A.W. NETH !5ALES

lost yesr D & R shipped over 650,000,000 feet of Lumber crnd ollied products to sotisfied cuslomers in oll poils of the Unired Stqtes. This volume hos been growing sreodilY for over 55 yeors

Hogan Wholesale Building Materials Co.. Oakland

Holmes Eureka Lumber Company. '....San Francisco

Fred C. Holmes Lumber Co..... .. .Fort Bragg

Home Lumber & Supply Co.... . ..San Leandro

Interbay Lumber Company. ...Oakland

Lamon Lumber Company. .'....San Francisco

T-ong-Bell Lumber Co..... '....San Francisco

Loop Lumber & Mill Company. 'Alameda

Tum,berSalesCompany...... ....San Francisco

MacBeath Hardwood Company. "....Berkeley

L. W. Martinez Co.. ...'.San Francisco

Masonite Corporation ....San Francisco

McCloud Lumber Company. .....San Francisco

Melrose Lun-rber & Supplv Co..... ....Oakland

Molalla Forest Products Co.. .Cloverdale

Mulford Lumber Company. San Leandro

The Pacific Lumber Company. ..San Francisco

Paramino Lumber Company. ....San Francisco

Peerless Lumber Company. ....Oakland

Ricci & Kruse Lum,ber & Building Materials....San Francisco

Rolando Lumber Co., Inc.. ......San Francisco

Rounds Lumber Company. ......San Francisco

Ralph L. Smith Lumber Co.. Berkeley

Santa Cruz Lumber'Company... ....Santa Cruz

Scammel Lumber Company. ...Oakland

Stowe-Lima Lumber Company. ......Hayward

Strable Lumber Company. .....Oakland

Stockton Box Company...... ..Stockton

Sun Vallev Lumber Comlranv. .......Lafayette

Tarter, Webster & Johnson, Inc.... .....San Francisco

Triangle Lum'ber Company. ...Oakland

Twin-City Lumber Company. .......San Rafael

Twin Harbors Lumber Company. ..Menlo Park

Union Lumber Companv. San Francisco

Ilnited States Plywood Corp.. .....Northern California

Ward & Knapp. ..San Francisco

Wendling-Nathan Company...... ......San Francisco

West Coast Lumber Comoany. ..San Francisco

West Coast Timber Products Agency. San Francisco

Western Door & Sash Co.. ....Oakland

Western Dry Kiln Company. ..Oakland

Western Pine Supply Company. ....Emeryviile

WesternSierraLumberCo... .......Pleasanton

Westwood-Ingram Company..... .....Oakland

Weyerhaeuser Sales Company. .San Francisco

White Brothers.... ....Oakland

WholesaleBuildingSupply,Inc.... ....Oakland

Willits Redwood Products Company. ...Willits

Wood Products Company ......Oakland

Zenith tr{ill & Lumber Co..... .Oakland

Direct Shipments

Corgo - Roil - Truck & Troiler

DOUGTAS FIR,. PINE. PTYWOOD ENGETMANN SPR,UCE MOUTDINGS & JAMBS

TRiongle 3-2663

TWX: Vqn Nuys 7576

Gounty Building Sets Five-Month High, According ro Chomber Report

Total valuation for all building permits in Los Angeles County during the first five months of 1959 set a new- alltime record of $616,828,300, according to information announced June 22 by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. Compiled in the Chamber's monthly construction report, figures show that the current January-Ma report, ngures snow curfent January-May report- ing period surpassed the previous high of $598,759,100 established durins a comDarable oeriod of. 1957. The 1958 during a comparable period figure was $539,724,IW, 14.3% behind the 1959 hieh.

high.

Residential valuation was up 7.0o./o to a five-month total of $272,589,100. Last year the figure for a comparable p-eriod was $258,687,500. Total new dwelling units recorded y_as up Ll.go/o for the year-to-date reporting period, with 29,3+6 as compared to the 1958 figure oT 26,234.

Galifornis Sqwlimber Ample To R.ebuild Abour Every House

In the commercial forests of California today stands enough living sawtimber to build 35 milli,on new houses. That is almost enough to rebuild every dwelling in the United States.

It is enough to fill 12 million railroad sals-six times more than exist in this country. A train carrying this enormous load of wood would reach around the earth four-and-a-half times at the equator.

Th9 magnitude and importance of California's grow- ing timber supply are portrayed in the 1959 edition of "California Forest Facts," just off the press and now available without cost to all interested in the state's forest resource. The booklet was published by the forest industries of California in cooperation with American Forest Products Industries, sponsor of the American Tree Farm System of growing trees as a crop on taxpaying lands.

