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GP’s Diboll Lumber Mill Picks Up Pace with New Crane

A brand-new, multi-million-dollar Kone crane is fully operational at Georgia‐Pacific’s lumber mill in Diboll, Texas, after six months of construction.

At 80 feet wide, 927 feet long, and 87 feet in total height, the new crane is living up to its expectations and making the process of unloading log trucks more efficient and safer.

The new Kone crane unloads trucks in one bite, compared to the previous crane that had to make two passes to collect the wood.  

According to Rudy Salazar, a 20-year crane operator and one of the four crane operators at Diboll Lumber, the new crane benefits log truck drivers who can deliver their loads quickly.

“It’s amazing how fast we can unload trucks with this new crane,” Salazar says. “This is the first step in the wood manufacturing process—the speed and efficiency of the crane is critical and ultimately affects the mill’s overall production.”

The mill’s original crane was used as in military shipyard and was then relocated to Diboll in the 1960s, with an unload rate of about 50 trucks per day. After upgrades, efficiency increased, and the crane ultimately served approximately 130 trucks daily until construction began on the new crane.  

Today, the new crane is unloading up to 165 trucks each day.

“This is a significant investment in the East Texas timber industry,” says Danny Wright, plant manager for Georgia‐Pacific Diboll Lumber. “As one of Georgia‐Pacific’s largest lumber operations, we are constantly looking for ways to enhance and grow operations in East Texas while focusing on safety and environmental excellence.”

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