Brunette Machinery Company

What Brunette Machinery Company does

Brunette Machinery Company Inc. is a privately held Canadian manufacturer of heavy-duty wood-processing and material-handling equipment founded in 1942 and headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia. The company serves the North American forest industry, with primary customers including sawmills, pulp and paper mills, plywood mills, pellet plants, and biomass power generation facilities. Brunette employs 11-50 people, operates a 60,000 SF CWB- and ISO 9001:2008-certified steel fabrication and machine shop facility, and runs a second service-and-repair operation in Prince George, BC. Since June 2020, President and CEO Kirk Forbes has been the sole owner.

The product portfolio is built around proprietary mechanical designs for chippers, hogs, debarkers, log singulators, and material-handling conveyors. Branded core products include the Drum Chipper (including the 4840H Horizontal Feed variant introduced in January 2024), the Whole Log Micro Chipper (2023), the patented RTL Log Singulator (2019), the BioSizer high-speed grinder, the SmartVIBE springless vibrating conveyor, the Reclaimer rotary debarker, the E-Sweep electric log kicker, the Uni-Log Feeder, the Flare Butt Reducer, the Optical Volumetric Belt Scale, and the Disc Scalping Screen. Brunette also distributes CBI (Continental Biomass Industries) products such as the Grizzly Mill Hog and Magnum Force Horizontal Chipper. Technologies emphasize heavy-duty mechanical construction, high-inertia rotors, and patented differentiation rather than software or AI.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) hardware sales of new equipment ranging from individual machines to turnkey custom-engineered plant systems; (2) aftermarket parts and 24-hour emergency service; and (3) machine rebuilds and refurbishment. Pricing is quote-based ("price upon request"). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales via Capital Sales Representatives (U.S.-focused) and Technical Sales Representatives reporting to the President, supplemented by phone-based inside sales, active participation in industry trade shows (Biomass Conference & Expo, COFI, WPAC, EWTA, PELICE, Timber Processing & Energy Expo), and advertising in vertical trade publications. In November 2025 Brunette acquired Salem Equipment Inc., adding master-crafted sawmill systems and operating the combined business as "Brunette Salem."

Name

Brunette Machinery Company

Legal name

Brunette Machinery Company Inc.

Website

https://brunettemc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brunette Machinery Company is a privately held Canadian manufacturer of heavy-duty wood-processing and material-handling equipment, including chippers, hogs, debarkers, and patented log singulators, serving sawmills, pellet plants, plywood mills, and power plants across North America since 1942.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Processing Machinery

NAICS

Sawmill, Woodworking, and Paper Machinery Manufacturing (333243)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Logging Equipment (IMAHACAK)

Keywords

• Wood processing equipment
• Forestry machinery
• Drum chippers
• Log handling systems
• Biomass grinding equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wood Processing Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of heavy-duty wood-processing machinery including drum chippers, hogs, debarkers, flare butt reducers, conveyors, and complete plant systems. Equipment ranges from single machines to turnkey custom engineered solutions.
2. Parts & Service: Replacement parts for all Brunette machines including Grizzly Mill Hog parts, saw collars, chipper brakes. 24-hour emergency parts support available. Service includes machine inspections, preventative maintenance, and on-site technician support.
3. Machine Rebuild & Refurbishment: Complete machine rebuild services including disassembly, sandblasting, replacing worn items, electrical system updates, repainting, and testing to OEM standards. Process restores equipment to like-new condition.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brunette Machinery Company manufactures and sells heavy-duty industrial wood-processing and material-handling machinery, including drum chippers, wood waste hogs, debarkers, log singulators, flare butt reducers, optical belt scales, vibrating conveyors, and complete custom-engineered plant systems for the North American forest industry. The company complements equipment sales with a 24-hour parts and service operation plus machine rebuild and refurbishment services that restore equipment to like-new condition. Following its November 2025 acquisition of Salem Equipment Inc., the company also offers master-crafted sawmill systems under the Brunette Salem brand.

