As colour marking is the foundation for delivering the right products to the sawmill and to minimise wastage, it is important that the paint is of the right quality. Komatsu CM has shown many advantages over competing brands in performance tests.

Colour marking facilitates the handling of the processed wood and is a prerequisite for the correct product being delivered to the sawmills. The quality of the paint is also an important prerequisite for this process to go smoothly and that no wood will go to waste.

An important factor is the colour intensity, where alcohol-based paints have a relatively low intensity while glycol-based paints have a medium intensity – both types, however, have problems with the colour spreading easily over the cut surface. Komatsu CM on the other hand, which is a water-based product, has a high intensity while the paint does not spread over the cut surface. This leads to clearer and more visible markings that help the operator while reducing colour consumption.

Something that can affect the final price of the product is if the paint has penetrated the wood and thus destroyed parts of it. Paint based on both alcohol and glycol have problems with the paint easily penetrating too deep into the wood, causing a lot of wastage for sawmills. Komatsu CM only adheres to the top layer of the wood, about 2-4 mm, resulting in a better end product. Another advantage is that Komatsu CM does not cause any corrosion, which is usually a problem with alcohol and glycol-based paints.

For both the environment at large and the operator’s work environment it is very important what the paint consists of. Glycol is hazardous to health while methanol belongs to the group of chemicals that are toxic alternatively can cause serious or long term health damage. Komatsu CM, on the other hand, is water-based with additives used in the food industry. It lacks warning signs all together and is completely harmless to humans and to the environment.

Overall, the tests show that Komatsu CM has great advantages in terms of quality and environment. The characteristics of the paint mean that consumption is lower compared to other brands, while improving the performance. In conclusion, Komatsu CM provides a good end product, something that both operators and machine owners as well as sawmills profit from.

Ove Ljungqvist (on the right in the photo) will assume the responsability for marketing, support and service of Log Max Harvesting heads and accessories in Finland

For sales and service, contacts are as follows;
Ove Ljungqvist
Solf Ängsväg 236
64 450 Solf Finland

For more information:
Lars Strömsund, +46 70 347 65 74
Ove Ljunqvist, +358 500 169 037

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY)  announced October 12 the redemption of its 21% ownership interest in the Twin Creeks Timber, LLC joint venture (“Twin Creeks”) for $107.5 million in cash.  The Company also announced an agreement to sell 100,000 acres of Southern Timberlands to Twin Creeks for $202.5 million. The sale includes 80,000 acres of timberlands in Mississippi and 20,000 acres in Georgia and is expected to close by year end.

Effective December 31, 2017, the Company will also terminate the agreements under which it has managed the Twin Creeks timberlands. Following termination of these agreements, Weyerhaeuser will have no further responsibilities or obligations related to Twin Creeks. The company does not expect to recognize a material gain or loss on the redemption of its ownership interest.

“Through these transactions, we are simplifying our operations to focus on management of our own timberlands while continuing to strategically optimize our timberland portfolio,” said Doyle R. Simons, president and chief executive officer.

Twin Creeks was formed as a joint venture between Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. and several institutional investors. Following its merger with Plum Creek, in February 2016, Weyerhaeuser assumed Plum Creek’s investment in the joint venture and became the manager of the Twin Creeks timberlands.

About Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900. We own or control nearly 13 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and manage additional timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada

Photo:  Doyle R. Simons, president and chief executive officer.

The Myanmar government has recently taken another step to join a EU-led agreement to combat illegal logging and forest management. The measure will help ease timber exports to the European market.

According to Myanmar Times, various stakeholders, from all states and regions, have established an executive committee that will negotiate to be part of the EU-led Forest Law, Enforcement, Governance and Trade, Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA).

The FLEGT-VPA facility helps members to combat illegal logging and strength forest governance while encouraging sustainable economic development in countries that produce or process timber and export to the EU, according to the EUFLEGT website.

The executive committee is expected to be formed by latest next January, as Ko Zaw Thura, from the Union Interim Working Group, announced.

“Private businessmen are nearly ready and the government is also ready. If we manage to finish, the three-party committees will be ready by December or next January,” said Ko Zaw Thura.

In March 2014, the EU agreed to Myanmar’s invitation to officially partake in the FLEGT-VPA preparation phase. In January of the following year, an inception workshop on EU-Myanmar FLEGT-VPA preparation phase was held in Mandalay city.

