Managing lumber inventory efficiently is critical for businesses in the forestry sector. Digital lumber measurement solutions have become essential for achieving this goal. Busoga Forestry Company (BFC), a subsidiary of Green Resources located in Uganda, has embraced technological innovation to enhance its operations. By leveraging digital tools for lumber industry efficiency, BFC has revolutionized its processes. In a recent interview, Graham Keth, Sawmill Industry Manager at BFC, shared how Timbeter’s Lumber solution has brought greater efficiency, accuracy, and transparency to their sawmill operations.
Challenges Before Timbeter
Before adopting Timbeter, BFC faced significant hurdles in recording and managing lumber inventory. Timber production was manually tracked using written tally sheets, leading to time delays and increased chances of errors. The delay in updating production reports hindered real-time decision-making and operational efficiency.
“Before the Lumber application, we were manually recording timbers produced using written tally sheets. This was mostly a challenge due to the time delay from timber being recorded as produced and reaching our production reports,” shared Graham Keth. “Lumber allows a real-time reporting environment where we can see our production at any point in the day.”
The Transition to Timbeter Lumber
Recognizing the potential of Timbeter’s Lumber module, BFC integrated the solution into their sawmill operations. Previously used for measuring eucalyptus poles and pine sawlogs, Timbeter’s progression into lumber management was a natural evolution. The result? A digital, real-time reporting system that transformed their processes.
“The progression of your system into our sawmill was only a matter of time, and as soon as the Lumber module was available, we began using it to measure our production and record sawn timbers in all areas of our sawmill,” said Graham.
Key Benefits of Timbeter Lumber
1. Enhanced Data Accuracy and Visibility
Timbeter’s digital records and accompanying images ensure a clear, traceable audit trail. This has proven invaluable in resolving discrepancies and reducing manual errors. “The pictures really help when trying to resolve any discrepancies as it allows the user to see what was recorded after the fact,” noted Graham.
2. Real-Time Reporting
With real-time production data available, BFC’s decision-making processes have become faster and more informed. “It has allowed the information from production to be available in real time, making decision-making a lot easier and reducing over runs of production,” he explained.
3. Improved Inventory Management
By allocating unique IDs to lumber bundles, BFC eliminated double counting and improved data cleanliness. “It has cleaned up our data in reducing errors as well as allocating unique IDs to bundles captured, which we then print onto labels and attach to prevent double counting,” Graham shared.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
BFC praised Timbeter’s user-friendly interface, which requires minimal training and technical support. “All of the user interface is self-explanatory and requires very little input from the Timbeter team on some of the more technical settings. It is very easy to use,” remarked Graham.
He also highlighted the excellent customer support provided. “Support has always been excellent—responsive to our requests and available to offer assistance when needed,” he said. “We’ve had some issues with measurements being synced to the cloud and exporting data from the dashboard to Excel. Both issues were dealt with immediately when reported, and we were back online the same day.”
Future Developments and Suggestions
While Timbeter has significantly streamlined operations, BFC identified a few areas for improvement:
Label Printing: “The ability to print labels directly from the device capturing measurements would enhance efficiency.”
Custom Fields: “Separate custom fields for Timber and Lumber modules would better suit our operational needs.”
Tutorials and Guides: “Some guides or tutorial-type materials would be useful for first-time users, especially now with the upgrades that have been done to the Lumber dashboard.”
A Game-Changer for Forestry Operations
The adoption of Timbeter has delivered measurable benefits to BFC. The company now has a clearer, real-time view of inventory and production, allowing for better planning and resource allocation. “It has improved the accuracy of our reporting by eliminating the recapture of manually recorded information, where most errors were being made,” Graham explained. “It has given us a much clearer picture into our inventory and a more real-time view of what is happening in our production areas.”
BFC’s positive experience has prompted them to advocate for the use of Timbeter’s Lumber module across other Green Resources companies. “We are spreading the Lumber Module to other companies in our group because of the results here at BFC,” he added.
Recommendation and Final Thoughts
When asked if they would recommend Timbeter, Graham’s response was resounding: “Yes. It has helped our business and will surely help others too.”
Timbeter continues to play a vital role in BFC’s journey toward enhanced efficiency and sustainability. With plans for further integration and improvements, the collaboration promises to deliver even greater value in the future.