SURVEY Continued Joe
SURVEY Continued Joe Gori Lawrence Lumber Company Inc. Maiden, NC The Hardwood markets have been slower. The weather did not help; all this rain made it difficult to retrieve logs, and sawmills have been low on logs to cut. Prices of green lumber went up, while the prices of the kiln-dried stayed lower. That makes it difficult to keep the prices down for us, so we had to raise our prices accordingly. Also, China having a rough year has decreased the sales there, so we pushed on different markets. It has been going well. Now China is low on stocks, so they are starting to buy again. With that said, they are increasing the demand of logs as well. So, I see a difficult summer, because more log exports to China means less available sawn timber for us. So, prices of green lumber may not come down much. We will just see what develops out there. In the past couple of weeks, we have been receiving more green lumber, so finally it’s a good thing. But again, these log exports will not make it easy on concentration yards. Poplar always moves pretty well for us, especially No. 1 Common and No. 2 Common; it’s always sold out. On FAS, even at a little higher price that we offer, we keep moving it since our good quality is what keeps it in demand. Red Oak has been moving, and White Oak has been a bit slower, even though this past month the European markets have been demanding it more. Rates on freight finally came down, so that helps the increase of the lumber prices balance out. It makes it easier, so we will see if that can hold in place for a while. On trucking, we’ve had the same rates, not much lower. I don’t think that they will come down any time soon. We are starting soon with a new product. We will have a new ripping and surfacing station ready and running by August 2019. That will help us create new markets overseas and domestically. We must evolve by offering new options and a more semi-finished product. We also purchased a small truck that will help us deliver around the area. www.sicamsystems.com ResawX Measure Width and Thickness without turning the Cant Benefits: Cant Measurement System TIE DOWN MORE TIES! Stop Turning Your Ties into Pallet Cants with ResawX The Tie Market is predicted to Sky Rocket in 2018, ResawX is the tool to identify Tie Cants quickly and accurately. » Assist with Cutting Decisions » Automatic Thickness & Width » Accurate Measurement » Reduce Shims » Cut down on Sawing Errors » Optional Length Measurement » Reduce wasted saw lines Customers Include: » Wheeland Lumber, PA » Pierce Lumber, Iowa » Missouri Walnut, MO » Jim C Hamer, KY Mike 850.974.1195 Duncan 850.902.2886 SawmillMD@mindspring.com www.sawmillmd.com 46 JULY 2019 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE
Joey Josey Josey Lumber Co., Inc. Scotland Neck, NC In the Hardwood markets, the first quarter was very good for us. The best-selling lumber for us has been White Oak and Ash. Transportation has not been a problem for us this year. The market didn’t make us change as much as we had planned to make improvements at this time while the surplus money was available. Robert Kaebnick Hartzell Hardwoods, Inc. Piqua, OH The first half of the year has not been good for us at all. Some of our Oak products are doing well. The other species are slow/down. Transportation is not an issue at this time. Due to the markets, we have made some internal, strategic shifts, but we have held off on any large capital outlays. Hal Mitchell Atlanta Hardwood Corporation Mableton, GA Hardwood markets are weak in both supply and demand so far this year. The lack of supply has prevented overproduction, but that is rapidly changing. Poplar, Ash and Basswood in all grades and thicknesses have been in high demand, but those markets are slowing. Both Hard and Soft Maple in 4/4 FAS remain strong, as well. As for transportation, we are not seeing the normal season-tightening of CC supply. Freight rates have remained relatively constant but pick-up lead-times have shortened, and it’s much easier to find CCs compared to last year. Ocean freight has also been relatively easy to arrange as well – all signs of a slowing trade across industry multiple sectors. As for any changes in the market making it necessary to offer new products or upgrade equipment to offer new services, we have had to get creative to maintain margins through value-added production. Please turn the page New River Hardwoods, Inc. Appalachian Hardwood Sawmill & Kiln Division QUALITY from start to finish! •Three Hardwood Sawmills - 35,000,000 BF Annually •400,000 BF Kiln Capacity - Drying 11,000,000 BF Annually Species: Poplar, Red Oak, White Oak, Soft Maple, Hard Maple, Cherry, Ash, Basswood and Hickory Mark Babcock V.P. Marketing and Logistics Office: 304-255-2268 ext. 114 Cell: 304-860-8472 E-mail: mbabcock@newriverhardwoods.com 4343 Highway 91 Mountain City, TN 37683 Phone: (423) 727-4019 Fax: (423) 727-4438 www.newriverhardwoods.com 02 NEW RIVER HORIZONTAL Jan 2019.indd 1 JULY 2019 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD 1/29/19 MAGAZINE 1:55 PM 47
