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Our operations

Our process

The production of softwood lumber, a sustainable and fascinating process!

Step 01/15

Logging

Always with great respect for cutting plans and the resource, the trees are cut down using a conventional or multifunctional harvester or by chainsaw.

The harvest

The delimber or multifunctional harvester removes all of the branches without damaging the wood. The logs, whether cut lengthwise or not, are then stacked for shipping.

Shipping

The harvest is sent to the mill by semi-trailer. When the trucks arrive at their destination, they are unloaded in piles in our large lumber yard or directly at the mill entrance.

Cutting

A robotic detection system analyzes the log and cuts it to maximize the amount of lumber produced and optimize final quality.

Debarking

The logs are conveyor-fed through rotors equipped with knives to remove the bark while preserving the precious wood fiber.

Sawing

The log is processed into lumber, either by primary breakdown (width) or secondary breakdown (thickness), or both at the same time (depending on the system).

Trimming

The sawn lumber is then cut into optimal lengths, based on predetermined dimensions.

Stacking

The boards are mechanically stacked into packages by category and sorted according to wood species to maximize drying.

Drying

Did you know? Drying time for fir is twice as long as for spruce. This is why we dry each species separately in the drying cells at each of our mills.

Planing

This step consists of going back over the dried wood to polish, round corners and standardize the boards.

Classification

Final quality is determined by strict classification standards. Each board is thoroughly inspected by an optimizer or the eagle eye of a grader!

Packaging

We take great pride in this step, when we package our flawless softwood lumber in Matériaux Blanchet sealed covers.

Final quality control

In addition to meticulously monitoring the entire processing line, our quality control professionals ensure that all of the wood meets standards using sampling techniques. They then compile the statistics to guarantee continuous improvement.

Distribution

Our products travel throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East by truck, train and boat.

Reforestation

Sustainable development is not just a value to us, it’s part of who we are. This is why we do large-scale replanting to ensure the sustainability of the resource.

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step
01

A zero loss process!

Throughout the stages of production, sawdust, bark, shavings and wood chips are used for a variety of applications.

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Our facilities

Sawmills that go beyond industry borders

We have state-of-the-art facilities managed by seasoned experts – that’s why we produce world-class softwood lumber.

SAINT-PAMPHILE
SAWMILL

Located in Chaudière-Appalaches directly on the Quebec-Maine border, our Saint-Pamphile sawmill employs between 180 and 200 people. Its annual production capacity is over 150 million board feet.

A flagship sawmill for Matériaux Blanchet, established in 1958, our Saint-Pamphile mill was completely rebuilt in 2020. Now equipped with a GradExpert classification system and a Gilbert planer, the mill is among the most modern in North America.

Technical information
  • Beginning of operations:  1958
  • CIFQ # 4-1
  • Heat treatment: CA-00332
  • Production: 150 million board feet (2 shifts)
  • Species: White Spruce/balsam fir
  • Dimensions: 1″ x 3″, 1″ x 4″, 1″ x 6″, 2″ x 3″, 2″ x 4″, 2″ x 6″, 2″ x 8″, 2″ x 10″, 3″ x 3″, 4″ x 4″, 5/4″ x 6″
  • Lengths: 6’ to 16’
  • Grades: Supreme, #2 and Better, #3, #4, Overseas
  • Certifications:
    • FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)
  • Land shipments
    • Trucks
    • Rail cars from our reloading site
  • Sea shipments
    • Containers from Montreal, Quebec

AMOS
SAWMILL

Our second modern sawmill is in Abitibi-Témiscamingue in northwestern Quebec and employs 180 people.

Strategically located in the land of black spruce, our Amos division gets its supplies mainly from Quebec’s public forest and private producers in Quebec and Ontario.

This mill has an annual production capacity of over 150 million board feet on three shifts.

Technical information
  • Beginning of operations: 1972
  • CIFQ # 775
  • Heat treatment: CA-00838
  • Production: 150 million board feet (3 shifts)
  • Species: Black spruce/Jack pine
  • Dimensions: 1″ x 3″, 1″ x 4″, 2″ x 2″, 2″ x 3″, 2″ x 4″, 2″ x 6″
  • Lengths: 6’ to 16’
  • Grades: MSR, Supreme, #2 and Better, #3, #4, Overseas
  • Certifications :
    • FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)
  • Land shipments
    • Trucks
    • Rail cars from our sawmill
  • Sea shipments
    • Containers from Montreal, Quebec

MATÉRIAUX BLANCHET
HEAD OFFICE

Located in newly built offices on Wilfrid-Hamel Blvd. in Quebec City, our headquarters houses our executive, management and sales teams.

Our investments

We are proud to invest in:

Ultramodern sawmills

Our recent investments of $55 M in our Amos and Saint-Pamphile mills makes them proudly stand out as the most modern planer mills in North America.

Both projects involved the construction of a 60,000 square-foot infrastructure, which houses a new planer and a state-of-the-art classification system.

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Sustainable development

Matériaux Blanchet continuously invests in sustainable development to maintain its strategic positioning in the markets. Making our industry even greener is our daily mission!

Continuing education

The modernization of our Amos and Saint-Pamphile mills also included a significant training component for our employees. The idea is to ensure that they keep pace with the technology and master the new machinery, which allows them to perform their daily tasks even more efficiently.

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