Navigating Complex Manufacturing Challenges At Hardwood Solutions
An aerial view of Hardwood Solution’s main plant located at 680 E. Industrial Drive, Chelsea, MI.
Purchasing approximately 8 to 9 million board feet of kiln-dried hardwood lumber annually, Hardwood Solutions has built its business around helping manufacturers improve yields, manage costs and streamline production. Headquartered in Chelsea, MI, the company sources species such as White Oak, Walnut, Hard Maple and other domestic hardwoods based on customer requirements. The company serves customers in the cabinet, flooring and millwork sectors. Hardwood Solutions, according to a company spokesperson, handles upper grades such as the Commons and thicknesses primarily of 4/4 and 5/4.
Unlike a traditional hardwood lumber producer or distributor, Hardwood Solutions operates as a manufacturing services partner, providing specialized processing, inventory management and production expertise for manufacturers across multiple market segments.
“We’re very much a services company,” said Jeff Hardcastle, president of Hardwood Solutions. “Every engagement with every client is different depending upon the needs they have as a manufacturer.”
Amy Danielson is the director of purchasing at Hardwood
Solution’s main office in Chelsea, MI.
Founded in 1997, Hardwood Solutions was established with a focus on custom ripping services and automated manufacturing processes. Hardcastle, who previously served as president of Hardwoods of Michigan, launched the company with the goal of bringing advanced ripping technology and process efficiencies to hardwood manufacturing.
What began as a custom ripping operation has evolved into a diversified millwork company offering a wide range of manufacturing services tailored to customer needs. Today, Hardwood Solutions employs approximately 60 people and operates three facilities in Michigan and Indiana.
The company’s headquarters, located at 680 East Industrial Drive in Chelsea, houses a custom ripping operation featuring three moving-blade gang rip lines. The facility receives kiln-dried hardwood lumber from sawmills throughout the country and processes material into customer-specific dimensions and components.
A second Chelsea facility, located at 640 East Industrial Drive, serves as the company’s advanced processing center. The operation utilizes seven Wintersteiger frame saws, and a Wintersteiger band saw in addition to multiple other work cells to produce specialty hardwood components and engineered products.
Members of the main office’s management team from left to right: Bob Mendoza, Kathy Mead and Jeff Hardcastle.
Hardwood Solutions’ third facility, located in Griffith, IN, focuses primarily on moulding production. Equipped with five moulding lines and a dedicated tooling department, the operation produces approximately one million linear feet of moulding each month for a variety of customers and applications. That facility also includes numerous client specific work cells supporting a variety of specialized millwork projects.
According to Hardcastle, the company’s growth has largely been driven by “a continuous progression of following the clients and figuring out what they need to get done to be competitive,” he said. “Year after year we’ve been adding equipment because clients ask us to do different operations for them.”
One of the company’s growth areas has been engineered hardwood products. Hardwood Solutions supplies lamellas, the thin hardwood wear layers used in engineered flooring, to several flooring manufacturers across North America. The company has also expanded those capabilities into other hardwood face-laminated products that combine thin hardwood surfaces with various substrates.
Using PUR adhesive technology and advanced sawing systems, Hardwood Solutions creates components that help customers achieve desired aesthetics while improving material utilization and managing manufacturing costs.
Molly the company mascot.
“We’re finding a lot of potential in developing other ‘engineered’ products using those processing concepts,” Hardcastle said.
In addition to processing capabilities, Hardwood Solutions places a strong emphasis on supply chain management services. The company maintains inventory programs for many customers and, in some cases, manages inventory directly within customer facilities through vendor-managed inventory programs supported by custom software systems.
That approach helps customers reduce lead times while ensuring material availability for ongoing production schedules.
Another area that distinguishes Hardwood Solutions is its focus on cost transparency and process analysis. That mindset has led Hardwood Solutions to develop numerous custom work cells and specialized manufacturing processes over the years. Many of those capabilities were created in response to unique customer requests and production challenges. “Our knowledge of advanced cost accounting methods in the conversion of hardwoods is probably our number one value proposition,” Hardcastle said.
Jason Reick and Mike Myers at the Griffith, IN, moulding plant.
The company regularly works with customers to evaluate manufacturing processes, analyze yields and gross margins, and identify opportunities for improvement. In some cases, those evaluations lead to new outsourcing opportunities. In others, the company advises customers that certain processes may be better maintained in-house.
“We generally can assess whether we can earn our keep within a customer project,” Hardcastle said. “There have been plenty of times where we’ve told a customer there’s not enough savings in having us process that for them.”
That consultative approach has helped establish long-term customer relationships built on trust and collaboration. Paul Wielenga, director of marketing, believes the company’s culture plays an equally important role in its success.
Cecilia Villa and Chad Marushak at the framesaw operation in a millwork plant.
“The collaborative approach with customers stands out in the industry,” Wielenga said. “We work alongside them to find solutions that make sense for their business.”
Hardcastle views that problem-solving mentality as one of the company’s defining characteristics. “We like to tackle the hardwood programs that no one else wants to process.” Wielenga agreed, noting that the company has built its reputation on collaboration and a willingness to tackle difficult projects. “Those are two things that really stand out,” Wielenga said. “The collaborative approach with customers and the fact that we’re not afraid to try new things.”
Carlton Rager and Amanda McLamb at the Griffith, IN, moulding plant.
Today, Hardwood Solutions serves approximately 20 manufacturing customers across the cabinet, flooring and millwork sectors. While the company’s operations have expanded significantly since 1997, its focus remains consistent: helping customers improve performance through expertise, innovation and partnership.
“We’ve always tried to be a resource for our customers,” Wielenga said. “At the end of the day, their success is our success.”
A member of the National Wood Flooring Association, Hardwood Solutions continues to build on nearly three decades of experience while helping customers navigate the evolving demands of hardwood manufacturing.
Paul Wielenga, Natalie Burke, Russ Kibat and Rebekah Start from the main office.
Through a combination of technical expertise, transparent communication and a willingness to tackle complex challenges, Hardwood Solutions has carved out a distinctive niche within the hardwood industry. By helping customers improve yields, manage costs and navigate complex manufacturing challenges, the company continues to build on nearly three decades of service to the cabinet, flooring and millwork markets.
For more information, visit hardwoodsolutions.com.
