioenergy division when that company announced its intention to build an industrial wood pellet plant in Georgia in 2017. Dogwood Alliance, the extremist Southern-based environmental group, has taken an aggressive stand against the plant. ➤ 53
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WOOD PRODUCTS MARKETPLACE NORTH AMERICA
■ Minnesota
■ North Carolina
■ Canada ■ Ontario Buyers & Wholesalers We produce quality 4/4 - 8/4 Appalachian hardwoods • Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar •
Green Lumber: Air Dried, Kiln Dried Timbers & Crossties
• Hickory, Sycamore, Beech, Gum & Elm • Custom Cut Timbers: Long lengths and wide widths
Sales/Service: 336-746-5419
336-746-6177 (Fax) • www.kepleyfrank.com
■ Tennessee
STACKING STICKS
FOR SALE
Next closing: January 5, 2021
AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic
■ United States
DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-446-4069 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com
■ Georgia Beasley Forest Products, Inc. P.O. Box 788 Hazlehurst, GA 31539
beasleyforestproducts.com Manufactures Kiln-Dried 4/4 Red and White Oak, Poplar, Ash and Cypress Contact: Linwood Truitt Phone (912) 253-9000 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 linwood.truitt@beasleyforestproducts.com
Pallet components, X-ties, Timbers and Crane Mats Contact: Ray Turner Phone (912) 253-9001 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 ray.turner@beasleyforestproducts.com
■ Kentucky HAROLD WHITE LUMBER, INC. MANUFACTURER OF FINE APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS
(606) 784-7573 • Fax: (606) 784-2624 www.haroldwhitelumber.com
Ray White
Domestic & Export Sales rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com Cell: (606) 462-0318
Green & Kiln Dried, On-Site Export Prep & Loading Complete millworks facility, molding, milling & fingerjoint line
WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com 08/20
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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613
EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES Recruiting Services
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& ASSOCIATES, INC
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“The lowest cost per cycle”
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GW Industries www.gwi.us.com
Depending on Circumstances / Needs
“Your Success Is Our Business” Serving the Wood Products and Building Materials Industries For more than 26 years.
Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040
Jackie Paolo 866-504-9095
greenwoodimportsllc@gmail.com
jackie@gwi.us.com
Top Wood Jobs
Call or Email me anytime! john@johngandee.com www.johngandee.com
Austin, Texas
GREENWOOD KILN STICKS Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks
Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales
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LUMBERWORKS
Recruiting and Staffing George Meek 3220
geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (360) 263-3371
3779
ATLARGE 50 ➤ The RBG air permit application indicates the plant will procure 1.1 million tons of softwood annually.
HOMAG Focuses On Mass Timber The HOMAG Group is acquiring 80% of the shares of the Danish engineering and manufacturing company, System TM A/S, a supplier of optimization and systems solutions for the timber processing industry. HOMAG is also creating an additional business segment, Construction Elements Solutions, as HOMAG delves into the cross-laminated timber business. Pekka Paasivaara, CEO of HOMAG Group, comments, “We want to become a system supplier for the complete process chain in the area of construction elements, including cross-laminated timber (CLT). With System TM we are acquiring an experienced, leading manufacturer with high-end products and a high reputation in project implementation.” Jan Samuelsen, CEO of System TM, says the company founders and former majority shareholders, Poul and Ingrid Thøgersen, have decided to retire and to bring the ownership to new shareholders who believe in the business philosophy of System TM. “HOMAG is the ideal partner for us because next to our existing business in cross-cutting and finger joining solutions, it will enable us to ex-
pand into the area of cross-laminated timber,” Samuelsen says. System TM is headquartered in Odder, Denmark, and includes administration, production and assembly facilities.
Dadeville Pole Announces Facility Dadeville Pole Co. plans to construct a new $5 million facility to manufacture and distribute power poles at the William Thweatt Industrial Park in Tallapoosa County, Ala., according to the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance. Dadeville will initially create 12 direct jobs to operate the mill and dry kilns, as well as sustaining and promoting numerous indirect jobs with local wood suppliers and loggers. The facility is expected to be in full operation by the end of 2020.
NHLA Names New President Jeff Wirkkala of Hardwood Industries, Inc. in Sherwood, Ore. is the new president of the National Hardwood Lumber Assn. NHLA membership also elected a new vice president and five new board members. Jon Syre of Cascade Hardwood Group, Chehalis, Wash., will serve as NHLA vice president. The five new board members-at-large will each serve a three-year term begin-
ning immediately. The new board members include Tom Coble of Hartzell Hardwoods, Inc., Bill Courtney of Classic American Hardwoods, Sam Glidden of GMC Hardwoods, Inc., Greg Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Weller, Inc. and Trent Yoder of Yoder Lumber Co., Inc.