Product overview

Brunette Machinery Company is a manufacturer and supplier of wood-processing and material-handling systems serving the North American forest industry since 1942. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio of heavy-duty industrial machinery rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core products include multiple chipper models (Drum Chipper, Horizontal Feed 4840H, and Whole Log Micro Chipper), wood waste processing equipment (BioSizer and CBI Grizzly Mill Hog), log handling systems (RTL Log Singulator, E-Sweeps, Uni-Log Feeder, Reclaimer), and material processing equipment (Flare Butt Reducer, Disc Scalping Screen, Optical Volumetric Belt Scale, SmartVIBE Vibrating Conveyor). The company also distributes CBI (Continental Biomass Industries) products including the Magnum Force Horizontal Chipper. Products serve sawmills, pulp/paper mills, pellet plants, plywood mills, OSB plants, and biomass/bioenergy facilities. Services include parts supply, machine rebuilds, and 24/7 emergency support. In November 2025, Brunette acquired Salem Equipment Inc., expanding into master-crafted sawmill systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brunette Salem: Combined brand following acquisition of Salem Equipment Inc., featuring master-crafted sawmill systems

Products and services

• Brunette Drum Chipper Industry-leading drum chipper that produces quality pulp chips from short material that is difficult to control. Features adjustable chip length, Brunette Quick-Change Knife System, and wide throat for large pieces. Available in multiple sizes and configurations for sawmills and pulp/paper operations.
• Brunette Drum Chipper 4840H Horizontal Feed Horizontal feed drum chipper with feedworks, available in two models: 4840HV Veneer for processing veneer waste, cores, and spinouts; and 4840HT Sawmill for trim blocks, reject boards, and edgings. Features rear access door for ergonomic knife changes.
• Brunette Whole Log Micro Chipper Horizontal feed chipper with powered upper press roll and powered lower bedroll for controlled log feeding. Processes logs up to 24-26 inches in diameter. Available with standard rotor for pulp chips or MicroChip rotor for quarter-inch nominal chips.
• CBI Grizzly Mill Hog Heavy-duty wood waste grinder distributed by Brunette, featuring a solid-steel offset helix rotor that shears material from two directions against an anvil and grate. Handles cedar bark, spruce bark, mill wood waste, demolition debris, railroad ties, and stringy bark.
• CBI Magnum Force 5400SE-SA Horizontal Chipper Extreme duty stationary hog for grinding pallets, construction and demolition debris, storm debris, slash, and dunnage. Features 48-inch wide feed conveyor, dual upper-lower feed roll system, and adaptable rotor options including steel segmented, forged drum, or chipper drum.
• Brunette BioSizer Rugged high-speed secondary wood waste grinder producing fine, consistent product for the biomass industry. Features high-inertia rotor with fixed hammers, four rows of staggered hammers, and tungsten carbide-coated striker bars. Processes oversized bush-grind, hog fuel, trim blocks, and woodchips.
• Brunette Flare Butt Reducer Machine that converts troublesome logs with problematic butt flares into high production and high recovery logs. Removes flare butt end to eliminate sand and pebbles, improve log handling, and optimize alignment during scanning. Available in single or dual head configurations.
• Brunette RTL Log Singulator Patented Retract-to-Load log singulator that increases volume and adds profits. Features expanding and contracting steps for log separation and rotation, with secondary singulation at the nose for reduced log gap and improved piece count. Uses negative inertia technology to reduce energy consumption.
• Brunette Reclaimer Rotary debarker with rugged, simple design that efficiently separates valuable wood fibre from dirt and rock. Handles difficult species such as cedar and aspen. Features identical modular construction, available with hydraulic or electric variable speed rotors.
• Brunette E-Sweeps Environmentally friendly electric log kicker eliminating the need for costly hydraulic or inefficient pneumatic kickers. Features electric drive, high efficiency, programmable speed control, and modular design with 2 or 3 kicker arms.
• Brunette Uni-Log Feeder Fully automatic, high-speed log feeder that singulates and feeds one log at a time from infeed transfer deck to debarker infeed conveyor or sawmill carriage. Features two quadrant assemblies acting as log stop/loader and singulator/feeder.
