Our sawmilling customer needed a solution and decided to build a machine unlike any we have delivered before. The result? The double arbour Multirip 260 is our largest and most powerful machine to date.…
By Joy Crane All photos by Joy Crane © ForSawn Media Pty Ltd Over the past three years or so, a subtle yet significant shift has been taking root in South Africa’s sawmilling industry. A…
Denver de Kock, MD of RD Sawmill near Maclear in SA’s Eastern Cape Province, defies harsh trading conditions with a thriving sawmilling business. The multi-generational De Kock league of aunts, uncles, brothers and cousins have…
A recent wattle field day organised by NCT Forestry provided an ideal opportunity for local tree farmers to pick up some pointers from the wattle “experts” who have been working with wattle for decades. The…
Rob Scott, owner of the Shire Eco Lodge near Stutterheim, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, says the curved shape of its chalets takes its cue from nature. “I wanted the design of the chalets…
With its Wood-Mizer log processing line, New Heights Sawmill lies in the shadow of South Africa’s most extensive mountain range, the magnificent Drakensberg, which in Afrikaans means “dragon” mountain. The farm and sawmill trading as…
Nukor’s large stand featuring working machines gave visitors a taste of international industry trade shows where machines and dust extraction systems are put through their paces. Stephanie Maier of Nukor said the show exceeded their…
Unless affordable housing is available, the traditional building sector, architects and engineers, and the government procurement process prioritise timber and carbon-friendly projects like mass timber. The continued survival of South Africa’s sawmilling and wood products…
A highly productive sawmill in Liberia uses Wood-Mizer technology to turn large-diameter rubberwood logs into export-quality sawn timber for furniture and flooring production plants in Asia. The global demand for rubber motivated Firestone Tire &…
Continuous improvement describes the philosophy of the family-owned German wood products company, Best Wood Schneider. Seven years ago, it embarked on an ambitious greenfield project at Meßkirch to establish an automated end-to-end process of manufacturing…
Congratulations to Guy Payn Sawmills for participating in the Crickmay & Associates Intermill Comparison (IMC) and attaining the 2024 Sawmill Improvement Award. Andrew Crickmay announced the winner during Sawmilling South Africa’s (SSA’s) annual general meeting…
PG Bison is commissioning the state-of-the-art medium-density fibreboard (MDF) line at its Mkhondo manufacturing facility in June 2024, one month ahead of schedule and on budget, with full commercial production starting in July 2024. Gerhard…
“I realised there was money in wood when I saw a Wood-Mizer sawmill cutting a log,” says Krishna Wood Sawmill managing director Jinajunga Borisomoya. The former transport company owner delivered logs to sawmills in Kolwezi,…
It takes intuition, 75 years of experience, up-to-the-minute market knowledge, dedicated farmers and NCT’s resilient decision-making team to survive in the highly competitive biomass supply chain. Although it took 12 days in October 2023 to…
Wood-Mizer’s association with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) goes back to 1987 when the first Wood-Mizer thin-kerf narrow-bandsaws were introduced as an alternative to more traditional wide-band and circular sawblade saws. Sawmillers benefit from…
Nukor has welcomed Casadei-Busellato into its machinery range as a strategic response to the growing demand for space-saving machines for smaller, modern workshops. Casadei-Busellato, a distinguished Italian company specialising in secondary wood processing industry solutions,…
Talkmore Kanda is the marketing manager of Allied Timbers, Zimbabwe’s state-owned entity responsible for domestic and export timber sales under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. In a conversation with Justin Nyakudanga, he says the…
Sappi a leading producer of dissolving pulp sold under the brand name Verve has completed a verification against the Higg Facility Social and Labour Module (FSLM) at its Saiccor Mill, achieving a score of 91.5%.…
In the era of heightened concern for sustainability and conserving our planet’s resources, timber stands out as one of the few renewable construction materials, possessing the unique ability to store carbon and return to nature…
Structural design considerations and testing The eighth episode of Sawmilling South Africa’s (SSA’s) Talking Timber webinar series featured the University of Pretoria’s structural engineer, Dr Johann van der Merwe, and Stellenbosch University’s wood scientist, Prof…
