Sales no trouble at mill

A Rotorua sawmill manufacturer has carved its way into the lucrative European and African forestry markets after displaying its machinery at the world's largest forestry convention in Germany.

Peterson Portable Sawmills marketing manager Rosie Coward said the company had secured contracts at the annual Ligna Forestry and Wood Industries World Fair in Hanover.

"It was the first time Peterson had taken its wares to Ligna and the first time a Peterson Mill had been shown in mainland Europe, so we were very excited," said Ms Coward.

Peterson has orders to ship 16 sawmills to South Africa and has a new distributor for the German market. "We also had around 95 inquiries about our sawmills from people wanting to buy or distribute them," she said.

The secret of the company's success was its highly developed circular saw technology.

Circular saws had been perceived by the milling industry as inferior to band saws because they created more waste while cutting. Peterson had developed a much thinner blade to minimise waste.

- NZPA