British timber producer James Jones & Sons has started a \u00a321 million investment programme at its Mosstodloch sawmill in Moray, Scotland, adding two processing lines as part of a longer-term plan to expand production and increase the share of higher-value timber products.<\/p>\n
The project includes a new 4,000 m\u00b2 manufacturing building, with equipment for resawing and post pointing. The additional capacity will serve the UK construction, fencing and packaging markets, allowing the company to process more of its sawn timber into finished and semi-finished products.<\/p>\n
The investment is being supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which has approved funding of up to \u00a3315,000 for automated processing machinery during the initial phase.<\/p>\n
James Jones & Sons currently employs approximately 105 people at Mosstodloch. The wider development programme is expected to create 14 additional jobs once completed.<\/p>\n
The company has not disclosed the additional annual production capacity in m\u00b3 or a completion date for the new lines.<\/p>\n
Investment planned for several years<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mosstodloch expansion follows a development strategy outlined by James Jones & Sons in March 2022, when the company indicated that substantial investment was planned at the sawmill over the following five years.<\/p>\n The site is an established part of the group's Scottish sawmilling operations, producing structural timber, fencing materials, pallet components and other sawn wood products.<\/p>\n According to the company's published facility information, Mosstodloch operates Soderhamn Eriksson sawline equipment and Kalfass handling and stacking systems. Its processing activities include kiln drying, planing, resawing, timber treatment and post pointing.<\/p>\n The new investment will extend these downstream operations, enabling the mill to manufacture a wider range of processed products for domestic customers.<\/p>\n The emphasis on secondary processing is significant for a UK sawmilling industry seeking to capture more value from domestically harvested timber while competing with imported softwood lumber.<\/p>\n Raw material supply remains a concern<\/strong><\/p>\n Robert Mann, General Manager of JJSL Sawmills in northern Scotland, described the investment as an important stage in the development of Mosstodloch, particularly in terms of production flexibility and working conditions.<\/p>\n However, Mann also linked the long-term viability of major sawmill investments to the availability of timber from Scottish forests.<\/p>\n He called for continued government support for new planting and the restocking of productive woodland, arguing that sufficient future timber supplies are necessary to justify investments of this scale.<\/p>\n The issue is particularly relevant for Scotland's timber processing industry, where investment decisions depend on access to a reliable domestic sawlog supply over several decades.<\/p>\n The new Mosstodloch facility will incorporate biomass heating and more energy-efficient machinery. The building has also been designed to allow solar panels to be installed in the future.<\/p>\n James Jones continues investment in Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n James Jones & Sons is one of the UK's largest timber processing groups, with 29 sites across the country and a further 25 operations in Australia and New Zealand. The family-owned company employs approximately 2,100 people.<\/p>\n Nine of its UK sites are located in Scotland, including two facilities in Moray. In addition to Mosstodloch, the group operates a manufacturing site in Forres, employing around 48 people.<\/p>\n The company has also invested in engineered timber manufacturing at Forres, where an earlier expansion programme focused on increasing capacity for JJI-Joists and associated construction products.<\/p>\n The latest Mosstodloch project extends the group's investment in Scottish timber processing at a time when the UK construction industry is examining greater use of timber-frame building systems and off-site manufacturing.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" British timber producer James Jones & Sons has started a \u00a321 million investment programme at its Mosstodloch sawmill in Moray, Scotland, adding two processing lines as part of a longer-term plan to expand production and increase the share of higher-value … Continue reading