Southwestern Club
Southwestern Club Members Report Positive Trends In Lumber Market Photos By Gary Miller Vidalia, LA—The Southwestern Hardwood Manufacturers Club members recently held their annual Crawfish Boil at the Comfort Suites Riverfront, located here. Attendees offered upbeat and positive reports overall regarding the status of the lumber industry. In attendance were sawmillers, Hardwood distribution/concentration lumberyard representatives, purchasing agents for Hardwood flooring manufacturers, a buyer for railroad ties, and representatives from equipment and insurance companies. Some comments by lumber suppliers provided at the meeting included the following. A lumber supplier from Mississippi said, “You start running out of adjectives to describe how good the market is. This is not a big secret. However, the one problem we’re having is with exports to Mexico. It has gotten harder and harder to get a load of lumber across the border in Laredo. Among the regulations they’re putting on us now is to not allow any visible bark on lumber, and considering what we sell down there is No. 1 and 2 Common lumber, we’ve had probably four loads in the last six days rejected in Laredo and it’s becoming a bigger and bigger hassle.” Another Mississippi attendee said, “We’re currently running 48 hours, one shift, and we’ll be producing close to 55 million feet again once we get our Hurdle Machine Works Inc.’s mill running, which should be today. We’re trying to take advantage of what a great market it is right now. We all know at some point this market could come crashing down, so we’re looking at consolidating with another facili- ty we have, and updating our kiln-dried inspection operation into our green sorter, which is going to save us a tremendous amount of money. We’ll start that up next week as well and this will increase our productivity. So while everything is good and we’re trying to take a little opportunity to look at ways we can become more efficient and more cost effective going forward because the market will change again at some point. But, it’s awfully good right now.” The current positive trend in the market is expected to continue, said another lumber supplier with a facility in Mississippi. “Our business has been steady and we anticipate it to stay that way throughout the rest of the year. Our plywood sales have been steady, our frame stock business is up and, of course, our board road and mat business has been very steady this year as well.” Representatives from Alabama echoed the positive comments. “We couldn’t ask for better,” said one source. “Plus, our exports this year have been very good both to Europe and to Asia.” A couple of lumbermen said at the meeting that Hardwood lumbermen should “enjoy the ride” while the market for all Hardwood products is so good now. Another Alabama attendee commented, “We run our sawmill 50 hours a week and we’re loaded with logs and now we’re starting to rotate. So we’re trying to put fresh logs under and cut the logs because we don’t want to Please turn to page 38 36 JUNE 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE
Bruce Reynolds, Rives & Reynolds Lumber Co. Inc., Natchez, MS; Joe Vaughn, Rutland Lumber Co. Inc., Collins, MS; Adam Taylor, Ralph Taylor Lumber Co. Inc., Memphis, TN; and Arnie Hogue, Anderson-Tully Lumber Co., Vicksburg, MS Robert Taylor and Pete Johnson, Taylor Machine Works, Louisville, MS Charlie Netterville, Fred Netterville Lumber Co., Woodville, MS; George Tucker, O’Hair Shutters, Lubbock, TX; Jane Mathias, Batesville Casket Co., Batesville, IN; and Jeff Taylor, Ralph Taylor Lumber Co. Inc., Memphis, TN Mac Jenkins, Corley Manufacturing Co., Chattanooga, TN; Mike Noland, Noland Lumber Co., Gordo, AL; and Chuck Boaz, Corley Manufacturing Co. Eddie Carson, Fly Tie & Lumber Co., Grenada, MS; George Tucker, O’Hair Shutters, Lubbock, TX; and Tommy Maxwell, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring, Monticello, AR Jeff Reed, Taylor Sudden Service, Louisville, MS; Kevin Nolan, Rives & Reynolds Lumber Co., Louisville, MS; and Jerrod Free, J.T. Shannon Lumber Co. Inc., Memphis, TN Mike Noland, Noland Lumber Co., Gordo, AL; and John Hubbard, Bill Buchanan and Tim Pope, Buchanan Lumber, Aliceville, AL Rick Ricouard, ASF Logistics, New Orleans, LA; Gary Miller, National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, TN; and Dean Miller, Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Mableton, GA Kirby and Leigh Ann Field, Ralph Taylor Lumber Co. Inc., Utica, MS; and Joe Vaughn, Rutland Lumber Co. Inc., Collins, MS Richard Adams, Fred Netterville Lumber Co., Woodville, MS; Mike Ballard, Sawmill MD, Crestview, FL; and Charlie Netterville, Fred Netterville Lumber Co. Additional photos on next page JUNE 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 37
