Business View Magazine | July 2022

75 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 GROUPE SAVOI E INC . WESTV I LLE DI V I S ION surveys, management plans, different tree types, and their diameters and classifications.” Students like Rebecca might be few and far between but, still, they offer hope to an industry contending with a surge in technological advances and an evolving workforce and marketplace that may not fit the mold of the previous generation. Looking ahead, Watters and Hamper are hoping to secure more timber sources to feed the mill, which is currently working at 50 percent capacity, something they both agree will change with more wood supplies. “As with all mills, more wood means more uptime, which we are striving towards as we pursue more Crown Land allotments and a bigger share of hardwood timber coming from private lands,” says Watters. “Our goal is to operate for 50 weeks in a year, which will help unlock major investments in technology and automation, ramping up our production levels while lowering our workforce costs.” In this optimal future, the mill would draw wood stock from all three Maritime provinces, work more efficiently, lower labor costs, and increase revenues, ensuring Groupe Savoie Inc. and its Westville Division long-term success and meeting both Watter and Hamper’s expectations.