Managers at Scotch Lumber Co. had long planned to convert the mill’s small log Chip-N-Saw line to a sharp chain for the obvious gains in sawing accuracy and increased recovery. Last Thanksgiving that goal became a reality with the startup of the final phase of the company’s $12 million southern pine small log line upgrade and mill expansion. Engineer for the project was Bill Bowlin of Bowlin Co., Shreveport, La., who has had an ongoing relationship with Scotch Lumber for the last decade.

When Kenneth Ford, Orvis Ford, Bud Keeney and Fred Fields sat down at the same table, two things were likely to happen. One was the recollection of a mill project from years past. After all, these men had been doing projects together forever. Well, not forever, but certainly during the majority of the 20th century. The second thing that was likely to happen was the initiation of a new project. Roseburg Forest Products’ new select-cut sawmill here is one of those projects.

When you make a $4 million investment to upgrade the heart of your sawmill, the last thing you want to discover is that you’re only about one-third of the way toward accomplishing your objective. But that’s the situation facing Balfour Lumber Co. officials now that their southern pine sawmill has installed a McGehee curve-sawing system and McDonough EDLF (end-dogging log feed) small log headrig.

Last August, Jerry Williams & Sons, Inc. completed an extensive two-year, $10 million modernization. According to mill officials, the expansion, which features a new curve-sawing gang and reconditioned end-dogging small log headrig and four-saw optimized edger, doubled production. Just 13 years ago, Jerry Williams, 68, CEO, seized the opportunity of a lifetime when he purchased this hardwood/pine sawmill from Union Camp Corp.

Recovery is a difficult thing when a mill has just a few large accounts and one of them leaves. It happened to Bloodworth Pallet Co. Inc., based here, a year ago. The company had two customers accounting for 75% of production, keeping two automatic nailers busy, plus there was a little hand building on the side. “That was a mistake. That’s the bottom line,” says Plant Manager Reid Bloodworth, of concentrating so much on so few accounts.

USNR President Gary Hogue calls it a textbook success story. He’s referring, of course, to USNR’s wave of acquisitions in the 1990s, and then the subsequent meshing of product lines and personnel that have made USNR one of the most formidable sawmill equipment suppliers in the world.

Anthony Forest Products Co. is well into its program of Year 2000 Compliance. An outside consultant (Ben Baston of ComputerPro, Inc.) developed and helped us implement our methodology, divided into six phases. The first five phases are essentially complete. The last phase involves being ready for problems inside and outside our company when Year 2000, ready-or-not, arrives.