Productivity and reliability are key properties in Ponsse’s harvester heads. Harvester heads must withstand constant stress in varying conditions and operate accurately without damaging stems. Continuous research and development together with customers and decades of experience have made our wood processing solutions productive and reliable. Ponsse provides highly advanced harvesting solutions, and we are one of the leading manufacturers in the markets.

Sign up to the PONSSE Studio online event to hear our customers’ experiences and Ponsse employees’ thoughts of harvester heads that are ideal for base machines used for processing wood.

Date and time: 6 April at 7 pm EEST
The event will be held in English, and it will be subtitled in Spanish, Portuguese, French and Finnish.

Sign up here

https://www.ponsse.com/ponsse-studio-presents/processing-operations#/

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Janne Loponen, product manager, harvester heads, janne.loponen@ponsse.com,

tel. +358 40 502 8018.

SEPPI M. completes new HQ and manufacturing facility.
Increased Production Is Projected for Worldwide Distribution

Caldaro BZ, Italy (03/28/22) – The Italian based company Seppi M. recently announced the completion of its new headquarters in Mezzolombardo, Italy. The company is planning to relocate to the new facility over the next few months. With this expansion, the company will be positioned for consistent growth to meet the increasing demand worldwide for its mulching equipment.

“Seppi’s strong point has always been to focus on what we really know how to do best and to get better at it,” notes Lorenz Seppi, president of the company. “For this reason we offer more than 70 models of mulchers, stone crushers and tillers to professionals across a variety of industries across the world. We restrict our products to only implements and attachments. Our goal is to provide greater power, longer life, and increased productivity for our customers.”

The new 270,000 ft² (25,000 mq) facility will provide greater automation and improvements in efficiency to increase the availability of Seppi products. A large prototyping area will be included to serve the R&D department, so that ideas can quickly be converted into products. The number of employees at the new facility is projected to exceed 120.

About Seppi M.

Founded over 80 years ago in Italy, Seppi M. specializes in manufacturing mulching equipment for the agriculture, forestry, vegetation management, and construction industries. The company operates a distribution center near Cincinnati, OH to serve its North American customers. For more information on the product line, visit the website at www.seppi.com or email the company at marketing@seppi.com.

New address:
SEPPI M. SpA
Via Trento, 111
38017 Mezzolombardo (TN)
Italy

See previous Seppi M. posts here.

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Finnish wood products and processing company Koskisen has chosen Leonova Diamond and Condmaster Ruby as its new condition monitoring tools at the chipboard mill in Järvelä, near Lahti in southern Finland. System implementation took place in December 2021.

In competition with another supplier to replace existing instrumentation and software, SPM Instrument Finland was awarded the contract because of the many advantages in the SPM product portfolio, including HD technologies and the possibility of combining handheld measurement, online, and wireless sensor data into one system. Koskisen has had separate handheld and wireless sensors systems, which they want to upgrade in the coming years.

In addition to the Leonova Diamond, SPM Instrument Finland also recently delivered a LineLazer alignment set to replace Koskisen’s outdated alignment sensors.

Regarding the reasons Koskisen found SPM a good choice for them, Heikki Sutinen, Maintenance Supervisor at the chipboard factory, said: “We now have capable equipment for our condition monitoring needs for years to come. The solution offers a greater resolution, more functions, and much better software than our old system. Its versatility also enables us to commission new equipment. We can now monitor slow rotating machines, and balancing tools are also a new feature for us. The new software is a huge improvement to its predecessor.”

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Koskisen has decided to discontinue its operations in Russia. The company will run down it’s Russian’s sawing operations and stop importing sawn goods and logs from Russia.

The discontinuation of operations will be carried out with personnel and local regulations in mind, and a more detailed schedule will be announced as the process moves forward. The share of the Russian business in the company’s net sales is minor and the financial impact of the decision have been estimated insignificant.

Additional information:

Jukka Pahta, CEO, jukka.pahta@koskisen.com +358 50 389 4499

See who else is halting operation in Russia.

As a result of long-term cooperation, Hekotek AS has entered into a supply agreement with Koskisen OY, one of the largest privately owned wood processing companies in Finland. Equipment for feeding logs to the sawmill, together with a conveyor system for transporting sawdust (bark, wood chips and sawdust), will be delivered to the new wood processing unit in Kärkölä, Järvelä.

