Valutec Cuts Drying Time for Eastern White Pine in Half

Tests conducted for Hancock Lumber at Pleasant River’s sawmill in Enfield show that Valutec can reduce drying times for Eastern White Pine by 50%—without compromising quality. In cooperation with Pleasant River Lumber, the lumber was dried in just 84 hours, compared to the 160 hours currently required in Hancock Lumber's existing kilns.

A total of 34 test runs were completed with a drying time of 84 hours. The results showed a standard deviation of only 1.7 percent, and no greater color variation in the lumber than what is normally observed.

“We could not see any difference between the lumber dried by Valutec and the lumber dried in our own kilns at 160 hours,” says Dan Wetmore, General Manager  at Hancock Lumber.

The results confirm that shorter drying times do not have to mean reduced quality. On the contrary, they open up opportunities for increased capacity, lower energy consumption, and improved resource utilization.

“We are very pleased with the results and see strong potential to reduce drying times even further while maintaining quality and grade. We look forward to helping more sawmills shorten their drying cycles”, says Robert Weithofer, Valutec. 

Press contact

Robert Weithofer

Authorized Sales Agent, North America
+1 (413) 246 2881
robert.weithofer@valutec.se

Eric Johansson

Marketing & Sustainability Manager
+ 46 910-879 69 +46 76-767 69 68
eric.johansson@valutec.se