Architecture and engineering postgrads and professionals are increasingly questioning their roles in designing and creating environmentally friendly “green” built environments rather than brick, cement and steel construction. They are considering the carbon lifecycles of their…
Dr Schalk Grobbelaar at Pretoria University suggests applying systems thinking to develop integrated and optimised housing solutions. This is different from traditional housing design that plugs various solutions into a shell without integrating them into…
The 13th annual Wood Conference is happening at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) on Wednesday 28 February 2024. This year the theme of the day-long event is “Shaping Africa’s Cities through Sustainable Construction.…
“If it weren’t for the commercial planting of trees from the early 1900s, the country’s indigenous forests would have been eliminated many years ago for our fuel, furniture and fibre needs”, asserts Roy Southey, CEO…
Speaking at Focus on Forestry in October 2023, Peet van Staden, Wood-Mizer’s senior industrial product specialist, said sawmilling is vital to the forestry value chain. However, it remains lagging in emerging markets. It has, in…
Merensky Timber has relocated its Cape Town Depot from Transnet Park in Belville to a new, purpose-built, expansive warehouse facility in Dynamo Way, Wimbledon Estate in Blackheath. It boasts a weighbridge, a CCA timber treatment…
The South African Saw Doctoring Education Association (SASDEA) recently convened its 23rd annual gathering of industry members and suppliers to discuss career pathing, saw shop operations, identifying and solving saw blade and related maintenance issues,…
Founded in Moussey, France, three generations ago, the family-owned Lemaire Sawmill has recently expanded and supplemented its large-diameter sawlog line with a new small-diameter processing facility with the assistance of Kallfass. Read the full story…
Wood-Mizer‘s edger and multi-rip ranges offer sawmillers affordable and scalable solutions that boost productivity, cutting accuracy and recovery levels for a competitive edge that builds bottom lines. Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/october-2023-issue-31/#october-2023-issue-31/44/
Nukor has been part of the South African wood processing sector for 63 years. Backed by world-leading technology suppliers, the company’s expertise is aligned with its customers’ flexible requirements for technology solutions that assist them…
Despite several challenges plaguing Mozambique’s sawmilling sector, the country’s sawmillers have responded favourably to Saw Services Lda’s eight-branch network established during the past decade. Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/september-2023-issue-30/#september-2023-issue-30/26/
Since Termolegno was established in 1994 by the Fornasier family, demand for the “100% designed and made in Italy” brand’s reliable and efficient drying solutions has grown enormously. Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/september-2023-issue-30/#september-2023-issue-30/24/
Tekwani’s Thornville Sawmill, twice the winner of the Crickmay & Associates sawmill performance benchmarking programme, has invested in an HTR100 Brunner-Hildebrand low-temperature high-pressure kiln to further improve its recovery. Read the full story here –…
The introduction of the JCB 530-70 Loadall to the South African market by Bell Equipment has brought owning a telehandler within easy reach of farmers looking for a versatile and capable tool for almost any…
Timbersoft-Kilns4Africa: In kiln drying, lumber is placed in a chamber where airflow, temperature and humidity are controlled to provide as rapid drying as can be tolerated by the lumber without increasing defects. Each kiln type…
“Every sawmill is unique. What works for one may not work for you”, Edward Ehlers and Christiaan (CJ) de Klerk of TF Design cautioned attendees at the South African Lumber Dryers Education Association (SALDEA) annual…
Roy Southey’s mantra, “Cut straight and dry flat”, was the focus of the 24th annual South African Lumber Dryer’s Education Association (SALDEA) diverse gathering of kiln drying veterans, soon-to-be-retirees, young graduates, academics and technology suppliers.…
“We have been through thick and thin in the past and survived. But nobody in the sawmilling industry can remember a time like this. Sawn timber sales are at an all-time low because the economy,…
Sawmilling is not all doom and gloom. When kiln managers, suppliers and drying experts get together they focus on shared learning, technologies, kiln controls, drying schedules and more. The annual meeting of the South African…
