Prolam Breathes New Life Into 80-Year-Old Motueka, New Zealand, Sawmill

Prolam, a New Zealand family-owned business with expertise in engineered structural solutions, announced that it has purchased an 80-year-old sawmill in Motueka, New Zealand, which had been closed since 2017 by its original owner.

Prolam says it has successfully brought the mill back to life to support the company’s manufacturing of industry-leading structural timber solutions.

Prolam Managing Director John Woodman says the refurbished and upgraded mill will play a pivotal role in meeting the building industry’s demand for more sustainable, locally made building materials in fast lead-times and at competitive prices. “We source and use select quality New Zealand plantation grown radiata pine in our glulam timber beams, posts, and portals, and while supply is no longer an issue, our ability to mill a proportion of our own timber gives us greater control over key elements of the manufacturing process.”

Johns added that the commencement of milling at the Motueka sawmill represents a step-change in Prolam’s production capability. “Our investment in new and proven milling technology has enabled us to establish a vertically integrated glulam production facility where we debark logs, mill, kiln dry, and treat the timber ready for the lamination process.”