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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



December 25, 1918 



HIS story centers 

 around an organ- 

 ization which in 

 turn centers 

 around a personaUty, that 

 of W. A. McLean, presi- 

 dent of the Wood-Mosaic 

 Company, Inc., New Al- 

 bany, Ind. A study of 

 the organization is in- 

 teresting because it fairly 

 bristles with Scotch ag- 

 gressiveness and pep. 



The Wood-Mosaic 

 Company, Inc., has been 

 built along sound busi- 

 ness lines, with a thor- 

 ough knowledge of the 

 business as a foundation. 

 Its president was formerly 

 connected with the well- 

 known McLean interests 

 of Buffalo, styled Hugh 

 McLean & Co., which 

 operate in Indiana and 

 the South generally. 



Mr. McLean, in organiz- 

 ing the first plant of the 

 Wood-Mosaic Company, 

 had in mind quality and 

 availability of timber. 

 While Indiana is con- 

 sidered on the decline as 

 a timber producing state, 

 there are still worlds of 

 fine saw logs to be cut, 

 and the Wood - Mosaic 

 location keeps its supply 

 of unexcelled timber well 

 within reach. Also, the wonderful oay territory of Ken- 

 tucky and West Virginia is easily available. This gives a 

 varied and wonderfully high quality field to draw from. 

 The organization has increased since it was started 

 so that now there are four plants operating, the home 

 plant. New Albany, Ind.; the Highland Park plant in 

 Louisville, Ky. ; the rotary veneer plant in Huntington, 

 W. Va., and the splendid walnut operation at Cincin- 

 nati, O. 



Mr. McLean founded his business on parquet flooring 

 manufacture, originating in Rochester, N. Y., since sold 

 out. The parquet flooring turned out there and at the 

 New Albany plant has made an international reputation. 

 It is found in clubs, hotels, institutes, churches, apart- 

 ment buildings, private mansions, and, in fact, any~where 

 and everywhere where distinctive and exclusive flooring 

 are desired. The business though has been increased 

 along lines which have brought its production of lumber 

 and veneers up to an equally important level. The out- 



put of the four plants makes available to the factory 

 consumer anything in the way of high-grade hardwood 

 lumber, veneers and factory and wagon dimension. 



The company has been specializing since the war be- 

 gan in war work, having turned out many thousands of 

 gunstocks and vast quantities of propeller walnut. It 

 has shipped its goods to many foreign ports. They have 

 reached markets in England, France and New Zealand. 

 Far Egypt, too, has received the products of these well- 

 organized plants. 



The organization and timber behind the company 

 permit of its furnishing highly selected materials in all 

 of the native woods, and the company prides itself on 

 meeting the needs of quality buyers, as the unusual selec- 

 tion of timber behind the operation permits the furnish- 

 ing of distinctive and specialized items. 



The geographical location of the operations is very 

 fortunate, six well known trunk lines being available 

 for shipments of logs and finished lumber. Being 

 situated on both sides of the Ohio river and actually in 

 the heart of both the log producing and wood-consum- 

 ing territories, the company is able to make shipments 

 without going through the congested western gateways 

 to reach outside territory. Thus the 20,000,000 feet 

 capacity involved in the operations moves smoothly. 



It is said of this operation that the stock of logs on 

 mill yards and within three days' delivery is 3,500,000 

 feet, with probably as much more available within ten 

 days" delivery. This naturally means capacity opera- 

 tion when other conditions do not interfere. This is espe- 

 cially true of veneer and hardw^ood lumber output. 

 Necessarily, in order to keep such a quantity of logs on 

 hand, a considerable log buying organization is required. 

 Twenty-three competent log men are employed con- 

 stantly scouring Indiana and Kentucky for the very 

 finest selection of logs obtainable. 



The high points in a review of the operations of the 

 Wood-Mosaic Company, Inc., the things that stick in the 

 mind in a mental survey of that remarkable organization, 

 are in its unusual ability and organization for maintain- 

 ing an unceasing supply of high grade logs and its re- 

 markably thorough equipment for and knov/Iedge of the 

 production of specialties in all lines, be it flooring, furni- 

 ture, veneers, panels or dimension. Any firm which 

 makes a success of specialty production in the working 

 up of saw logs can do so only because it has an absolute 

 command of the situation; because it has so thoroughly 

 studied and analyzed the complex and interesting prob- 

 lems of manufacturing hardwood products, and has so 

 thoroughly mastered the many serious questions of 

 waste and side products that it can so convert its logs 

 as to have an outlet, or rather a means of utilizing in the 

 form of highly finished and specialized articles, for every 

 item that passes through its mills. 



This specialization and its perfection of manufactur- 

 ing, which is the very essence of the company's business 

 policy, extends beyond the details of manufacture and 

 up to the question of organization. Its plants are so 