The topic of the seventh episode of the Sawmilling South Africa (SSA) Talking Timber seminar series was Detailing for Mass Timber Buildings. Samantha Choles of Frog Communications organised the event for SSA. Dr Schalk Grobbelaar…
Kurt Paul’s sons, Ruan and Christian, are the fourth generation following the family’s farming tradition. Today, 60% of KRC Farming’s activities are planted with pine, 30% for regular crops like maize, and the rest for…
Legislation requires South Africa’s forestry and sawmill companies to report GHG emissions and carbon sequestration. However, sawmills and other carbon tax-paying processors can’t offset emissions against the carbon stored in their products unless they own…
PG Bison‘s WoodChem factory, lying adjacent to its existing particleboard and upgrading facilities and developing MDF plant in Mkhondo, Mpumalanga, is the largest urea formaldehyde (UF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin producer and the only…
The supply of MDF in the Southern African market has been constrained for many years. That is all set to change in July 2024. With an investment of R1,875 billion, PG Bison‘s MDF Contiroll line…
The title refers to a Portuguese proverb about three brothers taking on the world. The Three Brothers Business Group is an inspiring story of three Mozambican brothers seeking a better life in South Africa. With…
Weiss Holzwerk, one of the largest, modern and sustainably managed sawn timber and pallet manufacturers in Bavaria, Germany wanted to guarantee a 24-hour delivery window for their customers by replacing their old cross-cut saw, introducing…
Bigstar subsidiary Panneaux d’Algérie recently produced the inaugural board on its new Dieffenbacher MDF plant in El Tarf, Algeria, the first continuous wood-based panel plant in North Africa. Dieffenbacher says its flexible CPS+ system is…
Wood-Mizer’s three stands at the Ligna 2023 trade show in Germany presented various new solutions and machines for turning logs into finished products profitably. Read the full story here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/june-2023-issue-27/#june-2023-issue-27/22/
Woodworking machine manufacturing specialist Wood-Mizer recently installed a heavy-duty, high recovery, and reduced labour industrial sawmill system at Nelson Wood Shims, the largest shim manufacturer in North America. The system features a TV6000 twin vertical…
Combining traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge engineering, Pinnacle-SA consistently develops innovative sawmilling machinery and automation solutions that streamlines timber production while minimising waste and maximising output. The company’s success is based on the technical knowledge and…
Forestry South Africa (FSA’s) Grower Development Programme has grown from assisting small-scale growers in company-affiliated schemes to securing funding and support for all new entrants, including those coming into the sector through land reform initiatives.…
After a Covid-induced break of four years, the Ligna trade show was back and Kallfass was delighted to return. Kallfass says the visitor frequency at its fair booth was high and included South African companies.…
The Weinig and Holz-Her brands met with lively interest from Ligna visitors. The Weinig Group used the occasion to inform the industry about its investments in research and development, building a new logistics system, lifetime…
Engineers at Leuco, a global woodworking tooling manufacturer, have found inspiration in nature and integrated the Fibonacci principle into their cutting-edge tools. The Fibonacci principle is based on the Fibonacci sequence, where each number is…
After a four-year hiatus, LIGNA 2023 did not disappoint. Visitors discovered the latest logyard, sawmilling, woodworking, wood processing, engineered wood products and biomass machinery technologies and trends. The show highlighted themes of sustainability, the green…
Boison Sawmill is part of a group that serves the building and civil engineering construction in Ghana. Its Wood-Mizer equipment ensure that it provides an effective value for money service to its customers while delivering…
AFGRI Equipment Construction and Forestry is excited to announce the opening of its Tzaneen branch in Limpopo, South Africa. The new branch offers a full range of John Deere Equipment, including construction, forestry, agriculture, residential…
Sawmilling South Africa’s (SSA’s) Talking Timber webinar series aims to overcome misconceptions about wood as a structural material by informing architects, engineers, insurance companies, regulatory authorities, academics, and developers about engineered timber products, innovative mass…
