£20 MILLION SAWMILL FOR LOCKERBIE  

A new £20 million state-of-the-art sawmill is to be built by James Jones & Sons at Lockerbie in the south west of Scotland bringing the total site investment, on completion, to £35m.

The new investment, which was announced today (Monday) will establish one of the most advanced sawmills operating in Europe and will create new and safeguard existing, jobs.  Orders for machinery have been placed with Sweden’s Söderhamn Eriksson and Kallfass of Germany. 

Three dimensional laser technology will be used to scan each log, feeding data into computers which will calculate the most productive cutting pattern, improving sawn yields in excess of anything currently available.   

Preparatory ground works are already underway at the site and the construction programme will continue until autumn 2009.  The mill will commence production during September 2009 with a single shift capacity in excess of 140,000 m3 sawn timber focused primarily at supplying the UK construction industry. The new Lockerbie facility will add value to its output through grading, planing and treatment of the sawn timber. 

The mill has been carefully designed to make the best use of the increasing round timber supply available in Central and South West Scotland. It will bring the total requirement on the Lockerbie site to in excess of 460,000m3 per annum. 

This latest investment confirms the commitment of Larbert-based James Jones & Sons to its Lockerbie site where it already has a small log line producing 100,000m3 of sawn pallet wood and fencing, and a recently completed kilning, grading and planing operation. The current Lockerbie operation employs 56 people.  

The Lockerbie site is strategically placed close to the A74 easing transport of timber from the local forests to the sawmill and enhancing distribution for the Group’s other sawmills to its main markets in England.  

The mill will also benefit from its close proximity to Eon’s new wood fired Lockerbie power station giving a ready market for sawmill co-products including sawdust and chips. 

Ian Pirie, Joint Managing Director, James Jones & Sons, commented: “This new investment confirms our ambition to play an increasing part in the role of the British forestry industry in supporting the growth of a sustainable and environmentally friendly economy. As one of the largest suppliers of British timber we are committed to the use of cutting edge technology to achieve improved quality, efficiency and competitiveness. We are also delighted to further strengthen our commitment to all of our employees in the Dumfries and Lockerbie area.” 

James Jones & Sons had a turnover of £72m in 2006, operates sawmills on six sites across Scotland and also owns the Timber Systems Division and Unit Pallet operations. The company employs 495 people.

News update - August 2007

PRESS RELEASE

New International Joint Venture Announced:

James Jones & Sons Ltd and Binder Holz Group join forces to create Binder-Jones Ltd to manufacture and supply BBS^® panels (cross laminated, solid wood panels) to the UK construction sector.

James Jones & Sons Ltd, of Scotland, and Binder Holz Group, of Austria, have announced the creation of a new joint venture company called Binder-Jones Ltd.  This company has been set up to supply BBS^® panels (cross laminated, solid wood panels) to the UK construction sector and to meet the current, and future, requirements of the UK building regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes.

“The formation of Binder-Jones Ltd brings together two leading European sawmilling groups both of which have diversified in to engineered wood products.  This international collaboration will allow us to develop the market for laminated solid wood panels, and to look at expanding the product portfolio for sustainable building solutions.” states Tom Bruce-Jones, Joint Managing Director of James Jones & Sons Ltd.  “We aim to position Binder-Jones Ltd as the UK’s leading, innovative supplier of solid wood panels with the long term objective, subject to market acceptance and quality criteria, of establishing a manufacturing plant in Scotland.”

Binder-Jones Ltd will initially import the BBS^® panels from Binder Holz’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Austria.  It is the new company’s ultimate aim to set up a manufacturing plant utilising boards originating from British grown forestry and processed in James Jones & Sons Ltd’s sawmills.  Successful trials have already been conducted in Austria on James Jones & Sons Ltd’s boards and the finished panels are due to be utilised in a school extension in Scotland.  

BBS^® panels are now used extensively across Europe and are specified because of the demand for off site construction, the ease and speed of construction and because of the panels’ ability to store carbon, create a breathable building membrane and for ensuring enhanced thermal and acoustic properties.  BBS^® panels can be utilised for the entire building construction or for walls, floors and roofs.

“Binder Holz Group has witnessed strong BBS^® panel growth and demand in Europe and we are very excited about the launch of Binder-Jones Ltd”, says Reinhard Binder, Member of the Executive Board of Binder Holz Group.  “BBS^® panels are ideally suited for whole house engineering and enhanced structural stability and will become one of the primary environmental building solutions in the UK’s drive towards sustainable development.”  

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