The White Mountain Apache Timber Company (WMATCO) mill in Whiteriver, AZ is investing to update its small log line system. The mill is located within the Fort Apache Reservation, where nearly all the raw timber is sourced. The tribe operates both large log and small log mills.

This upgrade for the small log mill will install new hold down rolls and new spiked carry over rolls on the infeed of the line, and replace the worn components. These investments will bring the equipment up to current standards, improve reliability and throughput, and reduce maintenance.

The existing PLC controls and optimization platform will be replaced with USNR optimization, and will increase recovery and uptime. The new lineal scanning system will utilize 4 BioLuma 3900L sensors. The BioLuma 3900L delivers the highest speed UHD laser profiling for the most demanding lineal applications. The PLC controls system will be based on the ControlLogix platform, and will control the infeed from the merchandiser through to the log line outfeed separator.

This project is scheduled to be completed early in 2022.