Wednesday Mar 10

3 Tier Wood & Allied Products

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This project is a particularly interesting one, as it comprises 3 seperate Enterprises each requiring different skills yet all interdependant on one another.

MISSION

TO BRING TREE WASTAGE TO AN END

– NO MORE TREES BEING CUT UP AND USED AS USELESS LANDFILL-THESE RECOVERED TREES WILL BE USED IN A SUSTAINABLE 3 TIER ENTERPRISE
 - TO PRODUCE USEFUL ITEMS [AS DESCRIBED UNDER EACH SECTION]

TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS TRAINING
– IN SHORT, TO EMPOWER!!

THEREBY MEETING THE NEEDS FOR LOW COST HOUSING, WHILE IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT & ASSISTING THE DISADVANTAGED IN A MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINABLE WAY!
 

TIER 1. TREE RECOVERY; SAWMILL & SEASONING WAREHOUSE.

The first phase of the project involves TREE RECOVERY. 

Treefelling companies are frequently summoned by property owners to fell trees that are either in the way, have become dangerous, troublesome , or invasive.
Once felled, these trees are cut up, they are either dumped at a municiple dumps or burnt as firewood.
This is a terrible waste of resources- Where they are dumped, they are buried too deeply to be of any future ecological benefit. When burnt, although supplying limited energy, they contribute to the already high levels of carbon in the atmosphere, which exacerbates global warming.
Although, single trees seem of little consequence, collectively the numbers of trees destroyed where absolutely no benefit is reaped, is shocking!


THE TREE RECOVERY PROJECT WOULD OPERATE AS FOLLOWS:

The Enterprise would advertise FREE TREE FELLING for trees greater than a certain girth-provided that the tree becomes the property of the Enterprise.
An ASSESSOR would be sent to the pertinent site to determine and record the details of the tree/s.
Careful felling will be undertaken so as keep as much of the central trunk as intact as possible. 
The trunk as well as the branches would be LOADED and TRANSPORTED per TRUCK to the DEPOT.

AT THE DEPOT: 

The BRANCHES would be taken to the CHIPPING MILL [Part of the 3rd Tier of the Enterprise]. 
THE MAIN TRUNK, would be sent to the SAW MILL [Part of the 1st Tier of the Enterprise] to be SAWN INTO BEAMS in preparation for seasoning.
The sawn beams would be placed in a CURING HOLDING-SHED for the amount of time for the wood to dry/season and become ready to be workable.
The sawdust from the sawing of the trees would be sent to the 3rd Tier-*expanded on later.
Once seasoned, the wood will be divided into 3 CATEGORIES:

(a)  Wood Sales
(b)  Construction of Low Cost Housing Modules. (2nd Tier of the enterprise)
(c)  Construction of both Low Cost Furniture, and high class Export Furniture (2nd Tier of the enterprise).

Details of above Three Categories:  

(a)  SALE OF EXCESS WOOD:

Since the recovery of the type of trees will be unpredictable, an accumulation of wood in excess of what the Enterprise can utilize, may occur. 
[Such excesses would be sold off, at a cheaper price than any other wood suppliers are able to.]

(b)  THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOW COST HOUSING MODULES-TIER 2

These modules for low cost housing HAVE ALREADY BEEN DESIGNED, are portable and easily erected in hours. They can also be disassembled and moved and are completely MOBILE!
[Since the wood recovered by Tier 1 would essentially be for free, the construction costs of the Enterprise would be significantly lower than even the most efficient supplier's.]

 (c)  THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNITURE -TIER 2 

The cheaper types of wood would be employed in meeting the demand for cheap furniture by the less-privileged, [again, as the raw material is basically for free, this will enable the Enterprise to produce such units for lower prices than any other business could.]
However, as some of the wood recovered would be valuable woods, such as Oak, Teak, Yellowood, Kiaat, Meranti and so on, such woods have the potential to be turned into export-quality furniture, [again, at a price no one could compete with.]

TIER 2: WOOD PROCESSING & PRODUCTION:

PRIMARY :

As outlined above, the recovered wood would be primarily used to construct MODULES that would provide low-cost housing that is sorely needed in Southern Africa, Africa, as well as in other Third World countries.

SECONDARY :

While housing is one aspect, such houses also require BASIC FURNITURE such as beds, tables & chairs, cupboards, shelving and so on. 

THIRDLY :

The utilization of valuable woods by turning them into HIGH- CLASS EXPORTABLE ITEMS.

** EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING would be provided: 

The entire Enterprise would provide many people with SUSTAINABLE INCOMES and SKILLS-TRAINING. 
Furthermore, the SKILLED ARTISANS that would be employed to operate the machinery to produce the abovementioned products would also provide ONGOING APPRENTICE-MENTORING SCHEMES. 

The Enterprise will therefore, in additional to training it own workforce, also be EMPOWERING those who may wish to move on to make a valuable contribution to industry through their acquired skills and qualifications. 

