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Brink Forest products resumes production
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Prince George, BC –
Following a temporary shut down, Brink Forest Products resumes production on
Monday, September 10, 2001. John Brink, President and founder of the Prince
George secondary manufacturer says that although the situation caused by the
lumber trade war with the U.S. is very difficult, the Brink Forest Products
mill is extremely efficient and remains viable. “Naturally, many of the
factors that affect us are beyond our control,” he said. Mr. Brink says
that for those reasons, operating decisions are made on almost a day-to-day
basis.
Mr. Brink said he is disappointed but not surprised that the Americans have
applied the countervail duty on the price of lumber at the border. “There
is no doubt about it,” adds Mr. Brink, “We’re at war with the
U.S. The next few months are going to be very difficult. Naturally, we had hoped
the duty would be applied only to the first-mill price.”
Brink Forest Products Ltd. has applied for an exemption from the recently imposed
19.3-percent countervail duty on the basis that raw materials are purchased
at fair market value, there are no payments for stumpage and no government subsidies.
The Canadian and British Columbia governments will process the applications
and table them with the U.S. Department of Commerce by September 28th.
“Then”, adds Mr. Brink, “We may have to wait until early or mid
December to know if our application was successful.”
Mr. Brink attributes his ability to continue operations to the high efficiency
of the mill and a very skilled employee base. “We’ve been successful
because we’ve been innovative – and we have developed some of the
best remanufacturing processes in the world. Our ISO 9001 certification is evidence
of the high quality of not only our products but also our employees and our
processes. ”
Mr. Brink stressed that his employees should be recognized for their significant
contribution to the mill’s success. “It’s very unfortunate that
they are affected by the uncertainties caused by U.S. trade sanctions,”
he added.
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