SARASOTA, FL – AdvantageLumber.com has completed the purchase of Companhia Madeireira, one of the largest hardwood lumber factories in Northern Brazil. 

The web entity of Advantage Trim & Lumber Co., the company supplies sustainably harvested hardwood decking, flooring, and lumber. It has operated in the South American lumber supply chain for more than 20 years, dealing flooring, lumber and hardwood decking from exotic species including ipe, cumaru, tigerwood and massaranduba.

The 130,000-square-foot Brazilian facility is FSC-certified and manufactures a range of products including hardwood decking, flooring, deck tiles, and cabinet grade hardwood lumber. The facility has a kiln capacity of more than 500,000 board feet and is  being retooled with high-tech machinery. Its three production lines are capable of an annual production of 3 million square feet of hardwood flooring, 5 million square feet of decking, 2 million square feet of deck tiles, and 7 million board feet of cabinet grade hardwood lumber.

Advantage said the acquisition gives it direct control of the supply chain, from forest to jobsite, and enhances the selection, quality and volume pricing available. A statement from Advantage noted "Purchasing the new facility was seen as the most viable growth option for the company as ensuring the legitimacy of lumber permits, paperwork, and sustainable harvest continues to be a hurdle that some lumber companies fail to properly plan for." Having "daily control at the point of lumber origin is essential to complying with the Lacey Act as well as maintaining its strong reputation in the marketplace."

In addition to plant upgrades to put it on par with European and American facilities, Advantage said it will also raise the salaries of the 140 employees.  “Substantially raising salaries for factory workers helps improve product quality, company moral, and the employees standard of living. But even more importantly it is the morally correct thing to do. If the company can afford it, then just do it," said Robert Pelc, founder and president of AdvantageLumber.com.

"The results are quickly seen in the product quality and on the faces of the employees working in the factory. It is pretty amazing that even though we are not a huge fortune 500 company, we still have the ability to instantly help change the lives of a struggling community,” he added.

A supplier of sustainably harvested hardwood decking, flooring and lumber, Advantage Trim & Lumber was one of the first to sell its products online. AdvantageLumber.com ships direct to job sites throughout the nation as well as worldwide. The company has more than 680,000 square feet of manufacturing space with facilities in Buffalo NY, Grover NC, Santa Fe Springs CA, Sarasota FL, and Belem Brazil. According to the company, it has had double digit growth every year since inception, with projections for continued growth as it expands in the lumber world.