Australia’s largest softwood sawmilling business is still growing
Founded in Colac, Victoria in 1955 by an association of local family companies, Associated Kiln Driers (AKD) is an entirely Australian-owned and operated integrated forestry and timber processing company with operations in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
Almost 70 years later, AKD has remained top of its game through a genuine commitment to continuous improvement and active participation in the communities in which it operates.
Its six sawmills process more than two million cubic metres of sawlog each year, producing more than a million cubic metres of timber products. This makes AKD the largest softwood sawmilling business in Australia.
To manage this level of production, AKD has embedded sustainability in its practices and maintains more than 11,000 hectares of FSC certified pine plantations across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. These are working forests that are actively managed for weed and pest control, fire risk reduction and soil and waterway protection. If the land isn’t suitable for plantation, AKD works to improve biodiversity by introducing more native vegetation on that land.
This year, AKD completed a major expansion of its sawmill in Caboolture, Queensland. The expansion effectively doubled the site’s production capacity and, importantly, included upgrades to allow more structural timber to be recovered from sawlog resources – meaning more Queensland homes can be built with locally-grown timber.
The project also included sound reduction works, allowing AKD to transition to a two-shift operation. This in turn has created more than 100 new and permanent skilled jobs in Caboolture and has a massive flow-on effect on the regional economy.
With continual investment in plant expansions, plantation growth, employee development and the latest technologies across all stages of processing, AKD has remained a leader in forestry and timber processing, an employer of choice and a recognised contributor to local communities across Australia’s east.
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