The benefits of the FLEGT-VPA are threefold – it defines a framework to guarantee the authenticity of timber, allows for better cooperation by developing tracking system for timber trade, and improves forestry management, Myanmar Times reported.

“The main thing is that we need to further educate the citizens. We deal with resource sharing, so it’s also intertwined with peace process. Indeed, the majority of trees and forests are located within borders and ethnic regions. Their cooperation is essential,” added Ko Zaw Thura.

Yet, there is a need for an insurance system to certify legal timbers, between the EU and Myanmar to become trade partners in the sector. Such a mechanism needs nearly two years to be developed.

“If we create an insurance system, then we can engage trade not only with the EU but also with other nations. To ensure that the timber is legal, many points need to be discussed, Such as land use. Is home-grown timber legal or not? We also have to discuss license fees,” added Ko Zaw Thura.

“It took Indonesia 10 years to get the official license. Their model is the best. They keep their people informed. People can also investigate and report on the matter. There is a right to sell timber even at district level,” he said.

Currently, Myanmar prohibits timber production across the country since the 2015-2016 financial years, albeit in Kyunhla township, Sagaing Region. Local people’s understanding of legal timber production is paramount and so is the government’s systematic verification of timber, according to Myanmar Times.

The forest coverage in Myanmar decreased from 61% in 1975 to 47% in 2010, at a depletion rate of 0.5% per year on average. Illegal timber production and related activities are much to blame.

In January-August 2017, Russian pulp exports decreased year-on-year, indicate the statistics published by the Russian Federal Customs Office. Thus, during the first eight months of the current year Russia exported 1.354 million tonnes of pulp, that is 2.95% less than during the respective period of the last year.

The total value of the Russian pulp exported in January-August 2017 went up, from $652.2 million in 2016 to $668.6 in 2017. Therefore, the increase came up to 2.51%. Besides, in January-August 2017, Russia exported 751,200 tonnes of newsprint valued at $307 million. Thus, Russian newsprint export grew by 6.94% in volume terms and by 10.35% in value terms.

Vietnam’s exports of wood and timber products is forecast to reach US$8 billion in 2017, representing a 17% y-o-y increase and surpassing the target of $7-7.5 billion set earlier this year.

Nguyen Ton Quyen, vice chairman and General Secretary of Viet Nam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFORES), said the impressive growth rate in the first nine months boosts prospects of the wood sector achieving its target.

According to Vietnam Net, the sector earned $5.9 billion in export revenue from January to September, increasing 11 per cent from the same period last year. The wood export turnover reached some $700 million a month

Particle boards, artificial wood boards, melamine-faced chipboards (MDF) and wood pellets were the most exported wood products from Vietnam, until now.

The $8 billion industry target might be achieved by the end of 2017, as the last three months of the year are generally the peak season for wood and wood product exports. Wood exports grew in most traditional and key markets, such as the US, Japan, the EU, China and South Korea. The value of exports to the five markets makes up nearly 90 per cent of the total, said Quyen.

In May 2017, after a six-year negotiation process, Vietnam initiated the Vietnam-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT).

As reported by Vietnam Net, Quyen said that the implementation of this agreement in Vietnam will ensure all wood products on the agreed list are legal. The document could create fundamental changes for Vietnam’s wood processing sector, as well as domestic and export markets, including nations supplying wood material to Vietnam and those buying wood and timber products from Vietnam.

Yet, the country is now facing some challenges, as the short supply of raw wood. Vietnam imports $1.7-$1.8 billion worth of wood material, which is equivalent to about 20-30% of the export turnover.

Xuan Phuc, an expert from Forest Trends, said Vietnam’s export turnover of wooden products has been stable since 2015. However, Phuc said, the biggest challenge for the expansion of the wood sector was competition in raw wood purchase. China’s ban on natural forest logging, and restrictions imposed by Vietnam and other countries on the trade, exploitation and export of raw wood have limited supply globally.

He added that some of Vietnam’s major wood and wood product importers such as the US, Australia and the EU demand to know the legal origin of wood. This means wood must come from forests grown under sustainable forest management standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and must be imported from non-risk sources, Vietnam Net reported.

