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A Hatton-Brown Publication
Co-Publisher: David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher: David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer: Dianne C. Sullivan Publishing Office 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 39 • Number 9 • NOVEMBER 2014 Founded in 1976 • Our 408th Consecutive Issue
Renew or subscribe on the web: www.timberprocessing.com
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Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell Managing Editor: Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor: David Abbott Associate Editor: Jessica Johnson Associate Editor: Jay Donnell Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 1.800.669.5613
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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
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THE ISSUES
Two Hardwood Operations
NEWSFEED
Seneca’s Jones Dies In Oregon
BATTLE LUMBER
From The Ground Up
NORTHERN HARDWOODS
Moving Forward Again
TP&EE 2014
Attendance Reflects Upbeat Industry
MACHINERY ROW
Considering New Scan Heads?
AT LARGE
Planer Optimization Workshop
COVER: Battle Lumber builds and starts up a new sawmill at its complex in Wadley, Ga. 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 International Murray Brett Aldea de las Cuevas 66, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • FAX: +34 96 640 4022 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 ® 2014. 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 Publications Mail Agreement No. 41359535 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to PO Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6 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
A HARDWOOD HEADS UP 14
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his issue includes articles on two hardwood sawmill operations— one in Michigan, the other in Georgia, vastly different in size, but both finding their own ways to push forward. Northern Hardwoods in South Range, Mich. is owned by Rossi Group and J. M. Longyear, the latter the longstanding Michigan upper peninsula based natural resources business. Like so many companies, Northern Hardwoods experienced a difficult recession, but is battling its way back by way of experienced plant management, and attention to details—namely maintenance and safety, while finding new domestic and export markets for its 17MMBF of annual production, the majority of which is hard and soft maple lumber. The mill’s versatile and substantial drying capabilities stand it in good stead. The mill now appears to be ready to undergo more substantial upgrading to some of its equipment and technologies. Then there’s Battle Lumber of Wadley, Ga. Battle Lumber is the nation’s (I guess the world’s) largest single mill producer of hardwood lumber at more than 90MMBF annually, much of it grade lumber. It also operates a pallet operation, flooring plant and chip mill. We’ve done several articles on the operation through the years, the last one (before the one in this issue) going back to 2005 when the sawmill implemented an optimized end dogging carriage system and gained another 9-10% of yield. Just getting out of college about that time was Thomas Battle, who now oversees production. His father, Tommy, continues to run the business, under the guidance of Tommy’s father and company founder, Wayne Battle. The operation pretty much ran as is for the past 10 years, until the family members put their heads together and saw a market for timbers (mainly railroad ties), manufactured with smaller logs. After looking at how to make this fit into existing operations, they decided instead to build a new sawmill, which would also allow them to process cants from the existing mill. The greenfield mill, which started up early this year and also manufactures a fair amount of southern pine lumber, contains some new twists that you can read about in the article that begins on page 14. So here we have Northern Hardwoods and Battle Lumber, the former gaining some momentum by way of piecemeal tactics, and the latter opting to mount a full frontal assault. Even before the recession, the U.S. hardwood lumber industry was constrained because of transitioning furniture and flooring markets and altering preferences of species. Combine all of those factors and it’s plain to see why many hardwood lumber operations have not survived. About 1,300 miles apart north and south are two hardwood lumber companies that are equally impressive to me in how they’ve used their available reTP sources wisely to accomplish their goals.
Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING
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NEWSFEED JONES PUT SENECA ON SAWMILL MAP Aaron Jones, founder of After his first marriage Oregon’s Seneca Sawmill ended, Jones married Marie Company and a long-time Phillips in 1970 and welcomed resident of Eugene, Ore., died her 12-year-old daughter, Suon September 22. He was 92. zanne, into his family. Jones’ Jones was a prominent infamily grew to also include six dustry leader for more than 50 grandchildren and five greatyears, “guiding the familygrandchildren. owned sawmills through Jones worked in the woods bruising battles with special setting chokers, worked with interest groups and industry his father-in-law, Laurence giants bent on driving smallBauman, in the family’s planer, family, independent mill ing mill, and sold lumber. owners out of business,” acSoon, he was familiar with all cording to the obituary on the aspects of the business. He Seneca web site. ventured out on his own and He was early to embrace founded Seneca Sawmill advances in sawing technology Company in 1953, taking its that employed name from high-strain the property bandmills and he leased on thin-kerf, and Seneca Road. implemented By the end the latest in of the first scanning year, with 25 technologies. employees The stud mill and a producthe company tion of built in the 18,000 board 1980s receivfeet of lumed considerber, the able acclaim. Jones built a modern small log fledgling stud mill in late 1980s. Born in company had Utopia, Texas, Aaron came to already outgrown that locaOregon with two of his brothtion. In 1954, after leasing a ers when he was 10 years old gang mill and planer from the to live and work on an uncle’s late George Owen, Jones dairy farm near Toledo. His moved the operation to its college education was interpresent location on Highway rupted by World War II, dur99. In 1959, he purchased the ing which he was shipped to operation from Owen. Over the South Pacific where he time, as the mill grew and oversaw an Army supply Jones needed to expand the depot on Luzon in the Philipmill, he purchased adjacent pine Islands. When the war property—his first purchase was over, Jones returned to the being the Forcia mill. University of Oregon where Jones was a problemhe received his degree in solver, and kept asking quesPhysical Education in 1947. tions and exploring ideas as to After returning to Eugene, how to recover more lumber Jones married Jean “Deanie” out of each log with less Bauman. They had three waste and more efficiency. daughters—Becky, Kathy and Over the years, he was awardJody, who grew up around the ed more than 25 patents in sawmill that their father was various sawmill technologies. building. The daughters are The late Whitey Howard was now co-owners of the busiat his side as general manager ness and serve on the Board for many years. of Directors. Howard recalled to Timber 6
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Processing magazine years ago that their first patent was on edger guides in 1972. Howard said a half dozen employees had access to Jones’ office daily. “He has red carpet in his office,” Howard said of Jones, “which we say is our blood.” Howard said nobody was better at conceptualizing than Jones. Seeing a need for a reliable source of timber to run his mills, as opposed to the increasingly unstable federal forests situation, Jones began purchasing his own timberland in 1989. Seneca Jones Timber Company was founded in 1992 to manage the growing land base, and today its 165,000 acre tree farm is a key supplier of the raw material for Seneca’s sawmills. Jones was fiercely loyal to his employees, and though he had many offers to sell the mill, he always chose to stay independent. He was very proud of the mill that he had built and loved to walk through and talk to his workers. Although he invested untold sums of money in perfecting Seneca’s proprietary sawing technologies, Jones was always quick to credit his workforce for his extraordinary success. He once said, “The experience, ability and dedication of our people are second to none. They are Seneca’s greatest asset.” Seneca now employs more than 400 in its four sawmills at two mill locations in Oregon, and production levels exceed 650MMBF. Seneca Sustainable Energy was established in 2009 to utilize the mill byproducts and other woody biomass to produce renewable energy for the local community. Jones served on many industry-related associations, including: Founding director and first president of the West Coast Lumber Inspection Bu-
reau, former president and director of the Western Forest Industries Assn, director of the Mountain States Legal Foundation and former president and director of Western Resource Alliance. In 1994, Jones developed the “Friendly Swap,” a concept to exchange land between the federal government and non-federal landowners to create land ownership patterns which would better support federal ecosystem management, as well as private property objectives. Hunting season was his favorite time of the year. In 2003, on his last hunt, he got a trophy elk, a seven-point bull that is listed in the “Boone & Crockett Big Game All-Time Awards” book. Jones spent time with leaders of the nation, including several presidents and many captains of industry, but one of the things he enjoyed most was putting on comfortable clothes and going out to the woods to see how the trees on his timber property were growing. Another great love was breeding and racing horses. He turned his love of horses into a successful second business and with his wife, Marie, became well known and respected in the world of horse breeding and racing. A Celebration of Life honoring Jones was held at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene on October 1. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to University of Oregon Athletic Fund, McKenzie Track & Field or Volunteers in Medicine.
MAIBEC BUYS FRASER SAWMILL Levis, Quebec-based Maibec is buying Fraser Timber’s lumber mill in Masardis, Maine. The acquisition gives Maibec its first place of business in the U.S., and will allow
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NEWSFEED the company to improve its access to key U.S. markets. The Masardis mill can produce more than 100MMBF of softwood lumber annually. Maibec was founded in 1946 and has about 700 employees outside of the United States, with production facilities in St-Pamphile de L’Islet and Saint-Theophile de Beauce, Quebec. The firm’s various operations produce wood siding, lumber and horticultural mulches.
operation, Simpson Door Co., is not for sale. In March the company sold its Tacoma kraft paper mill to RockTenn of Norcross, Ga., for $343 million. As part of that deal, RockTenn signed a seven-year wood chip supply contract with Simpson Lumber Co.
