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Slabber Cuts Costs As Well as Timber

Forest Logger and Sawmiller - April 2001

The key benefits for a sawmill when purchasing a Southern Cross slabber are cutting processing costs, and boosting productivity and profitability.

Slabbers provide sawmilling operations with numerous other advantages too. Passes needed to cut a log are reduced, speeding processing and decreasing saw maintenance costs.

The headache of removing unwanted timber faces from the saw is eliminated and labour costs are reduced as staff dedicated to removing and chipping the waste timber are no longer needed.

Southern Cross Engineering's marketing and engineering manager, Michael Howie, said that Southern Cross slabbers were a cut above rival products because of the quality of the design and engineering.

"Our slabber is based on a design with a proven track record in North America and New Zealand," he said.

Two features set Southern Cross slabbers apart from competitors - the incorporation of a saw on the cutting face and the use of straight cutting knives.

"By incorporating a saw, a nice smooth surface finish is achieved while the straight cutting knives make sharpening much easier than with the bent knives," he said. "The overall standard of engineering is also impeccable ensuring longevity and reliability."

R.H. Tregoweth Limited in the central North Island is one of Southern Cross' latest slabber customers. The slabber was installed last December and manager Kevin Tregoweth said that already they had boosted timber recovery rates by up to two percent. In addition, the slabber had allowed the company to cut three labour units, savings tens of thousands of dollars in wage costs annually.

Kevin said they purchased a Southern Cross slabber on the recommendation of another sawmill that already owned one. "The units have really good reputation throughout the industry," he said. Tregoweth's expect to recover the cost of their slabber in 18 months to two years.

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