The Big Move

DROVIDING material to the rieht

F place at the right time (at the right price) is a commonplace transportation function for the wholesaler of forest products and other building materials. It is a function frequently overlooked by producers and customers.

A recent case in point not only illustrates the value of wholesaling in forest products, but additionally indicates that no matter how much concrete and steel is used in heavy construction, lumber will always be a counterpart.

Blasen & Blasen Lumber Corp., a Portland, Or., industrial wholesaler and specialty manufacturer, received an inquiry for 230,000 board feet of l2xl2 f,3 timbers on April 22nd. The timbers were needed for blocking and pads for transporting giant pre-stressed concrete beams on a barge bound for Alaska.

Each concrete beam was 10' wide and 80' long and weighed in at 118,000 lbs. There were 135 beams in all, destined for a stretch of road on the Copper fuver Delta for the Alaska Department of Highways.

The inquiry called for approximate- ly 15,000 feet of l2xl2 within 48 hours after bid closing for use as pads to load a 300-ton capacity crane onto the barge at the Port of Seattle. The concrete beams were then to be loaded in Portland, and this was where the remaining 215,000 feet of l2xl2's was needed.

The bids were closed and the contract awarded to Blasen & Blasen on Friday afternoon, April 23. The first 15,000 feet was delivered to the Seattle dock by noon on Monday, April 26th. The balance of the order was delivered to the Portland dock by noon, Monday, May 3rd, just six working days from the time the contract was awarded.

In order to supply this quantity of l2xl2 timbers in a f,3 grade, it was necessary to draw from mills as far

Story at a Glance

The function of transportation of materials can take many forms here a Portland wholesaler/mfgr. scrambled to provide 230,000 bf of 12 x 12 timbers pronto as blocking and pads for a huge load of giant concrete beams bound for Alaska.

north as Seattle, Wa., and as far south as Redding, Ca. Truck transportation had to be expedited. Working relationships with sawmills, which are the stock and trade of any good wholesaler, had to be called upon. It is doubtful any one producer could have filled this order without either a prior inventory position or the willingness to drop everything else to produce l2xl2 timbers.

This incident also points up the importance of wood in transporting large bulk items. You don't lay a 10x80 ft. slab of concrete and steel. weighing 59 tons, in a bed of excelsior!