In the first quarter of 2006, following an investment in three new kilns just 18 months ago, International Timber (IT) is investing £250,000 to add four more at its Parkend site.
Demolition work is already under way to house the four units, supplied by Kiln Services, and once in place they will give the company arguably the most modern kilning plant in the UK.
Parkend has long been IT’s kilning centre and, backed by 28 years’ experience, the kilns will focus on both hardwood and softwood as the company makes further inroads into opportunities in the construction and packaging industries.
“2005 was our first full year of operating with the latest technology and additional capacity and the budget we set for heat treatment in 2005 has proven to be modest,” said Steve Howard, regional director responsible for Parkend. “We exceeded our budget expectations for 2005 by 50% and the increased capacity for the new kilns will enable us to pick up still more heat treatment business.
“As well as looking to the packaging industry we made a valuable contribution to the construction sector during 2005, dedicating part of our kilning capacity to process high value cladding materials.
“Timber is regarded more now as an engineered product with exacting tolerances and we need to deliver the finest quality processing and continue to enhance the value of our product in the market place. Additional benefits from our investment have come from fuel and energy cost savings which have softened the effects of the recent escalation in fuel prices.
“Our decision to opt for the same plant from Kiln Services was mainly due to the excellent overall condition of the material exiting the kiln. Though the process is slightly faster, the process yields less degrade and produces much greater uniformity in moisture content. Above all else the kilns add additional opportunities to our offer. We can (and do) take on specific requirements and this differentiates us from our competitors. A timber importer with modern kiln plant is a rarity in the UK.”
Custom built
The equipment has been built to IT’s specification and comprises four direct fork lift loading kilns, each with has a capacity to hold approximately 70m3 of timber.
The control systems supplied with the kilns provide the latest in timber drying technology: the MP4032 microprocessor allows the operator to input, display and store data from one central control.
Drying processes for over 250 species of wood are included in the software and the system also allows the operator to modify or design bespoke programs. Each program can have an unlimited number of drying steps allowing for changes to temperature, equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and air velocity. A modem link enables the kilns to be monitored remotely via a telephone line. The accurate control of the EMC critical, particularly when drying high value hardwoods.
IT’s kilns use a high pressure humidification system which supplies water to the spray heads at a pressure of 1,400lbs/in2 (or 95 bar). This produces minute droplets around 30 microns in size which evaporate immediately. The spray resembles a fine mist which penetrates all parts of the timber stack. This allows the EMC to be achieved quickly, resulting in faster and more efficient drying times as well as improved product quality.
“This further investment shows our ongoing commitment to kiln drying timber in the UK,” said Tony Miles, commercial director. “We will continue with our strategy to look at value-added opportunities that allow us to develop in our chosen markets.”