Simpson Lumber is a major employer in Shelton, where the mill employs 230. In Tacoma, the Simpson sawmill employs 142. Nationwide, Simpson Lumber employs 800. The company has a long history in the Northwest, being founded in Matlock in 1890.
SIMPSON MAY SELL SAWMILLS Privately owned and Tacoma, Wash.-based Simpson Lumber Co., with mills in Tacoma, Longview and Shelton, Wash., Meldrim, Ga. and Georgetown, SC, appears to be for sale. Simpson’s door-making
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Will Longview sign get a new name?
Simpson constructed a network of rail lines to bring timber from the woods to its mills early in its history. Those timberlands are now owned by a separate company, Green Diamond Resources Co., with links to the same owners as Simpson. That timber-owning company was spun off from Simpson in 2006. The company told its workers of the prospect of a sale, but assured them the mills would continue operating normally at least until any ownership change. There appears to be no deadline for making a decision on a sale. “We could sell one mill, two mills or the entire company or none of the company,” according to a spokesperson. “We’re trying to determine whether the mills are best kept under our ownership or someone else.”
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NEWSFEED will provide us with additional higher value opportunities for our global markets. This, together with an excellent management team, will continue to ensure Canfor’s ongoing commitment to our customers.” Canfor purchased Georgia’s Beadles Lumber and Balfour Lumber this summer, and Scotch-Gulf Lumber’s three sawmills in Alabama last year.
CANFOR PURCHASES SOUTHERN LUMBER Southern Lumber Company, Inc. announced the sale of substantially all of its assets to New South Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of Canadian Forest Products, Ltd. (Canfor), of British Columbia, Can. The sale includes the 90MMSF capacaity southern pine sawmill in Hermanville, Miss. and the headquarters office building in Ridgeland, Miss. The sale, which is scheduled to close at the end of the first quarter, 2015, was for $48.7 million according to a report from Canfor. Southern Lumber was established in 1983 by Bill Dearman, Sr. and Floyd Sulser, Sr. The company manufactures predominately long, wide width lumber. “While we weren’t looking
Canfor has added Southern Lumber to its sawmill portfolio.
to sell,” says Floyd Sulser, Jr., Chairman of Southern Lumber, “this global opportunity arose, and we believe Canfor is an ideal partner. We have many core values in common with Canfor, including a deep commitment to our employees, customers and communities, and we are pleased to see
the business my father, and his friend, Bill Dearman, started in 1983 continue as part of this world-class company.” Don Kayne, president and CEO of Canfor, comments, “The Southern Lumber sawmill is a top quartile margin business located in an excellent fiber supply area that
WESTERN FP ALTERS SAWMILL LINEUP Western Forest Products Inc. announced the consolidation of its Nanaimo-area, BC sawmill operations, as the company’s $10 million investment to modernize its Duke Point Sawmill nears completion. The consolidation will in-
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NEWSFEED crease lumber production at the company’s Duke Point and Saltair sawmills, and will result in the closure of the Nanaimo Sawmill Div. Employees at the Nanaimo sawmill will be offered employment at the company’s other mills, along with severance in accordance with terms under the existing collective agreement with the United Steelworkers. The company anticipates that the permanent closure of the Nanaimo sawmill will occur prior to the end of the year. This timing will coincide with the ramp up of production at Duke Point and Saltair. “The investments being made at Duke Point and the consolidation of our Nanaimo sawmill operations are expected to reduce costs, improve our flexibility to produce different grades of lum-
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ber, and increase our recovery factors from log to lumber,” says Don Demens, Western’s President and CEO. “The announcement is consistent with our strategy of building a globally competitive, sustainable business on the coast of British Columbia.” Western Forest Products has an annual available harvest of approximately 6.4 million m3 of which 6.2 million is from Crown lands, and has lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion BF from eight sawmills and two remanufacturing plants.
ROSEBURG HAS MILL ON TRACK Roseburg Forest Products announced a phased ramp-up of production at its Weed, Calif. veneer facility beginning October 13. The repairs
to the entire mill, which was damaged by the “Boles Fire” on September 15, will likely take until the first quarter of 2015. The fire hit the facility at 1 p.m. All Roseburg employees were evacuated and there were no injuries. The fire affected the jobs of 135 of the employees at Weed; however, Roseburg was able to quickly keep 90100 of those employees working during the interim. Between 55 and 60 were relocated to Roseburg, Ore. to continue to help produce veneer at the company’s plywood mills in Dillard, Ore. and Riddle, Ore. Roseburg provided housing for these employees (and their families, in some instances) and assisted them with meals for the duration of their stay in Oregon. Those employees have traveled back to Weed to begin work. Another 35 employees
have been assisting with repairing and rebuilding parts of the Weed facility. In addition, Roseburg has provided temporary housing in the Weed area for 15 employees who lost their homes and everything in them to the fire. President and CEO Allyn Ford said, “While the fire in Weed was terrible for the community as well as our own employees, I couldn’t be more proud of the teamwork and collaboration of our people. Through the crisis, we’ve discovered some great stories, some great values and some great people. We survived the fire, provided for our affected employees, and repaired the facility enough to get the Weed facility back up and working so that we can help the Weed community recover. I’m proud to be a part of Roseburg Forest Products.” Roseburg employees have
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NEWSFEED already raised over $51,000 to help those colleagues displaced by the fire. The company has agreed to match those donations dollar for dollar, and a fund has been set up through the United Way in northern California. The community in Douglas County (where Roseburg is headquartered) has rallied around the displaced employees as well. O’Toole’s Pub and Treats Café became donation sites for canned foods, bedding, clothes and other necessary items. They then drove their trucks down to Weed to drop off the donated items. Two Shy Brewery, founded by Roseburg citizens, donated 25% of a weekend’s proceeds to the employees in Weed. Brooke Communications in Roseburg held a “Need in Weed” drive at Sherm’s Thunderbird grocery store, where community
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members donated $2,300 in cash, 1,500 lbs. of food, and 1,300 lbs. of non-food items to the folks in Weed. “The transition for the employees relocating to Roseburg has been smooth,” says Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations Kellye Wise. “These are employees who have an incredible work ethic and just jumped right in to help with production. I am happy we’re able to get them back to their hometown, families and friends as quickly as possible. We are also proud of our Oregon-based employees as we have seen them embrace this temporary transition and work well with the Weed folks.” Wise also added, “We’ve been down to Weed a number of times to collaborate with community leaders there, and those conversations are ongoing. We have the same goal:
To see Weed cleaned up and thriving as soon as possible.”
NEW HEAD OFFICE FOR WEYERHAEUSER Weyerhaeuser Company plans to move its headquarters from Federal Way, Wash. to Seattle, Wash. in mid to late 2016 when construction of a new building is completed. “There are two main drivers for this decision, which we made after thorough analysis of various options for the location of our headquarters,” says Doyle Simons, president and CEO. “First, our 430 acre campus in Federal Way is costly and too large for our needs. Second, moving our headquarters to Seattle will give us access to a larger talent pool to meet future recruiting needs, not just in this region, but from
across the country.” The company will divest the land and buildings it owns in Federal Way. “Weyerhaeuser has a long successful history in Federal Way,” Simons says. “We’ve attracted great people to work here and this campus has served us well. Moving to Seattle is an important step forward for us and I’m excited about the opportunities it will bring to our company and employees.”