President’s Export Council Appoints Dane Scott Dane, Executive Director, Associated Contract Loggers & Truckers of Minnesota, has been selected for an appointment to the President’s Export Council. The council serves as the principle national advisory committee on international trade and advises the President on government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving traderelated problems among the business, industrial, agriculture, labor and government sectors. “It is a distinct honor and privilege to have been selected for an appointment to the President’s Export Council. I do not pretend to bring a CEO perspective to the Council, but the boots-on-the-ground perspective of the loggers, truckers and forest products workers,” Dane comments. “This is another example of President Trump recognizing the forgotten, unheard American worker and giving them a seat at the table.” TIMBER PROCESSING
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MAINEVENTS FEBRUARY 2021
JULY 2021
8-10—Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assn. Convention & Exposition, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Ind. Call 317-288-0008; visit ihla.org.
25-28—Walnut Council annual meeting, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. Call 765-583-3501; visit walnutcouncil.org.
24-28—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Ponte Vedra, Fla. Call 336885-8315; visit appalachianhardwood.org.
AUGUST 2021
MARCH 2021 3-5—National Wooden Pallet & Container Assn. Annual Leadership Conference, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Orlando, Fla. Call 703-519-6104; visit palletcentral.com.
11-13—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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3-5—SLMA Spring Meeting, Hyatt Regency Savannah, Savannah, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit slma.org.
This issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.
4-7—Delhiwood 2021, India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, India. Call+91-80-4250 5000; visit delhi-wood.com.
A W Stiles Contractors
22
931.668.8768
American Wood Dryers
24
503.655.1955
BID Group
29
843.563.7070
24-26—Hardwood Manufacturers Association's National Conference and Expo, Austin, Tex. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.
Brunner Hildebrand
12
615.469.0745
Calibre Equipment
45
+64 21 586 453
Cone Omega
40
229.228.9213
Donaldson Industrial Air Filtration
23
800.365.1331
APRIL 2021
FiberPro
38
501.463.9876
G F Smith
13
971.865.2981
6-8—American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-222-9505; visit amforest.org.
Holtec USA
2
800.346.5832
Johnson & Pace
48
903.753.0663
Lignomat USA
35
800.227.2105
Linck
39
936.676.4958
14-16—International Wood Products Assn. 65th World of Wood Annual Convention, Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, Calif. Call 703-820-6696; visit iwpawood.org.
Linden Fabricating
22,51
250.561.1181
ADVERTISER
PG.NO.
PH.NO.
McConnell Technologies
42
205.836.0396
Mebor
49
+386 4 510 3200
Metal Detectors
13
541.345.7454
MAY 2021
Microtec SLR GMBH
46
+39 0 472 273 611
Mid-South Engineering
51
501.321.2276
10-14—Ligna: World Fair For The Forestry And Wood Industries, Hannover Exhibition Center, Hannover, Germany. Call +49 511 89-0; fax +49 511 89-32626; visit ligna.de.
Muhlbock Holztrocknungsanlagen
43
+43 7753 2296 0
Nelson Bros Engineering
35
888.623.2882
Nyle Systems
56
880.777.6953
Oleson Saw Technology
33
800.256.8259
14-15—Loggers’ Expo, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Maine. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.
Pantron Automation
10
800.211.9468
Pole Mill Optimizer
48
228.669.7786
16-18—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com.
17,18
800.323.4424
SCS Forest Products by Finna Group
40
720.963.6500
Sechoir MEC
8
819.751.2294
Sennebogen
9
704.347.4910
Sering Sawmill Machinery
50
360.687.2667
21-22—Expo Richmond 2021, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.
SII Dry Kilns
27
800.545.6379
Simonds-Burton-BGR Saws-CutTech
3
800.426.6226
Smithco Manufacturing
48
800.764.8456
Strategic Solutions NW
11
503.924.4434
JUNE 2021
Telco Sensors
19
800.253.0111
Terex Deutschland Gmbh
55
+49 0 7253 84 0
4-5—PA Timber Show, Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, Pennsylvania Furnace, Penn. Call 814-8632873; visit agsci.psu.edu/timber.
UC Coatings
51
716.833.9366
Ultra Air Systems
51
615.647.6110
Valutec
47
+46 0 910 879 50
26-29—Assn. of Consulting Foresters of America annual conference, Graduate Eugene, Eugene, Ore. Call 703-5480990; visit acf-foresters.org.
West Coast Industrial Systems
25
541.451.6677
Wood-Mizer
31
866.477.9268
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Samuel Packaging Systems Group
USNR
7,44
800.289.8767
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