One of South Africa’s leading forestry companies is taking its mechanised harvesting machine operator training programmes to the next level by investing in a cutting-edge Ponsse Full Simulator training system. The virtual training environment is…
Congratulations to Tekwani’s Empuluzi Sawmill for participating in the Crickmay & Associates Intermill Comparison (IMC) and attaining the 2023 Sawmill Improvement Award. You can read more on this here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/may-2023-issue-26/#may-2023-issue-26/22/
Optimism increased slightly during the annual Sawmilling South Africa (SSA) general meeting on the back of Michael Peter’s surprisingly positive spin on the electricity crisis, biomass co-gen opportunities for sawmills, mass timber construction and SSA’s…
The York Timbers sponsored “Timber in Context” competition challenges designers to explore new structural and ecological possibilities of timber construction through innovation in contemporary and traditional wooden materials in designing a Biodiversity Skills Centre that…
The STIHL MS 500i chainsaw is the world’s first chainsaw featuring STIHL injection technology that replaces the carburettor with fuel injection, dramatically improving the startup (no choke), fuel consumption, efficiency, and the machine’s acceleration. It…
“If you’re considering purchasing woodworking machinery, it’s important to do your research, compare features and prices, and consider factors like customer service and support before making a decision”, advises Leon Fourie of the CMC Group.…
Woodworking machine specialist Michael Weinig reports that it agreed at the end of March to acquire majority shares in HIT Maschinenbau and HIT Keilzinkentechnik. The move will add automation and mechanisation to Weinig’s portfolio while…
What do an agronomist (Maswazi Mkhtshwa), an accountant (Jabulile Kunene), and a pharmacist (Kholiwe Shabangu) have in common? You’d probably say nothing; however, they are cousins and partners in Khojama Investments, an eSwatini contract harvesting…
Mass Timber Technologies (MTT), an engineered mass timber prefabrication company is producing over 250m3 of mass timber per month and has recently completed manufacturing a four-storey building. MTT plans to increase its output to over…
Criterion Africa Partners (CAP), in a co-investment with FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, has completed an investment of up to US$20 million each in Merensky Timber, one of the leading integrated timber products companies…
Top achievers in Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) George campus. received special awards for their excellence in the diploma and higher certificate studies. Read more on this here…
From the log infeed upstream of the sawmill to the finished board made of cross-laminated timber (CLT), the entire material flow at the new facility of best wood Schneider in Messkirch, Germany, occurs with minimal…
The owner of Duva Timbers, 25-year-old Pieter van der Linde, sidesteps log supply shortages with his timber assets and meets market needs with Wood-Mizer equipment to ensure the sawmill’s future growth. Van der Linde attributes…
A substantial saving in fuel consumption has justified the purchase of new and more efficient material handling equipment for a Mpumalanga-based manufacturer of timber products. You can read more on this here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/march-2023-issue-24/?fb3d-page=16
It is a tough time to be a South African sawmiller. Economic growth is stagnant, and the timber market is at its worst ever. Electricity and, therefore, production are intermittent. Stocks are piling up. Mills…
Pinnacle-South Africa, the Southern Cape’s sawmill machinery producer, recently designed and manufactured a purpose-built chain- and belt-less screw-feed log singulator for an international client. Read more about this here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/january-2023-issue-22/#january-2023-issue-22/30/
Peter Sorfa dedicated 42 years to South Africa’s sawmilling industry as a researcher, leader, expert consultant, educator and friend to many. His friend for 40 years, Henri du Plessis says Peter had an unrivalled in-depth…
Many medium to large sawmills in Africa either discard or sell their sawmill waste or use some of it to fuel the boilers producing steam for their kilns. Brazilian sawmill equipment supplier, Raphael Rosa says…
Many people underestimate the contribution of the pulp and paper industry in making everyday products such as toilet paper, envelopes, packaging paper or office paper, or how paper is recycled. The Paper Manufacturers Association of…
