Key employees at Wynndel Lumber Sales Ltd., headquartered in Wynndel, B.C., include Dirk Kunze, sales manager; Michael Wigen, general manager; and Colin Parsons, mill manager.
Wynndel Lumber Sales Steps Up
Wynndel, B.C.—Over the last number of years, a dichotomy has developed in the S4S board market. There are those on the lower side of quality who beat each other up on price, and then there are those that compete to put out a surfaced one-inch product that is second-to-none.
Wynndel Lumber Sales Ltd. has stepped up and staked its future on the latter choice. The company recently installed the most advanced finish line for ESLP (Engelmann Spruce-Lodgepole Pine) boards in North America, and is positioning itself to be a leader in both quality and efficiency of production.
The flagship of the new line is a LMC 2008 Super Thundermac planer/moulder, which is the largest board moulder ever delivered to North America. It is 9-feet wide, 24-feet long and weighs over 80,000 pounds. The 7,200-rpm, 20-knife heads will impart 14 knife cuts per inch on 1x4 thru 1x12 ESLP eased-edge boards. The control and precision hold-downs will give the eased-edge product exacting tolerances. The line is complemented with three slowdown grading stations, an automatic trimmer, end stamping for grade and end waxing to eliminate end splits and improve yard ability. Trim loss and machine defects will be minimized, which will
Wynndel recently installed a LMC 2008 Super Thundermac planer/moulder, which is 9-feet wide, 24-feet long and weighs over 80,000 pounds.
allow Wynndel to target and maximize optimal tallies.
“We are not the first producer to enter into the arena of premium boards,” said Dirk Kunze, sales manager for Wynndel. “However, we have invested over $6 million to put ourselves in the best seat in the house.”
The moulder line is the crown jewel of the many upgrades made over the past five years. Prior to this, capital improvements were targeted on the sawmill side of the operation. The sawmill can now efficiently produce over 70 million FBM (foot board measure) of high-end, one-inch boards. The sawmill bin sorter has both quality and moisture pulls, which targets the fiber to the proper end finished product.
The Creston Valley area in which Wynndel operates is geographically isolated from the major Pine beetle infestations, and allows the company to harvest some of the brightest cleanest fiber in western Canada.
Aside from board production, Wynndel also runs about 8.5 million FBM of pattern stock through a Wadkin moulder. “We are currently running at full capacity, but will benefit from the installation of a new Weinig Hydromat 2000 also being installed this
The company also added a new finish line building for ESLP (Engelmann Spruce-Lodgepole Pine) boards.
summer,” Kunze said. “This will more than double our output of paneling, and allow us to expand our customer base in pattern and siding. With in-house priming, we will also be able to target any of our specialty forest products through the vacuum coater line to output high-end trim products destined for wholesale distribution throughout the continent. If change is one of the keys to success in an adverse market, then we will come out of this sitting pretty.”
Kunze noted that wood is the future of the green building movement, and Wynndel is positioning itself to be a leader in the industry. “We don’t need to find new ways to use plastics and petroleum products to make decking and sidings or any other fake wood products,” he said. “Wood has a charm and a warmth that you can’t get from extrusion.”
Wynndel markets all of its products under the Wynnwood trademark. Among the many products manufactured by Wynndel Lumber Sales include Wynnwood ESLP boards, premium fascia, siding, flooring and paneling.
This photo shows the infeed to Wynndel’s three slowdown grading stations.
Michael Wigen, general manager, added, “All the upgrades made over the last five years have positioned us to continue well into our fourth generation as a family run business. The family has hired key management personnel to add to our strength and make us a force in the board market. We have greatly expanded our quality control right from our log breakdown to our paper wrapping. Automation and improved processes have given us the products to move forward with a greater sense of pride and confidence.”
For more information, contact Wynndel Lumber Sales at 250-866-5266, visit www.wynndellumber.com or wynbox@uniserve.com
This picture shows the moulder infeed landing table.
This is a photo of the infeed to the Super Thundermac moulder.
