PHOENIX EXPANDS TO BETTER SERVE
AUSTRALIAN TIMBER INDUSTRY

Phoenix Sawmill Supply Company, of Sydney, Australia, recently joined Western Saws, a Melbourne, Australia based band saw service center to expand sales and service of equipment, saws and other consumables to sawmills throughout Australia.

Bill Smithers, Gordon Richardson, Keith Graham and Gordon Addy founded Phoenix Sawmill Supply in 1980. The four brought with them a wealth of experience. Smithers and Richardson began in the timber industry at the end of World War II. Graham and Addy started in the mid 1950’s. Originally manufacturing circular saws for the hardwood timber industry, the company now serves all the needs of hardwood and softwood sawmills and saw shops.

Kevin Richardson and Peter Smithers now manage the company. Keith Graham is the only founding member still working full time for Phoenix.

Phoenix is the exclusive Armstrong Stocking Distributor/ Service Center in Australia since 1986, and is also the sole Australian agent for Richard Felde & Company of Germany, International Knife and Saw of the U.S.A. and Sandvik’s wood band saw products. Bill Lambert, the owner of Western Saws, has been manufacturing saws for over 20 years.

The new association has tripled the size of the Melbourne shop and equipped it with modern machinery such as the Armstrong automatic band saw Leveler, SidePro horizontal band saw side grinder and the fully automatic Armstrong AUTOTIP Stellite tipper. The updated facility allows Phoenix to demonstrate the latest Armstrong equipment to customers on their own saws.

James Ledingham has been appointed Band Saw Technical Service Manager, bringing his saw doctor experience from previous assignments at Mt. Beauty Timbers in Victoria and Fenning Timbers at Walcha, New South Wales. Ledingham received three weeks of intensive training at Armstrong’s factory during the summer of 1998.

Another Phoenix/Western Saws initiative is the introduction of Mobile Circular Saw Service. A specially designed trailer carrying a No. 3-60-C circular saw stretcher roll and other tools to level and tension customers’ saws on site will be on the road in February, 1999, initially serving customers in Victoria and southern New South Wales. This "bring the service to the customer" approach is reminiscent of the early days of the business.

Kevin, Peter and Bill are confident they have organized the best staff and equipment to look after all the needs of the Australasian Timber Industry. They welcome any sawmiller to call on them at any time.

Armstrong congratulates Phoenix Sawmill Supply and Western Saws on their successful growth and thanks Kevin, Peter and Bill for their ongoing support.