the grocery store with dents, you don’t buy it. You slide it away and purchase the one that has no imperfections. People feel the same way about lumber. If it looks good, people feel it is good. Also, with lumber inspection, it’s not only grades but tally as well. So, we’re monitoring how they tallied the number to get the correct footage.
Q: So, is the edger a quick fix?
Q: In your experience, where do most problems begin in a
A: In most cases, yes. But it also requires long-term monitoring
sawmill operation?
A: When certain species (like red oak or white oak) have large
profit margins, some people can become wasteful. They enter a mindset where they don’t care what they are wasting because they are making money. But when times get tough, they have a hard time turning an acceptable profit. It’s crucial that you maximize your profitability at every stage, in all circumstances, whether it’s good times or bad. And if you’re maximizing your profitability when times are good, you will carry that right into the bad times, and you will have fewer bad times because you’re always maximizing the value. This will sound controversial, but the goal of any hardwood operation is not to produce lumber. The goal should be to make money. If you switch your focus to making money, you’ll produce even more lumber. Our Operations Management Program can help you find the spots that will make you more money.
Q: Could you break down what happens during the Operations Management Program?
A: Usually, the first thing we do is go directly to the edger outfeed
– where the waste trough is going into the chipper. This is the best way to tell if there is a problem with the edger or edger operator. We look for waste that should have been left on the board and sold as lumber. Then we start looking at other areas and answering questions. Is the problem with the edger setup? Is it merely that the operator needs more training? Is it an optimized edger or a mechanically-ran edger? There are a lot of factors we consider.
Q: Is the edger operator typically the problem? A: The operator is usually not the problem. But if that is the case,
we can provide the training needed, because, in the end, it is really about lumber grades. To determine your profitability, you have to sell your material, and the only way you can sell it is by grading it. Your measurement is what tells you how valuable the lumber is. We learn what the finished product should be, and we train operators on how to measure value by grading. The goal is to make highervalued lumber so it’s more profitable.
Q: What is the next step? A: Next, we look at how they are opening the log gap – minimum
opening face. Are they opening too big or too small? We help them to be more decisive on that. Another significant component is the thickness measurement. That is why we measure the thickness of the
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lumber at each machine center to determine whether they’re within standard tolerance. This is extremely important. For every tenthousandths of an inch of over thickness, it’s 1% yield.
to keep it that way. The thickness measurement needs to be done on a regular basis. And consistently from that point forward. To capitalize on the profitability of thickness measurement, it has to be continually monitored. Most hardwood mills aren’t doing that.
Q: Okay, how does a company consistently measure thickness?
A: We can help them do that. We can help give them the guides to achieving that. So, measuring and monitoring are only part of getting it done. You measure and monitor it; then, you look for ways to improve it.
Q: On average how much money in lost profits can you recover, and how well-received is the program?
A: Over the course of two years, we have conducted more than 480 tests and helped companies save an average of $400,000 annually.
Q: What makes NHLA an expert in Operations Management?
A: The industry should trust our experience. I developed and honed
a quality control program at a previous employer. I spent nine years managing a team of six quality control technicians and their main job was to measure the points. By doing that, we were able to save the company over a million dollars a year. We have a proven system that works, and if implemented correctly, it will work for any company. I have trained the NHLA National Inspectors this quality control measurement system. Collectively, we have seen an untold number of hardwood lumber operations, from logging and sawmills to flooring and furniture manufacturing. We’ve had more experience on various operations than most anyone else in the world. Our team of National Inspectors has more experience than just hardwood lumber grading. With this experience in hand, we can go through one pack of lumber and identify many problem areas within an operation – not just problems with grading the lumber.
Q: How can a company find out more about the program or get signed up?
A: They can email me at d.spessert@nhla.com or give me a call at 901-399-7551.
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