Swift Lumber

Swift Lumber plant takes control of its environment

Who could believe a little water could bring a manufacturing plant to a standstill? Swift Lumbers’ Atmore plant produces finger-jointed molding and flooring by gluing short pieces of pine wood together. But during Alabama’s hot, humid summers, the glue couldn’t dry fast enough and production crawled.

Out-of-control humidity also kept Swift from maintaining the 10% moisture content needed to store wood. The wood would warp at higher levels, shrink at lower levels, and further jeopardize production.

Swift needed to gain control of its manufacturing environment and came to Alabama Power for answers.

Innovations — Southern Company found a solution to control Swift’s humidity problem. We recommended an electric-desiccant system to dehumidify the plant. Desiccant systems actually remove moisture from the air and put Swift in control of their work environment.

Findings — The electric-desiccant system solved Swift’s humidity problems and then some:

• With humidity under control, plant employees can glue everyday, restoring production levels.
• The stored wood maintains a 10 percent moisture level--no warping or shrinking.
• With consistent production levels, sales have doubled since Swift introduced the new system.
• Customers report greater satisfaction with the products.

Space humidity is a problem for many industries: retail stores, hospitals, warehouses, supermarkets, and restaurants to name a few. Desiccant systems can efficiently control your space humidity. If workspace humidity is affecting your business, call a Southern Representative and find out how a desiccant system could solve your problems.