US western red cedar fencing specialist Welco Lumber Co has reopened its Naples, Idaho mill earlier than expected thanks to a recovery in demand and lower raw materials costs.
The company put the plant into mothballs seven months ago due to a slump in sales caused by recession in the US housing market. Over 90 people were laid off and production was concentrated at its Shelton, Washington facility.
According to general manager Brian Cox, Naples has now rehired 34 staff and is building production levels back up to meet “better than expected” demand for western red cedar fence pickets.
“We officially began running the mill full-time as of July 17, much sooner than expected,” he said. “The start-up is going really well and I could not be more pleased with progress.”
He added that the company anticipated taking on more people as production built up.
The relaunch of the plant, said Welco, was also helped by the fact that it now has less competition due to the recession and, as a result, is paying less for its timber.
