Nanjappa Sawmill in Sathyamangalam, Tamilnadu, India started as a small operation in 1982. Over the past 40 years of business and three generations of sawyers, the business has experienced significant growth. Today, Nanjappa Sawmill is an international trading and factory wholesale supplier serving several countries.
Nanjappa Sawmill is located in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Looking at the company today, it may be hard to believe it was once a small business. “It was started as a small unit in 1982 and now it’s grown to the level of import and export internationally for various countries,” said Mahadeven of his family’s company. The company possesses over 40 years of experience in the industry, currently employing twelve people.
Mahadeven is proud to serve as Nanjappa Sawmill’s third-generation proprietor. Maintaining such a thriving business hasn’t gone without its challenges, though. “Sustaining the quality among the price competition is the biggest challenge in today’s world of business. However, we have been known for the quality of delivery among our suppliers,” he said.
Nanjappa Sawmill is known as Tamil Nadu’s teak and hardwood trading suppliers. The company also serves as a factory wholesale supplier of specialty sawn sizes used in interior decoration for hotels, resorts, and high-end residences. Additionally, the mill supplies timber for hardwood flooring and decking.
Nanjappa Sawmill’s most popular products include teak and basaralocus lumber used to build door frames and shutters, as well as ipe timber for decking and flooring. “Our clients are high-end interior decorators as well as doors and shutters manufacturers. They appreciate us for on-time delivery with the right quality,” shared Mahadeven.
Teak is directly sourced from countries such as Costa Rica, Cameroon, Tanzania, Brazil, Colombia, amongst other locations. Hardwood species including ipe, basaralocus, kopi, cumaru, merbau, thali, padouk, bilinga, and other varieties are sourced from countries such as Suriname and Papua New Guinea.
Daily work involves filling orders for interior decorators and door manufacturers, sawing to a maximum of 100 inches, and producing approximately 250 cubic feet of lumber each day. The Nanjappa Sawmill team works to fill each purchase order with fixed sizes according to their due dates. Daily reports of completed and pending orders are tracked to ensure successful order fulfillment.
Logs are first cut to the required dimensions using their Wood-Mizer LT70 Super Hydraulic portable sawmill. Next, lumber is kiln dried using the Wood-Mizer KD250 dehumidification lumber kiln. If requested by customers, the lumber is also finished with planing and moulding.
Before turning to Wood-Mizer products, Nanjappa Sawmill used a conventional cutting machine to fulfill orders to their customers’ requirements. “Wastage would be high as [the lumber] would be sized to the nearest inch instead of a millimeter,” said Mahadeven. “After incorporating the Wood-Mizer LT70 into our process, wastage has been reduced on a large scale.”
Waste reduction isn’t the only valuable benefit this team has seen since making the switch to Wood-Mizer sawmill equipment. Mahadeven also reported that Wood-Mizer helped their operation improve sawing quality, reduce labor needs, and increase delivery speed of finished orders. “Mr. Bobby immediately acknowledges a request and provides action seamlessly. The trainer, Mr. Bijo, would be available anytime to clarify our queries,” said Mahadeven.
A reputation for quality lumber products has distinguished Nanjappa Sawmill from its competition over the years. “Wood-Mizer has helped in retaining our customers on the point of quality,” said Mahadeven.
Over many years in business, the team at Nanjappa Sawmill has had the opportunity to work with customers across the globe on various projects. One project in particular stands out to Mahadeven as Nanjappa Saw Mill’s finest and most memorable. “We were proud to supply wood to the Taj Exotica Havelock Island project,” he said.
Taj Exotica’s luxury resort and spa on Havelock Island was completed in 2017. Its location within India’s Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal is a global hotspot of biodiversity. The resort is surrounded by wildlife sanctuaries, rainforests, national parks, and pristine beaches.
Mahadeven credits Nanjappa Sawmill’s use of Wood-Mizer equipment in helping complete the project successfully. “Without the LT70, it wouldn’t have been possible to saw 60,000 cubic feet of black palm logs in the span of six months,” he said.
Looking toward new opportunities, Nanjappa Sawmill has plans to expand their operations in the future. “We would like to do a new production setup for glue laminated timbers,” shared Mahadeven. Given the business’s decades of experience and quality, Nanjappa Sawmill aims to continue their success into the future.