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GOING
GREENFIELD By Jessica Johnson
Battle Lumber brings timbers into the mix at its ever-growing operations in Georgia. 14
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WADLEY, Ga. homas Battle, third generation Southern lumberman, doesn’t contain his excitement as he talks about Battle Lumber’s latest project at the operations site in Wadley. Long known as the
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At left, positioning infeed to sharp chain provides fast turning speeds.
largest single site hardwood lumber producer in the U.S., in addition to its substantial pallet manufacturing operation, Battle Lumber Co. has now built and started up a greenfield small log timbers mill that features a sharp chain primary breakdown system with an innovative infeed system. The Battles had talked about an expansion for several years, Battle says, as they explored ways to advance their operations and production. In 2012 they got very serious about it. “We’ve always tried to focus on in-
vesting back into our mills and make them as efficient and productive as possible. If we have the chance to increase yield or get a little more production, we’re willing to make the investment,” Battle says. The primary objective for the new project was to produce large numbers of railroad ties as well as to expand output of industrial products while using a smaller log than what the Battle Lumber grade mill uses. Battle says they looked at adding on to what they have, trying to make it work
with the existing grade mill and at a lot of different scenarios. Ultimately, they decided the best fit was to build a standalone mill. The equipment was all purchased in late 2012, and by mid February 2013 concrete had been poured for the new facility. The existing grade mill has long utilized the latest optimization and technologies, including curve-sawing. The primary breakdown in the grade mill includes a Maxi-Mill end dogging carriage as well as conventional headrig systems. The high piece counts that would be required in the new mill would require a faster primary breakdown method. Battle Lumber had already been exploring sharp chain technology as a way to increase throughput. A double length infeed (DLI) system feeding a twin bandmill seemed like a solid choice to achieve the piece count that was required, but Battle Lumber wanted new technology to successfully process the shorter logs that would be used. Since the log diet was to be a mixture of industrial and smaller logs from the grade mill, the primary breakdown was expected from the beginning to be the biggest challenge in the project. The Battles knew that the new primary line had to be capable of autorotation and skew ability to deliver the highest recovery possible. Recovery on the secondary side was just as important. Their grade mill has been running curve-saw gangs for years and purchasing equipment with the ability to curve-saw was part of the plan from the beginning. After thorough study of all the equipment options with assistance from the Tinsley Consulting Group, which did an original layout, and emphasizing the quality and craftsmanship of the equipment in addition to its technical benefits, the prinTIMBER PROCESSING
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Cant optimization from USNR
Layout provides cant handling/sawing versatility.
trols for the Omega curve canter and curve-sawing gang. A reconditioned Timber Machine Technologies three-saw linear edger includes a Baxley board separation and feed system on the front end, in addition to Baxley controls for the entire edger system. The trimmer and sorter line for the ties and timbers was also provided by Baxley Equipment. The Battle Lumber fabrication shop onsite and a talented crew drove the project to fruition. The Battle team and its in-house construction arm, Purvis Construction, built and set all the substeel for the whole facility, in addition to the majority of the decks, chain and belt conveyors throughout the mill.
Battle’s Purvis Construction built much of the mill.
PRIMARY BREAKDOWN
The new mill receives hardwood and softwood logs.
cipals at Battle Lumber selected the TruPosition sharp chain line for the primary breakdown and curve canting and gang sawing equipment from Omega Solutions, Inc. Optimization for the primary and secondary systems would be supplied by USNR with controls provided by R&L Engineering on the primary side. The primary line also includes a 6 ft. high strain twin bandmill supplied by Salem Equipment. 16
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For the record, the Battle project was sold in 2012, before the merger of Omega Solutions and Cone Machinery in May 2013. Some parts and pieces were subsequently built in the Cone-Omega shop in Thomasville, Ga. Baxley Equipment was selected to provide the majority of the handling equipment that connects the primary and secondary lines. Baxley also provided con-
The Omega Solutions Tru-Position primary line is basically a continuous sharp chain canter twin line much like DLI type systems seen in softwood mills. The Tru-Position line, however, includes a new log turner design. The Linear Motion Log Turner (LMLT) does not use pivoting rolls. The LMLT is a quad roll turner for maximum control and all movement is lineal. The new design is further improved by super high speed and responsive hydraulics to achieve turning speeds that have not been possible before, according to the participants. “The result is an accurate and smooth log turner that can accurately turn the nastiest logs presented to it,” Battle comments. The performance and repeatability of the LMLT was so good that Battle Lumber decided that a performance test of turning accuracy was not necessary. The USNR optimization package does include rotation correction, incorporating
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an additional single scan zone right in front of the log turner that allows for a final quick look to verify that the rotation was done correctly before the turner releases it. If needed the optimizer will tell the turner to make a slight quick adjustment that is usually just several degrees. A fundamental difference in the TruPosition system is that the sharp chain extends almost all the way back to the log turner. With this method, instantly after being turned, the log is skewed by a series of centering rolls as the log enters Tru-Position module and is imme-
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diately impaled on the sharp chain and scanned for solution. Thus there is little or no chance of unintentional log movement after the final scan is completed and the log enters the chipping and sawing area for processing, according to Battle.
DOWNSTREAM With the primary breakdown setting the pace of production in the mill, the secondary had to be just as fast. According to Battle, one of criteria for the
mill design was to eliminate potential bottleneck areas. Additional cants from the grade mill can be re-entered into the new mill and processed through the Omega secondary system. The secondary had to be able to maintain production. A boost is gained due to the fact that the curve canter and curve gang system are not directly in line. If a cant coming from the sharp chain line is a straight timber solution, it can pass through the canter and bypass the gang, relieving pressure at the gang. If a cant is wide and calls for a multiple timbers solution, the gang will straight saw for the solution. Likewise, the curve canter chips around the curve to prepare cants to be sawn into boards, when required. The sharp chain line produces a tremendous amount of side cants. A double screw roll case allows side boards to come off on the first section and go to the edger and side cants to come off the second section and head to the gang with the center cant. Both the curve canter and the slant canter on the primary use Iggesund PowerHead chipping heads. The Omega curve gang is an 8 in. single arbor unit that features three shifting timbers pockets and three banks of saws for boards. The machine can shift as needed and the guides shift as well in the box. The feed table in front includes the patented variable pitch/lead line bar system for accurate sawing around the curve. The lead is variable by the amount of curve in each cant. Battle has a variety of products it makes so the gang has to be able to shift and adapt on the fly to accommodate these requirements. Production requirements for the new mill dictate much higher speeds that normal. Gang saws in hardwood mills are generally much slower than a typical pine operation and while curve-sawing is nothing new to the hardwood industry, there was a lot to consider in saw design and design of the gang itself. Saws for the gang were supplied by Cox Saw, which worked with Omega to achieve the feed speeds and accuracy that was needed. The new mill began production in early 2014. Currently the mill runs one 10 hour shift, five days a week with the occasional eight hour Saturday shift. Annual production is expected at 60MMBF, with hardwood accounting for two-thirds and pine the remainder. Battle says pallet markets are the driving force behind the infusion of pine into the operation. “Hardwood has gotten in
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Founder Wayne Battle and spouse, Rebecca
tight supply and prices have gone up,” Battle explains. “This has forced us into producing pine pallet parts to get our pallet and pallet stock customers happy.”
OPERATIONS Battle’s main mill, the Grade Mill as it is known, has an annual production of 95-100MMBF, producing red oak, white oak, poplar, ash, hickory and cypress grade lumber. Equipment includes two Salem headrigs carriages, a Maxi-Mill end dog carriage with USNR scanning and optimization, TMT curvesawing gang, TMT lineal edger and Baxley transverse edger. All of the grade mill’s machine centers are either equipped with USNR or Baxley optimization, guaranteeing the best possible yield from every log. Battle operates 14 SII package kilns as well as a million and a half feet pre-dryer and three Hurst boilers to power them. What dust from the mills isn’t used to fire the boilers is sold to local pellet plants. After drying, everything is re-graded and goes to a 100 bay sorter where it is sorted by length and grade, or whatever specifics a customer has asked for. A large amount of production is exported to the Far East. China is a very strong market for them. Battle maintains a salesman on the ground in China as well as an office there. The 100 bay dry sorter helps tremendously with the export market. The company’s pallet lumber production plant consists of several Brewer band and gang saw systems. These resaw lines process both pine and hardwood lumber for resale, or for Battle’s own pallet assembly plant. In Battle’s pallet plant they operate four Viking automatic nailing machines and one GBN semi-automatic nailing machine, along with numerous hand tables for specialty pallets. The company’s flooring operation has seen some improvements, including a pre-finish line, allowing Battle to take product from raw lumber and mill it, prefinish and distribute, adding another market for the company. Battle pulls logs from 150 miles directly out from Wadley, and has log concentration yards about 100 miles from Wadley that pull 100 miles from there. Battle notes that it’s a lot farther than they’d like to pull from, but if the mills are running full capacity that’s how far they must go. TIMBER PROCESSING
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The grade mill goes down for PM scheduled maintenance during a two to two and a half hour window; all major repairs are on Saturdays. The timbers mill sees maintenance on Friday afternoon or Saturday. All band and circle saws are worked on in-house. Battle runs Cut Technologies band saws, with circle saws being a mix of Cut Tech and Cox. Filing room is staffed by six in the band saw room and five in the circle shop. Battle’s band saw room uses a Vollmer Stellite tipper, five Armstrong profile grinders and two Armstrong side grinders. Circle shop uses Vollmer and Wright equipment. Battle uses Stellite tipped saws because they feel it gives saws a longer life, up to 12 hours on one saw. Battle Lumber Co. is a 100% family affair. The fourth generation isn’t far off from participating as well. Ten members of the Battle family are employed out of 320 total employees. “Sawmilling isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. You have to eat, sleep and breathe it,” Battle says of the family’s legacy. Wayne, 80, who founded the company in 1962 as a furniture square mill with eight employees, still makes daily trips to the sawmill and is involved in operations. Thomas, who has been out of Georgia Southern University for nine years, oversees production of the mills and the scheduling of repairs and maintenance, with his primary focus as of late being the new timbers mill. His father and vice president of operations, Tommy Battle, oversees all operations of the mill. Tommy has two brothers-in-law in the family business as well. Craig Miller, vice president of sales, is over all company sales; and Bob Swan, GM of the Pallet Div., oversees both pallet sales and production. In addition to Thomas there are other third generation sawmillers involved: Drew, Thomas’ younger brother, is an area forester for the company; Johnny Dale is mill manager of Battle’s existing grade mill; and the newest addition to the family team, Rob Swan, is in pallet sales. Many long-term employees add to the family feel. “We have a lot of guys in all divisions of our operations who have been a part of our team for more than 20 years. Without these guys and all of our employees, we wouldn’t be successful,” Battle says. Battle’s next project on the books is to implement a log merchandising line feeding the new sawmill. TP 20
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NICE
COMEBACK
By Jay Donnell
Northern Hardwoods continues to run strong with the help of a familiar general manager.