California's forest industries today employ more than 100,000 persons with an annual payroll of more than $507,000,000, the booklet reveals. California has a commercial forest area of l7,3l7,WO acres, 53/o of. which is government-controlled.

Single-unit construction was up 18.4/o to 13.150 from last year's 11,106. Duplex and other multiples showed7.l/o rise from the January-May '58 total of 15,128 to a current reporting figure of 16,196.

The Chamber statistics show that construction activity valuation during May totaled. $152,987,700, as compar.d to $122,383,600 last year. This is an increase of.25/o.

Biggest increase for the month of May was shown in duplex and multiple units with a 35.5% gain for the comparable May periods. During the month, 3,966 multiples were recorded, a gain of 1,040 over last year's figures.

All categories reported by the Chamber showed definite gains, including a 16.9/o rise in residential valuation in the county. The May 1959 total was $64,262,200, while a year ago the residential valuation was $54,979,400.

Number of total units increased 23.8/o, from 5,549 last May to 6,872 for the current reporting period. Single-dwell- ing units were up IO.8% to 2,906 as compared to 2,623 in May, '58.

Merchqndising Progrom Disployed ot Pocific Goost Builders' €onference

Certain-teed Products Corporation will feature an exhibit devoted exclusively to their new merchandising program at the Pacific Coast Builders' Conference, July 6-9, ai the Sheraton-Palace hotel, San Francisco. Representing Certain-teed at the Conference will be Morris e. Hoven. W. S. Mole and J. D. Tormey.

Re-planning the facilities for efficient handling of retail lumberyard products is a project that can and frequent- ly does involve considerable cash outlay. For this reason, it should be approached with a complete understanding of the problems involved and the benefits expected before steps are taken to improve the existing facilities.

Reasons for Yard Change

First of all, what are the reasons for changing yard layout? The inclination is for each yard operator to conclude that his problems are of a specialized nature. Actuallv. the basic reasons for changing exisiing facilities will usually arise from one or more of the following situations :

1. Where larger volumes of lumber and other building supplies must be handled in existing areas or facilitiesin such cases, this means handling must be speeded through all phases of operationincoming, storage, order picking, outgoing.

2. Where labor costs are increasing -This means utilizing mechanical methods which make it possible to do more work with less labbr, or to take care of an increased volume without adding to the present labor force.

3. Where it is becoming harder to obtain labor willing to do manual labor -This means it is necessary to install labor-saving devices and methods.

4. Where over-all costs of running a business are increasing with little chance for decreasing fixed costs-This means economy and efficiency must be realized in those phases of business where improvement is possible such as handling and storage costs.

5. Where competition between lumberyards is growing stronger-This means that greater chance for survival is going to be with the more efficient, aggressrve operators.

6. Where customers are demanding more and better service-This means it will be necessary to install equipment and methods that are faster, more economical, and which cause less damage to merchandise.

Objectives of Re-planning Yard Layout

The overall obiective in a lumber yard is no dilTereit than that o{ any other industry-the unhampered movement of mechanical equipment and adequate space for orderly storage of inventory. In making either a complete or partial re-planning of facilities, these general objectives should be held in mind: l Sufficient space must be provicled or planned for to take care of all inventory that is to be stored.

2. Space must be arrangecl so that all items that turn over fast in large quantities can be placed in storage and removed by mechanical means.

3. The arrangement of items in storage must provide for systematic order picking and permit fast, accurate checking for inventory purposes.

4. Aisles must be wide enough to permit lift trucks and delivery trucks to carry loads at operating speeds consistent with their production capacity. Aisle widths will also be governed by

5. Sufficient space must be provided adjacent to the rail siding or in the un-loading area so that lumber and other incoming supplies can be sorted and assembled into bundles, or pre-packaged unit-loads can be handled mechanically.

"Plus" Benefits

In aclclition to the major objectives, an emcient yard layout utilizing mechanical equipment has many other benefits which should be considered.

In most industries, the ability to handle goods faster and more efficiently with lift trucks makes it possible to reduce lnventories. Since inventories represent "tied-up" capital, most businesses are eager to operate on as small an inventorv as possible.

Aaditional benefits which are equally desirable, but which are difficult to express in specific terms of dollar savings, also accrue with better-planned yards. For instance:

When lift trucks are used, other equipment is not tied up while lumber is unloaded and placed in storage or while orders are being prepared. This improves delivery service by making it possible for delivery trucks to make two or three times as many trips per day.

Service to customers is improved because orders are filled faster, damage is reduced, and more inventory can be stocked in a given area. This increases the possibility of having adequate stock on hand to meet customers' requirements.

