Cox Industries is a family owned business that began in 1954 as Cox Wood Preserving, producing pressure-treated lumber for outdoor use. W. B. Cox, Sr., and his brother E. J. Cox founded the company in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on one acre of land with three employees. It has since grown to include ten locations around the South East.

The Orangeburg facility is a treatment plant that dries lumber and plywood for the residential market. In January 2007 a new 54’ USNR double track kiln with Kiln Boss controls was installed to alleviate a drying bottleneck. The project also included a new gas burner that was installed at the same time.

“The service we get from USNR, I would say, is one of the biggest advantages when we have a problem, and that kind of dedication just means the world to us,” Lovett said.

A few months after the initial installation, Cox Industries expanded the Kiln Boss control system to include the other four kilns. According to Lovett, that was also part of the decision to go with USNR. “I felt we could get more help tying some of these 30 and 40 year old systems into the modern control system.”

Two of the facility’s oldest kilns are original masonry style kilns that were built sometime in the 1950’s. “We were actually considering tearing them down,” Lovett mentioned, “but now we have a specialty product that we’re running and those old kilns actually do a great job drying it.”

“The Kiln Boss has created a fuel savings for us,” said Lovett. The older burners were set-up to run in one of two ways: either low fire or high fire. But now that they’re all tied to the Kiln Boss, the system modulates to precisely control the drying process.

“USNR’s Kiln Boss control system also gives us better control over the drying process,” Lovett explained. “The treating chemicals make it harder for us to achieve consistent drying, but Kiln Boss helps us in that way.” The system allows you to access kiln histories, pinpoint problems, and adjust the heat where you need it.

Lovett Kitchens has worked at the Orangeburg plant for 21 years, and has been involved in the wood processing industry since 1976. He relayed a story from his youth: “A fellow told me when I was about 14, in school and working at a little ground mill, he said ‘boy, you better get out of here while you still can.’ But I didn’t.” Then he laughed and said, “It’s been a good thing.”

The company recently completed installation of another new USNR double track dry kiln for drying Southern Yellow Pine poles at Cox Wood of Alabama located in Vance, AL. That system also uses Kiln Boss controls to automatically run drying schedules while compiling diagnostic information.

Today, Cox Industries subsidiaries include ten locations participating in the production of a variety of quality pressure-treated wood products. Combined, these facilities cover over 350 acres and employ more than 400 people in five states. Cox Industries is now in its sixth decade and is still family operated. Cox continues to provide durable outdoor wood products for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility applications.

Raised in Jacksonville from an early age, Jeff still lives in the area with his wife Sarah. He has two children Shannon, 25 and Jimmy, 22 and enjoys spending time with them. Other interests include football, basketball, fishing and working with plants. Jeff enjoys the outdoors whenever he can.