Also, because South Korea and Japan are also planning to tighten the management of imported wood products, this would directly impact the country’s exports to those markets.

The South Korean government will require importers to declare the legality and origin of wood and wood products imported into the country starting in late 2017, while Japan will do the same in March 2018.

Vietnamese wood processors and exporters must therefore devise solutions and long-term strategies to reduce risks and boost export growth. Local processors should choose clean raw wood to meet importers’ requirements, he said.

John Deere SmartGrade™ is now available on the 650K crawler dozer, joining the 700K, 750K and 850K models equipped with the technology. The integrated Topcon 3D-MC2 Grade Control System improves job site accuracy and work quality — delivering precise grading performance while eliminating vulnerable external masts and cables.

“The John Deere lineup of SmartGrade dozers are generating buzz in the industry, and many customers were vocal about their need for a smaller dozer with the integrated grade control technology,” said Andrew Kahler, product marketing manager, John Deere WorkSight™. “The introduction of the 650K SmartGrade answers those calls with all the same features and benefits as its larger dozer siblings. Customers also asked for multiple track configurations on all SmartGrade offerings, and we answered with the availability of low ground pressure (LGP) or the extra long track (XLT) configurations on all four models.”

The 650K SmartGrade boasts a 104 horsepower (78 kW) EPA Final Tier 4 John Deere engine. The model’s cab-forward designs make visibility, safety, and precise grading a priority. Exclusive Total Machine Control comes standard with this model, providing customers with personalization options and optimal comfort.

Since SmartGrade is integrated into the machines, it removes the need to install blade-mounted sensors and components daily, reducing setup time and allowing operators to get to work. Eliminating external cables to the masts reduces breakage, and the removal of the masts from the blade eliminates vulnerability to damage and theft.

The Auto SmartGrade feature, which is ideal for novice and expert operators alike, identifies the soil type and easily adjusts the machine to new terrain, without operators having to adjust the blades manually. Operators can easily select the application type (grading, cutting, spreading), load setting (high, medium, low) and soil conditions (hard, packed, loose). This feature stops slippage before it occurs by automatically lifting the blade. It also reduces the number of passes required to complete a job, reducing the wear of the undercarriage over time. John Deere dozers equipped with SmartGrade technology are approximately 7 percent more accurate, than those with conventional masted systems.

All SmartGrade machines are now available in LGP or XLT track configurations. The LGP configuration is ideal for customers who operate on low ground pressure conditions, such as damp or wet terrains, or on a steep slope. LGP models contain a wider than usual track gauge that provides excellent stability and blade control for light grading jobs. In contrast, the XLT configuration is best for rocky terrains and can withstand heavier loads.

Fleet managers looking to get the most out of their SmartGrade dozers can rely on their John Deere dealers to provide Ultimate Uptime, featuring John Deere WorkSight. With Ultimate Uptime, owners receive predelivery and follow-up inspections that include five years of JDLink™ telematics, machine health prognostics, remote diagnostics, programming capabilities and the ability to add dealer-provided uptime solutions to create a customized package.

For additional information and model-specific specifications, visit www.JohnDeere.com or contact your local dealer for a demo.

Photo: John Deere SmartGrade is now available on 650K crawler dozer; all SmartGrade machines are now available in LGP or XLT track configurations

Hiab, part of Cargotec, has secured an order for close to 40 LOGLIFT F96ST forestry cranes from Russia. The customer is ULK, a group of Russian companies specialised in logging, deep wood processing and disposal of waste lumber. The value of the order exceeds EUR 1 million and it has been booked into Cargotec’s third-quarter order intake.

“We will build a new wood processing plant next to the existing plant. As a result, this complex will be Russia’s largest woodprocessing factory. In order to provide the plants with a stable and uninterrupted supply of timber, we decided to order LOGLIFT cranes because we trust their quality and durability,” says Vasiliy Vasilievich Kuznetsov, Technical Director, ULK.

“LOGLIFT F96 forestry cranes combine power, speed and efficiency. The telescoping model of LOGLIFT 96S can effortlessly reach the pile from further away and load the timber straight to the back of the trailer,” says Hannu Virtanen, Director at Hiab Russia.

The deliveries of the forestry cranes start in November and will be finalised by the end of 2017.

