Fraser Coast Mayor and Councillors Visit the Tuan Mill

Today, Mayor Gerard O’Connell accompanied by a number of Fraser Coast Councillors toured the Hyne Timber Tuan Mill near Maryborough. The biennial visit provides an opportunity to better understand the business of one of Maryborough’s largest employers while gaining insight to the local timber industry generally.
Hyne Timber CEO Jon Kleinschmidt welcomed the opportunity to showcase the Tuan Mill to the regions leaders,”The Tuan Mill continues to go from strength to strength, processing over 750,000m3 of plantation softwood each year. “If a day’s worth of timber framing was laid out, it would stretch from Hervey Bay to the Gold Coast.
“Since Hyne Timber established the Tuan Mill in 1985, almost $124 million has been invested.”There is no timber waste at the mill with all product going somewhere. The bark ends up in potting mix, the chips produced from the sawing process are sold as fibre for chipboard while the sawdust is used as the fuel source in our own kilns to provide energy to dry the timber.” Mr Kleinschmidt said.

Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O’Connell said the scale of the mill and its operations is impressive,
“From forestry employees, to 174 trucks per day in and out, all the employees of the Hyne Timber Tuan Mill itself to the support staff in the Maryborough Head Office, there are literally hundreds of local people employed in this industry one way or another,” he said.
During the visit, Councillors were given information on the Hyne Timber apprenticeship program and staff training program. “There is clearly a strong emphasis on training and developing employees,” Cr O’Connell said.

“This was recently recognised when Hyne Timber Manufacturing were announced as finalists in the Queensland Training Awards. “More recently, the Tuan Mill claimed the Queensland ‘Best Sawmilling Operation Award 2014′. “Clearly it is a very well deserved win from what we have seen here today.”

Employing well over 500 people, the Hyne Timber footprint reaches from Cairns to Melbourne. Over 300 of those are located in one of the six Queensland sites. Tuan Mill is one of Hynes largest operations employing 165 people not including the many contractors.

Picture: Fraser Coast Regional Council Visits Hyne Timber Mill.