J.D. Irving's Veneer Sawmill invests over C$1M to upgrade its Tie Line, including two new robots used to automate the process of lifting ties and pallet blocks; ties are large square pieces of hardwood, often recognized from their use in railways

Sample article from our Wood & Building Products

February 25, 2022 (press release) –

Over the past few months, J.D. Irving's Veneer Sawmill has been upgrading their Tie Line. Ties are large square pieces of hardwood, often recognized from their use in railways. The sawmill has gone through over $1 million in upgrades, including two new robots on the Tie Line. Buckdjeuve and Tie-Rex, as they've been called will automate the process of lifting ties and pallet blocks, which can weigh hundreds of pounds each. 

A vacuum system was used to lift ties prior to the robots

 

"It’s great to finally have our new robots set up and functioning, they're going to create a much safer and more ergonomic environment for our employees. We're happy that we can invest in our sawmills in a way that improves the overall safety and job satisfaction for our employees," says Susan Coulombe, General Manager of Hardwood with Sawmills.

Historically, the sawmill industry was very labour-intensive. Sawing a log used to require one person on each end of a saw pulling back and forth. Today, robots and machinery do a lot of the heavy lifting, making for far safer operations. These two new pieces of technology will work seamlessly, side by side in the mill, unloading product from the line and stacking it for shipping. They will be lifting ties and pallet blocks off the line and stack them for shipment. While the ties were previously lifted by using an overhead-vacuum, the pallet blocks were moved by hand, a safety risk that has now been remedied.

 

The robots can effortlessly lift these 7"x9"x8'5" pieces

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.

See our dashboard in action - schedule an demo
Jason Irving
Jason Irving
- SVP Enterprise Solutions -

We offer built-to-order wood & building products coverage for our clients. Contact us for a free consultation.

About Us

We deliver market news & information relevant to your business.

We monitor all your market drivers.

We aggregate, curate, filter and map your specific needs.

We deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

Our Contacts

1990 S Bundy Dr. Suite #380,
Los Angeles, CA 90025

+1 (310) 553 0008

About Cookies On This Site

We collect data, including through use of cookies and similar technology ("cookies") that enchance the online experience. By clicking "I agree", you agree to our cookies, agree to bound by our Terms of Use, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. For more information on our data practices and how to exercise your privacy rights, please see our Privacy Policy.