Lockwood: a happy customer

Lockwood International is proud to support the timber processing work CIE is doing for them at Wanganui Prison. The feedback they get from the market has also been very positive according to Peter Hemsley, Lockwood International Operations Manager.

CIE started working with Lockwood International in January 2007, around the same time that CIE National Timber Processing Manager Ron Whelan came to work for CIE. After 26 years of experience in the timber industry he brought a vast range of knowledge and understanding of the timber market.
 
Ron explains that the work involves producing finger jointed boards. “First we skip-dress the timber through the wood planer. Then they are cut to a length of 200mm and longer and sent to the finger jointer. There the prisoners set the total length to the requirements of the customers.

"The sizes range from 4.2 to 7.2 metres of various widths and thicknesses. The jointed boards then go back to the wood planer for the final dressed dimension, such as fascia boards and outside pergola framing.”

At all stages of the process prisoners perform quality checks under the guidance of instructors. After completion the boards are packaged and ready for shipping to overseas markets in Australia, the USA and the Pacific Islands, to name a few.
 
The 42 prisoners on the Lockwood project are also training for unit standards towards an NZQA National Certificate in timber processing. The instructors make sure that the prisoners get the required training which is provided and assessed by FITEC, the body responsible for wood industry training and education.

“The five instructors share about 60 years of experience in the timber processing industry, so they have a lot of knowledge to pass on,” says Ron. “The training and the actual timber processing work provide good work ethics, valuable qualifications and experience to help prisoners change their lives.”

“CIE’s work for Lockwood International is greatly appreciated,” says Peter Hemsley. “To be able to deliver the best product with top service is a commendable achievement by the instructors and the prisoners. The efforts and cooperation of CIE Timber Processing enable us to produce the timber Lockwood International is accustomed to supplying in overseas markets and to grow our business.”

Ron believes that often businesses initially need convincing to start working with prisoners. “But we have proved our ability to deliver good quality work which has helped us develop a partnership such as this. Looking back to November 2006 when I started with CIE, Timber Processing had four customers on their order books. Now this has grown to 24.”