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SOUTH RANGE, Mich. hen John Kantola was in his early 20s he had no idea where his life was heading. He was unemployed and looking for work as a welder, but having a hard time finding it. “I was on unemployment and I got a call from the unemployment office saying they were looking for a welder to build a sawmill in Baraga, Michigan,” Kantola says. “I could read blueprints, I could weld and at the time I had no idea what we were building, but once we got done with it they kept me there for maintenance and then I ran second shift.” Kantola had become a certified welder out of high school and worked on Pettibone Cary-Lifts. But he was laid off during some difficult economic times. He would build his first mill in 1983 and be involved in the building of a dozen mills. 22
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In 1989, he went to work at the sawmill in South Range, then owned by Mead Paper. He helped to put the sorter and carriages in. He left the company in 1996 to pursue other opportunities and start his own company. In 2012, Kantola was back at Northern Hardwoods as general manager and he and his staff have gotten the business back on track after some difficult times during the recession. The company had to shut down the mill for 10 months in 2010. “I wasn’t there, but they were struggling like everybody else,” Kantola explains. “They were running barebones and they weren’t putting any money in the facility because they had to get their bills paid.” Northern Hardwoods is owned by the Rossi Group and J M Longyear. The Rossi Group first got involved with the mill in 1999. Rossi Group operates two other hardwood sawmills in addition to Northern Hardwoods. Today, Northern Hardwoods is going stronger than ever. “We had a pretty strong year last year,” Kantola explains. “Good pricing, good sales and volume going out the door. Demand was strong.” The company expects to produce 17MMBF of mostly 4⁄4 lumber in 2014. It added a second shift a little over a year ago.
Most of Northern Hardwoods lumber is sold domestically, but they do have some exports. They’ve been getting into some new markets and they’ve seen an increase in exports this year. Most product goes for flooring, cabinets, doors, moldings, window blinds, guitars and furniture. Coming out of the recession, Northern Hardwoods hasn’t done any major equipment renovations, but they have upgraded their facilities significantly. They improved the lighting and the guarding and they’ve been working avidly on keeping it a safe facility. “We’ve upgraded some of the rolling stock, but we went to great lengths to upgrade the facility from a sheer maintenance standpoint,” Kantola explains. They’ve also updated the controls on their sorter in order to do a better job of tallying and measuring boards when they cross the grading station.
LOG SUPPLY Northern Hardwoods procures about 60% hard maple. They also have soft maple, red oak, yellow and white birch, basswood and some black and white ash. It’s not uncommon for them to go 150 miles to get timber because to the north is Lake Superior. “There isn’t a big tim-
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Recent focus has been on facilities maintenance and safety. TIMBER PROCESSING
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Hard maple accounts for majority of logs.
General Manager John Kantola
ber base around here,” Kantola says. “It’s a challenge because the wood basket in this area is only so big and it’s very competitive.” The company has seen a dramatic decline in loggers and truckers in the area. “Just in the short time I’ve been here we’ve probably had four log trucks drop out of the lineup and about three loggers. The decline in loggers and truckers is a real concern moving forward.”
MILL FLOW
Ligna gang takes down big cants.
VariSharp CNC sharpeners are in the filing room. 24
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A Liebherr 924 knuckleboom wheel loader unloads trucks of logs that have been cut-to-length in the woods. Average log diameter is 14 in. A Volvo L110G wheel loader transports logs in the wood yard and to the mill, where they’re debarked by a Nichsolson A6 ring debarker. The two-sided mill operates a double cut headrig and a single cut headrig. The single cut side is for the bigger diameter logs and it’s a bigger carriage. They run both sides during the day and one at night. There are two Cleereman carriages and two McDonough headrigs. Pieces move through a Ligna thin-kerf gang. Downstream is a USNR optimized edger. From there lumber goes to an Automated Lumber Handling trimmer followed by an Automated Lumber Handling grading station and hydraulic bin sorter. Once it drops out of the bin sorter it goes to an ALH stacker. Lumber is air dried and/or moved to a 500,000 BF IMRIE pre-dryer. They also operate three IMRIE dry kilns and an Irvington-Moore kiln. “The pre dry with that capacity is what allows us to only have four kilns, but also potentially dry 900,000 feet a month because of our dry schedule,” Kantola says. “If you take hard maple out of the pre dry at the right
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Left to right, dry kiln supervisor John Monticello and planer mill shipping supervisor Brian Lokojarvi
Company continues to explore new markets.
time and put it in the kiln it’s only going to be in the dry kiln for five or six days.” The IMRIE kilns are older, but the company does a good job of maintaining them. Northern Hardwoods is well known for its white maple and has been for years because of the combination of the pre dry and dry kilns. After the dry kilns the lumber is run through a Newman planer. The company had to buy two trucks because they couldn’t get enough trucks to haul their lumber. Before that they were relying completely on outside contracting for freight and that can get expensive. “That’s a tough thing to do up here because most of the guys are traveling about four hours one way with nothing, but you’re paying for that so in order to stay competitive we had to figure out a way for it to get transported cheaper,” Kantola explains. The saw filing room is mainly Armstrong machinery, including VariSharp CNC sharpeners and an Armstrong band saw leveler. Saws are mostly Simonds. Byproducts include chips that go to paper mills as well as fuel chips for local schools and a power plant. Sawdust goes to a variety of markets, including paper mills for fuel and domestic pellet operations. The company refurbished its boiler a couple of years ago, and heats all of its buildings and the kilns. 26
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COMPANY
Northern Hardwoods moves substantial amount of byproducts.
The business employs 82 and they recently added personnel to their forestry department. Procuring their own logs and purchasing standing timber is becoming more important for the business. “The more standing timber we can get the better chance we have of staying competitive in this area simply because we are in the area of some of the best resource in the world for hard and soft maples,” Kantola says. “Unfortunately we’re in the worst place to ship it just because of our location.” Safety has been another major area of emphasis for the company since Kantola took over as general manager. They have a point system where employees can get points when they identify a potential hazard or they bring up a potential safety slogan. Each quarter there’s money or a gift card handed out for different values. If you get enough points you can get a Carhartt jacket for the winter. “There’s a lot of different incentives for employees to get involved with safety and I think it’s been really beneficial for us,” Kantola says. Northern Hardwoods is a member of the Lake States Lumber Assn. and the National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Kantola is very passionate about the lumber industry. “It’s either in your blood or it’s not,” Kantola says. “I’ve met so many great people in this industry that put their pants on one leg at a time and that’s hard to find in other industries.” He believes this company can be successful. “We’re in a good position and we’re relatively healthy,” Kantola says. “There are some good opportunities right now to do some big things in this business and considering what the company went through from 2007-2011, it’s good to see things picking back up again and getting back to normal.” In the next couple of years, depending on markets, Northern Hardwoods plans on updating the scanners on the band saws and the edger, as well as replace some rolling stock and build a new dry kiln. Other key personnel here include Clovis Fortin, operations manager and sales; Scott Lilley, head of sales; and Mark Raasakka, mill manager. 40% of the work force at Northern Hardwoods has TP been there for 25 years or more.
