MiCROTEC's Collaboration with Peak North America at Timber Processing & Energy Expo
Two Rivers Lumber: A Model for Next-Gen Sawmilling
As part of a pioneering project in Alexander City, Alabama, Two Rivers Lumber, with MiCROTEC and Peak North America, is advancing the industry through a fully integrated greenfield mill that marries high-tech optimization with precision machinery. Equipped with MiCROTEC’s CT Log and RPM’s ProDog machinery, this sawmill is redefining standards in quality, traceability, and sustainability, maximizing lumber recovery with unprecedented accuracy.
Breaking Tradition: New Precision in Mill Optimzation
At the heart of the Two Rivers Lumber project is the partnership of Peak North America and MiCROTEC, unlocking the potential of fully optimized sawmilling. The combination of MiCROTEC’s CT Log scanning and RPM’s ProDog dynamic positioning delivers a previously unattainable level of efficiency and quality.
MiCROTEC’s CT Log, a cutting-edge scanning solution that optimizes each log’s cutting potential based on the internal quality of the log. Traditional sawmills are limited in their ability to rotate logs to their optimal cutting angle, typically confined to a small window around horns-down orientation. Combined with the fact that they are only able to optimize lumber volume and not take internal quality into account, this limits the value that can be obtained from each log. In contrast, the CT Log system provides full 360-degree optimization based on the internal characteristics, positioning each log at its ideal angle for maximum grade yield. This level of precision not only enhances the end product's value but ensures that each log’s highest-quality lumber is extracted based on its internal characteristics and grade.
The optimized rotation is achieved by CT Log’s proprietary scanning technology, which analyzes each log’s internal structure to determine optimal cutting angles and patterns. Real Performance Machinery’s (RPM) ProDog system enables this optimization to be executed with an advanced end-dogger, translating scanning insights into precise log positioning.
MiCROTEC’s Head of Sales, Norvin Laudon, highlighted this during a recent seminar with a practical example,
Unmatched Precision: Value Tracking at Every Step
A significant industry step-change is the integration of RPM’s advanced machinery and innovative MiCROTEC’s technology. RPM’s ProDog, designed for precise rotational control, takes MiCROTEC’s optimization data and fine-tunes each log’s position for sawing. With the ProDog end-dogger, logs can be skewed and rotated precisely, to any position requested by the optimizer.
Through the MiCROTEC Connect solution, all systems operate in sync, tracking each board back to its parent log and each processing step. MiCROTEC Connect’s fingerprinting technology links data across the mill, from log scanning to finished lumber, providing comprehensive transparency and traceability. This capability gives Two Rivers Lumber invaluable insights into its production pipeline, documenting each log’s characteristics and processing path in real-time.
Beyond mere tracking, this traceability improves quality control, allowing operators to identify and address value losses at any processing stage. It also enhances environmental sustainability by reducing waste. Two Rivers Lumber is setting an industry standard for resource efficiency, maximizing each log’s final value while minimizing its ecological impact.
Sustainability Meets Value Uplift: A Solution for the Future
The collaboration behind Two Rivers Lumber addresses the industry’s need for sustainable and profitable operations. By leveraging MiCROTEC’s advanced scanning solutions, Two Rivers Lumber makes high quality, data-driven decisions that reduce waste, improve product yield, and minimize environmental impact. This technology is resilient in fluctuating markets, enabling mills to consistently maximize output and quality, and operate profitably through the cycle.
This project demonstrates how advanced technology, intelligent design, and environmental stewardship can reshape the future of sawmilling. With the CT Log and ProDog solutions, Two Rivers Lumber isn’t merely investing in innovation—it’s establishing a new industry benchmark focused on sustainable resource use, product quality, and profitability.
By prioritizing high-grade, sustainable lumber processing, Two Rivers Lumber is paving the way for a smarter, more resilient lumber industry ready to thrive under any market conditions. This project serves as a model for sustainable success, proving that high-tech solutions and environmental responsibility can create a bright future for the industry.