In the minds of Finnish people, Ponsse is the most reputable company in Finland in 2021, ahead of Kone and Supercell, in the annual reputation survey. A total of 9,265 Finns participated in the survey.

T-Media’s Reputation&Trust survey identifies the reputation of companies operating in Finland in the minds of Finnish people. The greater public’s images are identified as the average of eight dimensions: governance, financial performance, leadership, innovation, dialogue, products and services, workplace, and responsibility. The 2021 survey was conducted in June and published today. As many as 9,265 Finns participated in the survey, providing a total of 19,792 company evaluations.

This was the fourth year in succession for Ponsse as Finland’s most reputable company, as the company was also ranked first in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

“It is very rare that a company receives a score of more than four in all eight dimensions. Ponsse’s performance has been excellent. It builds trust when a company’s performance is stable and solid,” says Harri Leinikka, CEO of T-Media, which conducted the survey.

“We accept this recognition with a humble and grateful mind. It feels great that our story bears fruit and our thoroughly customer-driven way of working is ranked so high. I would like to thank our entire Ponsse family: every Ponsse employee and customer, and their families, as well as our stakeholders across the world. No-one can do this alone – we are in this together, both during good days and bad ones,” says Jarmo Vidgrén, Chairman of Ponsse Plc’s Board of Directors.

The reputation of Finnish companies has been studied for years

This was the ninth year when the Reputation&Trust survey was conducted. The companies with the highest and lowest reputations in the survey are selected annually on the basis of a preliminary survey conducted in spring. In the preliminary survey, 1,000 Finns spontaneously name two companies that they think have a particularly good reputation and two that have a particularly poor reputation. Next, the thirty most frequently mentioned companies are carefully studied using the Reputation&Trust model, in which the reputation score of a company is formed as the average of eight different dimensions. The survey’s target group consists of 15–65-year-old Finns, and the sample is weighted to represent the entire population based on gender, age and place of residence.

Further information: Jarmo Vidgrén, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ponsse Plc, +358 40 519 1486, jarmo.vidgren@ponsse.com

Jari Voutilainen has been appointed Metsä Group’s Procurement and Logistics Director as of 1 October 2021. He reports to President and CEO Ilkka Hämälä. Voutilainen has worked at Metsä Group since 2013. He will take up his new role as Metsä Group’s Director of Public Relations. Prior to this, he was the Group’s Logistics Director.

Jarmo Toikka, who has been in charge of metsä group’s acquisition since 2009 and logistics since 2018, has been appointed as the Group’s Vice President, Business Process Development. In his new position, he will report to Sari Pajari-Sederholm , Director of Strategy.

The recruitment of Metsä Group’s new Director of Public Relations has been launched. Sari Pajari-Sederholm, Director of Strategy, is responsible for the social relations during the transition period.

METSÄ GROUP
Inquiries:
Juha Laine, Communications Director
Metsä Group
Juha.laine@metsagroup.com
tel.+358 10 465 4541

Metsä Group

Metsä Group is showing the direction of the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil-free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed forests in the north. In our business, we focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood procurement and forest services, wood products, pulp and first fibre cartons, as well as soft and sealed papers.

Metsä Group’s annual turnover is approximately EUR 5.5 billion, and we employ approximately 9,200 people in 30 countries. Our international group has its roots in finnish forest – our parent company is metsäliitto Osuuskunta, which has approximately 100,000 forest owners.

Work is underway at the site in Russellville, Pope County in northwestern Arkansas, with commercial operations expected to begin at the plant in 2022. The move is part of a $40 million investment by Drax in the state, creating approximately 30 new direct jobs and many more indirect jobs across Arkansas.

Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said:

“The investment that Drax is making throughout Arkansas is proof that the state’s timber industry is poised for a bright future and is a great example of how a global economy works.”

“Through this partnership, these three Arkansas communities will experience further growth and opportunities, and Drax will be able to continue working toward its mission to provide renewable electricity for millions across the pond.”

The three pellet plants are expected to produce a total of around 120,000 metric tons of sustainable biomass pellets a year from sawmill residues, supporting the renewable energy company’s plans to increase self-supply to its power station in the U.K.

