Weaber

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :18/03/2008 06:25:11

With a location ideally suited to hardwood processing, Weaber has become a leading hardwood lumber manufacturer in the US. It has a simple goal – exceeding customer requirements. Exec learns more

Written by Ian Armitage and Produced by Jason Wright

Ever visited Hershey, Pennsylvania? If so, like many others, you would have been fascinated by the unusual street lights shaped like Hershey candy kisses and the Hershey buildings that make the city one of the most park-like municipalities in the US.

But there is more to Pennsylvania than Hershey; and just beyond the city is the beautiful south-central Pennsylvania rolling countryside, where numerous other businesses contribute to the local community.

Weaber Inc. is one such a company, located on 120 acres in the wooded hills of Lebanon County, just nine miles from the world famous chocolate plant. Weaber is an all-American story of a father with a vision who built a thriving company, later turning over the reins of the business to the next generation. It has become one of the nation’s leading hardwood lumber manufacturers with one simple principle – meeting and exceeding customer requirements of quality and service. Seems easy enough, but it takes a certain level of knowledge and dedication to achieve this - ask any one of a number of companies that fail in doing so. Weaber though is intent on excellence in manufacturing and service for now and generations to come.

Father and son

Company founder Walter H. Weaber established his Lebanon County based hardwood manufacturing plant more than 65 years ago in the Appalachian forest of Pennsylvania. In 1971, his son Galen G. Weaber assumed ownership of the company and became president and Chief Executive Officer.

Throughout the 70s and early 80s the company established premier programs in oak and poplar by making key investments in kilns and pre-dryers and cutting edge technology to increase grade recovery.

In the mid 1980s, it formed a regional distribution system to service lots which were what the company calls “less-than-truckload” from Virginia to New York state. Another major expansion followed in 1990 when the company moved into the hardwood moulding and dimension markets, reflecting the modernization and growth the company had planned. In the latter nineties, it renamed itself Weaber, Inc. and set off on a path of further expansion.

This led the company to purchase a new distribution center in 2004, which saw it expand into the hardwood flooring market. A high tech state-of-the-art flooring mill was then installed and Weaber, Inc. became a trusted quality producer in this sector of the hardwood industry.

Continuous growth

A forward thinking company, which is respectful of its heritage and focused on the customer, Weaber, Inc. is committed to continuous growth in quality manufacturing. Through the decades, it has used extensive environmentally sound timber management, state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and significant capital investment to achieve this goal. This however has always been enforced by a highly dedicated personal commitment and has positioned Weaber, Inc. as “the hardwood producer on which customers can depend.”

The company’s continual change, which has been a feature of its growth, today allows it to service its customers with rough or finished lumber, S4S, board, moulding and cut-to-size products. Along with such products, Weaber is able to service its customers with small quantities through its distribution center and with multiple truckloads from the mill. “We service customers locally, throughout North and Central America, as well as worldwide,” says the company, which adds: “You will find that Weaber, Inc. is able to meet the needs of your company. Give our knowledgeable sales and forestry personnel the opportunity to serve you, and we will work hard to earn and keep your trust.”

Weaber is committed to the conservation and management of its rich, and renewable, Appalachian timber resources (which it is renowned for), working hard to ensure a “lumber supply that we can depend on in the future.”

But this isn’t a new initiative, brought about over concerns over the environment; it has been managing forests for private woodland owners and providing quality timber harvests for more than 60 years. A certified participant of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Weaber attempts to ensure that forests are managed to meet the needs of the present, without compromising future generations.

According to Weaber, many landowners are surprised to learn that almost every forest in the surrounding area has been harvested in the past. Remarkably, most properties have been harvested several times, yet still maintain their forested condition. “This is possible because trees are a renewable resource and reforestation takes place naturally,” says the company.

A bright future

Weaber is a true American success story and has modern production facilities, carefully monitored quality control at each stage of the manufacturing process and flexible manufacturing. Its quality control is evident in all phases of the operation and its service doesn’t end with the sale. This has seen Weaber become one of the nation’s leading hardwood lumber manufacturers and will surely see it continue to grow in the future.

Manufacturing a wide range of lumber products, the company’s products are sold to wholesale markets where they are eventually brought by contractors and consumers at building supply businesses and home improvement stores. Every step of its operation is geared to meeting its customers’ needs.

Focusing on a sustainable future, Weaber is well-placed to capitalize on opportunity in the hardwood industry.

Click here to view the corporate brochure on Weaber