28 | Sector Focus: British Timber
Above left: BSW’s investments have included new forestry vehicles Above right: Sawmill output has increased at BSW’s mills
◄ “As all mills have just returned from their summer break, stock levels are expectedly low,” said James Jones’s Graham Blyth. “Lead times are dependent on the mix of product, but merchant carcassing products are generally close to normal if not slightly extended lead times. Some fencing items remain in short supply and are on extended lead times.”
Gordon Timber is operating at full capacity “with a little bit of overtime”, although Mr Gordon says he’s keeping a weather eye on the fragile economy. “We are delighted that demand is better but we’re not hanging our hat on that being the case going forward.” Sawn stocks at the mill are around 25% down on this time last year, and at their lowest levels since 2022. “We are continuing to service our customers well but we have certainly reduced stocks of slow-moving items considerably, which is extremely positive from a cashflow point of view,” said Mr Gordon. In other positive news, the investments Gordon Timber made last year in new technology have paid dividends. The circa £1m round timber automatic stacking
line it installed has boosted round fencing productivity by up to 25%, with the potential to “squeeze out some further productivity gains”. The fact that the new technology has been embraced by the staff has been an added bonus. A new Weinig Powermat 3000 moulder was also installed last year, in November, and has resulted in greater flexibility, higher capacity and reduced changeover times. Meanwhile, the replacement of some of the second pass main line machinery – an investment of some £1.5m – was completed this January and has improved sawn yield and productivity. The company has also been working closely with a Swedish bandsaw supplier and its ongoing sawdoctoring contractor in order to extend the life of the saws. “We’ve had a breakthrough with that and we are now getting running times of more than 30 hours in our main production line,” said Mr Gordon. “Prior to this, running time would have been a full shift of about 12 hours, so it’s a considerable improvement.” This year Gordon Timber is researching its multi-ripping options for the production of fencing (mainly Scots pine) slats, and is
also considering the question of chip drying in order to provide year-round dry fuel for its kilns, plus the capacity to sell excess dry chips into the biomass market. James Jones’s investments have come thick and fast over the last 12 months, with its Kirriemuir sawline being re-commissioned at the end of 2023 and full production resumed. “An additional treatment plant was commissioned at Lockerbie earlier in the year in time for us to respond to the uplift in demand from some of the winter storms and traditional spring surge,” said Tom Bruce- Jones, chairman. “The additional storage and handling facility at Lockerbie has also enabled us to expand our stockholding of core products and enhanced our ability to respond to unexpected spikes in demand from our core customers.
“Our new pallet production facility in Hetton is now fully operational, which includes new manufacturing lines, kilns, and a biomass plant. Wrexham has also benefited from significant capex with kilns, biomass and an additional production line. The biomass will be fuelled by James Jones’s
Above left: James Jones’s Timber Systems Division celebrated its 25th anniversary in June Above right: BSW’s focus is on the integration of core business areas
TTJ | September/October 2024 |
www.ttjonline.com
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