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Timber mill cutting new profits

The A&J Scott sawmill in Northumberland is on course to increase its turnover by over £1m after engineers from the North East Productivity Alliance (NEPA) held a series of resource saving masterclasses at the plant.

One of the efficiency savings will be made after the company fully automated one of their industrial saws - as a result of the reduced down time turnover will increase by as much as £675,000.

The NEPA team is currently working with A&J Scott on analysing another of the saws that may be producing too many woodchips. By adjusting the process so that more boards are recovered from each tree it is estimated that profits could be boosted by over £100,000 per year.

It has provided a major boost for the company, based in Wooperton, north of Alnwick, which has continued to operate successfully despite a fire ripping through the timber yard in September.

Rosemary Bertram, A&J Scott finance director said: “I think we were all amazed at what we achieved in such a short time. Our data collection so far has proven that by adopting all the lean manufacturing techniques learned on the NEPA masterclass we can achieve an increase in turnover of £1.1m. “I am delighted that our business has had the opportunity to use the knowledge of the NEPA team.”

NEPA engineer Dave Brown, who conducted one of the NEPA masterclasses with the company, said: “Our focus was to ensure that all the saws and machinery were working to their absolute capacity and producing the best possible outcomes for the client. Taking waste and inefficiencies out of the business and locking in new techniques was key for this project. “One of the key parts of the master class that we provide is sustainability, to make sure that what we teach is maintained in the business after we leave, right the way from the shop floor through to management and A&J Scott.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .