when Lumber l)ealers need lt the most- DffiAnnounces...

The only operational on-line Point-of-Sale System in the country serving independent lumber and building material dealers. Our customer list exceeds 100 lumber yards from Maine to California, with in-house DATALINE computer systems doing Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Payroll, Sales Analysis, Profit Analysis, Online Perpetual Inventory Control, and Multilocation Perpetual Inventory Control. SYSTEM

Our reference is our entire customer list, and our last 17 installations have experienced a complete return on their investment in less than a year and a half

Prolit from Lumber Dealers Experience

"After only three weeks we were invoicing with the DATALINE Sysfern. ln addition to handling all our accounting functions the DATALINE Sysfem will also provide us with vitally important intormation about gross margins and inventory levels."

Tom Reeser, President Home Lumber Yard, Inc., Turlock, Ca.

"We chose DATALINE after an exhaustive search of computer systerns and computer companies. We have had our DATALINE Sysfem for one month and are already on line. we feel that the DATALINE people were extremely helptul and presented the system in the most forthright manner. After attending the DATALINE Users Conference and visiting DATALINE custorners we were convinced that the DATALINE Syslern, which is designed exclusively for the Lumber and Building Materials industry, was the only choice lor Central Valley."

Robert Patterson. Jr.. President Central Valley Building Supply, Inc., St. Helena, Ca.

Hardwood Retailer

(Continued from page 33) lf Pohle boasts employees as loyal as any in the industry it is not without substantial reason. After the disastrous fire he kept his entire staff, then consisting of l2 persons, on full salary (!) for the year it took to rebuild.

"are seriously interested in learning about improved ntaterials, and how to apply thenr, and our own thinking about the practical value of Outdoor wood has been confirnred in mounting sales being generated for use in construction of natio decking. fencing. retaining walls and allied projects."

Pohle feels Outdoor wood has a far-reaching potential in the marketplace since it lasts indefinitely under outdoor conditions that cause untreated wood to deteriorate.

The majority of Southern Lumber's customers are based within the San Jose metropolitan area, which ranks first in nredian fanrilv income - ($23,260 in 1977)among all such areas in California. However. the firnr has attracted buyers from as far away as Seat(le and, Phoenix, as well as nrail orders from purchasers fronr even grealer distances.

A major turning point in the company's growth dates from a 1973 fire which razed their entire structure. later rebuilt as a far nrore spacious facility now hailed as a showplace of its type, providing 65,000 sq. ft. of brightly illuminared lntenof space wnere customers can do all their shopping indoors.

The structure is 425' in length and the ceiling, for a warehouse area. extends to 28'. to ac6ommodate even extreme lengths of lumber. Each piece of hardwood and softwood shorts throughout the establishment is individually labeled with price, length, species and country of origin so that a buyer knows, at a glance, precisely what he is purchasing.

"They were the best people in the field," he says, "and I simply wanted to be absolutely certain that, when we did re-open, they would still be available."

The company president stoutly disclaims personal credit for Southern Lumber's impressive expansion record, attributing the results toa collaborative effort involving every person on the staff.

This view was solidly confirmed, he says, ina recent customer survey, in the form of a mailed questionnaire, which disclosed that people were impressed most of all by "the attitude and fantastic service of the sales force," followed by "the quality of the merchandise."

Pohle defines his operation as

(Continued on next page) previous page)

"We are professionals at selling wood," he says, "and we do not get into housewares at all."

Southern Lumber devotes considerable space to assorted specialty departments. inclusive of do-ityourself hardwood flooring installaiion, picture frame making, door installation. and wood carving.

The company's long term commitment to wood and wood workine is graphicallY apparent in a m6zzani-ne-level.I 500-sq.-ft. museum, started by the elder Pohle. It houses a prici:less collection of historic gimlets, bits' braces, planes, peaveys, awls and other iools traiing back tothe infancy of the lumber business in America'

Outdoor wood and Wolman are registered trademarks of KoPPers Cdmpany, Inc., one of America's leading industrial corporatlons' which has annual sales in excess of $1.5-billion. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., KoPPers serves an international market with diversified products and services in manufacturing, engineering and construction.

The company, founded more than half a century ago. maintains 249 manufacturing facilities and conducts marketing operations in 67 foreign lands.

NORFIELD Manufacturing specializes in doing one thing well. We engineer and build the world's finest machinery for the pre-hung door manufacturer. The NORFIELD MAGNUM model is truly the standard by which all pre-hung door machinery is measured. Over 900 MAGNUM and PROS are working in the field right now . in plants throughout the United States and Canada.

Let us show you how the NORFIELD MAGNUM could work for you. Call or write for a detailed brochure.

Our engineering staff is available to help you lay out the most efficient pre-hung door operation possible. Try us!

Softwood Hits New High Market demand in 1978 led to production of 20.78 billion board feet of western softwood lumber (including redwood) worth approx- imately $5.8 billion (wholesale value).

The l2 western states produced about 680/o of the national softwood output. Imports (mostly from Canada) continued to be a growing factor in U.S. markets, supplying I 1.84 billion board feet of softwood lumber or 28.70/o of total demand.

$ee chart, next page)

"Last year our mills operated at 93.80/o of their practical operating capacity, " exec. v.p., Western Wood Products Assn., H.A. Roberts, said. "In any other business,firms investing capital might be expected to begin adding new capacity if they even approach the 900/o level. Mill owners won't take the risk of spending capital on new mills if they have no assurance of a timber supply.

"It's tough to remember when a new mill was built that didn't replace one that was taken out of operation. What is needed is a national commitment for imoroved forest management to increase timber growth and harvest. Then we could realistically expect a move by lumbermen to increase caDacitv."

Oregon led all states in softwood production with 7.416 billion b.f., valued at $2.008 billion. It was followed by Ca. with production of 4.853 billion b.f., valued ar $1.564 billion; Wa., 4.150 billion b.f.. $1.055 billion; Id., 1.932 billion b.f., $530.5 million; Mt., 1.256 billion b.f., $315.9 million; Az.. 350 million b.f., $113.5 millionl N.M.. 244 million b.f.. $73.7 million; Wy., 202 million b.f., $47.7 million; Co., 189 million b.f.. $47.4 millionl S.D.. l3l million b.f.. $44.4 million and Ut., 57 million b.f., $16.3 million.

L.A. Hoo-Hoo Weekend

The Los Angeles Hoo-Hoo club has set October 26-28, for its annual family weekend outing at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.

Golf and tennis tournaments will precede the annual banquet, held at the historic. all-wood hotel. Nonmembers are welcome to attend and may contact Joe Schwallie at Carroll Moulding Co., (714) 8980433, for details.

Job Description Specs

A job description is vital to appraise performance of employees: help supervisors to make adequate judgements; serve as a guide when interviewing job applicants; and it helps to orient new workers.

Essential to a workable job description are: o Title and classification of position. o Designation as fullor parttime, permanent or temporary. o Salary grades and allowances. o Description of duties and responsibilities. o Description of supervision for the position and who provides it. o Description of supervision of others required. o Descriptions of contact with others. o Outlineof working conditions and hours, especially if they are unusual. o Education and work experience qualifications. o Skills and special knowledge required. o Personal judgement, initiative or resourcefulness required.

Wholesale Lumbtr Pro Ducts

(for story, see page 45 this issue)

LUMBER PRODUCED in the 12 western states during 1978 was worth an estimatd $5.8 bilf ion. Although production was off slightly trom 1977 levels, the wholesale value of total lumber production for the period was up 15 percent.

THESE ARE 3 OF rraralld' THEHATSWEWEAR

We've added a number of lines in the 56 years we've successfully served our cus' tomers. These include HARDWOOD LUMBER, HARDWOOD PLYWOOD and HARD' WOOD FLOORING, which we can provide in strip and parquet, either pre-finished or unfinished. Our sources include two top quality names: Sykes Flooring Co. and Memphis Hardwood FlooringCo. In addition, we have WESTERN RED CEDAR available in paneling and siding in select title knot and clears.

For your convenience, we have milling facilitiesand we can deliver. Direct mill shipments are also available.

Our years of service prove we can do the job. Give us a call today.

TEE WAY IT WAs-cirolt8?. This is the Valley Lumber Co., corner of H & Mono Streets in Fresno, Ca. Our thanks to I\[r. Robert Kimble, Sequoia Lumber Co., Visalia, Ca., whose grandfather F. Dean Prescott appears in the photo, for this rare look at our western past.

Good service is as important now as it was in the past. As a new company, we made sure that customer service was the keystone of DMK-Pacific's foundation. O Whether you are our Qiggest customer, smallest, or in between, we'll take extra special care of you. () For all your needs in western softwooddand plywood, try DMK-Pacific, the company that was born with sawdust in its veins and is staffed by people who share your enthusiasm for this business.

Dwight Cunan

HARDWOOD DRYING

(Continued from page 14) ture. In use, the 6-8% level of moisture is required to prevent the lumber from splitting, cracking and cupprng.

Once the end product is produced and a finish applied, the wood will stay at this same approximate moisture content. Dimensional stability will be consistent over many years, even in relatively wet or dry environments.

While the process seems rather straight forward and has been used for many years, the difficulty is in knowing the characteristics of each species. It is especially complicated for a company like Penberthy Lumber in Los Angeles which handles over 75 different species of both domestic and imported hardwoods from around the world. Penberthy operates its own kilns on a roundthe-clock basis. The air drying facility alone covers approximately l2 acres, most under cover.

In the actual kiln operation, various species can be mixed. However, great care must be taken to ensure that the woods are compatible for length of drying time required, otherwise the lumber may collapse and honeycomb, split or warp. Each new species, and there are many new ones being introduced constantly, require exhaustive testing to prevent loss. When species are mixed, initially steam is pumped into the kiln to equalize the moisure content in each. Once this is accomplished, the drying process begins. lll0lAll R0SEW|l00, shown in air drying sheo, has been on sticks lor one and one half years. Penberthy is a maior supplier of this unique species throughout the U.S.

Managements lmage Rank Management effectiveness ranks higher than the image of immediate supervisors whena worker judges his job satisfaction, according to a five year study of 2,000 employees.

Tips for improving upper level concepts, revealed by the study, include reassuring the employee of his worth and increasing efforts to make work more satisfying with a harmonious employee-supervisor relationship.

Another recommendation is an employee suggestion program with awards for acceptable ideas.

Also a plus is better communication between top officials and employees with an effort to learn what the workers want to know about manasement.

Fremont specializes in a large inventory of high quality Douglas fir boards, dimension, long lengths and timbers shipped from select mills in British Columbia, Oregon and California. We ar€ con. stantly adding to our selection of western red cedar, pine, hemlock and white fir. Other species and specialty items are inventoried and included in our weekly flyer sent to all Fremont customers.