VISIT US ONLINE: www.timberprocessing.com 28
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REALLY
GOODSHOW The 2014 Timber Processing & Energy Expo reflected an industry in an upgrade mode.
“T PORTLAND, Ore.
his has been the best show we’ve ever been to in the company’s history,” said Joey Nelson, president of Washington-based scanner manufacturer JoeScan. JoeScan was one of 167 companies to exhibit at the Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE) held October 15-17 at the Portland Exposition Center. The event catered to the lumber, veneer/plywood and engineered wood products primary manufacturing industries. Indeed non-exhibitor attendance (mostly mill company and mill operations personnel) increased a whopping 73%, to 1,700, compared to the event two years ago. TP&EE is produced by Hatton-Brown Expositions and hosted by Timber Processing, Panel World and Wood Bioenergy magazines. In addition, more than 1,000 exhibitor personnel were on hand. “When we say 1,700, we mean 1,700 different people,” comments Show Director Rich Donnell, who is also the editor-in-chief at Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. “If you also want to figure in that many of these people came back for the second and third days of the show, which they did, you could fatten your total ‘attendance’ figures even more.” Donnell says the jump in attendance from two years ago makes perfect sense. “We thought it was good attendance in 2012, especially for our first show, and 30
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there were some positive signs in the economy then. But certainly the industry has become even more upbeat in the past two years, as evidenced by the tremendous amount of project business that was going on at TP&EE this time.” The exhibitor hall was a tight sell-out, an adjacent corridor just off the main floor was packed with exhibitors, and several exhibitors set up tents and machinery on the outside lot in front of the hall. “There was no room to spare,” Donnell adds, noting that exhibitors purchased more than 47,000 sq. ft. of space. “We had a waiting list of probably 30 companies who did not get to exhibit. That’s a good problem to have as they say, but we don’t like the thought of
Attendance figures blew the socks off the event two years ago. Clockwise, starting above: Oregon state representative and gubernatorial candidate Dennis Richardson showed up to talk timber economics; USNR's technologies greeted attendees at the front of expo hall; business has been good for Cut Technologies; Lucidyne sold another GradeScan system; Optimil's big iron towered over visitors.
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Making a point at TMT booth
Springer-MiCROTEC showed its beltless trimmer.
somebody not being able to get in.” As a result, Donnell says the show organizers are considering moving the event to an adjacent hall at the Portland Expo Center. It would offer a third more space. “Given the waiting list, and also that many exhibitors have indicated they want to increase their space at the next TP&EE in 2016, we certainly have to take a serious look at it.” Donnell says specific dates haven’t been set for 2016, but the event will be held during the first half of October again. For JoeScan’s Nelson, the company’s growth in the past year, the introduction of its next generation scanner (JS-25), combined with the overall positive business climate in the industry made for a vibrant TP&EE. Jesse Vigil, president of Metal Detectors Inc., said it was a very positive feeling on the show floor and they’re looking forward to the coming year. Vigil said they made numerous contacts who were interested in MDI’s top-of-the-line TWA metal detector. Mike Cloutier, principal at Cut Technologies, said they received tremendous interest in their filing equipment and saws. “The mills are really concentrating on the filing rooms, looking at kerf reduction, and investing in automation to address the labor situation in the filing room. We see some big sales coming forward,” Cloutier said. Russell Barratt, longtime specialist with Simonds International, said all of their cutting tools plants, knife and saw, are running flat out. Barratt added, however, they are concerned about raw material, noting the dependence on imported raw materials, and potential related problems in the shipping industry and in container ports. “Simonds is working hard to bring new raw materials into the mix,” Barratt said. “We think that’s important not just as a company but as an industry. Our customers need 32
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Lots of sawing technology and conversation at Williams & White, Saw+Add, Oleson and Simonds exhibits
to think about having the cutting tools on hand to run their business.” Sonia Perrine, senior marketing associate at USNR, praised the abundance of traffic. “The industry is coming alive,” Perrine said. Interest in USNR products at the show’s largest exhibit was huge, such as the ElectraTong lug loader. “We also have some unique mobile interfaces that are revolutionizing the industry, with iPhones and iPads being able to check machine status, activate sorter bins and other activities, which is safer and more convenient,” she said. Gero Springer, CEO Springer-MiCROTEC, noted the company has opened a sales and service office in Vancouver, British Columbia, which he is directing on-site. “The show has been awesome,” Springer said. “It passed really quickly because the interest was so high in our E-Cut trimmer, CT.LOG scanner and other systems. I think everyone was in a good investing mood and thinking about upgrades and some of them thinking about new mills.” Sawmill personnel came from throughout the U.S., Canada and several overseas countries, many of them simply taking in the latest technologies, and others who were more specific with their intentions. John Gunter, maintenance supervisor at Blue North Forest Products, Kamiah, Idaho, commented that they’re working specifically on their sorter and stacker line. But they’re always on the lookout for “more knowledge, more technology, more speed, more recovery. This is the place to be for that.” Jim Benton, head saw filer at Deer Park Lumber, Tunkhannock, Pa., said they’re upgrading their filing room and in particular looking for a profile grinder for their band saws and Stellite tipping conversions. “It’s one stop shopping here,” he added. Willy Kalesnikoff, project manager with Kalesnikoff Lumber, Castlegar, BC,
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Live sawing action at Wood-Mizer’s outdoor exhibit
“came down to kick some tires, but mainly looking for new innovations and new ideas on saw filing and ways to cut wood.” He pointed to a new heat sensor for planers. “We haven’t seen that before. This is the place to find it.” Terry Lamers, manager with Lamars Forest, Dallas, Ore., added, “I like the technology here. Some of it is like science fiction. Some people still think that sawmills are old school. They’re completely wrong.” A frequent topic of conversation was the large number of independent southern pine operations selling to Canadian lumber corporations. Many exhibitors said they hated to see some of the family operations disappear, but they welcomed what they anticipate will be upgrade projects at many of those recently purchased sawmills. Also participating was Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson, a candidate for governor of Oregon. He spoke the first morning at the plywood manufacturing workshop on critical issues facing the Northwest forest products industry. Afterward he made the rounds on the show floor, and commented, “I understand that timber is to Oregon what corn is to Iowa. It is our legacy.” Richardson said the current government leadership has a policy of continued restraint of utilization of natural resources, while he favors a rational approach with a timber policy that will be good for economics as well as the environment.”
WORKSHOPS About 200 people sat in on some of the workshop sessions. The first day featured presentations on technologies and issues in veneer, plywood and engineered lumber manufacturing. The second day featured the Lumber Manufacturing Workshop, in which 25 speakers participated, addressing saw filing and sawing performance, scanning and optimization, and sawmill operations and quality control. Equipment maintenance and troubleshooting as it relates to lumber quality highlighted a presentation from USNR’s Joe Shields, support technician with more than 40 years of experience troubleshooting electrical and mechanical systems. The keys to preventive maintenance, Shields emphasized, are understanding life cycles and the need for replacement parts as related to machine performance; regular output measurements to chart performance over a maintenance cycle; and having procedures in place to perform and confirm proper machine alignment. Shields noted that to optimize performance it’s important to establish baseline measurements for “normal” conditions when the machine is running well, with items such as run times, saw changes, sawing variation, oil and water consumption and air and mechanical pressures. Working with the filing staff to keep track of kerf and kerf reduction as it relates to lumber sizes is 34
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also very important, he added. Shields related a preventive maintenance and troubleshooting approach for managers who find themselves in a familiar position: “Don’t become a referee between the filers, millwrights and operators,” he said. “Instead, put a procedure in place where everyone documents a problem within their area of expertise. Don’t let an electrician say it’s a mechanical problem.” By minimizing finger-pointing and focusing your personnel on their own inputs and outputs, shortcomings and solu-
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tions many times become readily apparent, Shields said. An interesting presentation from Bryan Beck, senior consultant with The Beck Group, looked at characteristics of top-performing mills. Beck noted that the top quartile performing operations typically achieve profit margins that are more than double those achieved by the average operation during “good” markets, and these same operations normally continue to stay profitable during poor markets when most operations are experiencing losses.