Cutting Edge, Wood-Mizer’s dealer in Zimbabwe, is rolling out new service delivery solutions for the country’s sawmilling and forestry industries. Read more on this here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/january-2023-issue-22/#january-2023-issue-22/24/
Imagine a sawmill operating at peak efficiency, value recovery, throughput performance, and safety. Technology quality controls the process while mill staff are deployed for higher-level analytical work and manual quality control measurement for PLC correction…
The sold-out NCT order book for 2023 and the recently announced wattle price increase testify to the growing global importance of the species to NCT and its members. The cooperative is confident of the continued…
Stellenbosch University wood scientist Dr. Adefemi Alade is the International Academy of Wood Science 2022 winner for the most outstanding PhD research dissertation. Read more on this here – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/january-2023-issue-22/#january-2023-issue-22/14/
JRM Pallets in Hectorspruit, Mpumalanga, is impressed with the quality of the lumber and recovery achieved by the Wood-Mizer WB2000 pine structural timber line commissioned in April 2022. Read more on this – https://www.woodbizafrica.co.za/november-december-2022-issue-21/#november-december-2022-issue-21/34/
Stora Enso’s new EUR 79-million production site for cross-laminated timber (CLT) at Ždírec, in the Czech Republic, strengthens the Scandinavian company’s position as a leading provider of wood-based building solutions. The estimated annual production capacity…
It’s easy to fall into a groove by doing the same thing every day. Unfortunately, it is a dangerous place to be. You start to miss critical things, seeing them but not recognising them as…
Europe’s second largest pallet producer, the family-owned Juodeliai Group, has sawmills in Akmenynai, Jure, Radviliskio and Mrijampole in Lithuania and aims to produce 630,000 cubic metres of pallet blanks and elements in 2022, generating €200-million…
Ask a seasoned sawmiller about value-adding at the mill, and the immediate answer is, “it starts in the log yard”. From the gate to the infeed, the purpose of the logyard is to kickstart the…
USNR, a division of Wood Technologies International, has acquired Timber Automation, an industry leader in wood processing equipment and technology. The amalgamation solidifies USNR’s leadership position in providing equipment and technology to the global wood…
By Joy Crane Geographical proximity and the similarity of its pine resource make South Africa a compelling alternative supplier of softwood timber to Australia. In 2020-21 Australia imported 66,3% of its softwood supplies from Europe,…
Radical change is afoot in South Africa’s primary and secondary wood processing industries. If any sawmillers think it is “business as usual”, then they did not attend (or stream) Sawmilling South Africa (SSA’s) first face-to-face…
Congratulations to Merensky Timber’s Langeni Sawmill for participating in the Crickmay & Associates Intermill Comparison and attaining the 2022 Sawmill Improvement Award. Andrew Crickmay announced the winner in June during Sawmilling South Africa’s (SSA’s) annual…
Sawmilling South Africa (SSA) is stepping up its campaign to promote wood’s invaluable role in the country’s future. It launched its new corporate colours, branding and slogan “we saw the future” at its Annual General…
No matter how high-tech the sawmill, preparing a kiln-dried workpiece for the market usually involves a few standard processes – ripping or edging, cross-cutting, and planing. When it comes to cross-cutting, especially if there is…
Wood-Mizer pulled out the stops at Grain SA’s Nampo Harvest Day 2022, the largest agricultural expo in the Southern Hemisphere! According to Toit Wessels, Grain SA’s assistant manager for marketing and Nampo, about 73,000 visitors…
Wood-Mizer invites African sawmillers to become part of the company’s network of satisfied and productive customers. Etienne Nagel of Wood-Mizer explains the manufacturer’s service philosophy: Our sawmilling technology is class-leading and spans sawmilling and manufacturing,…
Board selection and sorting throughout the milling process assists sawmills in selecting cutting patterns and products standards for their market segments and is essential for quality assurance. Unfortunately, the sorting method often damages boards and…
Sawmillers and furniture manufacturers in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia increasingly specify tooling from the extensive Wood-Mizer Tools range. Industry veteran Grant Smith is Wood-Mizer’s tooling sales manager in Africa. He ensures that his…
