NAWLA Special Edition 2023

Automation is Key at

Automation is Key at Leslie Forest Products Irving Forest Products Inc. Completes Upgrades To Its Dixfield Sawmill This is an aerial view of Leslie Forest Products Ltd., located in Delta, BC. 2x2 Clear Cedar Leslie Forest Products Ltd. (LFP) is family owned business located in Delta, BC at the same location since 1972. They produce 30 million board feet of Softwoods annually and offer a wide range of custom sizes, patterns and lengths in Hemlock, Douglas Fir, SPF and Western Red Cedar. Situated on 13 acres, LFP is among the largest capacity remanufacturing facilities in British Columbia. With machine centers strategically located in severallarge buildings that maximize lumber flow, President Ron Sangara said automation is key for overall productivity and quality control. Over the years, major investments in land, machinery and buildings have resulted in a ten fold increase in manufacturing capacity. An impressive array of planers, moulders, chop lines and specialty machines allow LFP to offer a large and diverse product line. From lath and dunnage to furniture components to export clears/STK and specialty products, our long term customers have come to appreciate our versatility, diversity, and most of all, our integrity. With program business, LFP takes pride in high quality products, competitively priced and shipped on time. Sangara explained, “Our large dry shed provides storage for lumber products that require protection from Leslie Forest Products’ planer and moulder building. the elements. Our inventory and shipping yards are all paved, well organized and accessible for lumber inputs and finished product shipping.” He continued, “Our ability to produce a wide variety of specialty lumber products is key to our longevity and success. Our remanufacturing equipment has been tuned to produce everything from 1x1 strips and lath to specialty lumber in Hemlock, Cedar, Douglas Fir, and SPF, in addition to customized components. One of the things that differentiate LFP is its ability to handle requests quickly. “We’re always willing to accept special requests or a specific need to get customers their order quickly,” Sangara explained. “We understand the significance of having our components ready and available so that our clients can keep their business running efficiently.” He continued, “What also sets us apart from most reman plants is that we don’t waste anything. Even our waste is utilized by producing pulp chips. Most of the people that compare with us are hauling their waste away or giving it away and we process ours through a chipper. Of course, sawmills have chippers but you won’t find a lot of reman plants that do.” According to Sangara, LFP also doesn’t compete with other companies. “We work with the people that you might consider our competitors in this region,” he explained. “We buy and sell together with them and there isn’t a sawmill here where we don’t have some interaction.” Owners Ron, Dave and Jas Sangara continue to work closely with each other, alongside other key family members to remain successful in today’s markets. Sangara said, “The next generation is already in place and part of our management team. Our level of commitment is shared with our 30 highly skilled and unionized employees. Some of our team members have worked for LFP for more than four decades.” LFP has achieved many milestones since their early days. Sangara explained, “My father was in the business and when he stopped I decided I wanted to work for myself. I turned 71 this year and started this business when I was 20. I started with a couple of guys and over the last 50 years, we’ve grown to where we are now. I started from nothing and we’ve grown and remained successful and look forward to continuing to serve our customers.” LFP is also involved and makes contributions to the following charities: Michael Cuccione Foundation, Deepak Binning Foundation, St. Pauls Hospital, Covenant House and ALS. Leslie Forest Products Ltd. is a member of the North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA); Western Red Cedar Association (WRCLA); BC Wood and Building Supply Association of BC. For more information, visit www.Leslieforest.com. Please visit us at Booth #610 Irving Forest Products Inc., Dixfield, Maine, upgrade of the sawmill Lundeen stacker with USNR equipment. Installed to increase cycle rate of stacking wood from the drop sorters by 75 percent. Irving Forest Products Inc., the largest volume producer of Eastern White Pine, recently completed upgrades to its sawmill in Dixfield, ME. The upgrades are intended to improve operating efficiency and increase sawmill capacity. The first project was to replace an obsolete A2 Nicholson Debarker with a Nicholson A6 Debarker. The new A6 Debarker features a 44” ring, has 5 knife arms and utilizes electronic ring centering and analog proportional knife arm pressure control. These controls with an infeed centering roll enable the A6 to remove bark with minimal fiber loss while increasing processing speed. Now operational, the Debarker is expected to improve operating efficiency and increase log processing speed by 100 percent. The second project was to upgrade the sawmill Lundeen stacker with USNR equipment. The upgrade included replacing hydraulics with servo motors and VFDs. The USNR equipment included a course divider with tier pinch and double-up bar, electric hoist, fork carriage drive, forklift, stick distribution and shuttle, box loader, and sticker feeder. The stacker had been a production bottleneck for the sawmill. The new stacker will improve operating efficiency and increase the cycle rate by 75 percent. Additional benefits include a uniform pile, more consistent sticker placement, fewer misfeeds and an increase in layers. The net result is an increase in sawmill capacity and a reduction in board losses. The sawmill was shutdown from August 3rd to August 14th to execute the projects. Project teams consisting of mill engineering and maintenance personnel and local contractors completed the work with assistance from Nicholson and USNR. Both installations were a resounding success attaining full performance targets within the first week. Speaking to the projects, Randy Chicoine, Plant Manager Dixfield sawmill, comments, “Our folks are very excited about the completion of these projects. Our sawmill team members will no longer need to stagger their breaks to operate the stacker and the maintenance team can rest easy knowing we no longer have an obsolete problematic Debarker.” The Irving sawmills have a long-standing tradition for producing quality lumber. The first Irving sawmill began in 1882 and now Irving Forest Products Inc., Dixfield, Maine, new A6 Nicholson Debarker August 2023. Installed to increase log processing speed by 100 percent. the company has sawmill and woodland operations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine, USA. It is our commitment and our challenge to manage our natural resources. J.D. Irving, Limited will play a vital role in using our resources to provide economic opportunity for today’s generation, while Irving Forest Products Inc., Dixfield, Maine, south facing view of the log yard and rail crane. preserving the natural environment for the benefit of generations to come. Learn more about our family of lumber products at www.jdirvinglumber.com Please visit us at Booth #254. Page 58 ADVERTORIAL Wholesale/Wholesale Distributor Special Buying Issue Wholesale/Wholesale Distributor Special Buying Issue ADVERTORIAL Page 59