• Brunette Optical Volumetric Belt Scale Contact-free volumetric scanner using laser technology to scan and measure material on conveyor belts with 99.8% accuracy. Measures cross-profile of material and feed rate, stores over a year of production data. No moving parts or contact areas.
• Brunette Disc Scalping Screen Disc scalping screen with progressive Disc Interface Opening (IFO) arrangement for capacity and classification specifications. Mounted at an angle to minimize material spearing, with rugged main frame and heavy-duty bearings for minimal maintenance.
• Chipper Brake Field retrofit upgrade for drum chippers that minimizes rotor stop time for quicker knife changes, reducing maintenance downtime.
• Factory Reconditioned Equipment and Parts Factory-reconditioned machinery and parts including the Kodiak Rotor 36-inch and chipper brakes. Reconditioning includes inspection, repair, and restoration to operational standards.
• Machine Rebuild and Restoration Services Complete machine rebuild services including disassembly, sandblasting, replacement of worn items, electrical system updates, repainting, and reassembly. Process restores machines like Grizzly Mill Hogs to like-new condition.
• Parts and Emergency Service 24-hour emergency parts availability, preventive maintenance support, on-site service technicians, and machine inspections with detailed follow-up reports. Includes services for Grizzly Mill Hog grate rebuilding and anvil liner replacement.
• Brunette Salem Master-Crafted Sawmill Systems Sawmill systems including band mills and debarkers offered under the Brunette Salem brand following the November 2025 acquisition of Salem Equipment Inc., combining master-crafted sawmill expertise with Brunette's existing wood-processing portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.8% accuracy measurement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salem Equipment Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Brunette Machinery acquired Salem Equipment Inc. in November 2025. Kirk Forbes, President and CEO, stated this acquisition is a milestone in continued growth and strengthens their position as a global leader in wood-processing solutions. Salem Equipment is described as an established leader in master-crafted sawmill systems. The acquisition combines two legacies under the Brunette Salem brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Peterson Pacific: North American manufacturer of horizontal grinders, drum chippers, and whole tree chippers for forestry and biomass applications. Direct competitor in wood waste grinding and chipping where Brunette's BioSizer and Grizzly Mill Hog compete.
• Bandit Industries: US-based manufacturer of hand-fed and whole-tree chippers, stump grinders, and material processing equipment for the forestry, tree care, and biomass industries. Direct competitor to Brunette's drum chippers and BioSizer grinder product lines.
• Vecoplan: Manufacturer of industrial shredders and grinding machinery for wood, biomass, and waste processing. Comparable to Brunette's BioSizer and material handling equipment serving pellet, biomass, and sawmill waste streams.
• Maier Maschinenbau: German manufacturer of drum chippers, knife ring flakers, and related wood-processing equipment. Highly comparable to Brunette's drum chipper, debarker, and chip handling lines, targeting pulp mills, sawmills, and panel producers.
• Morbark (ARJES): Manufacturer of chippers, horizontal and tub grinders, and biomass processing equipment serving forestry, sawmill, and recycling customers. Direct overlap with Brunette's chipper and grinder portfolio for sawmill and biomass end markets.
• Precision Husky / HE Equipment: Manufacturer of heavy-duty wood-processing equipment including chippers, debarkers, and material handling systems for sawmills and pulp mills. Directly comparable product portfolio to Brunette's drum chippers and debarkers.
• Salem Equipment Inc. Manufacturer of master-crafted sawmill systems including band mills and debarkers, now combined with Brunette under the Brunette Salem brand following the November 2025 acquisition. Closest historical peer in sawmill system design.
• Bison Industriewerke: European manufacturer of woodworking and sawmill equipment including chippers and processing machinery. Direct peer to Brunette in custom-engineered wood processing systems.

Broad incumbents

• Andritz: Large global supplier of pulp, paper, and wood-processing equipment and systems. Overlaps with Brunette in chipping, debarking, and wood-yard equipment, but serves a much broader portfolio across pulp/paper processing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Brunette-Machinery-Company-Inc-XXXXXXXXX

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brunette Machinery Company