Group Savoie Inc.

The company’s primary customer is Masterbrand Cabinets Inc., one of the top wall cabinetry manufacturers in the U.S. Groupe Savoie also sells tonewoods, a specialty hardwood product used to make guitar frames, drum sticks, and other wooden instrument parts. A major client is Fender, the world’s largest guitar manufacturer. “Our pallet business sells in Canada and the U.S.,” comments Watters. “Chep Canada and Chep USA are major customers for that division.” All of the Groupe Savoie plants have achieved zero waste status, with some of them selling excess wood by products to other entities such as power generation companies. At the Westville plant, wood by products like chips are either used internally or sold. Servicing such major customers depends on having a list of reliable suppliers. “Most of our suppliers have been in operation for a long time,” says Watters. “One example is Sullivan WWW.SULLIVANFUELS.CA 902-752-0377 PROPANE Now offering Residential & Commercial propane. Automatic Delivery Service & Installation. Sales, Service, & Installation of: • Hot Air Furnaces and Boilers • Water Heaters • Fireplaces • Cooktops and Ranges • Pool Heaters • Generators • Hot Dawg Heaters HOME HEATING OIL Sales, Service, & Installation of: • Hot Air Furnaces • Boilers • Water Heaters Bulk Diesel and Regular Gas Diesel Cardlock • NEW cardlock opening off Highway 104, EXIT 21 • Park St, New Glasgow • Keltic Dr, Sydney of hardwoods as lumber is a significant hurdle the Westville mill faces. “Private landowners primarily sell their hardwoods as firewood, which provides them ready cash in hand,” says Watters. “When we come in and say we’ll buy the lumber on a contractual basis, it becomes a choice of whether to sell to us or sell to firewood dealers.” Currently the mill is working with local associations and pushing advertising to get the message out on the value of cultivating and selling hardwoods as lumber – that push is being spearheaded by the mill’s procurement manager. Hamper reports, “I regularly meet with landowners to show them the value of the hardwood. It’s a learning process, and we are making inroads in helping them know the value of hardwood logs.” He adds that although theirs is the largest of only two hardwood mills in the area, the primary competition comes from the firewood cash market.