Irish sawmiller ECC Teo has completed a €5m investment in a new planing and added-value production line.
The development at ECC’s Corr na Mona site in Co Galway is a response to a move in the UK construction market towards PAR eased edge material. ECC’s new ECCedge timber brand is added to the company’s stable of products.
Its exports have grown to more than 75,000m³ or 50% of output, enabling the company to maintain production at almost full capacity over the last few years.
“The timber industry has proved itself extremely resilient over the past three years despite obvious difficulties facing it,” said ECC managing director PJ Fahy. “We feel that timber as a commodity has a lot of potential going forward and this investment is proof of that.”
The new line, which further shortens lead times, includes high-speed grading, planing and a sorting facility complemented by resawing, pointing, cross-cutting and a capacity of more than 500m³ per shift.
ECC said the line could efficiently produce a variety of products while satisfying regulatory requirements, including the European harmonised structural timber standard EN14081, which means CE-marked C16 construction timber is now available.
“We are very proud of being able to bring this project to fruition,” added Daryl Fahy, ECC general manager. “Financed entirely by the company, it is a huge vote of confidence in our customers, employees and suppliers for the future.”
Equipment suppliers included Broadbaek (handling and cross-equipment), Ledinek (machining and planing), and O’Brien (extraction).
A feature on ECC’s investment will appear in the next issue.
