AJD Forest Products LP in Grayling, Michigan, is the original Lakes States industrial hardwood lumber sawmill. The company produces high-grade red oak, hard and soft maple, aspen, ash, and basswood. Since 1974, we've been the producers of the best quality industrial lumber in the Lake States.
AJD reports that a negative impact of the pandemic was the difficulty in finding qualified saw blade filers to hire. They believed they already had all the tools and just needed additional training to be able to have the staff on-hand to maintain their saws. General Manager Tim Neff sought out Michigan Works! Business Solutions Professional Alayne Hansen to see if this was something Michigan Works could help with.
Alayne was able to use WIOA Adult Incumbent Worker Training to train AJD’s Bandsaw Filer in expanded Saw Filing techniques. The employee received one on one on-site training by Franklin Goforth of Filing Solutions LLC that would improve the productivity of the mill by improving the sawing characteristics of the saws to the lumber AJD produces. The training will improve the turnaround time of saws by their filer and also make AJD Forest Products more competitive in the hardwood lumber market.
“Bandsaws are an important aspect of maximizing the yield from each log sawn in a mill,” explains Tim. “Our current Bandsaw Filer had obtained basic knowledge of saw filing and maintenance, but the strains the pandemic placed on our business required our Bandsaw Filer to expand his knowledge of saw filing and maintenance. Lack of resharpened and / or repaired saws has caused loss of production in 2021. It is a time consuming task to maintain the saw inventory for a mill that wants to have five bandsaws in operation. Bandsaw prices have increased significantly in the past year and the lead times for saw deliveries have doubled. Training will improve the productivity of the mill by improving the sawing characteristics of the saws to the lumber we produce.”
Tim continues, “AJD Forest Products is in a better position in that we can now maintain our saw blades in house rather than outsourcing to them to be maintained, and will result in cost saving measures.”
"Paul has benefited from his training and the knowledge he has gained will benefit AJD Forest Products for years to come. Saw filing is both an art and a science and much of the knowledge is passed on from experienced filers to newer filers. As a company, we are pleased with the training provided over the ten day period and the progress that Paul made during those ten days. It is our intentions to bring Franklin Goforth of Filing Solutions LLC back for additional filer training later this year."
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