| Summary: | The relationship between marketing and technology has been discussed in many articles, but little
empirical research has been conducted to examine this subject, especially in wood product
industry. Results of this study indicate that markets served by Western Canadian sawmills are
closely linked with the technologies used in their production. Forty-eight sawmills with annual
production over 50 million board feet on BC coast, in BC interior and Alberta were surveyed by
personal interview. Forty-three questions related to marketing, products, quality control
activities, and processing technology were presented to each participating mill. Data analysis
shows that in 1995 there were two distinct markets served by Western Canadian sawmills: North
America (predominantly the US) and overseas (predominantly Japan). Interior BC and Alberta
sawmills focused more on the North American market, while coastal BC mills focused more on
overseas markets. The two groups of mills with different market orientations also show
differences in raw material supply, product, quality control factors, size control software, the age
of machines, and optimized work centers. This study shows the current situation for the Western
Canadian sawmilling industry, and highlights opportunities for using appropriate technology,
marketing strategies, and quality control techniques to improve product quality and maximize
value and volume of production from limited timber resources.
Key Words: market orientation, optimization, quality control activity, sawmilling industry,
Sawmill technology, size control, Western Canadian sawmills, === Forestry, Faculty of === Graduate
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