A New Facility For Canadian Wood Supplier And Equity Partner, Lumber Resources
Philippe LeBlanc inherited his father’s passion for forestry, dedicating over four decades to honing his expertise. That industry experience and passion is reflected in Lumber Resources, a supplier of wood products based in Quebec City, QC, a province whose rich, colonial roots date back to the 1600s. Lumber Resources, which LeBlanc now serves as president and owner, has grown over the years and recently announced the inception of their new facility in Sechoirs St- Elisabeth.
This new facility processes about 40,000 board feet a day. The equipment can handle proprietary grades, as well as, width sorting Common grades according to customer needs such as width and / or color sorting.
Lumber Resources operates a thermally modified chamber at their new facility. It handles hardwood and softwood on a “regular, continuous basis,” noted LeBlanc. “We produce one charge every 72 hours of 3,000 feet of thermally modified wood.” Products are used for milling, cladding and exterior use. “Thermally modified wood products continue to gain traction in the U.S., export and Canadian markets, which opens the door to exterior applications that North American species never had access to other than Europe, which has utilized modified wood products in multiple uses for many years,” said LeBlanc.
In addition to this new facility, Lumber Resources entered an equity position with Sechoirs St- Elisabeth three years ago. LeBlanc described Sechoirs St- Elisabeth, which is East of Montreal, as a dry kiln operation with a “drying capacity of 600,000’, with 10 dehumidification kilns as well as a sorting capacity and storage capacity of 1.1 million board feet.”
LeBlanc explained the benefits of being an equity partner in the operations. “We can concentrate all our efforts into the sales of our own products, and our partners, Paul Becotte and Nicholas Durocher, manage and optimize operations.”
LeBlanc mentioned that Lumber Resources also has access to an “additional 240,000 board feet of drying capacity at a nearby facility that we use on a regular basis. We can add to that between the two sites, so it gives us additional flexibility with an automatic stickering line.”
Lumber Resources is well known for their Yellow Birch, providing 4/4 through 8/4, some 10/4 in varying grades and colors, as well as Hard and Soft Maple, being their principal species. Because of the color specs they offer, they have a significant color base and position in Yellow Birch. As for Hard Maple, they purchase it regularly from mills producing 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4.
LeBlanc explained that they “procure from a large area” concerning purchasing. This area, for their green lumber, “stretches from Ontario, Northeastern and Eastern Canada, as well as Northern Pennsylvania and New York.”
“We also handle, on a regular basis, Ash, Basswood and Red Oak (mostly 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and a little 8/4 upon request) and White Oak (4/4, Select & Better and Nos. 1 and 2 Common). Those species can be milled as needed,” according to LeBlanc. Those species are readily available. Red and white pine are also processed.
Specialty offerings include the distribution of Black Locust, eastern larch and aromatic cedar (mostly in 4/4 but they can be “tailored to your needs,” according to LeBlanc) as well as Northern Red Maple in 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and occasionally 8/4. The Northern Red Maple is purchased regularly by Lumber Resources.
The company has a standing inventory of 4/4 and 8/4 in Aspen, while the 5/4 and 6/4 are fulfilled upon demand. Because of their extensive storage space, they can mix different products on the same load for the domestic and export market. He described mixing truckloads as an “essential part of our business and because of our relationships, we were able to focus the quality and suppliers we buy green lumber from, as well as concentration yards and mills that we buy kiln-dried lumber from.”
“Our strength is our diversification, flexibility and quick response time to market needs,” added LeBlanc. The company markets over 16 million feet of production a year. Eight million feet of appearance grade lumber is shipped in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. An additional four million feet, or 25 percent, of the lumber marketed goes into the industrial market, such as pallets and other low-grade users. “This gives us a strategic advantage to leverage partnerships with the mills we work with and work for,” stated LeBlanc.
The grade lumber products are shipped via Conestoga, a tarped flatbed before leaving the facility or placed in intermodal containers. Domestic transport is handled by Lumber Resources.
“25 percent of our business is export,” noted LeBlanc. Export-wise, the company moves between three to 350 containers of grade lumber, being 3.5 to four million feet and most freight forwarding needs are handled by King City Forwarding, who has locations in Alliston, ON, Montreal, QC and Chesapeake, VA.
Export sales are led by Claude-Henri Lapointe. Lumber Resources serves 20 countries, and their international products move to the following markets through distributors and agents: specialty flooring, cabinetry, furniture and moulding and millwork companies. Their products move to distribution markets across the U.S. and Canada as well.
Leblanc’s son Mathieu manages the marketing and sales of some thermally modified lumber mostly in Aspen, Ash and Red Oak. In addition to Lapointe, LeBlanc and his son, there are six other salesmen. As for industrial sales, LeBlanc shared that “every salesman has one or more industrial clients. Even if they’re dedicated to other product areas, it’s always good to be well balanced in sales and have a good knowledge base of their clientele.”
“Lumber Resources has four people who work in-office along with an in-house support team. Additionally, 15 people are employed at Sechoirs St- Elisabeth.
LeBlanc is a board member serving a three-year term with the Canadian Hardwood Bureau. As noted on their website, his father Levi’s ownership of a millwork company in Cape Breton, NS, in the 1950s and 1960s, was LeBlanc’s introduction to the industry. The company switched focus over the years from operating as a sawmill, to a production facility for windows and doors to a lumber distributor. After graduating with a forestry degree, LeBlanc gained experience in the forest industry across Canada. He started Lumber Resources in 2003.
They act as a Yellow Birch sponsor for the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermens Association and the National Hardwood Lumber Association conventions. Lumber Resources is a member of the above organizations and the Quebec Wood Export Bureau.
Visit rlumber.ca to learn more.
