Summer 2007 - SCANA Corporation

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High speed blades shave debarked logs into six-inch strands, which are used to make oriented strand board. He said the Allendale County location fit the company’s site requirements, including a flat terrain, location on an accessible highway and availability of all utilities, including a high pressure natural gas line. SCE&G played an important role in the recruitment, providing utility engineering support and financial assistance for infrastructure needs. Site Manager Van Chatraw, who joined the company from Weyerhaeuser Corp. after the plant was built, said, “The company wanted to put the plant where the resources are, which include resin, trees and people.” Grant Forest Products, based in Ontario, Canada, chose Allendale and Clarendon counties in South Carolina for its new oriented strand board (OSB) facilities. The abundance of “plantation” pine — trees 10 to 20 years old — was a major factor, Chatraw said. Most of the pine trees are grown within 70 miles of the plant. They are considered a renewable energy source because they grow in a relatively short period of time as compared to a hardwood tree that might take 75-100 years to reach the age of harvest. In addition to buying pines grown specifically to be cut and used while young, the company also buys similarly sized pine trees that have been cleared as part of thinning during forest management projects. These trees previously had little market value. Grant Allendale is a state-of-the-art facility, the largest of its kind in the world. Last year the plant produced more than 850 million square feet of OSB. “We have the fastest line speeds in the world,” Chatraw said. But while many of the plant processes are automated, people are still needed to run it. “We also moved here because the people are a resource that is untapped. There is not a lot of manufacturing here, and people are transitioning from agriculture as a major employer,” he said. The plant continues to hire in positions from management and engineering jobs to maintenance and production employees. Most training takes place on the job. “We’re looking for high energy, innovative thinkers who can handle change. We incent for performing in innovative ways.” ORIENTED STRAND BOARD SUPPLIES BUILDING TRADE Grant Allendale uses pines and people to produce OSB, an engineered wood panel made from resins and multiple layers of wood strands. Each six-inch strand is oriented perpendicularly to the layer above and below it, resulting in a product similar to the strength and quality of plywood. OSB is used in the construction industry as an economical alternative. 10 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007
Van Chatraw, site manager at Grant Allendale, explains a process to Sid Ballentine, SCE&G account manager. Chances are if you have a newer home that this product may be used in your roofing, siding and subflooring. In fact, Grant Allendale produces OSB in lengths from eight feet to 10 to accommodate the higher ceilings that are standard in many homes today. Committed to environmental sustainability, Grant Allendale uses all of the trees it purchases from area growers. Even the scraps on the floor are used to fire the high-temperature wood-burning furnaces that heat the dryers used in the production process. RELIABLE ENERGY A REQUIREMENT While the furnaces are fueled by wood, with natural gas as a backup source, the plant’s sensitive electronics and automated processes rely on a reliable supply of electricity. Chatraw has found SCE&G to be very responsive when a problem occurs. In one instance, SCE&G personnel were on site within 15 minutes. The plant also has backup generators available in case they are needed. Natural gas is used to burn off contaminants in the plant’s air cleaning system, assuring that the company’s high environmental standards are met with only steam released to the environment. Chatraw has been pleased with the energy supply and service at the new plant. “We’re a 24-hour-a-day operation. Power is essential. People don’t run a plant 24 hours a day unless there is an opportunity for profit, so the more we can keep it running the better. Keeping the plant running is essential to our success.” SERVING A WAITING MARKET Buyers are waiting for Grant Allendale’s OSB as soon as it is produced. In fact, most of the merchandise in the plant warehouse at any single time is already pre-sold. The boards come off the manufacturing line, are cut into lengths, bound, stamped with the company logo and loaded onto trucks, headed to housing markets along the S.C. coast, apartment complexes being developed, and a host of other buyers. “We’re located near our market, which is the Southeast, one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Our sales force sells to wholesalers and brokers as well as major suppliers buying in large volumes,” Chatraw said. To help accommodate this market, Grant Allendale has a sister plant under construction in Clarendon County, also an economically depressed area of the state. Grant Allendale came on line first, producing its first board Oct. 30, 2006. Now those employees are helping the Clarendon plant get off the ground. Employees from the two plants are working closely together to bring Clarendon County on line in the fourth quarter of 2007. Grant Forest Products pursued a strategy of building two identical plants near each other so that they can share resources and skilled labor. Any associate will be prepared to work at either plant. SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 11
Page 1 and 2: CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL // REWRIT
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Page 29 and 30: Blue Ribbon School award SUMMER 200
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Summer 2007 - SCANA Corporation

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