Wood-Mizer wins at saw milling shoot-out

Business Reporter
WOOD-MIZER’S official dealer in Zimbabwe, Cutting Edge, has added another success to its track record in the Zimbabwean forestry and saw milling sectors. The opening of its new service centre in Mutare that will focus on the saw-milling sector in Manicaland, follows hard on the heels of a victory recorded by Cutting Edge at a recent saw milling shoot-out where Wood-Mizer reconfirmed its reputation as a leading supplier of thin-kerf narrow band-saw technology.
The soon-to-open Mutare branch adds to Cutting Edge’s sales and spare part support service network in Zimbabwe’s key forestry and timber production areas, Manicaland, the Midlands, Mashonaland West as well as the Central and East Provinces being important in this regard.

Cutting Edge’s solid track record in the Zimbabwean forestry and land management sectors provided the basis for its successful partnership with Wood-Mizer. Cutting Edge represents a number of international brands in Zimbabwe, a notable example being Swedish manufactured Husqvarna that provides an extensive line-up of chain saws, lawn mowers, and specialty turf care equipment used throughout Zimbabwe and the region.

Wood-Mizer’s proprietary thin kerf narrow band-saw technology provides for key advances that can steer Zimbabwe’s ailing forestry and timber production sectors towards increased productivity. It also lends further momentum to Cutting Edge’s continued expansion in Zimbabwe and the region.

The reduced waste and increased recovery potential of Wood-Mizer sawmills together with class-leading cutting accuracy and speed, affordability and lower energy consumption are some of the key elements that can drive increased productivity, efficiency and profitability.

Cutting Edge’s victory at the saw milling shoot-out came in response to a challenge from saw millers in Manicaland who dared Wood-Mizer to cut more than 15-cubic meters of sawn timber during an 8-hour shift on a portable sawmill.

Rival sawmill brands that cut similar quantities together with a widely held believe that Wood-Mizer only supplies small scale sawmills that aren’t able to generate the cut volumes that rival brands do, served as the basis for the challenge.

Speaking before the event to Gavin Prowse, Wood-Mizer Africa’s Sub-Saharan Area manager, he confirmed that Zimbabwe has huge timber processing potential if saw millers steer clear of some of the pitfalls that have weakened the sectors performance over the last decade.

“A resource that is coming under increased pressure from competing land-use practices, together with saw milling technology that emphasises output above recovery and accuracy are some of the issues that threatens the viability of saw milling in Zimbabwe,” Mr Prowse said.

“Wood-Mizer’s range of sawmills that includes mills for emerging, professional and industrial scale saw millers, have been a valued part of Zimbabwean saw milling landscape for well on three decades. Industry leading advances in saw milling technology together with Wood-Mizer’s range of blades and blade maintenance equipment, secondary processing capacity and local sales and service support, provides a solid base for the sectors growth going forward,” Mr Prowse continued.

The Wood-Mizer LT40 Diesel Hydraulic that was used during the saw milling shootout at The Wattle Company’s Nyanga sawmill near Juliasdale, blasted past the 15 cubic meter target set for the day and eventually recorded an emphatic 17, 5 cubic meters cut during the allotted 8-hour shift.

An enthusiastic crowd watched from early morning until late in the afternoon as Wood-Mizer and Cutting Edge chased the target for the day.
The result of the shoot-out, audited by The Wattle Company’s presiding officer, emphasised the fact that Wood-Mizer’s recovery potential in tandem with its speed and accuracy, are key elements in Zimbabwe’s continued saw milling success.

Cutting Edge’s Mutare service centre that will open its doors to the public on 1 July 2015, will add to the advantages that Wood-Mizer provides for – spare part and technical support together with training and a ReSharp service that saw millers can use to resharpen and set their blades being some of the key advantages that saw millers in Manicaland can now look forward to.