The deal is part of a continued UK export programme from BSW’s Dalbeattie, Fort William and Newbridge-on-Wye mills. This has so far seen 35,000 cubic metres of sawn timber shipped overseas, equating to 675 containers, including a major shipment to Alexandria in Egypt in late 2012.
The export deal from BSW’s Dalbeattie mill follows recent significant on-site investment, including installation of a brown treatment tank and multi-head cross cutting facilities for the mill’s added-value fencing products.
Welcoming the deal, Ian Murchie, mill manager at Dalbeattie said: “We are seeing increased demand from international markets for our home-grown sawn timber - especially in Central Europe, the Middle East and China.
Our considerable investment programme in the site here in Dalbeattie means we are well placed to meet this demand, and look forward to announcing further export deals in the near future.”
BSW Timber’s GBP 7 million ($10.6 million) investment programme at the Dalbeattie mill since the company acquired the site in 2009 has increased annual productivity from 230,000 cubic metres of sawn timber to more than 350,000 cubic metres. This included the installation of a new planer and grader line which will almost double production of Easi-Edge™ construction timber from 65,000 cubic metres to 120,000 cubic metres each year.
Manufacture of this added-value timber product is further increased by investment in a new stacker system to improve operational efficiencies and produce an additional 50,000 cubic metres of Easi-Edge volume.
The Dalbeattie site is also benefits from investment in a new heat source facility for the operation and kilns. The biomass boiler uses the site’s natural timber by-products to produce enough heat energy to sustainably supply the increased demand on the site.
