By Mark Stevens
Tolko made the difficult decision to close the Creekside sawmill in 2012, but the decision became a turning point that enabled us to focus our attention on the modernization of our other two mills in Williams Lake.
Today, both Lakeview and Soda Creek are undergoing transformations that will set the stage for improved operating efficiencies for years to come.
Tolko’s commitment to safety and the environment is evident in the new equipment that’s being installed. Machine guarding is planned and installed in line with the latest evolution in safety standards.
At Soda Creek, a new dust collector is being installed to further improve the air quality at the planer. At Lakeview, the new trimmer will have greatly improved sawdust extraction to prevent the build-up of dust in the sawmill.
Local contractors are being used at both projects with Beamac Installations providing the mechanical installation at Lakeview, and Doug Fraser Contracting installing the new equipment and erecting the new sorter building at Soda Creek.
Both projects do not significantly change the productive capacity of our mills, but will substantially improve our cost effectiveness, product quality and value, thus positioning us to be competitive within the lumber manufacturing industry for the long term.
At Lakeview, we’re replacing or upgrading all the equipment at the back end of the sawmill including the trimmer, optimizer, sorter and stacker.
The sawmill has been shut down in March while the equipment is being installed and we expect a ramping up to full capacity in April.
This is the most significant upgrade in decades and we’re looking forward to this exciting turn in our mill’s history.
At Soda Creek, we’re installing a completely new trimmer, optimized lumber grader, sorter, stacker and packaging line in April. A new building has been constructed to house the sorter, stacker and packaging equipment.
This project will require a two-week shutdown of the planer operation in late April.
These two projects will provide immediate improvement to our operations, but they’re not the only improvement initiatives. Other projects in various stages ranging from conceptual design to engineering to pre-implementation work will proceed later this year and over the next two years.
While the lumber industry has recently faced the most significant recession and related challenges to be seen in decades, we’re now investing to secure our future in Williams Lake.
Capital investment, together with the good work of our employees and the contributions of our Woodlands staff, logging contractors and truckers, is providing a solid base for the stability of our operations in Williams Lake.
Mark Stevens is general manager of Cariboo Timber Tolko.