Russellville Mayor Richard Harris said:

“The construction and future operation of the Drax pellet plant in Russellville is certainly welcome news. On the occasion of this exciting announcement, I’d like to welcome Drax as a new partner in our community and thank them for the investment they are making in our community.”

The development of the “satellite” pellet plants, which are situated near sawmills, is part of Drax’s strategy to increase biomass self-supply to five million tons by 2027, improving supply chain resilience while reducing pellet costs.

Locating the plants near sawmills provides the satellite plants with a ready feedstock of sawdust and other residues left over when timber is processed, reducing emissions in the supply chain as well as reducing infrastructure, operational, and transportation costs.

Matt White, Drax Biomass Senior Vice President, said:

“Drax has made great progress in delivering our $40m investment in Arkansas, with the second of three satellite pellet plants now under construction.”

“The investments we’re making will bring jobs and opportunities to rural communities in Arkansas alongside supporting international efforts to tackle the climate emergency. These plants support Drax’s plans to develop bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – a vital negative emissions technology that will be needed around the world to meet net zero targets.”

Drax has transformed its power station in the U.K. to become the largest decarbonization project in Europe by converting it to use sustainable biomass instead of coal.

Earlier this year construction began at Drax’s first satellite pellet plant in Leola, Grant County, and commercial operations are expected to begin late this year. Progress is being made on selecting the third and final site.

Media contacts:

Annmarie Sartor
Communications Officer
E: annmarie.sartor@draxbiomass.com
T. 1-318-801-0046

Selina Williams
Media Manager
E: selina.williams@drax.com
T: +44 (0) 7912 230 393

Notes

• The sustainable biomass pellets produced at the new satellite plants will be transported to Bruce Oakley terminal in Little Rock, Ark. before being shipped south to Louisiana to oceangoing vessels.
• Each pellet plant is expected to produce 40kt per year, with the total cluster expected to produce120kt per year.
• The development of the three ‘satellite’ plants comes after Drax’s acquisition in April of 11 pellet plants across the USA and Canada, making it a world-leading biomass pellet production and supply business.
• Drax’s strategy is to reduce the costs of its pellets to £50/MWh by 2027.
• In 2020, around 43% of the material used in Drax Power Station’s pellets came from sawmill residues. The rest came from low-grade material such as treetops, limbs and misshapen and diseased trees not suitable for other use and thinnings – small trees removed to maximize the growth of the forest.

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology.

Its 3,400 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

Pellet production and supply:

Drax owns and has interests in 17 pellet mills in the US South and Western Canada which have the capacity to manufacture 4.9 million tonnes of compressed wood pellets (biomass) a year.

The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet mills supply around 30% of the biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

Customers:  

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

A forwarder operator spends many hours a day in the cab, making a pleasant and comfortable work environment extremely important. Forest terrain is often rough, and the operator is subjected to both jolts and vibrations. These can be tiring and make maintaining a steady and high production rate a challenge – and in the long run they can even affect your body physically Komatsu Forest is now introducing the next generation of Komatsu Comfort Ride, with several comfort-enhancing innovations.

Komatsu Forest first launched the Komatsu Comfort Ride forwarder option back in 2013, a hydraulic cab suspension system with a four-point design that efficiently dampens jolts and vibrations. “Comfort Ride quickly became one of the most popular options for Komatsu forwarders and now it’s time to introduce the next generation of Comfort Ride, with several eagerly awaited features,” says Daniel Grabbe Product Manager Forwarders at Komatsu Forest.

One new feature is the ability to adjust the cab suspension’s lateral firmness, which further improves operator comfort. This function is geared to the machine’s speed to make driving as comfortable as possible regardless of whether the operator is inching over an off-road obstacle or driving unladen from the landing to the next wood pile. In practical terms, the suspension’s firmness is progressive, increasing with machine speed to ensure maximum comfort. “Since operator preferences regarding optimal cab suspension in various situations differ, individual adjustments can be made for each operator and settings are automatically saved in MaxiXT,” Grabbe explains. The operator can also easily adjust the firmness while driving if necessary, to adapt the machine to varying ground conditions. The suspension’s firmness is adjusted using a button on the hand controller.