In the top 25% of mills studied and ranked by EBITA profitability, top-performing mills in the South have a 4:1 advantage over competitors, Beck noted. In the West, the top 25% of mill performers have a 2:1 edge over competitors in profitability. “Management is the top area of differentiation” in determining profitability and success, Beck said. “Effective leaders have a clear plan and objective, a plan of execution and create teams while building expertise in-house.” The best managers are always looking to improve and always looking for areas of opportunity within mill operations and machine efficiency, Beck said, noting that effective managers are also good about sharing operating information with employees, especially in areas that the employees have control over. Terry Brown, director of the Lumber Quality Institute, noted that as a rule of thumb, for every .010 reduction in size, there’s a .6% recovery increase in yield, which makes sawing performance and meeting lumber sizing goals with respect to shrinkage in drying and allowance for planning critical points in lumber manufacturing. “The nature of log density means lumber shrinkage is widely variable, even within the same log,” Brown said. Realtime QC and lumber measurement systems allow personnel to get much more data on machine performance than with traditional, manual measuring systems, he added. “The QC guy doesn’t need to measure lumber eight hours a day,” Brown said. “He needs to be freed up to do more analytical work and identify opportunities.” Andrew Smith, director of Trajectre, spoke about proactive drivers of quality control. He traced the evolution of quality control and noted the introduction of statistical sampling in the 1930s, statistical process control in the 1960s and quality management philosophies in more recent years such as TPM, TQM, 6 Sigma, Lean and TMS. He also followed it in the lumber industry, including realtime size measurement and saw vibration analysis. Smith defined quality as “a comparison of the output to the desired result,” and quality management as “minimizing or eliminating all waste (time, material, cost) associated with producing the desired result.” He discussed types of quality issues in sawmills, the implementation of quality metrics, and the importance of employee ownership in the quality control program. TP
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MACHINERYROW
GETTING INTO OPTIMIZATION Five questions sawmills should ask before purchasing scan heads. By Joey Nelson
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hen your sawmill decides it’s time to install or upgrade an optimization system, give careful consideration to the scan head component. Scan heads are an integral part of every optimization system, and it’s crucial that you ask questions about the scan heads before you select an optimization system. The technical specifications and capabilities are obvious factors in selecting a scanner; however, you should look beyond the tech specs and ask both scanner manufacturers and their end users these five key questions before you purchase any scan heads: 1. Do the scan heads require proprietary hardware? Many scan heads will require additional proprietary hardware to operate within your optimization system. Consider the investment required to purchase dedicated hardware, and whether your mill will also need to buy spare hardware as a backup. Proprietary hardware can create obsolescence issues, so ask about the useful life of the hardware, and how long the manufacturer will commit to supporting it. There’s no industry standard for hardware requirements—they vary by scanner manufacturer, so it’s important for you to research these factors ahead of time. 2. What’s involved in the day-to-day operation of the scan heads? Talk to end users and the system integrator about how easy the scan heads are to use. Remember: Once you’ve installed the system, the system integrator goes home and you’re responsible for the dayto-day operations and maintenance. For example, calibration is a critical aspect of scanner operation. Consider the process involved to calibrate the scan heads, the skill level involved, and how often they require recalibration. Does recalibration require an engineer or an electrician, or can an operator do it? The answers to these questions make a big impact on your day-to-day ownership experience. 3. What level of support does the manufacturer offer? Troubleshooting is time-consuming, 40
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Look beyond technical specifications to value-added benefits.
which ultimately impacts your mill’s bottom line. Inquire about the level of support the scanner manufacturer offers, as well as who within the company provides that support. The manufacturer’s depth of knowledge is also important—does the company have specific expertise in the sawmill industry? 4. What happens if there’s a manufacturing defect with a scan head? Consider whether the manufacturer offers a warranty, and the length of that warranty. Warranty coverage differs significantly between manufacturers, so carefully review the terms of the warranty and what it covers. And don’t forget to ask for historical data regarding turnaround times for shipping back repaired or replacement scan heads. 5. What happens if a scan head is physically damaged years after it’s purchased? In the harsh environment of a sawmill, sometimes equipment gets broken. Consider how long the manufacturer supports its product, and the time frame before that product becomes obsolete. Investigate a scanner manufacturer’s average turnaround time on repairs. Ask whether the manufacturer has a mini-
mum repair cost, and whether it caps the maximum repair cost. These considerations factor into the overall cost of ownership and the longevity of your mill’s investment in scan heads. Product offerings vary widely across the scanner industry. You should look beyond the technical specifications to the value-added benefits of the equipment and manufacturer. Talk thoroughly with scanner manufacturers, and their end users, to make an informed decision. Ultimately this approach lowers your overall cost of ownership. Best of all, it boosts your mill’s productivity and increases its bottom line. TP Joey Nelson is the president and founder of JoeScan, which is headquartered in Vancouver, Wash. You can contact him at joey@joescan.com or 360-993-0069.
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MACHINERYROW Kiln Provider Sees Big Picture
Valutec is a wood industry team player.
From interior products to high-rises and bridges, the use of wood products seems to be getting broader by the day and one company embracing the development is Europe based kiln supplier Valutec. “We have always looked upon ourselves as a long-term partner to the sawmills,” says Marketing Manager Eric Johansson. “Our role is building kilns and developing control systems and simulators that help strengthen sawmills, both in terms of profitability and quality of their end product.” Valutec has a full-range of kilns, and has throughout its history delivered more than 3,000 batch kilns and 1,000 progressive kilns to sawmills around the world. Robustly constructed, several models are protected by European patents. The company also boasts it control system, Valmatics, which allows the user to optimize energy consumption, quality and capacity at the same time. “The whole industry has embarked on a journey towards increased product quality, and we want to continue to develop kilns and drying technology to help that development,” says Johansson. In a recent deal, Valutec sold a progressive kiln with a maximum capacity of 40,000 m3 to Pölkky’s sawmill in Kuusamo in northern Finland. The kiln will be used to dry planks for re-processing for use in what will be Europe’s largest wooden residential quarter. “Valutec was our natural choice for a supplier. Outstanding facilities and excellent service made it an easy choice,” says Petteri Virranniemi, a product manager at Pölkky’s sawmill in Kuusamo. The residential quarter to be built just outside Helsinki is a glance into the future that Valutec and many others see for wood building: a seven-story building of glue-laminated timber, with 186 apartments and a residential floor area of more than 10,000 m². It is estimated that 42
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MACHINERYROW a total of 3,000 m³ of timber will be used on the project. There has been great emphasis on both fire safety and soundproofing in the building, which will be constructed using passive house technology. Energy demands will be met by solar cells installed on the roof. “It is incredibly exciting to be able to contribute to a project of this magnitude,” says Johansson. “There is no doubt in our mind that wood is a material for the future.” Visit valutec.se.
SPRINGER-MiCROTEC Sets Up In Vancouver SPRINGER-MiCROTEC opened a sales and service office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Can. “We are proud that we can now offer our wide range of products to the Canadian and American wood processing market. Our products include everything from mechanical equipment, automation and controls all the way to scanners and optimization,” comments co-owner and CEO Gero Springer. The team of SPRINGER-MiCROTEC consists of technicians and service engineers with extensive experience in the North American industry. Together with Federico Giudiceandrea, CEO of MiCROTEC, Gero Springer will take the reins of the original North America division and direct the company locally from Vancouver. “The goal is to generate as much excitement as possible about the new products and services we now offer in the North American market,” says Springer. SPRINGER-MiCROTEC offers virtually every piece of equipment that exists in wood processing plants, from log and lumber handling to the most sophisticated scanners and optimizers available in the market, and all of the automation and controls in between. All products are built to interface with existing equipment, making upgrading specific machine centers easy and fast. Available as either single pieces of equipment, or entire turnkey plants, SPRINGER-MiCROTEC products and services can fit any size requirement. Founded in 1952, SPRINGER-MiCROTEC has been run by the same family for more than 60 years. It has manufacturing sites in Austria and Italy. “I am proud to say that some of our craftsmen are celebrating 40 years at our company. Our culture of passing this knowledge to the younger employees guarantees the high quality of our ➤ 51
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ATLARGE
Hatton-Brown Joins Wood Industry Summit Deutsche Messe, the organizer of Ligna 2015 in Hannover, Germany, and Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., which publishes Timber Processing magazine and other wood products industry magazines, announce that Hatton-Brown Publishers has become an Official Partner of the Wood Industry Summit, a new exhibition and networking showcase as part of Ligna. Staged on 2,000 sq. ft. in Hall 13, the Wood Industry Summit will comprise an exhibition area, a matchmaking platform and a forum organized by Deutsche Messe and German Forestry Council. Held on all five days of Ligna, May 11-15, the Wood Industry Summit will present the latest wood industry technologies and provide a forum for international leaders of industry, science and government to share information and experience in opportunities for conducting business in North and South America, Russia, China and Eastern Europe. As an Official Partner, Hatton-Brown Publishers will display and distribute its publications at the Wood Industry Summit, and its company and magazine logos will be displayed throughout the staging area. Hatton-Brown will assist Deutsche Messe and Hannover Fairs USA in publicizing the Wood Industry Summit.
