Category: News

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #9

Every part of the log is used. These massive piles are of woodchip, bark nuggets, and bark fines which arise from the sawmilling process. They will go on to be used in a wide variety of horticultural products and bring landscapes to life all over the …

Just great to see our investment working

These pictures show the new incising and post pointing line in full swing. In the one above, the posts have been through the inciser and are on their way to being precision pointed. The picture below gives an idea of the consistency with which the new line works: a pack of perfectly pointed posts uniformly… Read more »

Real progress now being made on our new line

The new line to handle and sort larger items in our product range such as gate posts and sleepers is coming on well. While the mill was closed last week for our summer shut down some of the team kept working . This picture shows, at top, the the CNC cross cut saw which will… Read more »

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #8

We don’t waste any raw materials. Logs that come into the yard which are not good enough to mill for timber are chipped, dried, and used to run the boilers which provide heat for the kilns, heating, chip, and firewood drying processes in a virtuous en…

Here’s another new piece of kit to improve efficiency

This stand-alone machine takes the previously largely manual process of v-notching and weather topping posts into a fully automated process – the required number of v-notches and the weather topping are cut in a single pass. We’re delighted with the new machine which was built by AV Birch, a leading manufacturer of timber engineering machinery… Read more »

Here’s another new piece of kit to improve efficiency

This stand-alone machine takes the previously largely manual process of v-notching and weather topping posts into a fully automated process – the required number of v-notches and the weather topping are cut in a single pass. We’re delighted with the new machine which was built by AV Birch, a leading manufacturer of timber engineering machinery… Read more »

Our investment programme continues

The latest project in our continuing programme of investment involves creating a new line to handle and sort larger items in our product range such as gate posts and sleepers. Up to now the process has involved a degree of manual handling which we want to eliminate. This picture shows, on the left, the first… Read more »

How to make an acoustic fencing panel in under 60 seconds

Ransfords are UK market leaders in the manufacture of acoustic fencing panels to reduce the impact of traffic and other noise on people living close to roads or commercial activity. Whilst almost every part of the mill is fully automated, the panels are still made by hand simply because there are so many variations in… Read more »

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #7

When we deliver to customers we make sure that we run the delivery vehicles with full loads for either a single or multi-drop, whenever we can. Like much of what we do here this efficiency not only makes good environmental sense, it makes good busines…

Grist to our mill

At Ransfords we’ve always taken pride in the efficiency of our delivery operation: to our mind a haulage wagon running empty is an opportunity lost. To that end and to ensure maximum efficiency and keep costs down we always run with fully loaded vehicles. Local hauliers bringing logs into the mill find it hard to… Read more »

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #6

We extend the useful life of our timber in our purpose built Timber Treatment Centre housing the most sophisticated and efficient equipment of its kind. It is a closed system which ensures that the treatment chemicals are used to best effect and with zero environmental impact. Inset picture: a full load of our treated acoustic… Read more »

The point about continuous investment

Inflationary pressures have been affecting inputs in our industry for some years now so in order to remain competitive, become more responsive to customer needs, and to keep prices of sawn timber at a reasonable level we have adopted a policy of continuous investment in the business so that we operate as efficiently as possible…. Read more »

The vital SpArC

Our Friends at the SpArC Gym and Swimming Pool here in Bishop’s Castle are sprucing up the area around their building so we were happy to help with the gift of some landscape materials. You can see our versatile local deliveries wagon unloading some bulk bags in the picture. For those who don’t know it… Read more »

Visit by Euroforest

It was good to welcome colleagues from Euroforest, one of our main suppliers of sawlogs, for a catch-up. Their visit came just in time to see the new post inciser and pointing line testing for the first time after a 6 month installation. The new equipment, which can incise, point and cut weather toppings should… Read more »

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #5

Our mill is powered in part by a vast array of solar panels generating around 20% of the electricity we use. The sun that powered the growth of the trees thus powers the machinery in the sawmill.

TWELVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY #4

We mill the timber using some of the most advanced sawmilling technology in the UK enabling us to achieve the maximum yield of useable timber from every log.

The first post

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The construction of the new incisor and post pointing line is now virtually complete and this clip shows the very first post being pointed. A great day for Ransfords and a fantastic achievement by everyone who has been involved in the project.

New kit on the block

A new Volvo L120H has joined our team after an 18 month wait. These vehicles handle the co-products which arise from our sawmilling operation. In fact, 38% of what we cut ends up as sawdust, chip and bark which are sold on for a wide variety of uses. You can see the pride our operators… Read more »