Lift-truck handling improves general housekeeping around a yard and makes inventory taking easier.

Lift-truck handling makes it easy to rotate stock so that it does not deteriorate or become unsaleable.

Lift-truck handling improves employee relations because it eliminates much of the back-breaking labor aspect of lumber handling. It gives yard help the feeling o{ satisfaction derived from handling large volumes of material mechanically.

Yard prestige among customers is increased. Customers are invariably impressed by yards which use modern handling and merchandising methods.

Damage to merchandise caused by excessive manual rehandling on a piece-by-piece basis is eliminated.

Yard appearance is greatly improved because of neater stacking arrangements.

Conclusion

It should be remembered that a complete conversion of yard layout ueed not be made at one time. Nlany yards are "ng"g"[ in long-range improvement progrr-. ih.t trk. several months or years to develop. With certain objectives in mind, routine mainteuance and repairs to yard facilities can be made with the long-range program in mind. The important thing for each retail lumberyard operator to develop is a master plan which outlines his problems and lists his objectives. Once he has established these points, he can then proceed to develop specific layouts and methods which will accomplish his objectives.

By Donqld Shoffer, Western Regionol Monoger, The Hysfer Co., Son Froncisco

(The following talk was delivered at a recent convention of the Southern California Retail Lumber Association:)

During the past few days you've heard what is being done for you in promoting your sales and services. My subject deals with how you should l. gE'f-ptNc YOURSELVES increase profits. This is a difficult assignment . it's always a difficult assignment when you are asked to give advice to experts'

My personal association with lumber has taken me from working ". "t off-b."rer in a small mill in Northeru California (four of us on a good day could cut 10,000 feet of fir-not many good days though) to working with your national dealer organization on--the NRTDA shows. If any of you attended that first show in New York City in 1954, you will remember that even that short time ago there were few so-called experts in retail lumber handling, and most of the "experts" were Westerners. Those that professed to know learned the hard way.

They learned that Capacity was not all there was to be reckoned with in buying a fork truck-that you don't start moving lumber around without a Layout-that few yards, including their own, are easily adaptable to mechanical handling-and that their problems are not always the other man's.

The only expert in this field is the man who collects ideas and methods, applies a little common sense and sDreads them around.

This idea of making more money by better or proper materials handling, to me, simply means going back over ground already sup- posedly covered when you first installed the mechanical-handline system. Notice that I said System, for just to have a lift truck, i few sections and curves of conveyor, does not constitute a System.

I wonder how many of you have fulfilled these Fundamentals of Mechanical Handling: l. Already own lift trucks, conveyors, front-end loaders, etc.?

2. Already renovated or built new buildings for mechanical handling?

3. Already graded and improved yard surfaces?

4. Already readjusted manpower?

5. Already readjusted delivery-truck schedules?

6. Already readjusted inventory?

7. Already readjusted insurance premiums?

8. Already investigated Side Vs. End-loadine?

Q,'liry KuJ*ooJ

Green & Dry Uppers

Rough & Milled Commons

Mouldings-loth

Less Thon Cqrlood Lots Pockcged

3-f 147

D. C. ESSTEY

And Son

of obrtoclet or clutter

9. Already mastered Strapping, Wrapping and Unitizing?

10. Already improved showroom?

11. Already created Self-service areas?

72. Already trained personnel to Sell instead of Take orders?

13. Already contacted suppliers for unitized loads?

14. Already investigated Pre-se-lection of orders and use of ,,lumber trees"?

15. Already investigated "Lift now-.Pay later,' plans?

16. Already taken active interest in your own and the National dealer associations?

So, assuming all this to have been done, what's left-where can you go to still further improve your handling methods, to further

WE AR,E SPECIAttSTS

SOFT.TEXTURED TOUISIANA STOCK

IMPOR,TED &

DOINESTIC HARDWOODS FOR EVER,Y PURPOSE FROM Direcj Shipmenfs: Mixed Csrs or Stroigfrt

Wholesolers Mill Agenfs

You Bet We Are!

Going steody ties you down. We're independentl We'd rother ploy the field ond supply you with the best of severol lines. The only chorm we're susceptible to is our cuslomers', ond becouse we're independent we're oble to serve you withouf obligotions lo ony one brond. Since we've been working with top suppliers ond mill sources for over 40 yeors we're qble to recommend iusf the right moteriol for your porliculor iob. lr's our obility to meet individuol specificotions, combined with our independent policy, thot odds up lo o service you'll olwoys rely on.

For ihe besf in plywood, Simpson boord, Formica, rllosonife Brond Products, Acousficol file.