Every mill and woodyard wants to improve, especially in regions featuring competitive markets. Efficiency and strong relationships with suppliers make for more successful businesses. To that end, the Forest Resources Association (FRA) has facilitated hundreds of workshops about wood fiber supply chain relationships and developed a list of best practices that woodyards and mills can follow.
Relationships
The FRA found that the most successful woodyard operations were built on strong relationships between the mill and the supplier.
Their list of recommendations includes:
- Announcing scheduled shutdowns and maintenances in advance to suppliers and coordinated with suppliers if at all possible
- Having woodyard workers get to know the log truckers on a first-name basis
- Training woodyard staff to be courteous and professional
- Getting procurement and other personnel on site in the habit of communicating quickly and clearly to suppliers, including giving timely feedback
Following these best practices, the FRA says, can lead to a more efficient process and a healthier relationship between the mill and suppliers who provide wood.
Facility & Equipment
The FRA has been working to establish standards for a safe and productive working environment, and to that end they recommend:
- Making the woodyard safe for suppliers during delivery
- Maintaining unbinding racks so that they don’t damage the trucks hauling the logs
- Having personnel available to help with unmanned scales if there is a problem
- Making sure woodyard spaces are clean and orderly
- Equipping a facility with the ability to unload roundwood loads to help truckers deliver full payloads
- Providing a rest area for truckers during offload
The best facilities are those that are orderly, organized, well-maintained, and safe for everyone involved.
Delivery
Finally, the FRA established best practices involving wood delivery, including:
- Coordinating with suppliers to make sure delivery times coincide with supplier schedules
- Helping make truck turnaround time as efficient and reliable as possible
- Providing additional unloading equipment if a queue develops
- Sticking to a weekly or monthly quota as closely as possible
All of the above practices can make the relationship between the mill and woodyard and its suppliers a healthier, more productive one for everyone involved.
Southern Field provides maintenance for woodyards and facilities in the pulp & paper industry. Contact the team for a quote on maintaining your facility with our team of expert technicians.