Panels & Furniture Asia March/April 2024

IN PERSON
WOOD-MIZER TECHNOLOGY
“In Pakistan, it is common to find old
and outdated machinery in sawmills and
wood shops. The type of technology
Wood-Mizer offers is unique and
unheard of in Pakistan,” Aqeela said.
“The new Wood-Mizer sawmills replaced
our old bandsaw machine, which had
exposed blades and was unsafe to use.
Not only was it not very efficient, but it
also required more labour to operate.”
The new Wood-Mizer LT70 sawmill uses
narrow-band blade-cutting technology.
This blade produces thin-kerf in wood
no more than 2mm thick. As a result,
more boards can be made from each
log, and less wood goes into sawdust.
After the LT70 sawmill, the boards pass
through a Wood-Mizer EG300 edger,
which removes the edges and cuts the
boards to the required size. Using these
two Wood-Mizer machines in tandem
increases productivity and makes work
easier.
The transition to Wood-Mizer improved
safety and increased efficiency,
allowing them to extract more from
each log and reduce production times.
“I am eager to bring in more machines
and technology from Wood-Mizer as
we continue to collaborate and grow,”
Aqeela said.
Ciqam specialises in three different
product lines: They offer a range
of well-crafted furniture including
chairs, tables, and cabinets; they also
specialise in windows, doors, flooring,
wooden wall panelling and roofing,
extending to heritage sites, ensuring
their preservation and historical
integrity; lastly, they repurpose leftover
wood to craft tableware, utensils, toys,
and musical instruments for their music
school. They prioritise the efficient
use of resources and ensure that
nothing goes to waste. Recovery and
repurposing are vital principles for them.
COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Aqeela advocates for environmental
sustainability and expresses concerns
over climate change. Living amid
[We] face a very male-dominated society with
discriminatory barriers dictating which jobs are for men and
which are for women… We want to overcome this so that we
are all equal as human beings with the same opportunities.
Aqeela Bano
CEO of Ciqam
the Karakoram mountain range and
glaciers, the topography in Gilgit-
Baltistan features a narrow green belt
atop the mountains, covering only 2% of
the total 72,000km 2 .
“We face significant risks of landslides.
To mitigate it, we plant trees in areas
prone to sliding, creating green
belts that help prevent erosion and
reverse carbon emissions. In the last
three years alone, we have planted
approximately 13,000 trees.”
“We primarily work with what we
call ‘green timber’, distinct from
forest timber. In our region, forests
offer wood such as juniper and
deodar, while locally grown timber
— like poplar, mulberry, walnut, and
Russian olive — is termed green
timber. Harvesting forest trees
requires significant time, as some
are over a century old, whereas
green timber typically matures
in 15-20 years and can easily be
replanted.”
20 PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA | MARCH / APRIL 2024