Background
Carter Lumber is one of the largest lumberyards in the United States with over 170 retail stores and 14 manufacturing sites. Among its many offerings, the company supplies professional builders with roof and floor trusses, as well as pre-fabricated wall panels.
Equipment: MiTek Matchpoint™ blade saw, Hundegger CNC component saw, Monet web cutter saw
The Challenge
Carter Lumber has experienced unprecedented growth in the last few years, opening 10 new manufacturing sites along the East Coast. Doug Saunier, Equipment Manager for Carter Lumber, is responsible for ensuring the right machinery is purchased and properly maintained at each site.
As new facilities opened their doors, a common thread emerged. Many general managers came to Saunier asking for ways to keep their shops cleaner and the indoor environment healthier for their employees. Nearly all of the sites were using single-stage dust collectors at their saw stations. These collectors did not effectively capture the fine wood dust generated during the cutting process, resulting in dust clogging the machine sensors and dispersing into the air. During a regular eight hour shift, production had to stop about every two hours to clean saw dust and debris from each station. If they had better dust collection, they could spend less time cleaning and more time manufacturing.
The Solution
Saunier was initially drawn to the dust collectors from Oneida Air Systems because they were made in the U.S. “We always try to buy American when we can,” says Saunier. With the help of technical sales representative Guy Bergamo, it was determined that the 5HP, 3-phase High Vacuum system would be the best collector for Carter Lumber’s most common set up—a MiTek Matchpoint blade saw for cutting truss systems and a Hundegger CNC component saw for joist work. Each station had two dust ports, which would fill a 2-yard dumpster every day.
The Results
With the High Vacuum dust collectors installed, the number of clean outs per shift was cut in half, saving the company approximately 128 man-hours per year, per saw station.*
There was also a noticeable improvement in air quality around the saws. “We’re completely satisfied with Oneida Air’s High Vacuum dust collector,” says Saunier.
“Guy makes it so easy for me because he knows the different set ups we have. All I have to do is call and tell him which one I need equipment for and he makes sure we get the unit and the right adapters for our saws,” he says.
“I like working with Oneida Air because I can uniformly deploy their collectors across each site that we have. It saves me time to work with a supplier that knows my business,” he says.
Does your manufacturing site need a dust collection upgrade? Call Oneida Air Systems at (800) 732-4065, Mon-Fri 8am-5:30pm EST to speak to a technical sales representative for a free shop needs assessment.
*Assuming 15 minutes per clean out, twice a day, and 255 working days per year.
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