National Hardwood Magazine - October 2014

SAWMILL MD continued

SAWMILL MD continued from page 35 The Danfoss unit for additional three kilns at Havco’s Scott City location. “The use of the Danfoss system to control the kiln’s humidity significantly reduced demand on Havco’s boiler and improved recovery, making the return on investment less than four months on the large dry kiln project,” Ballard added. “Improved, standard deviation across the kiln charge, and lumber appearance are also benefits of using the Danfoss system versus steam in the kilns,” he continued. “Reduced cost, faster kiln turns and improved lumber quality are positive results that Havco has seen with the Danfoss system in their kilns.” Havco’s Team Leader Earle Stevens commented, “We are using the Danfoss system to meet our set points on the relative humidity in our dry kilns. We also are able to use it for dust suppression while the trucks are being loaded.” Ballard added, “We’re utilizing the same pump system that is operating in seven of their kilns. The larger unit has an eighth control point that’s running to their loading area and we’ve got about 40 nozzles installed so that when they load their byproducts, it provides them the ability to add moisture to the air while they’re loading the trucks. It has made a significant improvement. The ability to atomize the water at 1500 psi and get a real fine mist with a variety of nozzle sizes puts us in a very unique position overall. There are 30 nozzles in each dry kiln that are spread one foot apart. We start five feet off the wall so we don’t have condensation on the wall. Because of that we have even distribution of moisture across the kiln and that’s one of the primary things that helps the equalization issue.” With 10 dry kilns and two boilers in place Stevens said the new Danfoss systems at Havco have made an immediate impact on the company’s operation as well as the bottom line. According to Ballard, customers install the Danfoss system for three reasons. “The reasons customers utilize this system include boiler capacity issues, equalizing and conditioning dry kilns, and an immediate improvement in the quality of their lumber,” he explained. Ballard said installation isn’t difficult and the turn-around time is relatively quick. “It takes about a day per kiln to make the installation. We spent about seven days on the Havco operation. The return on investment makes this an easy decision from a man- Transportation Management eXperts Detail minded. www.tmxship.com Servicing U.S. Lumber and Log Exporters from all U.S. Ports: East Coast, Gulf and West Coast We pride ourselves in providing an individualized service, custom designed to each customer’s requirements. We are committed to the best possible service; utilizing our extensive experience and skills, coupled with our sophisticated computerized traffic management and documentation system. TMX Shipping Company, Inc. Corporate Headquarters 727 Arendell Street PO Box 747 Morehead City, NC 28557 USA Phone: 252.726.1111 Toll Free: 800.631.7447 Fax: 252.726.9097 TMX Shipping Company, Inc. 2020 General Booth Blvd., Ste. 220 Virginia Beach, VA 23456 USA Phone: 757.563.6200 Fax: 757.563.0300 Forward thinking. 58 OCTOBER 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

agement prospective. From an operational prospective it doesn’t add work for the employees. The system doesn’t have belts and oil that need tending to all the time. Once it’s set up and turned on it’s fully automated and operates on its own.” Ferguson and Ballard have more than a financial investment in their products and services. They’re invested from a personal level of continual improvement. “When I think back to when we started Sawmill MD, the ultimate reason is because we felt that there was a real ability to enhance the production of a facility without increasing their cost,” Ballard explained. “We look for ways to make things operate better and faster and to overall improve costs. Repeat customers will tell you everything you need to know about the business you are in. The fact that several of our customers, including Havco, have bought two or more systems lets us know that the products are not only working for them from an application standpoint, but also from a monetary standpoint because the costs they are saving are affording them the ability to re-invest in another system.” With customers such as J.D. Irving Ltd., Kapstone, Allegheny Wood Products, and Potlatch to name a few, Sawmill MD is making equipment modifications and overall processing efficiencies throughout the lumber and forest products industry. The newest product addition to Sawmill MD’s offerings is an automated tallying system from VisionTally, Bryn Mawr, PA. “We became VisionTally’s distributor on August 1 of this year,” Ballard explained. “We’re helping them develop an improved infrastructure. Duncan is working with them on start-ups. The relationship with VisionTally is really exciting because we know that the ability to get accurate tallies on lumber coming in and going out is key to overall profitability.” Sawmill MD partners with companies such as A.W. Stiles, McMinnville, TN, and Alabama Fluid Systems Technologies, located in Pelham, AL. Ballard commented, “A.W. Stiles and Alabama Fluid, along with the team from Danfoss, provide us unmatched quality and service that enables us the opportunity to con- Please turn to page 70 High pressure water mist from the 8-valve Danfoss unit, purchased for the seven kilns for humidity control is utilizing the eighth valve for dust control while loading trucks in the silo. OCTOBER 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 59