About two weeks ago, I got a call from a potential customer who wanted to talk about waste. He said that with the cost and availability of raw materials at a premium these days, waste is the last thing he could afford to generate with his projects. This is a common issue we are increasingly hearing from the field.

The panel sizes that this customer was ordering just weren’t doing the job for him, and he was curious if Timber Products could help.

That’s when I told him the real secret to getting a better yield from panels: order different size panels.

Simple as it sounds, many woodworkers are still buying panels that are too big for their jobs. This outdated ordering philosophy generates waste and drains profits. Sure, shops might rely on cutting software to get the best yield that they can, but in the long run they could be doing better by purchasing different size panels. The easiest way to get the best panel optimization is to do business with a company that can make a panel in the size that you want.

For example, if you are purchasing 4x10 panels and lopping off a foot during manufacturing, you should be ordering 4x9 panels. Why pay for an extra foot and reduce your profits?

Here’s how to find out what panels sizes you need to dramatically reduce your waste ratio: use your software to find out the optimum panel size for the components that you cut, then call Timber Products Company. We make custom dimension panels in a variety of sizes that can give you the exact dimensions that you need for your cuts. Need a 4x9? We can make that, or any other size that fits your projects.

By taking a new approach to ordering your panels, you can generate zero waste and increase your bottom line on each project.

What questions do you have?

Find out more about ordering specific panel dimensions by contacting your regional Timber Products Company sale representative and mentioning this blog.

 by Roger Rutan, Vice President, Timber Products Company