HELENA — Marks Lumber temporarily shut down in January of this year to make upgrades to the mill. Those upgrades have improved safety and efficiency at the operation.
“Demand for our products has just been overwhelming for the past several years, which we really appreciate. And secondly, we're always concerned about safety. And so, anything we can do to make this a safer and more productive thing is investment that Steve’s going to want to make. And so, we're just at the point where we needed to think big and make these kind of major investments,” says Operations Manager at Marks Lumber, Jeremy Glatz.
Marks Lumber has made some changes to its lumber mill. These changes include a new edger, a new trimmer, and new dry storage areas. Because of the new heavy-duty machinery, changes to electrical equipment had to be made, as well. This included a new service road. The changes to the lumber mill do two-fold good. For one, they make operations more efficient and productive. And two, they keep the workers safer.
“Yeah, we're just starting to get faster than we were, but it's coming along nicely, yep,” says Glatz.
The new equipment helps mitigate risk. Workers' hands come in contact with the machines less often. Additionally, the mental and physical energy of doing repeat tasks is lessened, further protecting the employees.
“Much less manual board handling. So less reaching into rolls or reaching over rolls, and just picking up heavy things. That's a key thing. Also, we think it's going to be easier to run once we get the hang of it. So, it’s going to be a little bit decrease mental energy and mental stress,” says Glatz.
This upcoming Friday, Marks Lumber will host an open house for all. This event is part of Montana Forest Products Week and welcomes the public to come to tour the mill. The event is from 9 AM – 3 PM.