Koskisen will carry out an investment in Kärkölä worth EUR 48 million, with production scheduled to start up in summer 2023. The new unit’s annual production will initially be 400,000 cubic meters of softwood sawn timber. The investment is a continuation of the further processing capacity expansion carried out in 2020 and the power plant investment in which heat production was converted entirely to biofuel.

The equipment supplied by Hekotek ensures the supply of logs at different speeds, first to the log peeler and then to a state-of-the-art saw line. Log handling speeds range from 70 to 200 m / min, which corresponds to a feed of up to 40 logs per minute. The entire set of equipment supplied by Hekotek is designed and manufactured on the basis of particularly high technological requirements, where the share of human labor in the entire production process has been minimized.

Koskisen’s production facilities in Järvelä form Finland’s biggest mechanical wood processing integrate, where almost 100% of the wood raw material is used in its own processes. Koskisen’s products are shipped to quality-conscious customers around the world.

John Deere introduces the new H225E harvester head for eucalyptus tree harvesting. The purpose-built harvester head for eucalyptus debarking has been designed for use with the larger size-class 1270G or 1470G wheeled harvesters equipped with an 8.6 m boom and with tracked harvesters. It features excellent single-pass debarking with the patented Vario feed rollers.

John Deere harvester heads are known for their productivity and reliability. The excellent measuring accuracy and ease of maintenance are properties valued by forest machine professionals. John Deere harvester heads are designed to operate seamlessly with John Deere harvesters. The harvester hydraulics, automation and engine properties enable maximum harvester head performance.

225E is an excellent tool for efficient eucalyptus tree harvesting

The H225E is a completely new harvester head designed for eucalyptus tree harvesting. The range of the new H225E head is 30-450 mm and the optimal diameter at breast height is 150-300 mm. It features excellent single[1]pass debarking and can easily process also crooked trees. It has the same PEvo harvester head valve found in most John Deere harvester heads as well as the recently introduced SC100S saw unit.

The harvester head’s four moving delimbing knives, the fixed upper and lower knives, together with the fixed debarking tools in the frame and two feed rollers, ensure excellent debarking and delimbing regardless of tree diameter. Long component life, protected hose routings and ease of daily maintenance add to the high reliability of the H225E.

The new casted delimbing knives are now a standard feature. The casted homogenous knives and their design bring high strength and durability. The delimbing knives make it easy to pick up logs from the ground for processing. The steel-covered feed roller arm cylinder is well protected from the eucalyptus juice and branches. The tilt cylinder frame end bearing is also protected.

H225E main tech specs:

• Weight 1690 kg
• Max. cutting diameter 550 mm
• Max. feed roller opening 550 mm
• Max. feed force 21-26 kN • Max. feed speed 6-7 m/s

PEvo harvester head valve

The H225E’s PEvo-harvester head valve minimizes the cavitation tendency in varying loads and thereby reduces stress on components. It also offers excellent performance and operational control. The valve maximizes the durability of the harvester head components, fuel economy and productivity.

Optional patented Vario debarking rollers

With the Vario feed rollers, debarking eucalyptus trees is efficient and is done in a single pass. The patented surface pattern of the Vario feed rollers and the variable rib angle rotates the tree trunk at different speeds based on the diameter of the trunk. This results in maximal debarking of eucalyptus trees Thanks to the Vario feed rollers, there is hardly any need for back and forth feeding and the quality of debarking is excellent with a single pass. With the Vario feed rollers, the feeding speed is faster with the smaller tree diameters.

Reliable and accurate length measuring

In 2020, all John Deere harvester heads switched to the new SuperCut 100S saw unit. The saw unit’s next[1]generation chain tensioning unit, automatic chain tensioning, and mechanical bar locking give it added efficiency and reliability. The improved chain release makes it easier to replace the saw chain. The new saw unit enables also a bigger selection of saw motors and saw bars.

Design goals and new look

The H225E harvester head product development and product improvements were made based on customer feedback in the eucalyptus market. The design goals were ease of use, durability, performance, efficiency, carefully considered hose routings, and easy access to service points. The new and modern look was designed by BMW Design Works.

Further information: Elina Suuriniemi Communications Specialist John Deere Forestry Oy Tel. +358 400 466476 SuuriniemiElina@JohnDeere.com

See other John Deere Harvester heads here.