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“This is an exciting development,” says Rich Donnell, editor-in-chief at Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. “We’ve attended and exhibited at Ligna for many years, and will continue to do that. The Wood Industry Summit is an additional opportunity that has tremendous potential on an international scale, and we intend to be a significant part of it.” Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., which is based in Montgomery, Ala., publishes Timber Processing, Wood Bioenergy, Timber Harvesting and Southern Loggin’ Times magazines, and is affiliated with Panel World magazine. Hatton-Brown also produces the biennial Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) in Atlanta, Ga., the Timber Processing & Energy Expo in Portland, Ore., as well as live logging equipment shows in the Southern U.S.
SPIB Hosts Planer Optimization Workshop Southern Pine Inspection Bureau hosted a workshop for technical and field staff that included presentations from four planer optimization companies on August 7. Autolog, Comact, Lucidyne and USNR representatives came to Pensacola Beach, Fla. for a full day of information sharing, as well as very constructive Q&A on measurement accuracy and definitions
Planer optimization was topic of the day.
of the technologies. SPIB staff was able to provide feedback from their highly experienced and knowledgeable staff. “It was somewhat experimental and it went even better than I expected,” comments Steve Singleton, President of SPIB. “We had three goals we wanted to accomplish. One was to educate our inspectors to the most recent improvements in technology, secondly provide insight to the manufacturer, and lastly enhance the ability to work together providing the best service and quality for customers.” Singleton adds, “SPIB is taking a leadership role by organizing the workshop. Everyone benefited and we are very appreciative to the manufacturers for participating.” Since 1915, SPIB has provided grading rules, training, production surveys, and other services to ensure product integrity and build a sustainable future for the industry. The SPIB grademark is recognized throughout the industry as a sign of quality and consistency that manufacturers and consumers know and respect. SPIB headquarters is in Pensacola. Visit spib.org for more information.
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ATLARGE SFPA Expo Will Include Seminars A comprehensive educational component has been added to EXPO 2015— the 33rd Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition to be held June 10-12 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. Southern Forest Products Assn. (SFPA) and the Forest Products Society
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(FPS) announced plans for “Forest Products INNOtech” on June 10, opening day for Expo. INNOtech—short for Innovations and Technology Program—will be a program of technical seminars specifically geared to manufacturers of wood products and secondary processors. These seminars will be in conjunction with the FPS International Convention, to be co-located with EXPO 2015 at the Georgia World
Congress Center. The full INNOtech program is being developed and will be announced soon. Visit sfpaexpo.com.
Forest2Market Reveals Position Shifts Forest2Market’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Suzanne Hearn, ➤ 53
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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613
EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR
Recruiting Services
Biewer Wisconsin Sawmill, Inc., a top 200 producer of dimensional lumber and timbers, is seeking to fill at least one Maintenance Supervisor role due to expanded growth. Qualified candidates will have supervision or lead-person experience in an industrial environment, strong mechanical skills and some knowledge of PLC’s. Candidates must be safety oriented, dependable, motivated individuals looking for full-time, year round employment. Biewer Wisconsin Sawmill, Inc. offers a very competitive salary and benefit package, and is located in beautiful north central Wisconsin.
Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales
Apply in person, submit resume or email to: Biewer Wisconsin Sawmill 400 Red Pine Court • P.O. Box 230 Prentice, WI 54556 Attn: Kevin Wollemann kwollemann@biewerlumber.com
Management Recruiters of Houston Northeast
Gates Copeland 281-359-7940 • fax 866-253-7032
gcopeland@mrihouston.com • www.mrihouston.com
& ASSOCIATES, INC Contingency or Retainer
Depending on Circumstances / Needs
“Your Success Is Our Business” Serving the Wood Products and Building Materials Industries For more than 21 years.
Toll Free 1-800-536-3884 www.johngandee.com
8660
Austin, Texas
SEARCH NORTH AMERICA, INC. IT'S YOUR MOVE...
FOREST PRODUCTS RECRUITING SINCE 1978
The Jobs You Want — The People You Need WWW.SEARCHNA.COM
CONTACT CARL JANSEN AT 541-593-2777 OR Carlj@SearchNA.com
1615
2200
Specializing in confidential career opportunities in the Forest Products industry
JOHN GANDEE
3220
Michael Strickland & Associates, LLC Executive Recruiters Wood Products/Building Materials Industries Mike Strickland mike@woodproductjobs.com 601-529-2157 • www.woodproductjobs.com Fees paid by employer
LUMBERWORKS
8187
Top Wood Jobs Recruiting and Staffing George Meek geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (541) 954-8456
3779
LUMBERWORKS GREENWOOD KILN STICKS Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks GW Industries www.gwi.us.com
4824
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Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040
Jackie Paolo 866-504-9095
d.krueger11@frontier.net
jackie@gwi.us.com
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“The lowest cost per cycle”
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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613
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PROFESSIONALSERVICES
Visit us online:
www.timberprocessing.com
MACHINERYROW 44 ➤ products both now and in the future,” Springer adds. Current North American installations either running or in startup consist of more than 20 log and lumber scanners, two complete greenfield sawmills, and a new log merchandising yard. Visit springer.eu and microtec.eu.
Finland Firms Order Heinola Dry Kilns
Vacuum Drying Is Subject Of Workshop While vacuum drying has been available for many years and has been shown to reduce drying times and batch sizes, it has still not been widely adopted by the industry. The goal of the Workshop for Vacuum Drying of Hardwood Lumber is to provide current information about vacuum drying technology for hardwoods, including how the technology can support the concept of lean manufacturing in secondary manufacturing. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, December 4 at the Wood Education & Resource Center in Princeton, W. Va. from noon to 5 p.m. The workshop will also be conducted in a webinar format for those who wish to participate from a distance. Presentations will be conducted by vacuum kiln suppliers and those currently using the technology in addition to researchers who have completed a study looking at the feasibility of vacuum drying 4⁄4 red oak for flooring production. Contact Oxana Brenes, Research Associate, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Tech. e-mail: oxana9@vt.edu; 540-239-4407.
Iisveden Metsä Oy and Kuhmo Oy in Finland have each ordered an automatic twin zone progressive kiln with respective annual capacities of 30,000 m3 and 35,000 m3 from Heinola Sawmill Machinery Inc. The Heinola kiln can be used for drying pine and spruce timber with diameter of 16-50 mm, from green sawn to a final moisture content of 12-18%.
Saptek Dry Kiln Optimizer Offered The Saptek Drying Optimizer provides a completely automatic method of sorting spruce and fir lumber, which takes into account both the species and the moisture content of the lumber. The overall results mean more-uniform packages in terms of drying characteristic. Therefore, kilns will be easier to operate, and moisture content after drying will be more uniform. Saptek utilizes an alcohol-based chemical reagent that is sprayed on the end of the lumber. A vision system analyzes the color of the chemical reaction to determine whether the piece of lumber
belongs to the group requiring longer drying time (fir) or the group requiring shorter drying time (spruce and pine). The optimizer is positioned at the sawmill, between the trimmer and the sorter. The reactive product (Saptek) is ethanol based and is airless atomized. Other characteristics include: non-contact detection system; vision system linked to a computer; long lasting and stable LED lights; new interface generation. Visit autolog.com.
FMC China Reports Best Attendance Yet The 20th Furniture Manufacturing & Supply China (FMC China 2014) successfully concluded on September 13 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC) concurrently with FMC Premium 2014. The total area of FMC China 2014 was 59,000 sq m with 800 exhibitors from more than 45 countries and regions. This year, a total of 35,524 trade buyers from 108 countries and regions visited FMC China 2014. Both the number of visitors and countries represented FMC records. FMC China 2015 will be held September 9-12, 2015 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (SWEECC) and Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). Visit fmcchina.com.cn.
