Vernon, B.C. — Today, Tolko Industries announced that its Soda Creek and Armstrong Lumber operations will both be moving from two shifts to single shifts. The temporary shift change at Armstrong Lumber went into effect today, and Tolko will be working with impacted employees at Soda Creek on the exact date of their permanent move to a single shift. Armstrong lumber employees were notified on April 10 and Soda Creek employees were informed earlier today.
Approximately 130 employees will be impacted — 65 employees at each division — and the potential for approximately 100 million board feet of lumber will be removed from annual production at each location. Tolko expects that the reduced shift will be permanent at Soda Creek, while the single-shift approach at Armstrong Lumber will be evaluated on a regular basis going forward to determine if any changes are required.
“A lack of available economic fibre in the province, high log costs, and weak markets are impacting our ability to be fully operational,” says Troy Connolly, Vice President of Solid Wood. “While our goal is to ensure consistency and stability for all of our operations, the steep decline in lumber demand and upward cost pressures in the province make the decision necessary.”
“This downtime will affect many employees in these operations. We do not make these decisions without a lot of consideration,” says Connolly. “We have an extremely committed workforce at these locations whose families and communities rely on Tolko. We will continue to support our employees during this challenging time.”
Pino Pucci, Vice President, Tolko Marketing and Sales, assures customers that Tolko’s Marketing and Sales team “will continue to support our customers and do our best to minimize any impacts. Our customers are understanding of current market conditions and aware of our ongoing commitment to serve them.”
For more information, contact:
Chris Downey, Communications Advisor
Tolko Industries Ltd.
M: (250) 306-0929
Chris.Downey@tolko.com
