Atikokan’s first value-added forestry operation in recent years, Synergy Wood Products, is now shipping its cut-to-size lumber, and plans to have its paint line in production within a few weeks.
The company has expanded its original plan of producing UV-coated panels, “and it has since evolved into two businesses,” said president Mike Shusterman.
That product has been shipped out to a lumber company in Barwick and—just last week—to a furniture making company in Calgary. “We are on one shift right now and see that we are going to have to go to two shifts shortly, and I want to get two shifts on our paint line as well.”
Combined, the two operations should employ 20 people at the company’s industrial mall location.
The cut-to-size operation encompasses a variety of value-added functions, and caters to smaller orders. Often these custom orders are too labour-intensive, and small in quantity (sometimes less than a full truck load) to be feasible for larger companies like FibraTECH to accommodate. “We do various things like stair treads and different things that wouldn’t be as profitable for a large company to do it, but is for us,” said Shusterman.
Stair treads are crafted from off grade particleboard purchased from FibraTECH and cut into 1/8 inch thick, foot wide, 42-48 inch long strips, edged with a rounded strip.
Synergy is also producing shelving and furniture components from 3 ½ inch wide, 88 foot long particleboard strips, which furniture companies cover with a veneer-look coating and use in making furniture.
The uniqueness of the paint line product and the operation’s location will open up markets out west, and in the American Midwest.
“There is a lot of demand for this product and there is nobody really doing this between myself and Calgary, and the U.S. Midwest is interested as well. I’m pretty encouraged about it.”
Shusterman has met with potential Menards customers at the chain headquarters in Eau Claire, WI. a month ago. “They seem to do a good job of marketing painted shelving. They are opening up a broad new distribution centre, so they need new product, and we are really nicely located for them as well.” He has just returned from meeting with potential customers in Montreal.
The 120-foot paint line will also use off grade particleboard (from FibraTECH and a flakeboard plant in Sault Ste Marie) and UV protected, water-based acrylic paint to produce shelving. The board is put through the paint line process, where imperfections are filled in and sealed with a top coat. The coated board is then cut into shelf sizes, and given a smooth edging for a finished product.
“You end with a look that looks just like melamine,” said Shusterman.
There have been some issues with electrical capacity at the industrial mall location; including the fact that the stalls weren’t equipped for the electrical capacity necessary to run operations for the paint line. Those issues have been resolved and things should be up and running next month.
Another recent growing pain has been resolved. “I can see that I am going to have a shortage of room and I’m going to have to ship product to Thunder Bay to store it and ship it by rail from there.” Synergy now has rented four stalls and has 12,000 sq. ft. storage space, and Shusterman said the best option to add more space may be to build warehouse space, once the company is in complete production.
Originally published in the Atikokan Progress