VISIT US ONLINE: www.timberprocessing.com TIMBER PROCESSING
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WOOD PRODUCTS marketplace NORTH AMERICA ■ United States
■ Kentucky HAROLD WHITE LUMBER, INC. MANUFACTURER OF FINE APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS
(606) 784-7573 • Fax: (606) 784-2624
■ Florida
Ray White
CRACKER SAWMILL
CYPRESS AND SYP Sawmill, Drying and MillIng facility Custom Cut to Order Lumber, Cants, Specialty Beams to 44’ We will Mill Log Home logs S4S 6”x6” thru 8”x12” T&G Your wood or ours WE DO WHAT OTHERS CANNOT 20253 N.E. 20th Street Williston, Fl 32690 www.Crackersawmill.com Info@Crackersawmill.com
Domestic & Export Sales rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com
Green & Kiln Dried, On-Site Export Prep & Loading Complete millworks facility, molding, milling & fingerjoint line
■ Minnesota
(352) 529-2070
■ Georgia Beasley Forest Products, Inc.
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
Do you produce or buy lumber? Here's your #1 source for effectively promoting your hardwood or softwood service to your top prospective buyers.
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
■ Indiana
Next closing: January 5, 2015
■ North Carolina Cook Brothers Lumber Co., Inc.
Manufacturer of Appalachian Hardwood Lumber LEONARD COOK, Sales (828) 524-4857 • cell: (828) 342-0997 residential: (828) 369-7740 P.O. Box 699 • Frankin, NC 28744
WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com by January 5, 2015
NATIONAL HARDWOOD LUMBER ASSOCIATION
08/14
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wood products marketplace ■ Pennsylvania
■ Tennessee
MERIDIEN HARDWOODS OF PA, INC.
P.O. Box 227 ● Pittsfield, PA 16340 www.meridienpa.com
Export and Yard Quality Hardwood Green, KD, S2S, SLR Custom Walnut Steaming Available
Ph: 800-780-3187 Fax: 800-292-5773 Dan Ferman – meridien@penn.com Brandon Ferman – brandonferman@hotmail.com Rob Allard – 802-380-4694; rallard@hughes.net Mike Songer – 814-486-1711; mjs@zitomedia.net
■ Virginia
STACKING STICKS
Producing Quality Southern Yellow Pine Since 1939
FOR SALE
AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-538-2722 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com
P.O. BOX 25 • 628 Jeb Stuart Highway Red Oak, VA 23964 Tel: 434-735-8151 • Fax: 434-735-8152 E-mail Sales: john@morganlumber.com Website: www.morganlumber.com
Product Mix: ALL KD, HT STAMPED 1x4 D&BETTER, 1x6 D&BETTER, 1x4 #2, 1x6 #2, 1x4 #3/#4, 1x6 #3/#4, 5/4x4 PREMIUM, 5/4x4 STANDARD, 5/4x4 #2/#3/#4, 5/4x6 PREMIUM, 5/4x6 STANDARD, 5/4x6 #2/#3/#4, 6x6 #2&BETTER, 6x6 #3/#4
Do you produce or buy lumber? Here's your #1 source for effectively promoting your hardwood or softwood service to your top prospective buyers.
WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie • 334-834-1170 or email: melissa@hattonbrown.com before January 5, 2015 08/14
ATLARGE 48 ➤ stepped down at the end of September after announcing her retirement this summer. Hearn joined Forest2Market in 2006 as marketing manager. She was responsible for the launch of Forest2Market’s bioenergy and lumber practices. Hearn has also provided valuable service for the industry, serving as Chair of the Marketing Committee for the North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. (NAWLA) and as a member of the United States Industrial Pellet Assn’s (USIPA) Sustainability Committee. Forest2Market is transitioning Hearn’s responsibilities to other staff members. Peter Coutu, Director of North American Sales, will lead forest products industry sales, and Peter Stewart, CEO and President, is now overseeing Forest2Market’s lumber service, Mill2Market. Tracy Leslie has been named Director, Forest Biomaterials and Sustainability Services. She joins Stan Parton, Manager of Bioenergy Sector Sales.
World Forestry Center Honors C.C. Patrick The World Forestry Center inducted Charles C. Patrick into its Forestry Leadership Hall at a celebration attended by
more than 75 family, friends and coworkers. Born in Iowa in 1879, Patrick attended college in Massachusetts but eventually made his way to Oregon and found work in the sawmills and logging camps in the Willamette Valley. The company he founded in 1915, Patrick Lumber Co., was among the earliest firms to take on a lumber trading role in the Pacific Northwest. Patrick and others like him established not only a new sort of livelihood, but also the traditions, mores and honor code that continue to define that livelihood today. Long before the concept of ready-toassemble furniture came into vogue, Patrick began selling lumber in kit form. He sold silo kits to Northwest farmers—$194 for a 12x26 model or $142 for the smaller, 10x24 model— and produced packing kits consisting of cut-to-size components for use in assembling all manner of fruit and vegetable crates. As World War I exploded in Europe, The Patrick Company expanded its sales into the shipbuilding industry as well as the new and rapidly growing “aeroplane” industry. Sitka spruce from the Pacific Northwest was a preferred species and Patrick knew just where to find it. When
the U.S. entered the war in 1917, he enlisted into the Spruce Production Div. of the U.S. Signal Corps. He was stationed in Washington, DC, and his job was to procure lumber, mostly Sitka spruce and Douglas fir, for the war effort. In the mid 1920s he purchased a retail lumberyard in Hood River, Ore. In addition to lumber trading he also brokered real estate deals and helped match up business owners who wanted to sell with individuals looking to buy a business. He was president of Patrick Lumber from the day it began in 1915 until his death in 1960. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to see C.C. Patrick enshrined in the World Forestry Center’s Leadership Hall,” said Patrick Lumber Company’s Board Chair, Patrick Burns, grandson of the company founder. “It’s an excellent way for us to kick off Patrick Lumber’s 100th anniversary celebration.” In 1971, the World Forestry Center in Portland, Ore. established a tradition to honor those who have made significant and meaningful contributions to the advancement of the forestry sector in business, government or education. A collection of 200 influential people have been voted in and had their biographies written and preserved for posterity. TIMBER PROCESSING
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MAINEVENTS NOVEMBER
JULY 2015
6-7—Mid America Lumbermens Assn. annual meeting, Kansas City, Mo. Call 800-747-6529; visit themla.com.
22-25—AWFS Fair 2015, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Visit awfsfair.org.
7—American Lumber Standard Committee annual meeting, Scottsdale, Ariz. Call 301-972-1700; visit alsc.org.
SEPTEMBER 2015
12-13—2015 Northwestern Building Products Expo, Rivers Edge Conference Ctr., St. Cloud, Minn. Call 763-544-6822; visit nlassn.org.
FEBRUARY 2015
1-3—Western Wood Products Assn. annual meeting, Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Ore. Call 503-2243930; visit wwpa.org. 11-13—National Wooden Pallet & Container Assn. Annual Leadership Conference, Loews Ventana Canyon, Tucson, Ariz. Call 703-519-6104; visit palletcentral.com. 25-27—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. annual meeting, Omni Nashville Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Call 412-244-0440; visit hardwoodinfo.com or hmamembers.org. 25-27—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org.
APRIL 2015 12-14—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, The Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com. 23-24—Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. annual convention, Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, Boston, Mass. Call 207829-6901; visit nelma.org.
MAY 2015 11-15—Ligna: World Fair For The Forestry And Wood Industries, Hannover, Germany. Call +49 511 89-0; fax +49 511 8932626; visit ligna.de. 15-16—Northeastern Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Cross Insurance Ctr., Bangor, Maine. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.
JUNE 2015 10-12—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. ■
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Easy access to current advertisers! www.timberprocessing.com/adindex.html Don’t forget to bookmark this link!
This issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.
MARCH 2015
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Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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25-March 1—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, Hyatt Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Fla. Call 336885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.
18-19—Kentucky Wood Expo, Masterson Station Park, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org.
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JANUARY 2015
ADVERTISER
A & M Manufacturing Autolog Automation & Electronics Brunner Hildebrand Capital City Sharpening Cone Omega DK Spec Dynalyse Esterer WD Gmbh Finscan Gilbert Products Gillingham-Best Heinola Sawmill Machinery Hogue Industries Holtec USA Linck Linden Fabricating Lucidyne Technologies Mebor Metal Detectors Metriguard Microtec SRL Gmbh Mid-South Engineering Muhlbock Holztrocknungsan Nelson Bros Engineering Oleson Saw Technology Opticom Technologies Osmose Price LogPro Rema Sawco Samuel Strapping System Sering Sawmill Machinery Smithco Manufacturing Soderhamn Eriksson Springer Maschinenfabrik U S Blades USNR Ustunkarli Marangoz Utility Composites VAB Solutions Valutec Veneer Services Vollmer Of America Wagner Electronics Products Waneshear Technologies Woodtech Measurement Solutions
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PH.NO.
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