Another new feature is that the new Comfort Ride can level the cab laterally on gradients of up to 6 degrees, provided the machine is stationary or moving slowly. This offers the operator a more comfortable working posture during crane operation, which usually is a fair share of their working day. When the machine is moving at higher speeds, the longitudinal suspension is given priority to better handle rough terrain.

When unloading, a clear view of the load area is advantageous. Comfort Ride has long had an unloading mode that raises the cab the full stroke of the cylinders. This affords the operator a good overview of the load area and the landing. One of the updates in the new Comfort Ride is that this function now also works when the machine is moved at low speed. This allows the operator to reposition the machine at the landing while still retaining the elevated position. If, however, the speed increases, the cab is automatically lowered back down to its standard position.

In addition to these new features, Komatsu Comfort Ride retains the same popular characteristics as before. The hydraulic cab suspension dampens vibrations from the tracks to ensure a smooth, comfortable ride for the operator, just as it dampens any jolts during crane operation. “Komatsu Comfort Ride quite simply offers forwarder operators a work environment that is physically more forgiving while the reduction in jolts and vibrations enables them to retain their focus and energy levels for longer,” Grabbe concludes.

Annelie Persson
Press Officer
+46 90 70 97 32
annelie.persson@komatsuforest.com

It is no secret that electrification is the future. Over just a few years, electrification moved from being a concept to being a reality. And we’re not talking about cars anymore, we’re talking heavy-duty trucks used in the energy, mining, and forestry sectors.

Since technology for full electrification of these heavy trucks isn’t yet ready to meet contemporary operational requirements — partly due to their weight and the long distances they need to travel — FPInnovations is taking a big step in that direction to make this happen.

Drive axle powered by an electric motor

FPInnovations is working on a cutting-edge project to develop a hybrid tractor-trailer for use in forestry operations. The objective is to replace one of the conventional axles on forestry trailers with a drive axle powered by an electric motor. The system would be combined with a conventional tractor to create a parallel hybrid configuration.
The approximately $2.5-million hybrid tractor-trailer project falls under the umbrella of Natural Resources Canada $155-million Clean Growth Program (CGP) that invests in clean technology and R&D in the energy, mining, and forestry sectors. FPInnovations also gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

The benefits are many

The hybrid system, with regenerative braking that recharges the batteries, will be compatible with log trailers and biomass trailers. There could also be major benefits for the mining sector as well as for non-Canadian markets.
Potential benefits include:

• Peak fuel savings of up to 15 % (lower on average), depending on application and drive cycle
• GHG reductions up to 40 tonnes per truck per year, depending on duty cycle and utilization rate
• Extra driven axle can provide almost 50% more traction on slippery terrain
• Regenerative braking power can reduce brake fade and increase safety in mountainous terrain
• Significant cost savings from reduced fuel consumption, reduced haul assists, as well as from time savings due to increased operational efficiency.

The design and integration of the system is underway, trials start this fall and a report is expected by next year.

Proven collaborators and suppliers

The system is being developed in partnership with two of Canada’s leading trailer manufacturers: Deloupe and TYCROP Trailers. LTS Marine, a leading hybrid and electric powertrain supplier, is supplying the electric propulsion system and is also supporting its development and testing. The electric system’s thermal management will be optimized by components supplied by Grayson Thermal Systems.

Promark Electronics will play a key role in developing and providing a prototype harness for the system. The powertrain is composed of a Meritor axle with differential lock and an electric motor from Dana TM4. For superior performance, the trailers are fitted entirely with tires provided by Michelin and chosen with their support. Hendrickson is providing a truck suspension and is also supporting its unique integration onto a forestry trailer, alongside Hendrickson trailer suspensions. Moreover, the technology’s directed end-users will also be contributing to the development and testing; these include Arrow Transportation Systems, Boisaco, and Star Express. For testing in Quebec, Mack Ste-Foy will be providing bespoke trucks specifically configured for logging operations. Before in-field testing, PMG Technologies will be supporting controlled testing at the Motor Vehicle Test Center in Blainville, Quebec.

For more information, you can contact Dave Waknin, Senior Researcher, Transportation – Advanced Vehicle Systems, at dave.waknin@fpinnovations.ca.

