Richmond, BC—Terminal Forest Products Ltd. (TFP), headquartered here, specializes in the manufacture of high quality Western Red Cedar lumber products at state-of-the-art facilities. The company produces approximately 100 million board feet of value-added Western Red Cedar lumber annually.
Owner and Chairman Asa Johal immigrated to Canada in 1924; he has since become one of British Columbia’s prominent businessmen. At 19 years old he started a successful trucking operation. By 1962, he established his sawmilling operation at Mitchell Island and turned it into one of the provinces most efficient and technologically advanced facilities.
TFP started on just 3.5 acres. Over the years Johal continued to purchase adjoining properties and today the site encompasses over 32 acres.
Terminal Forest Products Ltd. (TFP), headquartered in Richmond, BC, specializes in the manufacture of high quality Western Red Cedar lumber products at state-of-the-art facilities.
Product offerings for Terminal Forest Products include: Clear full length in vertical grain; flat grain and high quality Clear bevels and panels as well as many other products; finger jointed material in high quality Clear blocks joined to 16-19-and 20-foot lengths; and tight knot decking, bevel siding and panels.
In 1973 Johal purchased the assets of Burke Lumber in Vancouver. That operation’s name was changed to Mainland Sawmills Ltd. The company has operated as a custom cut sawmill ever since. In 1978 Johal purchased a five-acre parcel in Vancouver and built a remanufacturing plant. At that time the remanufacturing plant was the most modern in the Pacific Northeast with the newest technologies. The operation was utilizing a state-of-the-art finger jointer and one of the first computerized chop optimizing saws.
By 1986 Terminal Forest Products obtained its first forest license through the purchase of L&K Lumber Ltd. With that purchase also came the Langdale log-sorting yard.
The firm’s dry land log sorting facility in Langdale, BC, is a state-of-the-art waste-free operation. Approximately one million cubic meters of logs are custom sorted annually at this facility and customers are offered ISO and chain-of-custody certification. Over 30,000 units of wood chips and hog fuel are produced, loaded and barged from Langdale each year.
In 1990 Terminal Forest Products became an international company with the purchase of South Everson Lumber Company Inc. (SELCO).
SELCO’s operations include a variety of processing lines including moulders, planers, resaws, finger joint/edge glue lines as well as dry kilns.
SELCO’s operations include a variety of processing lines including moulders, planers, resaws, finger joint/edge glue lines as well as dry kilns. It is the largest Cedar remanufacturing plant in the industry, according to Johal.
TFP markets all of its products through stocking distributors. “We rely on our distribution partners to flow our product to the marketplace. They are able to stock our wide range of products and get the highest value for our product mix,” he said.
Starting in the woods TFP monitors the quality of products to ensure the optimum value of every tree is maximized. Working side-by-side with supply partners TFP assists them in obtaining the best product and the best value from each log, using sustainable forest practices. Among the largest buyers of coastal Cedar saw logs, TFP has created long-term relationships with First Nations suppliers, independent logging companies and other larger integrated companies.
High-quality Western Red Cedar logs are procured from the coast of British Columbia. Logs arrive at the sawmill by water and are sawn into rough, green lumber. The lumber is next sorted according to size and grade in preparation for further manufacture at the planer mill. At the planer mill, the lumber is blanked, trimmed, regraded and sorted to length. From the planer, most production moves on for kiln drying and further finishing at the remanufacturing plants.
When asked about the key factors involved in the company’s continued success, Johal said, “We are fully committed to providing durable, naturally beautiful products. In response to the increased demand for high grade, value-added products, we have undergone tremendous growth and modernization.”
Classic and Cascadia tight knot decking in 2x4 and 2x6.
An example of that growth is the expansion of the company’s Terminal division. “The mill now encompasses a modern two-line high speed sawmill, planer mill, re-saw plant, four gas-fired dry kilns and a chip and waste loading facility,” said Johal. A new sorting/re-sawing facility is currently under construction with the site expanding from 32 to 40 acres.
Johal continued, “Quality and customer focus are critical components of our success. Our wide range of superior quality products make us a preferred supplier to many of our customers.”
Ted Dergousoff joined the company in 2011 as COO. “Dergousoff has many years of industry experience and brings a clear and exiting vision to our company in the years ahead,” Johal said. Mike McInnes joined the Terminal family as sales manager in 2013. “Mike also brings with him a lot of experience in this industry,” Johal added. “His focus has been on building customer relationships as well as insuring our customers’ expectations are met or exceeded.”
Demonstrating their continued commitment to sustainability, TFP obtained Sustainable Forestry Initiative and International Organization for Standardization certification. “We take our responsibility as environmental stewards very seriously,” Johal noted. “Our manufacturing facilities are constantly upgraded with the latest technologies to reduce emissions and pollutants into the air and water. Many of the environmental initiatives Terminal has taken over the years are regarded as benchmarks in our industry.
Product offerings for Terminal Forest Products include: finger jointed material joined to 16’-19’ and 20’ lengths, producing Clear VG and FG finger jointed bevels and panels.
“Since opening the first Terminal Forest Products sawmill in the early 1960’s, there have been many changes in the forestry industry,” Johal concluded. “Technology, environmental concerns, political and buying trends have influenced the way this and other forest companies now do business. In light of all of these changes, we remain steadfastly committed to our founding belief: To grow our business through strong relationships with our customers and communities.”
