Improved Wood Processing Saves Money and Forest Resources
Last spring, John Allan, the president of Arkansas Wood Doors, Inc., conducted a volunteer assignment to assist Merkuriry Trade Industrial Cooperative, a private wood processing firm in Khabarovsk. Merkuriry requested assistance on all stages of it's door manufacturing processes, from drying and sawing the raw timber to sanding and finishing the doors.

Allan provided a number of recommendations regarding both equipment and practices for making wooden doors. "The doors that I saw at Merkuriy's factory and office are very nice quality and design. In addition the types of wood used also enhance the appearance and value of the doors," said Allan.

"However, the wood was being improperly dried," said Allan. "It was also not being properly stacked. Both of these practices cause the boards to split, twist, and warp, which gives the factory inferior quality wood. With these problems, the door manufacturing process requires additional steps and time and also causes the factory to use more wood than necessary."

"I recommended properly air drying the wood to approximately 20 to 25 percent moisture content prior to kiln drying. This would eliminate almost all of the wood quality problems currently experienced at Merkuriy," said Allan. "Provided Merkuriy corrects the wood drying methods and increases daily production levels, I believe these doors can be marketed in the United States and possibly Europe."

Owner Valdimir Shevelev reported that all of the procedural recommendations have been adopted. "They were 100 percent effective," said Shevelev. Most notably, he is air drying the timber before it goes into the kiln. Now that he dries the wood before it goes into the kiln, he has reduced his electrical costs by half. In addition, the firm has less waste because the wood is properly dried, and the company uses less wood to make each door. Lastly, Merkuriy's productivity has increased. Under the old practices, the firm produced less than one door per day. Now they produce two doors per day. Shevelev reported that the new procedures also increased worker safety.

Shevelev has not yet found international markets for his doors. However, he reports that sales have been stable and he is happy with this situation, given the economic crisis in Russia. He attributes part of this success to the volunteer's recommendations.