Peterson's winner
pp. 23-25 · Read in the full issue
AN amazing portable sawmill making waves in the South Pacific is fast becoming recognised on a global scale. Peterson Portable Sawmills, the original manufactur ers of the unique single swinging circular blade is becoming the byword for the portable milling industry across the world.
Peterson’s have exported for five years now and have achieved astounding suc cess in countries as diverse as Russia, Chile, New Zealand, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, the Solomons, Australia, Fiji, the United States, England and Switzerland.
More recently through, even Peterson’s have been pleasantly surprised at the suc cess they are having with the newly
entered markets of South Africa and Canada. On the home front, Peterson’s have achieved some very prestigious awards over the years, including the 1988 New Zealand National Fielday Invention Award, the 1991 Rotorua Business Innovative Export Award, the 1993 Forestry Corporation Business Innovation Award, and the 1994 New Zealand TRADENZ Highly Commended Export Award. All these awards prove Peterson’s commit ment to excellence and continued research and development into their products.
Just recently this year, Peterson’s per formance streaked ahead of the competi tion at the New Zealand Portable
Sawmillers Association trials! In compari son, the Peterson mill proved to be the low est-priced circular-bladed mill as well as the lightest, showing their obvious portabil ity and price advantages. Peterson also produced the highest throughout for invest ment dollar, and had the highest recovery rate (by far) among the circular bladed mills trialed. Peterson sawmills are not only effi cient, but small enough to mill selectively felled trees, preserving natural forests.
Even in a country were forestry is very technologically advanced, the Peterson mill is on top of the field.
Mill designer and previous Fiji resident, Carl Peterson, attributes several factors to the mills’ success: Production capability, portability, quality, efficiency and price.
Peterson mills achieve recovery rates of up to 80 per cent and throughputs of up to 2 cubic metres of sawn timber per hour in good conditions.
They have also earned an enviable rep utation over the years, for accurate, well sawn timber (to one millimetre!). Having lived in Fiji for 12 years (where he made the first design), Carl has obviously learned what the Pacific Islands, as well as the rest of the world, needed in the area of portable sawmilling.
Another key factor of Peterson’s suc cess lies in the quality of materials used in construction. The mills are constructed largely of aluminium and stainless steel making them lightweight (around 300 kg) non-corrosive and extremely durable. This
critical factor, sometimes initially over looked, is what makes a Peterson mill the only portable sawmill suitable for use in remote locations where working conditions are at their roughest.
Peterson’s claim that their designs many be copied, but their long-lasting tech nology can never be duplicated. No other portable sawmill can boast long-term per formance and reliability under such harsh working conditions.
Versatility is also a necessary attribute for any portable sawmill conditions always vary in timber species, operator experience and terrain. The ability to adjust to these differing situations and require ments is of utmost importance. With a Peterson mill, the log is rolled or placed into the mill, or the mill is erected over the log (in around 10 minutes). All models can be hand-carried onto the milling site and set up on moderately uneven terrain.
Perhaps most surprising of all, for such high quality, prices start from around $13,940 plus shipping and relevant taxes.
And as with any product sold by Peter son’s, every sale comes with a full service back-up guarantee, wherever you are.
If Peterson’s do not have an agent in your area, they are interested in hearing from individuals or companies who may wish to act as agents for Peterson sawmills. For more information, write: Peterson Portable Sawmills, PO Box 98, Rotorua, New Zealand or Phone/Fax NZ (07) 347 0847.