TIER 3: PAPER MANUFACTURE:

The BRANCHES of the felled trees would go to a CHIPPING UNIT which will be to reduce the branches to sawdust as the first stage of the PRODUCTION OF PAPER PULP.
Added to this, will be the SAWDUST recovered from sawing up the tree trunks.
This pulp will then be used in producing hand made PAPER, and low grade paper for various outlets.
The pulping and production of paper has already been planned in detail and is ready to go.

As one can see, one Tier feeds the next, all provided by the recovery of a recource that up to now has been grossly wasted!

DIAGRAM OF 3 TIER SYSTEM:

When one considers the 3 Tier setup as discussed, it may be argued that ONE individual unit would only have a negligible impact. 

However, if one was to imagine that there was such an Enterprise in each town in the country, the positive impact suddenly becomes huge!

TRAINING:

Another factor not yet discussed, is that there will be many types of training involved.

1. MANAGEMENT –

While a trained Manager would initially be employed, he/she would immediately acquire an assistant and a number of trainee assistants, who would be given practical exposure to management in the field – this sort of training would be supplied as a pre-exposure to people who want to enter the Management arena, and would be similar to an apprenticeship.

2. ARTISANS –

While qualified Artisans will be employed, an Apprenticeship Mentoring Program will be established to provide training for future Artisans.

3. DRIVERS –

There will be a need for drivers to transport the felled trees from site to depot. 
These individuals will be sent on proper driver training Courses and besides becoming legal drivers, they will also be sent on advanced driving courses. 

Every driver will also be allocated a learner driver, on an ongoing basis. This will not only be in order to qualify people as drivers and therefore empower them with a means to make a living, but also to ensure that we put more safe, legally licenced drivers on the road.

4. SECRETARIAL/RECEPTION –

Here either unqualified individuals can be trained for the positions or newly qualified people could be employed. Either way, each such person will be allocated another person to acquire on-the-job training, the aim of which is to prepare them for further tertiary training.

5. GENERAL WORKERS AND OTHER SKILLED OR UNSKILLED WORKERS–

Other skilled workers would be handled in much the same way as those mentioned above, dependant on what the requirements are. Unskilled workers will be taught certain skills, and the business will provide them with Certification so that at the very least, should they wish to be employed elsewhere, they have some Credentials to show prospective employers.

6. ABET –

As there will inevitably be some people who are unable to read or write, this well-known system will be employed to upgrade individuals so that they can participate in advanced learning and skills training. We already have qualified personnel to teach this system available.

The 3 Tier system as set out above, while having every appearance of being a regular business, is in fact radically different, in that it will not be owned by anyone, but rather retained by F.O.W.L.E. as an INFRASTRUCTURE to empower the disempowered.

This will be attained by: 

A) Providing Employment
B) Providing an ongoing practical Training facility
C) Lowering the impact on the environment
D) Utilisation of previously wasted raw material
E) Provision of Low Cost Housing for the Disadvantaged
F) Provision of low cost Furnishings

Any monies generated by this infrastructure, would go directly back into it, in order to ensure its sustainability.
Should this Enterprise generate more than is required, those funds would be returned to the financial pool of F.O.W.L.E. in order to be used to empower others or to set up other infrastructures of a similar nature.
Should this infrastructure falter or not be able to sustain itselfe for any reason, F.O.W.L.E. will provide the necessary funding to ensure that it does. This sort of thing of course can happen, since every entrepreneur knows that it requires at least 2 years to get any business to run properly, and dips in production and income can be expected as a natural course of events. It is in such a case that F.O.W.L.E will assist the particular infrastructure that is affected.

REQUIREMENTS:

TIER 1:

  1. Industrial land on which to set up the 3 Tier Enterprise (since they are inter dependant).
  2. Fencing & Security.
  3. A curing Warehouse in which the wood is stored for a period of time before being drawn off for processing.
  4. A 25 ton truck (ideally 2), with Hydraulic hoisting device. Truck will double up for delivery of Housing produced in Tier 2, & any other deliveries.
  5. Tree-felling equipment like chain saws, general rigging equipment etc safety equipment etc.
  6. Large industrial saw for converting raw timber into beams for curing.
  7. Conveyor system to transfer sawdust from saw to paper pulping division.
  8. Funds to carry the personell for a period until the enterprise becomes self sustaining.

TIER 2:

  1. Administration building, from which all 3 Tiers are managed & co-ordinated – this should ideally also incorporate a Training Area.
  2. Furnishings for the above, including computers, telephones, faxes and other office equipment.
  3. Industrial Woodworking machinery:
  4. A light truck for picking up and delivery of various items in operation.
  5. Funds to carry the personnel for a period until the Enterprise becomes self-sustaining.

TIER 3:

  1. Building in which to house Papermaking production process, and covered storage of processed product.
  2. Chipping machine.
  3. Pulp slurry baths, Potchers & Digesters.
  4. Hand screens and baths.
  5. Paper presses. (Primary)
  6. Fourdrinier machine – automated paper production. (Secondary)
  7. Forklift.
  8. Handling tables.
  9. Funds to carry the personnel for a period until the enterprise becomes self sustaining.