MILL DATABASE
The Beck Group assists clients by maintaining a database of forest products mills. Clients find the information in the database useful for better understanding the current state of the industry in a region of interest. The database includes mills that consume logs and plants that consume woody biomass and mill residuals.
For each mill in the database, we typically maintain information such as the location of the mill (city and state), the owner, the type of mill, annual product output capacity, annual raw material consumption, etc. Our database covers all of North America, but the intensity of our updating and tracking varies by region and industry sector.
CASE STUDIES
Pacific Northwest Mill Residual Supply and Demand—The Beck Group recently assisted a confidential client who was considering a major capital improvement project aimed at increasing production. As part of the project’s due diligence, Beck assisted by utilizing our mill database to provide an analysis of the current and projected supply and demand for mill residuals (chips, sawdust, and planer shavings) in the Pacific Northwest.
Our benchmarking work provides us with the most up to date and accurate information available about mills’ operational status, capacities, and by-products production. The client can now make solid plans based on a well-informed assessment of the project’s raw material supply and demand.
Timberland Acquisition Due Diligence—The Beck Group was recently retained to assist a confidential client in assessing the future supply and demand for pulpwood and sawtimber in the region where the client was contemplating a timberland investment. Beck’s tasks included using its mill supply and demand database to identify all the pulpwood- and sawtimber-consuming mills in the region and comparing their estimated annual consumption to historical harvest levels. Beck also developed a sawtimber stumpage price forecast given the supply and demand balance in the region.
Our mill database is based on the most recent and accurate information that is not available elsewhere. The client can make an investment decision based on the most complete information, filtered for relevancy and tailored to its needs.
Mass Timber Manufacturing Feasibility—The Beck Group recently assisted a confidential client by completing a mass timber manufacturing feasibility study. Beck assisted by analyzing the size of the glulam and CLT market in North America with specific focus on the Western U.S.; using its sawmill database to evaluate the supply and cost of raw materials; providing a third party review of financial modeling including estimates of capital costs, ongoing operating costs, and key metrics such as productivity, downtime, and raw material to finished product yield factors; and providing conclusions and recommendations about mitigating project risks. All of Beck’s work was summarized in a written report that the client will use to attract investors to the project.
The mass timber manufacturing supply chain is an area of Beck expertise based on nearly 10 years of involvement in the International Mass Timber Conference as presenters, International Mass Timber Report authors, and other project work similar to this one. The client now has the information needed to answer investors’ questions and demonstrate the project’s timely strengths.
North American Softwood Lumber Supply and Demand Balance—Over the last several years there has been a significant volume of European softwood lumber entering North American markets. A confidential client retained The Beck Group to analyze historical North American lumber production by producing region, and then to project future North American lumber production by region given key driving factors such as North American lumber demand, imports from offshore, lumber production capacity, and log supply. Beck used its mill database extensively during this effort. This interesting project identified several key trends in the North American supply chain that are sure to impact softwood lumber markets and pricing over the next several years.
The Beck Group’s understanding of softwood lumber markets and production across the North American continent is based on decades of research and statistical tracking. The client’s management team is now equipped to anticipate North American supply chain shifts and price movements.
Statewide Biomass Supply & Demand Assessment—Drax retained The Beck Group to complete a statewide assessment of the supply & demand of woody biomass in California. Beck estimated the annual volume of biomass produced from forestry residues, mill residuals, forest health and wildfire mitigation treatments, ag/orchard removals, and urban wood waste. Beck also estimated the annual demand for woody biomass materials in the state among users including biomass power generation, landscape and mulch, pellets, and other miscellaneous existing uses. Beck’s database of biomass producing and consuming mills was instrumental in completing the analysis. Beck also developed a comprehensive listing of biomass- and timber-consuming projects in various stages of planning and development.
With over a century of collective experience, Beck consultants can estimate the supply of and demand for many forms of biomass. The client came away with a better understanding of the California market, enabling management to decide how best to navigate its currents.
US South Mill Residual Supply and Demand—The Beck Group assisted a confidential client to assess the supply and demand for mill residuals within a 150 road-mile radius of a proposed manufacturing facility, which translated into a three-state area in the U.S. South. Beck’s role included identifying potential supply mills for the prospective facility, estimating their annual production of mill residuals by type, and estimating the existing demand for those mill residuals. For the mill residual material judged to be in excess supply, Beck estimated its delivered cost to the prospective plant.
Our mill database is based on the most recent and accurate information that is not available elsewhere. The client now understands the full supply landscape, can assure investors supply is adequate, and can develop a strategic raw material purchase plan.
Mill Database for the Pacific Northwest—The Beck Group provided a confidential client with a listing of mills located in the Pacific Northwest. Included in the listing for each mill were estimates of the annual volume of mill residuals produced including bark, sawdust, planer shavings, and chips. The client used the information to complete its own due diligence related to siting a wood pellet manufacturing operation.
Beck’s mill database, which is derived from publicly available information supplemented with benchmarking-derived factors that relate lumber and veneer production to mill residual production, is the most accurate information available for mill residual production. Our client used that information in planning their business development activities.
Mill Database for Oregon—The Beck Group provided the Oregon Forest Resource Institute (OFRI) a listing of materially significant forest products manufacturing facilities in Oregon as part of their Oregon Forest Facts & Figures publication.
Beck’s mill database provided this client with accurate information about the scope and scale of Oregon’s forest products manufacturing infrastructure.