The new mill has been four years in development and will have the capacity to produce 300,000m3 annually when the site becomes fully operational later this year. BSW said it will be one of the largest and most advanced sawmills in the UK.
The current phase was the installation of a Hewsaw SL250 3.4 Trio line integrated with Kallfass sorting and stacking equipment, later extended to include an automated horizontal saw.
The site also received a range of infrastructure and plant investments, including 10 new Mahild kilns with pressure treatment vessels, two 5MW KIV biomass kiln heating plant, and a high-speed planing and grading line.
The expansion is part of a £50m five-year investment programme at the company, which has six sawmills in the UK and another in Latvia producing a combined 1 million m3 a year.
"Going for growth is a theme that has driven the strategy for BSW Timber since the 1990s," said BSW CEO Tony Hackney.
"The development of flexible and high-capacity mills with the latest technology to provide first class home grown products is an essential part of the company plans.
"Strategic investments such as Fort William are a sign of confidence in the medium term that BSW has in the UK market."