Ponsse Plc has completed the sale of asset items related to its business activities in Chile. On 5 November 2021, Ponsse announced that it will move its sales, spare parts and maintenance services in Chile under its new subsidiary Ponsse Chile S.p.A. To this end, Ponsse and its local retailer F.C. Ventas Y Servicios Limitada (hereinafter “FC Ventas”) signed, on 5 November 2021, an asset purchase agreement related to Ponsse’s forest machine operations.

The conditions set for completing the transaction have been fulfilled, and the sale has now been completed. The FC Ventas service centre in Chillan, including its spare parts stocks and maintenance vehicles, has been transferred to the ownership of Ponsse Chile S.p.A, Ponsse Plc’s subsidiary in Chile.

Ponsse’s business in Chile amounts to approximately ten million euros. The purchase price was not made public by the parties’ mutual agreement, and the purchase price has no impact on the valuation of Ponsse.

Area director Martin Toledo to run Ponsse Chile SpA’s operations
Area director Martin Toledo will run the operations of Ponsse Chile SpA, Ponsse’s new subsidiary in Chile, being responsible for Ponsse’s operations in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. Toledo started as the managing director of Ponsse Uruguay in 2010. He started his career at Ponsse in 2005 working as a sales manager at Ponsse Latin America Ltda in Brazil, and transferred to run Ponsse Uruguay’s operations in 2007 when the company started operating in Uruguay.

Vieremä, Finland, 17 March 2022

PONSSE PLC
Juho Nummela
President and CEO

FURTHER INFORMATION
Juho Nummela, President and CEO, tel. +358 400 495 690

Photo: Area director Martin Toledo will run the operations of Ponsse Chile SpA, Ponsse’s new subsidiary in Chile

Komatsu Forest AB will move its spare parts warehouse to a new address on April 19.

Their warehouse will therefore be closed between 15-18 April.

Soon, their supplier DSV’s new state-of-the-art logistics center in the north of Stockholm, Sweden, will be ready for use.

The facility is close to Arlanda Airport, railway, port and highway and has been built with high standards and high demands on sustainability.

More information about how customers are affected by this, can be obtained from their local contact at Komatsu Forest.

Construction equipment manufacturers are joining the surge of companies shutting down their operations in Russia.

Caterpillar, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Komatsu and JCB have all announced decisions to suspend operations in the country until further notice.

In a statement, Caterpillar announced it’s suspending manufacturing in Russia.

“Operations in Russia have become increasingly challenging, including supply chain disruptions and sanctions, and we are suspending operations in our Russian manufacturing facilities,” the statement reads.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events continuing to occur in Ukraine and hope for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Through the Caterpillar Foundation, we are donating more than $1 million to support both urgent and long-term needs of the Ukraine humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the company says its complying with all applicable laws and evolving sanctions, while remaining focused on employees, dealers and customers.

“We recognize this is a time of incredible uncertainty for our valued employees, and we will continue to look for ways to support them,” the company stated.

Hitachi Construction Machinery said it is ceasing operations, but will continue to monitor developments in Russia and Ukraine, in the hope of a peaceful resolution.

“Our highest priority is on the safety of our stakeholders, including our group employees and their families, customers, dealers and supply chain partners,” Hitachi said in its statement.

“Hitachi Construction Machinery has made decisions to gradually stop production at Hitachi Construction Machinery Eurasia LLC, its regional headquarters responsible for manufacturing and sales in Russia and the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS), and halt exports from Japan to Russia until further notice, because of the potential risks associated with the business.

“We are committed to making the appropriate decisions as possible based on collection of information and close communication with our bases worldwide.”

Pressure grows on Russia

Komatsu said it was suspending shipments to Russia because of “the current supply chain disruption and the uncertainty of the financial and economic situation.”

The company has set up an emergency task force, headed by its president and CEO, Hiroyuki Ogawa, to gather information and discuss any future measures.

The company said, “Komatsu is deeply concerned about the current situation in Ukraine and is closely monitoring developments. The company sincerely hopes that the situation is settled peacefully as soon as possible.”

Earlier last week, JCB said it had “paused all operations [in Russia], including the export of machines and spare parts.”

For more information on the unfolding situation in Russia and Ukraine and its effects on construction, visit this rolling news from our colleagues at KHL here.