PALCO's new $5 million high-tech planer in Scotia is an investment in the future of the Company and the community. Opened in 2004, the planer enhances worker safety, increases productivity and improves product quality, enabling PALCO to remain competitive while providing good jobs and economic support for the local community.

The planer processes rough sawn boards into finished lumber at a rate of 2,000 linear feet per minute, four times faster than older planers. In addition, workers are protected by the planer's mechanized lumber stacking system and hands-free lumber grading.

Twenty-one employees operate the new system, processing PALCO's redwood decking and playground products, as well as Douglas fir framing lumber and industrial beams. The new planer replaces older facilities at Fortuna and Carlotta.