SUMMER NEWSLETTER

Hi ,

Summer is in full swing, and so are things here at Gilbert. We're excited to share our latest news, from a highly successful Ligna show to recent customer installations that are already delivering impressive results. We're also looking forward to seeing many of you in Nashville for the SFPA Expo next month.

Dive into this issue for the full story on our recent projects and upcoming events.

--------------- INVITATION

Meet Us in Nashville at the SFPA Expo!

The Gilbert Planermill team is heading to Nashville for the 38th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition (SFPA), and we want to see you there!

Join us from August 6-8, 2025, booth 301 at the Music City Center for an exclusive opportunity to connect with our team. Discover how Gilbert's high-speed planermills and innovative technology can boost your productivity and profitability.

Stop by our booth to discuss your needs and see the future of lumber processing. We look forward to connecting with you in Nashville!

Contact us to plan a meeting

We are also proud to announce that Heidi Danbrook, our sales Manager, will be a speaker at the Women's Leadership Summit that will take place on August 7th from 11 AM to 1 PM. She'll share her knowledge in Sales and Marketing Excellence. 

--------------- WORLDWIDE NEWS

A Ligna to Remember!

What an incredible week at Ligna 2025 in Hannover! We are back from the show feeling energized and grateful for the fantastic turnout.

A huge thank you to all our valued clients and the many new faces who stopped by our booth. It was a pleasure connecting with each of you, sharing our passion for innovation, and making great memories together.

We were especially proud to showcase the new splitting module recently built for Mercer Timber. The interest and positive feedback were truly rewarding.

Thank you again for making Ligna a tremendous success. We look forward to continuing the conversation and building on the relationships, old and new!

--------------- NOMINATION

Martin Arcand is the new Service and Market Development Manager

It is with great pleasure that we announce today the appointment of Martin Arcand to the position of Service and Market Development Manager.

Martin's core mission is to place the client experience at the very heart of our strategy. He will be your advocate, ensuring that our solutions remain innovative, competitive, and perfectly aligned with your needs and expectations. His leadership of our technical and after-sales support teams will be instrumental in our promise to deliver not just industry-leading products, but unparalleled client service.

We are also happy to share that the former director, Dominic Perron, is staying with us as a senior advisor. His continued presence and wealth of experience will provide invaluable support to the entire team.

--------------- WHAT'S NEW ?

Vaagen Bros. Installs Gilbert High-Speed Pull-Through Planer in Colville, WA

In April 2025, Vaagen Bros. installed a new Gilbert High-Speed Pull-Through Planer at their mill in Colville, Washington, replacing an older conventional planer.

Running at speeds exceeding 3,000 FPM and processing products from 4 to 12 inches wide and up to 20 feet long, this planer is setting new performance benchmarks for the mill.

Thanks to Pull-Through technology, the need for a bridge between the infeed table and the planer has been eliminated. This allows for a more compact layout by positioning the planer directly adjacent to the lumber line. As a result, a longer outfeed section was added, which enables more boards to be processed per minute. The extra space also accommodates a second slowdown belt, improving board deceleration and handling.

To support high-speed feeding, Vaagen Bros. selected the Gilbert Roll Intelligent Positioning (GRIP) system. Available on all Gilbert planer models, GRIP provides precise top roll movement, ensuring optimal contact with boards without causing damage. This system enhances lumber flow and increases overall piece count.
Gilbert guarantees full performance right from startup — a promise that impressed the Vaagen team.

“We are really impressed with this machine. Very, very rarely does equipment perform exactly as it's sold — this one does! Incredible!”
— David Bruce, CFO, Vaagen Bros.

--------------- WHAT'S NEW ?

Steely Lumber Boosts SYP Throughput with New Gilbert Planer

Our team just recently installed, at Steely Lumber, a Gilbert 6 Roll Planer, with heavy-duty top rolls, feed decks and feed table specifically built for Southern Yellow Pine operations.

Our top rolls are engineered for heavy-duty performance, specifically tailored to meet the demands of Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) lumber. This enhancement delivers a substantial boost in both efficiency and throughput. The robust yet compact design ensures superior traction on the board—especially when feeding wider products—guaranteeing a consistent and reliable flow through the planer. The rolls automatically adjust to varying board thicknesses, eliminating the need for manual intervention. Additionally, seamless integration with our setworks system enables rapid transitions between saved recipes—for example, switching from 5/4 decking to 6x6 dimensions in just seconds. This intelligent automation significantly reduces maintenance requirements, resulting in long-term cost savings and increased operational uptime.

We are happy to have the opportunity to work with Steely Lumber, a private owned mill, we’ve had the chance to meet through the SLMA.

--------------- WHAT'S NEW

A new Gilbert 6 Roll Planer at Douglas Lumber

We are happy to announce a successful new installation at the Douglas Lumber stud mill in Roseburg, Oregon.

Their new Gilbert 6 Roll Planer with the GRIP system is running efficiently, achieving impressive speeds of over 220 studs per minute. The smooth installation earned positive feedback from their team.

Operations Manager Marc Heidt shared that the "install went really well" and the "Gilbert crew was awesome." We congratulate the team at Douglas Lumber on a successful project launch.