“We are very happy to receive this order from ULK and our wish is that this delivery is a good start in our cooperation. This order is also a great success for our ambition to grow the Hiab business in the important and recovering Russian market,” says Hans Ekman,  Vice President, Forestry Cranes, Hiab.

For more information, please contact:
Hans Ekman, Vice President, Forestry, Hiab tel. +358 400 439 972, hans.ekman@hiab.com

Stefan Karlsson, Vice President, Hiab Markets: North tel. +46 725 298 667, stefan.karlsson@hiab.com

Hanna-Kaisa Talvensaari, Senior Communications Manager, Hiab tel. +358 40 758 1572, hanna-kaisa.talvensaari@hiab.com

Hiab is a world’s leading provider of on-road load handling equipment, intelligent services and digitally connected solutions.

Hiab’s offering encompasses class-leading load handling equipment, including HIAB loader cranes, LOGLIFT and JONSERED forestry and recycling cranes.

Since it’s beginning in 1980, Log Max has grown to be highly regarded and much sought-after manufacturer of harvesting heads and control system.

Today the company is one of the world’s largest manufacturer in the segment. With an extended range of products, high service, and quality benefits, Log Max products bring the best in advanced technology and reliability.

After the success of the T-series, featuring the Log Max 3000T and 4000T thinning heads Log Max is has announced the release, under 2018, of the V-series. V standing for versatile. Two new heads, the 5000V and 6000V are built around a new frame with an optimized saw box geometry and saw unit position. Furthermore, the length measurement is improved as well as the hydraulics that provides considerably more power and feed speed.

Both 5000V and 6000V can be equipped with the new saw unit Log Max 218 or 318 True/Cut. The difference between them is that the 318 comes with an automatic chain tensioning where the 218 has manual tensioning.

The key component of the True/Cut system is the intelligent saw motor with integrated valving solutions for saw motor speed and saw bar control. By continuously sensing the motor speed and adjusting the saw bar feed rate accordingly, the True/Cut maintains an almost constant chain speed of 40 m/s throughout the cutting cycle. This yields an impressive cutting performance – the True/Cut is up to 35 % faster than conventional saw units!

By locating the valve for motor speed control inside the motor it is able to react instantly to changes in motor speed and practically eliminate any over-revving that is seen in a conventional saw unit. Not only does this reduce the stress on the motor but it also provides a safer work environment by reducing the risk of chain shots.

The True/Cut saw units also features a longer stroke cylinder and a higher resolution cutting control sensor. These additions provide for a more precise control of the saw bar resulting in maximized cutting performance and color marking precision.

The True/Cut is optimized at the factory and should not need any further setting changes in the field.

This saw unit has been a success on the T-series with the newly released Log Max 3000T and 4000T thinning heads.

The customer feedback on the T-series has been outstanding, where superlatives regarding power, speed, efficiency, and reliability is what everyone at Log Max strives to achieve. This reliability is a direct result of intensive prototyping and collaboration with our test drivers.

At Ecomondo, the international trade fair for material and energy recovery (7 to 10 November in Rimini), Vecoplan AG will be presenting its VEZ 2500 T high-performance shredder and other products. The machines in this series are used for deriving fuels from production waste, sorting waste, packaging material, domestic waste and industrial waste. The fuels can then be used as an energy source in cement works and power plants.

Vecoplan will be displaying a selection of its powerful single-shaft shredders at stand 013 in pavilion A2. The shredders in the VEZ 2500 T series are extremely efficient and robust. Thanks to their consistently high throughput and homogeneous output quality they are very profitable to operate. Each machine is equipped with a dynamic, fast start-up HiTorc drive with a capacity of 247 kW. The drives have no mechanical components like belts, clutches or hydraulic units. As a consequence, they don’t have to move as much mass and can operate with high efficiency. Moreover, unlike hydraulic drives they require very little maintenance. Vecoplan offers the VEZ 2500 T with 144 or 216 knives. The machines in this series can thus achieve a throughput of ten to twelve tonnes per hour – or twelve to fifteen tonnes.

The VAZ 110 XL single-shaft shredder will also be shown at the trade fair stand. One version, for example, has a rotor diameter of 370 mm, a material outlet of 1,075 mm and a height of 1,100 mm. This makes it a durable and sturdy single-shaft shredding solution for wood-processing companies.

Vecoplan at Ecomondo: Pavilion A2, Stand 013