Peak Industries Finger Joint Mill Hopes to Help Meet the Rising Demand for Lumber and Housing in Texas

Peak Industries finger joint mill held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday (3-3-21), the first the company says of many ongoing opportunities on the Cranbrook B.C. industrial site. The finger joint mill is located on the former industrial land owned by Tembec, which Peak purchases in November of 2020 for $6 million from the City of Cranbrook. Currently, Peak is operating the finger joint mill existing at the site, producing 50,000 board feet every week. Given the high demand for lumber and housing in Texas, the plant is set to produce 200,000 board feet every week and ship their product into the United States. According to Bennett and Brian Fehr, Owner of Peak Industries, there are currently 23 workers at the finger joint mill. Fifteen new jobs are to be added for a second shift due to the demand in Texas. The finger joint mill is specifically taking waste wood from Canfor’s Sawmill in Elko, which is planed and then brought to the mill in Cranbrook. From there the wood is jointed together and cut to varying dimensions and lengths to be shipped south of the border. “All of this lumber that’s being produced is being shipped to Texas, there’s a big market for it so it looks like this will be a very stable operation for a long time and it’s great to see the forest industry operating in Cranbrook again.”