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ANTHONY TIMBERLANDS, Inc. IN THE MIDST OF MODERNIZATION
As the new millenium nears, Anthony Timberlands, Inc. (ATI) finds
itself in the midst of what has become a ten year modernization
phase which has encompassed each of its primary manufacturing
sites at Bearden, Malvern and Beirne.
Begun in the mid 90s at its flagship mill in Bearden, to date
nearly $35 million in plant improvements have been made or
committed to. Additional projects near approval or are still on
the drawing board.
In 1994, Phase I of what was envisioned as a three phase
modernization project began at ATI-Bearden with construction of a
66 bay vertical bin sorter replacing an older 45 bay sling sorter
which was no longer sufficient to handle the volume of production
or range of products being manufactured at the Bearden mill. This
was quickly followed up by Phase II, construction of a fully
optimized and computerized remanufacturing mill which went on
line in fall, 1995. Phase III at Bearden nears completion with
installation of a quad band sharp chain and curve sawing
versi-gang. This new mill replaces an older small log processing
center and features more accurate scanning and positioning
mechanisms as well as a more flexible and higher production
system.
The ATI-Malvern mill has likewise seen substantial improvement,
beginning with a new Planer Mill which went on line in 1997,
allowing green-end expansion. Also becoming operational in 1997
was a new small log processing sharp chain. The new mill allows
high speed conversion of small logs, previously a problem for the
Malvern mill.
At Beirne, 1997 (a very busy year!) saw the replacement of an
older end dogging quad band mill with a new computer optimized
quad band maxi-mill. Greatly enhanced scanning and positioning
capibilities yeild greater recovery of high grade oak lumber.
Four additional dry kilns have also been constructed to handle
the increased volume of production. While computer optimization
is somewhat rare in hardwoods, ATI has been a pioneer in this
area, and is currently investigating optimized remanufacturing
equipment for installation in the coming years.
These are just a few of the biggest projects undertaken at the
ATI millsites over the past five years. Dozens of smaller jobs
have been completed or are on-going. Completion of these projects
will position the various ATI mills to remain leaders in
innovation and survivors in the very competitive South Arkansas
forest products industry.
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