Bob Swan is general manager of the pallet division for Battle Lumber Company, a family owned hardwood and pine sawmill located in Wadley, Georgia. Battle Lumber supplies diverse products including: grade lumber, crossties, switch ties, crane mats, laminated mats, logging mats, pallets and byproducts.
Pallet Enterprise: Has your company recently started pursuing any new markets or product lines?
Swan: The grade market has taken a significant turn over the last few months, and I believe it will be a while before it returns. Part of this change in the grade market is due to changes in China. But one of our many strengths is our ability to change production from focusing on one product type to another and supplying markets that are currently trending. The industrial market has been an area that we’ve grown over the last few years. We are cutting more crossties, crane mats, laminated mats, logging mats and pallet parts to help grow our business model. Our pallet business continues to grow too. With our growth in these industrial markets, we produce more industrial material for our pallet assembly operation, and we sell more cut pallet parts to repair centers and other assembly plants as well. We sell both hardwood and pine pallet parts.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about customer service?
Swan: My most important lesson was not just regarding customer service but life itself. The Lord blessed me with two great men in my life that taught me to tell the truth. My father and my father-in law were both men of integrity and expected the same. My father taught me to tell the truth as I was growing up, and there were consequences if I did not. Mr. Wayne Battle taught me the same life lesson in business. Integrity was the foundation that Battle Lumber Company was built on. Our customers want and deserve the truth, and I believe that is the key to customer service. There are going to be times when an order or delivery does not go as planned. But I have found if you face any problem with truth, then you can rest with the outcome, even if not favorable. You don’t get to the size we are by being deceitful with customers.
Pallet Enterprise: Over the years, how has the pallet side of your business changed?
Swan: We have more and more customers wanting just-in-time deliveries and at a specific time on the day requested. These type deliveries have become a major challenge over the past few years because of the strict rules placed on the trucking industry. We have secured two dedicated trucking companies that help us meet customer demand. Our dedicated truckers help us not only with just-in-time deliveries, but sometimes same-day deliveries. The trucking companies must be flexible and responsive. We have seen a higher demand for hardwood and pine dry-kilned pallets. Drying pallets is a service that we have done for several years, but we are seeing a higher demand because this can reduce customers concern about mold.
Pallet Enterprise: How do you keep your operations up-to-date?
Swan: The company’s timber harvesting crews provide a steady supply of raw materials. We are constantly updating our sawmills to keep up-to-date with technology and innovation thus keeping us competitive in very tight markets.
Pallet Enterprise: What is your favorite part of the workday?
Swan: The time I spend in the morning listening to key employees because I learn something from them. We start the morning off by talking about what we are thankful for. We talk about what we are planning to do today, and we end by asking Almighty God to help us accomplish our goals in a safe way. We don’t look at this practice as a routine but as a chance to communicate needs and blessings both from the business and personal sides. Our key employees look forward to this time as well. We all know where our blessings come from. Stopping long enough each morning and acknowledging God is in our business helps us start out on the right foot. We don’t always stay there, but at least we start right.
