In general, logs of medium size are less coveted as most sawmills in the area are designed to transform West coast's typical impressive large trees.  Mr. Tedder was convinced that the construction of a local sawmill, built exclusively to process logs of 22'' on average would offer a quick payback.  This mill would be specifically designed for that purpose and would produce 2 X 4, 2 X 6 and 1 X 4 studs.

One major factor to be considered was continuous fiber supply, which was settled quickly.  Centralia Sawmill was ready to move forward and called upon an experienced consultant, Mr. Lloyd Pederson, to plan the mill layout and select the best equipment.  After a few months of planning and negotiations, Comact was entrusted with the contract to provide all the equipment for this project.  Recognized as a leader in manufacturing, handling and breakdown equipment for mid-size logs, the choice was clear!  Mr. Tedder and his associates were never going to regret that decision.

After an exhaustive study of the project and a meticulous analysis of all details involved, the engineering and design team set to work.  While the site for the future sawmill was still raw land, Comact put forward its 7 million dollar proposal to provide state-of-the-art, high performance equipment.  Final approval was received within that same month.

Once the contract was signed things moved quickly, with the first equipment arriving in November.  First to be installed was the impressive full-length infeed (four Wave Feeder™, two of them constituing a stem feeder) complete with outdoor bucking and debarking.  This equipment was designed to process an infeed minimum of eight 32-foot stems per minute to be processed into 8 and 10-foot blocks for the sawline.  Additional handling, planing and sorting equipment was installed as it arrived in Centralia. 

In less than a year, construction of the sawmill, installation of the equipment, start-up and performance tests were completed.

Exceptional Start-up!

Mr. Marc Simard, Project Manager for Comact, confirms that optimum performance rates were reached in a very short time.  We have been able to start up quickly and most importantly to maintain a maximum production rate of 5,000 logs per shift, exceeding the projected 3,200 logs per shift.  With Comact's expertise and guidance, this mill runs ''like a Swiss clock''.

In official operation since July 2006, Centralia Sawmill Company's plant provides, with impressive regularity, 170 pieces of finished lumber per minute.  Mr. Lloyd Pederson has stated he is very pleased with Comact's work and the professionalism of the team.  As for Mr. Tedder and his management staff, they make sure no more logs are bypassing Centralia on the I-5 !

Comact wishes to thank Mark Carter and Phil Tedder, along with their team, as well as Lloyd Pederson for their trust in our Company.