Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania – A&L Wood has experienced considerable growth since the company was last featured by Pallet Enterprise in 2018. A key partner during that surge in business activity and now in its current optimization phase, has been equipment supplier Pallet Machinery Group (PMG).
Mike Leitzel returned to the family hardwood pallet business in 2016 to work with his father, Gary, who was looking toward retirement. Mike, an MBA corporate finance graduate from Boston College, felt a desire to be closer to his family as he started his own, leaving behind a career in financial management.
According to Mike, the company has roughly doubled in size since 2017, although he modestly downplayed the significance of that growth. “We were running two nailing machines and we have expanded to four. So, it’s not like we’re doubling from running like six machines or anything like that.”
The LZ2000 electrical upgrade improves the controls of the units, allowing for faster changeovers, increased productivity and longer machine life.
He described the upgrade installation as taking two to three days. “If you schedule it right, and if you have a little inventory on the ground to draw from, it’s really not that disruptive,” he advised.
A&L was so happy with the upgrade that when it subsequently purchased a Viking Duo Max on the used market, the company made arrangements to have it upgraded with the LZ2000 before putting it to work.
“We weren’t even going to try to run it with the existing computer,” Leitzel recalled. “The upgrades breathed new life into it. We wanted to make it like new by refurbishing it, and then start with a good footing.”
“Hearing the guys talk about the first upgrade kit and seeing it for myself – the production coming off of it – opting for the LZ2000 upgrade was clearly a decision that worked,” he added. “And it made sense for us to do it again when we got the other machine.”
Deciding to Go for a Used Nailing Machine vs New
Talking about the company’s rationale for purchasing the used Duo Max and then installing the LZ2000 upgrade versus buying new, Leitzel reiterated that the company had been very happy with the results of the first upgrade. Comparing it to the company’s two Viking Turbos, he stated that they run similar pallets and that production is “really not all that different.” Another consideration was that they already had Duo parts stocked.
Leitzel also remarked on the ease of operation, describing the upgrade kit learning curve as “not very hard.”
He acknowledged that there are some limitations regarding the range of pallet sizes versus the Turbos, but with A&L’s four nailing lines, it isn’t an issue. “We’re running the two Duos so we can get all the flexibility that we really need across the course of the entire shop. For the sizes that we focus on, what we’re using on the Viking side definitely works out for us.”
Asked about the productivity gains made possible by the LZ2000 upgrade kit, he put it in the 5-10% range. “Everybody’s like, wow, now we can make GMA pallets on the Duo at the same rate the Turbo does,” he said. “It depends on what your starting point is, but I think you can kind of expect that for an end result.”
Working with Pallet Machinery Group
“I really like them,” Leitzel said when asked for his opinion regarding PMG. “When you call them, you will get a response. They seem to be very forward-focused. I like the fact that they’re thinking about where things are going in the industry. And they’re easy to talk to.”
One interaction that helped to cement the relationship with PMG came when the company was looking to install a new saw system. Initially, they were leaning heavily toward PMG’s flagship HY saw, but after hearing what A&L was hoping to achieve, Cody Evans of PMG suggested that the solution best meeting their needs would be a West Plains bandsaw, which PMG also represents.
“They certainly would have had an incentive to push the HY saw,” Leitzel recalled, “but they saw it wasn’t the best fit for our particular needs, and they had something better for us.” It was a move that helped forge a deeper trust with the supplier.
West Plains Resaw and M2L Stackers
A&L decided to go with a single-head West Plains band resaw recommended by PMG for splitting boards. “We operate a lot of band saws, and you’re limited on what your feed rate is for the narrow bands,” he said. “The wide band was something that you could push wood through at a really high clip, and the kerf was acceptable for splitting boards. You can still get true half-inch boards out of it.”
Talking about the first M2L stacker installation from PMG, Leitzel replied that it has been great. “It just works,” he enthused. “And nobody talks about it. You don’t hear anybody saying anything. If there’s a problem, you are going to hear about it all day long. If something works fine, people forget it’s even there. That’s been our experience.”
PMG describes M2L – named for its capacity to replace two laborers on a saw line while providing reliable performance – as the tireless workhorse of its stacker series. Leitzel commented that changeovers are fast and troubleshooting the machine is easy. Downtime is minimal. “It runs all day long,” he said.
“We just want to be getting production out of our machine. We don’t want to be messing around with it,” he said. “We want heavy machinery that just runs, and that’s what we have experienced with these stackers.”
The company’s second M2L is combined with a KA bypass notcher, also from PMG, and is used on the gang saw line. The bypass is used when running unnotched stringers. The result of the second M2L installation was similar to the first. “We’re very happy,” he said.
He noted that manual or hand stacking is sub-optimal ergonomically and can take a toll on workers over time. “We had to do something fast, and of course, we went with the M2L based on our experience with the other one we had.”
A&L stacks mainly stringers plus some boards on the combo M2L, and boards only on the company’s original M2L. He stated that it does a good job with 5/8" boards all the way down to 7/16" boards without requiring adjustment. “You’re not really adding any time to your changeovers, so that’s great,” he said.
Pallet Machinery Group and AIT
Pallet Machinery Group, founded by Greg Wine, has worked in partnership with Automated Industrial Technologies (AIT) for more than 20 years. After a collaboration between Greg Wine and Gary Sill, the owner of AIT, the first M2L Board Stacker was created. With over 400 M2L's in the field, it is truly a powerhouse for the pallet industry. Throughout the last 20 years, PMG and AIT have developed an arsenal of machinery, aimed at helping customers reduce manpower and maximize sawing and material handling efficiency. PMG and AIT provide solutions for board stacking, notching, resawing, wide board processing, automated cut-up lines and pallet manufacturing. Greg Wine, president of PMG, stated, "The two companies together have become a cornerstone for the pallet industry."
A&L Looking to Optimize after Rapid Growth
Leitzel described the company as being in an optimization phase following a four-year rapid growth spurt. “We did do quite a bit of growth over the recent period,” he said. “And when you grow, efficiency might suffer because you’re focused on growing more than efficiency. So, it’s time to look at that end of things.”
The company is getting more production from its saw lines with the same amount of people thanks to its investments. He recommended getting a stacker with a little bit more capacity than what the saw would ever require and then moving on to other challenges. “There’s hardly any additional thinking about it that you need to do,” he said. “Stacking is a breeze.”
The extra production with the same amount of people has allowed the company to reduce its variable costs. “PMG has certainly allowed us to do that with not only the stacking items but by pointing us in the right direction on the bandsaw,” he said.
“And it allows us to consistently get production out of that line without having to shut down more than necessary,” he continued. “So, your resources are being used a lot more effectively. Your total output per person is optimized.”
The Importance of People
“We’ve had a lot of growth over the past year, and we’re happy with where we’re at, and where we’re going,” Leitzel said. “We’re happy with the machinery and the kind of approach that we’ve taken.
He stressed, however, that having the right people is the critical ingredient to A&L Wood’s success. “We are blessed with an absolutely tremendous team,” he reflected. “It’s everyone. From the guys running the machinery and running the forklifts to the guys making the decisions on how to schedule resources, that’s really what has made it work.”
Growth and operational changes can be daunting for production staff, but at A&L Wood, the team has taken those changes in stride. “We’re lucky enough and blessed enough to have a really mature workforce that understands and respects the bigger picture,” he said. “And just very talented people from everywhere in the company.”
“It really comes down to: you are nothing without your people,” Leitzel concluded. “You can make a bad decision here and there, but you can recover from a bad decision so easily if you have creative people and productive people working towards a common goal.
