¢ Local 1-417 member and strapping operator Brian Simpson with lifts of Pourform specialty plywood at Savona operation in B.C. Interior. CANADIAN PLYWOOD CANADIAN PLYWOOD FIER ay Sid. CANADIAN PLYWOOD Ainsworth Plywood specialty plant growing by Dan Keeton n Savona, B.C., sits a mill that shines like a beacon in a sea of trouble. The veneer plant owned by Ainsworth Lumber Co. is not only keeping its head above water — it’s been growing by leaps and bounds the past few years. The mill produces mainly plywood forms for poured concrete construc- tion. Located in a small community roughly mid-way between Kamloops and Cache Creek, the Savona Spe- ciality Plywood division has cus- tomers around the world — and no downturn in markets to worry about. In the office of I.W.A. Canada Local 1-417, president Doug Pockett figures Savona’s success could trans- late into more jobs at the Ainsworth mill in Lillooet, which produces sheathing for Savona. “The new markets out there for value-added products could put on a third shift,” he commented in a February inter- view. Local financial secretary Joe Davies says plywood divisions are more labour-intensive than, for example, sawmills, which have been closing in the district. Fortunately Ainsworth has invested substan- tially in that division. “If they hadn’t rebuilt when they did, they would've been gone,” said Davies. Ainsworth’s Savona mill has cus- tomers around the world. In addi- tion to pourform plywood the mill also produces other items including road signs for Texas — all of them — and non-slip decking for trucks. Rod Whettell is the personable manager of the mill. He moved to that position about two years back after heading the company’s sales department. Whettell proudly dis- played to a visitor several photos of major construction projects around the world that used Ainsworth pour- form veneer. These include the Kai Tek airport terminal in Hong Kong, the Confed- eration Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. “About 30 per cent of our product goes to Europe, especially the United Kingdom, explained. “In fact, most of the con- crete plywood forming used in the UK comes from us.” Ainsworth’s claim to fame is the resin paper coating that goes on all its pourform plywood. Traditional construction plywood required the use of oil to prevent the concrete from adhering to the form. The Whettell result is that such wood can only be reused a few times. But for what is called “crane-set” forms, builders want something better. “They want a panel they can use 40 or 50 times,” Whettell related. “That’s when they go for this type of product.” < The Savona mill is close to being unique in Canada. “We have two small competitors in Canada, and four or five in the United States,” Whettell commented. “I don’t think Tm speaking out of turn when I say we produce the best quality product in North America.” The mill uses exclusively douglas fir for its products. Sheets are trucked in from the mill at Lillooet; some years ago the company decided to do away with the peeler operation at its former mill site in Savona. The current plant was built in 1988 fol- lowing a decision to concentrate on speciality rather than mass com- modity plywood. Ainsworth has followed through on that decision with a regular regi- men of capitalization. Last summer the mill acquired a new “scarfer,” which glues sheets together-to achieve a desired length and making it unnecessary to maintain different inventories of logs. A new grade camera analyzes and sorts sheets for quality. The plant also has acquired a new veneer dryer. Improved technology ofteri means less jobs at many mills. It’s just the opposite at Ainsworth’s Savona mill. “We created about 15 new jobs at least with the scarfer and the dryer,” said Whettell. Mill worker Ed Repka started about three years ago and estimated there are some 40 work- ers with less seniority. The mill employs about 150. “In the last three to four years we've spent about $12 million on this mill and $7 million on the veneer plant in Lillooet,” Whettell related. “We’ve grown rather than reduced and I think that’s pretty important to the I.W.A.” The Savona mill often produces specific panels for customers which requires a good deal of knowledge by the crew. Whettell credits “good communication from the market to the plant floor.” And the workers themselves decide on goals, he noted. “We all have a vested interest to keep our jobs going.” While not being reduced in num- bers by the new technology, workers at the mill have definitely seen their jobs change. Skills upgrading is important. Such is the case with electrician Ken Rau, who now bears the title, “programmable logic coor- dinator.” From a laptop computer Rau runs the mill’s switches, lights and panels. “I even have access from home,” Rau noted. He took training at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, but noted that, “most of it, you learn here. The technology in this business is really moving fast.” Strapper operator Brian Simpson has worked at the plant 15 years and has seen a lot of changes. In an interview he took an almost propri- ety air to his job. “The scarfer and composer have increased the quality of our produc- tion. Quality — that’s why we're not going the way of the dinosaur,” he asserted. Simpson said he thinks the com- pany and the union do best working together. Whettell concurred. “It’s not the com; or the man- agement that makes this quality — it’s the people here,” he stated. “We’re on a relentless hunt for improvement.” ° Veneer patcher Wendy Bonner upgrades sheets. : ° Grading Texas veneer at the with a panel turner at the grading station is union member Gord Laveay. 12/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1999