Panel Perspectives: Richmond Plywood | 37
RICHPLY INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE
Richmond Plywood has been producing plywood since the 1950s on the banks of
the River Fraser in British Columbia. It has engaged in significant recent investment and has market engagement plans to grow the business. Stephen Powney spoke to the company’s VP of sales and marketing Mark Sutherland
I
f you have ever flown into Vancouver, in British Columbia, you will have likely seen a huge volume of logs being stored and transported in the Fraser River. The countless rows of bobbing logs are
quite a sight and point to a rich history of forest products in the region. One of the forest products companies
based by the river is the only plywood factory still existing in the BC coastal region – Richmond Plywood Corporation (Richply). Its mill is still located at its original site (founded in 1956), with all logs arriving on the water by tugboat.
The Richply name will be familiar for its
diverse value-added product mix including medium and high-density overlays (MDOs and HDOs) for concrete forming, paint grade MDOs for signage, specialty sanded and marine grade panels, as well as standard and select structural sheathing products.
Mark Sutherland, the company’s vice- president of sales and marketing, told WBPI that the company still stands as unique in the plywood sector following nearly 70 years of operation. “We are a plywood producing co-operative, so a good portion of our employees are shareholders of the company,” said Mr Sutherland. The company employs over 420 people, 250 of whom are shareholders, which means they get to vote on the company’s investment plans and other major decisions. “In 1956 we started off with 300 shareholders who each contributed C$5,000 of cash and we purchased some land on the banks of the Fraser River,” he explained. “We built a plywood mill and ever since there has been a professional management team with a board of directors elected by the shareholders. It is a tight relationship where
managers manage the business, employees run the plant and work quite closely to make sure we are going in the right direction.” Richply has stood the test of time and
withstood global competition, believes Mr Sutherland, due to the diversity and quality of its product mix, the proximity of the river for log transportation (which also protects logs against fire) and the company’s novel ownership structure, which means no disruptions from labour disputes. Over the years, the wood diet has changed for the mill. Increasing emphasis on the environment and reforestation has led to protection of older growth forests, with the mill having to adapt to second growth forest comprising trees ranging from 50-80 years old. The coastal region is predominantly Douglas fir, supplemented by spruce, pine, hemlock and balsam.
Above: An aerial photo of the Richmond Plywood factory on the banks of the Fraser River
www.wbpionline.com | February/March 2025 | WBPI
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