The new kilns, which have a capacity of 340 cubic metres per week, are two-way entry, allowing material to be loaded and unloaded in either direction. In addition, new covered areas adjacent to the kilns have been created, which protect the undried timber waiting for kilning and the dried timber once it has left the kilns, helping ensure a higher quality end product.
James Jones’ General Manager for the Northern Mills, Neil Snedden commented: “Having the extra kilns significantly increases our capacity. This is allowing us to meet the increasing demand for KD timber, in particular for our agricultural fencing range where our 15 year warranted, kiln dried and treated, redwood posts and strainers are becoming more and more popular with customers wanting peace of mind.”
An interesting consequence of installing the new kilns is that James Jones will be supplying more timber with the moisture content reduced to below 20%. This means that the timber will weigh less for a given volume, which in turns mean around five less truck journeys from Mosstodloch each week, resulting in approximately four tonnes less of CO2 emitted each week from haulage.
As well as the new kilns, James Jones has purchased additional land next to the Mosstodloch site to give space to expand the timber storage on site and for any future capacity expansion.
James Jones & Sons Ltd is the UK’s most diversified, family owned timber processor.