Photo – Render of a hybrid tractor-trailer.

This fall, John Deere introduces the new, small-size H423 harvester head and the large-size H425 and H425HD. These new attachments replace the previous H413, H415 and H415HD models. Like its predecessor, these heads have 4WD feed.

The H423 harvester head works on the 1070G, 1170G and 1270G base machines and is ideal for thinnings and other fellings, where the tree diameter at chest height (BHD) is 150-350 mm. With improved hose routing from boom to harvester head, and from valve block to feed motors, this attachment offers improved durability, easy hose replacement and improved hose protection with modifications to the frame. It has an operating range of minimum diameter at chest height (BHD) 40 mm to a maximum 500 mm.

The H425 harvester head for the larger size class is available on the 1270G and 1470G base machines. This attachment is ideal for final fellings and other fellings where the tree diameter at chest height (BHD) is 250-500 mm. Also including improved hose routing from loader to harvester head and from valve block to feed motors, the hoses are routed through the frame and well protected within the structures, improving durability. Additionally, the H425HD harvester head added to the H425 model offers an HD tilt frame, expander pins in the upper end of the tilt cylinder, feed motor arms, and lower delimbing knives.

“The new harvesting heads provide excellent performance, durability, measuring accuracy and economy,” said Sakari Suuriniemi, product marketing manager Wheeled Harvesters and Heads at John Deere Forestry. “So far, we’ve received great customer feedback on the latest updates and can’t wait to see the updated harvester heads in action this season.”

A wide selection of saw motors and saw bars are also available for the H425 and H425HD harvester heads. For more information on the H423, H425 and H425HD models or the full portfolio of John Deere products, visit johndeere.com.

A legacy Lunden-brand stacker is due to receive major technology updates to improve its performance and reliability, and bring it up to today’s standards in a most effective manner to maintain high production. The existing stacker was installed in 1991 and has offered many years of reliable performance. Newer electric servo actuation technology is now affording more efficient performance.

Thompson River Lumber is located at Thompson Falls, MT and produces dimensional lumber from its Ponderosa Pine stock. The sawmill stacker is required to stack lumber tiers of 60″ wide, 72″ high, and 20′ long, weighing in the range of 20,000 lbs. Stacking rate is 16 cycles/min.

Updates will include the Stick Feeder to synchronize feeder timing to the distribution chain, improve feeding of damaged or bent sticks, increase stick feeder cycle and replace wear parts. The addition of a secondary hold-down eliminates double feeds at speeds of over 220 sticks per minute.

The existing Stick Lift and Shuttle movement will be converted to electric servo motor actuation. The stick lift is no longer cam driven or tied mechanically to any other part of the stacker, which allows the stick lift process to be infinitely adjustable. Shuttle movement is also servo driven.

The Fork Carriage will be updated; the existing fork drive linkage will be replaced with a new fork drive shaft, servo fork drive unit with servo rated reducer, and a new fork carriage frame with pivoting forks and new stick pans. The existing hydraulic Rake-Off assembly will be replaced with an electric actuated rake-off assembly, including encoder feedback.

The Fork Lift Drive will be replaced with a servo fork lift shaft drive unit, including a new motor mount frame assembly, and a new poly chain sprocket will be supplied for the lift shaft.

The Overhead Course Divider and Tier Stop will be updated to all new components with electric  actuation.

Finally, a Random Width Pull-Back upgrade will be installed providing uniform downstream stack face and/or spreading of random width boards.

These updates are scheduled to be installed in Q2 of 2022.

SP has announced that Lion Equipamentos has been appointed as authorized SP dealer for the Brazilian states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Headquartered in Curitiba/PR, Lages/SC, and Guaiba/RS, Lion performs its activities with 20 years of experience in the forestry business.Within its varied areas of performance, Lion stands out in the forestry market by its high-quality technical assistance and fast spare parts supply. With a high focus on customer service and field maintenance carried out by highly skilled and experienced staff members Lion is able to offer a great level of customer support.

