Timber iQ October / November 2020 | Page 23

FEATURES Gum poles (untreated as well as the various treatment types) can additionally be slabbed on one or both sides – for fencing slats, survey poles, guardrail posts and blocks, sawn pine, sawn gum, trellis (standard and fancy) garden edging, picket fencing and outdoor wooden furniture. Currently Mintroad’s product range includes gum poles (untreated as well as the various treatment types) which can additionally be slabbed on one or both sides, fencing slats, survey poles, guard rail posts and blocks, sawn pine, sawn gum, trellis (standard and fancy) garden edging, picket fencing and outdoor wooden furniture. Treated timber is exported to the US, UK, EU, including exclusive agents in France, the Middle East and various African countries. Software has been developed to be able to franchise the timber treatment operation at future branches. Roy Smith is world-renowned for his technical and mechanical expertise and experience. He was joined by his son, Gavin Smith, in 2015. Gavin is the third generation of the Smith family in Mintroad Sawmills. A range of gum poles and sawn timber is distributed to the building, civil engineering, road building, packaging and thatching industries as well as building material merchants. Tan-E (Ecowood) preservation is arsenic and chrome free and represents the ‘new age’ of treatment chemicals. Smith says the company is a leader in the wood preservation and process control fields and specialises in custom timber treatment (for example cooling tower application) with access to the world’s largest timber preservation chemical manufacturer’s research and technical database. SABS permits are held for the full range of timber treatment types and hazard classes. Research is carried out on an ongoing basis with international input. A process assistance and record keeping computer program designed specifically for the South African wood preservation industry has been developed and patented by Smith, and there are currently three licensed treatment plants using the software. A fleet of trucks with capacities ranging from 4-10 tons (larger trucks operate with mounted cranes) is operated, and for loads in excess of 10 tons, vehicles are hired. Mintroad operates three Bell Tele Loggers as well as multi-purpose heavy-duty handling machinery for its material handling. Raw material is brought in by road and graded to SABS specifications. The company is an active member and co-founder of the South African Wood Preservers Association. Gum poles which can additionally be slabbed on one or both sides, fencing slats, survey poles, guard rail posts and blocks, sawn pine, sawn gum, trellis (standard and fancy) garden edging, picket fencing and outdoor wooden furniture. www.timberiq.co.za // OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020 21