Dolphin Bay’s new client Fynbos Poles is a family business of environmental entrepreneurs who took time to ensure that every aspect of their refurbished treatment plant meets the highest requirements.
Leon and Elana Le Grange, with their son Rudi and daughter Leani, run a diverse group of businesses that includes a sawmill between Elim and Bredasdorp in the Western Cape and pole depots in Bredasdorp and Hermanus. They also grow fynbos flowers and Honeybush tea.
The company is the biggest alien clearing company in the Overberg, converting the timber into usable products, said Leani, who is the Marketing and Sales Manager for Fynbos Poles.
“We strive to deliver quality products at the promised delivery times.”
The family bought a second-hand timber treatment plant from Dolphin Bay.
Fynbos Poles’ first SATAS audit was successfully completed on November 1 and their CCA treatment is now swinging along at a pace.
“Dolphin Bay helped Fynbos Poles with the layout of the plant, its start-up, training the operators, and ensuring the plant complied with the standards governing timber treatment,” said our Senior Technical Advisor Gareth Jantjies. “This work is part of the service we offer to all our business partners.”
“It has taken years to overcome hurdles in the set-up of the treatment plant, but we managed to make it work with the help of the Dolphin Bay team.”
There is always a unique relationship between any treatment plant and the timber they’re treating, explained Gareth. Interestingly, this project surprised us from a technical perspective: it is the first situation we have come across in which a client can use the same solution strength for two different wood species.
“We pointed out that Fynbos Poles only need one solution strength as they are treating Pinus pinaster, a very hard pine species, and Eucalyptus gum poles which are hard too.”
Fynbos Poles has signed a three-year sole supplier agreement with Dolphin Bay, and we have delivered their first consignment of CCA for their start-up.
Like many of our business relationships, this one developed over time. The Le Grange family contacted us 12 years ago seeking a plant. Having used another company to treat their timber for many years, they eventually decided to do the job themselves.
“We pressure-tested the plant in-house to show that the vessel itself is still in a good condition,” said Dolphin Bay Sales Executive, Braam Rust. “Leon and Elana came out and observed the positive outcome of the pressure test and the condition of plant.”
He added that it had been a good learning curve to start from scratch with somebody who was new in the treatment side of the business but experienced in the pole business.
Leani said the company had decided to go with Dolphin Bay because we are well-known for quality service with regards to training, prompt deliveries, and reliability.
It had taken three years to overcome hurdles in the set-up of the treatment plant, “but we managed to make it work with the help of the Dolphin Bay team,” Leani said.
She added: “Our delivery time to customers will be even faster now because we are no longer dependent on a third party for treatment. We will be able to work in a way that is much more focussed, and our production volumes will automatically increase.
“The installation of our treatment tank is definitely one of Fynbos Poles’ biggest achievements.”
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