Photo by Jeff Clemens -Trace Conklin (left) watches as a log heads into the mill while students observe the height of the walkway.
The Weyerhaeuser Raymond Lumber hosted local students for Manufacturing Day at the mill on November 15. The students were provided with detailed tours around the mill to learn about its operation. Enabling them to see from start to finish how lumber is made and the entire process involved. The Herald was invited along for the ride and it sure was an experience.
School Districts
9th-12th grade students from Willapa Valley and Raymond attended the event. South Bend had a mix up with days and was unable to make it work out so students could attend. The event was set up with Raymond's tour at 9:00 a.m. and Valley's at 11:00 a.m. The students were divided into equal groups and assigned a couple Weyerhaeuser employee tour guides. The Herald jumped into a group of students from Valley that were led by Weyerhaeuser employees Trace Conklin, Mike Stigar, and Jared Reed.
Each student and adult was given a blue hard hat, ear plugs, a neon vest, and eye protection that was required to be worn while inside the active mill. The tour began at a gate and everyone was told one last time by Conklin, "make sure all your PPE is on before we leave this point." Even an adult wearing a camera had to be reminded to put his hard hat on before the group could move any further. Which lead to a few dirty looks and bit of foot tapping.
The Tour
The tour consisted of multiple portions through the mill, including the sawmill, planer mill, Program Logic Control room, machine shop, and even a pop-up equipment yard. The first stop for the tour was into the sawmill where even with ear protection the loud machinery could be heard. Along with the smell of fresh cut logs making their way through. Inside the PLC the group was explained how the computer system looked at each log and determined what size lumber could be created from it. Everyone was told to not touch any keyboards because "that would not be a good thing" according to Reed.
Next up was the feeder that feeds logs into the mill which is essentially where the logs begin their journey on through the mill. Conklin took a moment to point out how the logs were fed through even though most of the students were distracted by the height (about 15 feet up) on the outside walkway compared to the ground. Reed then led the group back into the mill where the boards were cut and separated. Students had the opportunity to look out and observe logs being cut, separated and headed off to their next step. Multiple workers were seen hard at work checking the lumber heading through and checking machinery to ensure it was operating correctly.
The group once again took off on foot and watched along the way as boards made their journey down the line. Everyone was stopped at another juncture and watched as a certain worker, Christopher Ross, stumbled to move an extremely bendy piece of lumber. The brief battle lasted only a few minutes, but for Ross, it had to have seemed like a lifetime. It didn't help he had a dozen peering eyes watching over his shoulder along with a few chuckles.
After Conklin stepped in to lend a hand, the tour went down to the mill floor and was lead to the machine shop. Inside several employees were hard at work making an immediate repair to a piece of mill equipment. Stigar led the group to another portion of the shop and explained the important role mechanics play in the operation. "We try to do as many repairs as we can here," he said. "These guys are what keep the mill going when something breaks down. They're a very important part of the company." Stigar went on to explain the lengthy training involved in the position and opportunity it creates, including trips to Canada.
Reed then took over the tour again and led the group to a breakoff room where employee Jimmy Greenfield had set up an intriguing display. Students and some very interested adults were mesmerized by the presentation. Greenfield showed the advancement in mill technology and how modernization has come full circle. The mill once relied on buttons to operate lights and flashers, and now can be controlled by a touchscreen tablet. It was all just extremely fascinating and Greenfield kept the room laughing with his humor. It ended up being the shortest stop on the tour, but the most memorable.
The last stop of the event was a pop-up equipment yard in the Weyerhaeuser parking lot. A loader, crane, and forklift were brought out and parked for the students to look at behind caution tape. Conklin gave a brief explanation of the equipment then allowed the students a step behind the tape to inspect the equipment up close. Several students made the climb into the cab of the tall loader and took selfies before posing next to the gigantic tires. Of which were nearly eight-feet tall!
All in all the mood was consistent the entire tour and Weyerhaeuser seemed to lock down a few future employees of the mill. The chance to climb the equipment at the end sealed the deal: Manufacturing Day was a big hit.
Mission
In a next day follow up the Herald met with Weyerhaeuser employees Erik Wilson, Chrissy Doyle, and Val to learn about how they felt the event went and what its overall goal was. According to Wilson, Weyerhaeuser was hoping to show the students that manufacturing is a "good thing" and has many opportunities for just about every interest. "Weyerhaeuser has very strong core values," he said. "One of our four core values is citizenship. We believe in being an active part of the community. From volunteering at schools, helping in nonprofits, or just giving the students a tour of the mill so they can learn about our operations. Values are an integral part of the company."
Doyle seconded Wilson's comments and explained they hope to continue to get more involved with local school districts and be an active part of the community. Doyle was one of the main architects in making Manufacturing Day a huge success. "We held our first one last year and kind of learned from our mistakes," she said. "We realized then it would probably be best to have the event when the mill was running. I think that realization made this year so much better."
The mill hopes to host students again next year and learn from how it went this year and transition that to make it an even better experience for next years event. Weyerhaeuser has had a mill in Raymond since the 1930's and it continues to be the largest employer in the area with around 176 full-time employees. It continues to grow and the need for qualified and determined applicants is always a need.