“We are very happy to welcome Lion to the SP dealer network,” says Anders Gannerud, SP International sales manager. “Lion is a perfect match for us and exactly the type of company and partner we are looking for when expanding our dealer network. Not only do they have a good experience from working with harvester heads and highly technical forest products, but they also share our commitment to putting the customer first by focusing on parts supply and customer support.”

To learn more about Lion visit, www.lionequipamentos.com.br

The development of the pandemic has certainly impacted all the economic trends, including the machines, tools and equipment for woodworking and furniture production. This trend has some “peculiarities” that have been clearly identified in the analysis by the Studies Office of Acimall, the association of industry companies, about the first half 2021.

In the January-June 2021 period, the orders of wood-furniture machinery and tools increased by 100.3 percent compared to the same semester of 2020. The demand from international markets – reaffirming the industry’s traditional export vocation – recorded an 88.7 percent increase, while the domestic market was even livelier, with orders up by 190.8 percent. These results are quite significant, but we have to consider that they compare with the first half of 2020, i.e. the period when the Covid 19 pandemic had its strongest impact on the world’s entire economic and production system. Nevertheless, this growth trend is significant, not just a simple “rebound” but a significant structural expansion.

On a semester-on-semester basis, the first half 2021 showed a positive trend compared to the previous six months, from July to December 2020, with orders growing by 42.2 percent (plus 31.9 percent for international demand, plus 49.2 percent in Italy).

“These figures are encouraging and help us forget the troubles we have been going through in our industrial and economic life”, said Luigi De Vito, president of Acimall. “If we add that the January-June 2021 period recorded a 40.2 percent growth compared to the first half 2019, we cannot really this this is just a “rebound”, but an organic and structural trend, witnessing to the global competitiveness of our industry and our role of reference partner for the Italian manufacturing industry, an established model of style and quality”. “Unfortunately, there are still a few doubts about the near future, mostly due to the scarcity of raw materials, components and aggregates. This situation is negatively affecting the lead time of material supplies, a problem that must be solved as soon as possible to stop the rising trend of prices”, De Vito concluded.

The furniture wood machinery industry and the furniture industry has overcome this very difficult season thanks to solid engineering, industrial, financial and business foundations to support the rally of recent months. This result has also been supported by the incentives of the new Italian plan 4.0 Transition, and similar measures introduced in many countries. The Italian industry keeps offering very advanced technology, as a result of its capacity to innovate and make business, which has always distinguished the players of “made in Italy”.

For more information:
Luca Rossetti
+39 351 9098189 – press@acimall.com

The Forest Products Commission (FPC) has  welcomed the announcement by the West Australian Premier, The Honourable Mark McGowan MLA, to invest a record $350 million to expand Western Australia’s softwood plantation timber industry.

This record investment is expected to provide at least an additional 33,000 hectares of softwood timber plantation, with up to 50 million pine trees planted, sequestering between 7.9 and 9.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

It is estimated that around 60 direct timber industry jobs and 80 indirect jobs will be created as part of the expansion plan, with the new jobs initially associated with the plantation establishment program.

The expansion plan will also protect 860 direct jobs and 1,120 indirect jobs, mostly in the South West timber industry, as well as support the many thousands of jobs in the State’s construction industry that depend upon the reliable supply of softwood timber.

The softwood processing industry currently supplies the majority of pine products used in the State’s housing and construction market. It also supports a range of other markets such as particle board, pallet timber, fence posts and power poles.

The State government also announced at the conclusion of the current Forest Management Plan 2014 – 2023, all timber taken from native forests will be limited to forest management activities that improve forest health and clearing for approved mining operations. It is expected these activities will produce a limited volume of native timber that will be subject to the normal tender processes of the Forest Products Commission.

Government have committed $50 million to support a Just Transition Fund, that will assist workers, businesses and communities, of the South-West in this transition. The FPC will work with industry to make the necessary adjustments for the future.

The FPC’s role is to deliver sustainable management and development of Western Australia’s forest products industry. While our industry will look different into the future, our role remains. The FPC look forward to supporting the expansion of the plantation sector and continuing to deliver sustainable forest management activities for the State.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Miniken
Communications Branch
Email:         media@fpc.wa.gov.au
Phone:       (08) 9363 4600
Mobile:      0438 903 289