Import:Export Wood Purchasing News - February/March 2018

SOUTHWEST CLUB - Continued from page 7
and Texas.
A Mississippi sawmill source said lumber prices have been “very stable”
and cited the rise in log costs as a concern, which creates cause for concern
in regard to profit margins. This SWHMC contact added, “Another troubling
factor is the cost of replacing equipment in the mill has rapidly increased over
the last 10 years.”
Another person reported, “Mills continue to struggle to make money with
the rising cost of logs. However, the lumber business is strong and we look for
demand to be good in 2018.”
A purchasing agent for railroad ties noted that crosstie inventories in the
U.S. dropped, especially during the first eight months of 2017. At the time of
this writing, the prediction in regard to crossties was that inventory would be
down to about 17 million by the first of 2018. “When the tie market drops to
15 million, which it could by spring due to wet weather, we get worried and
certainly get more aggressive on our purchasing,” the source said. A lumber
representative from Tennessee said crosstie sales have been good in his
market, and his flooring sales have slowed down since early November, which
they normally do until the start of the new year.
A hardwood flooring and sawmill owner stated that the market for solid
wood flooring has been good but solid strip flooring –2-1/4 inch and 3-1/4 inch
– only makes up 5 percent of the market. His lumber sales are good domestically
and internationally, and he believes 2018 will be a good year.
The SWHMC weekend began with a “Welcome to New Orleans” Cocktail
Hour at Galatoire’s sponsored by local five-generation Robinson Lumber
Company, located in New Orleans, LA. The next morning began with an
Architectural Walking Tour of the Garden District, once again hosted by Toto
Robinson of Robinson Lumber Company.
Later, attendees made their way to Brennan’s of New Orleans for the Annual
Cocktail Party hosted by Keith D. Peterson & Co. Inc., located in Shreveport,
LA, which has been hosting SWHMC Annual Christmas Cocktail Party
for 40 years. There were 52 people in attendance at the annual Christmas
dinner.
Upcoming meetings for SWHMC are the Annual Crawfish
Boil, April 28 in Natchez, MS, and the Southwest/Westside
Club Joint Meeting in Sandestin, FL, July 5-8.
RAINEY MILLWORKS - Continued from page 9
Sapele and Oak are the primary species used in Rainey Millworks’ staircases.
products that will receive a lot of wear like stair treads do.
Rainey buys primarily random widths, with 16-to18-foot lengths being
predominant. He primarily uses four-, six- and eight-quarter thicknesses. The
lumber is already kiln-dried, but “in the rough” so the lumber is then edged and
planed using a CNC machine and 12-foot and 8-foot Weinig moulders.
In 2017, Rainey is celebrating its 33rd year as a manufacturer of custom
cabinets and millwork. To reach this anniversary, Rainey Millworks has operated
under a principle of taking on the projects that few other manufacturers
can handle. Arched baseboards and crown mouldings, arched-top windows
and doors, and curved staircases are among his company’s specialties.
Rainey stated, “We do what nobody else can do or will do. This includes a
lot of radius millwork products.”
The beauty of made-to-order custom projects is that each product manufactured
by Rainey Millworks has a home before it’s finished, which deletes the
necessity for warehouses to hold inventories other than lumber.
Most of the millwork is sold to builders mainly in the Southeastern United
States, with Rainey Millworks installing most cabinets and delivering the other
products to the job sites. But there was a recent exception to the rule when
his cabinets, a kitchen island and countertops were installed inside a house in
Continued on page 20
YOU SAW IT, WE SHIP IT
USA & CANADA DEPARTURES FROM
New York, Boston, Baltimore, Charleston, Norfolk
Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver
WOOD
EXPORT
SERVICES
Complete documentation
(letters of credit, bank drafts, etc.)
Door-to-door, door-to-terminal, and
terminal-to-terminal shipping
Phytosanitary inspections and certificates
Log fumigation services and certificates
Container consolidation (lumber and logs)
Re-export permits for red and white oak
logs from regulated U.S. states
Montreal, Quebec
Michel Berard
T: 800 335-5394
C : 514 886-8235
mberard@kingcitynorthway.com
MEMBER OF:
N.H.L.A. I.H.L.A.
C.L.A. Penn-York
Alliston, Ontario N.E.L.A.
Lloyd Lovett
T: 800 335-5394
C : 416 717-8251
l.lovett@kingcitynorthway.com
www.kingcitynorthway.com
Import/Export Wood Purchasing News February/March 2018 Page 17