US MILL RETIRES FORTRESS METAL DETECTOR
AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE
In the ultimate sign of equipment longevity and reliability, 25 years after the Toney Lumber Company in Louisburg, North Carolina installed its original rugged Fortress Technology lumber inspection metal detector – machine serial number 0001 – the 19-acre southern yellow pine saw mill has upgraded to a fresh model. The original inspection machine remained fully functional until the switchover.

Come rain or shine, the long-lasting metal detector, located outdoors under a sloping roof, has endured heat waves, snow blizzards, driving rain and damaging hurricane winds.
PHANTOM Lumber Metal Detector processed roughly 500 million board feet during its 25-year lifetime and continues to operate for re-inspecting rejected product
1996 – Toney Lumber estimates the Lumber metal detector paid
for itself within the first year of installation by preventing damage
to expensive saw mill equipment.
2021 – The company anticipates a similar, if not faster, ROI with
the new Fortress Lumber metal detector.

What type of metal contaminants are found in logs?
Screws, spikes, signs from fences,
barbed wire and even bullets


Securing a reorder to install another Fortress Technology metal detector during the company’s 25th year is especially poignant for Gidman. “Toney Lumber played a big part in our development, taking calls from other customers to report on the functionality and performance of our systems. Their endorsements have been a huge help for a young company when building an international reputation for product inspection technologies,” he recounts.
STEALTH
Lumber Metal Detector
Inspecting 16ft and 12ft logs before debarking and processing up to 20 million board feet of decking, quality stair treads and stringers annually, Toney Lumber estimates that their upstream legacy metal detector paid for itself well within the first year of installation. Mostly by abating damage to expensive saw mill equipment. The company anticipates a similar, if not faster, return on investment with its newest Fortress metal detector installed in November 2021.