Metsä Fibre’s Rauma sawmill, part of Metsä Group, has concluded a service agreement with Euroports Finland on port operations for sawn timber in Rauma.  The agreement is for four years and will take effect in the summer of 2022.

Automated conveyors will transfer the timber produced at the sawmill from packaging directly to the transport equipment for delivery to the port warehouse. The sawmill does not have warehouses for finished sawn timber, nor does it handle shipping operations.

“When running at full capacity, the sawmill will produce an annual 750,000 cubic metres of sawn timber. Depending on the market situation, a considerable share will be shipped to other countries. Our service agreement with Euroports offers a good logistical solution for the export of sawn timber. The company will handle the reception, storage and shipping of our products. Euroports has comprehensive expertise and modern equipment that satisfies current requirements. In addition, the company is committed to the environmental values and sustainability principles important to us,” says Harri Haapaniemi, Project Director at Rauma sawmill.

In the handling of sawn timber, Euroports Rauma is Finland’s third largest port operator and the market leader on the west coast. It currently handles more than 600,000 cubic metres of sawn timber annually.

“This means a considerable increase in the volume of mechanical forest industry products that we handle and will further boost Euroports Finland’s position as the leading sawn timber operator on the west coast. Rauma will become an important national hub for the mechanical forest industry. We also expect this to provide growth opportunities for other transports – for example, through new maritime transport routes.  The new transports will naturally require large investments in equipment to increase the capacity of our hoisting devices, among other things. In line with sustainability principles, our new equipment will mainly be powered by electricity,” says Sari De Meulder, Managing Director of Euroports.

The value of Metsä Fibre’s Rauma sawmill investment is approximately EUR 200 million, and the new unit will produce around 750,000 cubic metres of pine sawn timber annually. The new sawmill will be a worldwide forerunner in technology and efficiency. For example, the use of machine vision and artificial intelligence in different stages of the sawing process is a significant new development. Similar technology is not yet in use anywhere in the sawmill industry. The construction of the sawmill is progressing as planned, and production will begin in the third quarter of 2022.

Photo: Harri Haapaniemi, Project Director at Rauma sawmill.

Koehler plays its part in meeting Paris Climate Agreement goals. Lower CO2 footprint for Oberkirch/Germany as a result of converting combined heat and power plant from bituminous coal to biomass. Investment of just under 60 million euros (73 million US dollars).

The Koehler Group is planning to fully convert its power plant at its Oberkirch/Germany location to biomass in the coming years. This change is part of Koehler’s sustainability strategy, which includes the goal of producing more energy from renewable sources than is required for its paper production operations by 2030. Koehler Group CEO Kai Furler is thrilled with the plan: “By switching from bituminous coal to biomass as the primary fuel for our location here in Oberkirch, we will be cutting more than 150,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions a year.”

Sustainable fuel will help keep “Koehler promise for 2030”

The company has had a number of extremely successful projects designed to reduce the energy consumed in its paper production operations for many years now. A few years ago, the company declared that it would be producing more energy from renewable sources than required for its own needs by 2030. This is why the company is now converting its coal-fired power plant at the Oberkirch location to biomass. With its Fuel Emissions Trading Act, the German government made it more difficult to use fossil fuels, which is why Koehler will be implementing its plans for the conversion three years earlier than originally planned.

Wood chips instead of coal reduce CO₂ emissions significantly

The change represents an investment of just under 60 million euros (73 million US dollars) for Koehler, and will enable the company to produce the energy it needs for its paper production operations in the future with wood chips, green waste, and mill residue. This means that the fuel will be CO₂-neutral, as well as a renewable raw material obtained from the region. This material will be delivered by truck using bypass B 28.

Commissioning at the end of 2024

The plans to convert the power plant to use a renewable raw material started all the way back in 2018. Needless to say, this conversion cannot be carried out overnight, as it will require extensive technical modifications.

Koehler plays its part in meeting Paris Climate Agreement goals

In the Paris Agreement from 2015, 190 parties, including the European Union, committed themselves to taking measures to keep global warming significantly under 2 °C. Private companies were called on to contribute to emission reductions within this context. Kai Furler says: “With the conversion away from fossil fuels, Koehler is proactively playing its part in reducing global warming.” For Oberkirch, this means a significantly reduced impact from CO₂ emissions.

Frame & Crane care is a new extended protection for forest machines that have an PONSSE Active Care service agreement

The Frame and Crane care covers main frame structures for up to 10,000 engine hours if the machine has a valid service agreement during that period. PONSSE Active care service agreement needs to be valid for the whole period, but the agreement can be made in several parts.

“With the new Frame and Crane care package our customers can get even more out from their service agreements.” says Eveliina Pölkki, Product Group Responsible for service agreements at Ponsse Plc.

PONSSE Frame and Crane care covers following frame structures: front and rear frame​, middle pivot and articulated frames​, crane base​, main, lifting and luffing booms​ without extensions and pillars​.

The new Frame and Crane care is valid for machines that have service agreements and are manufactured starting from 2021.

Ponsse Active Care service agreements ensure maximum productivity

Ponsse Active Care service agreements comprise the best possible service for forest machine entrepreneurs: you can focus on your key business, logging, while Ponsse takes care of scheduled maintenance, machine optimization and extended cover. You forest machine will maintain its performance, reliability, and productivity from one logging site to the next. Forest machines maintained regularly by professionals using only high-quality and original Ponsse parts, lubricants and filters remain in good operating condition and retain their value well.

More information:

Eveliina Pölkki, Product Group Responsible, service agreements
Tel. +358 40 5324175, eveliina.polkki@ponsse.com

Ponsse launches a new loader product family for the most popular forwarder models. The new K101 and K111 loaders are the latest additions to the product family, also represented by the previously launched K121 loader. The new loaders have been developed in cooperation with customers for efficient load handling, also in demanding conditions.

The new loaders have a structure designed and developed by Ponsse, with special focus placed on reliability and productivity. The strong and precise PONSSE K101 and K111 loaders are available for PONSSE Buffalo, Buffalo King and Bison Active Frame forwarders.

“Loaders account for a significant part of forwarders’ operating hours, and loads are large in this size category. For these reasons, the efficiency of the loader has a significant impact on the productivity of the forwarder. The whole new geometry and high power of the new PONSSE K101 and K111 loaders enable accurate controls and precise operations. A user-friendly loader is a particularly important factor considering the smooth flow of work and the operator’s wellbeing. The new loaders feature powerful hydraulics and a proven structure, with which even the farthest stems can be loaded safely and precisely. The new loaders also include new working lights”, says Juha Haverinen, forwarder product manager at Ponsse.

The PONSSE Active Crane loader control system is available for the new loaders. It allows the operator to control grapple movements instead of individual functions. As a result, the operator can efficiently focus on loader operations.

The simple but strong structure of the K101 and K111 loaders guarantees precise, user-friendly and efficient operations in the most popular forwarder size category.

Ponsse’s new K101 and K111 loaders:

• New structure in this size category – based on PONSSE K121, one of the largest loaders on the market
• Even stronger and more user-friendly than before
• A maintenance-friendly and strong structure
• New working lights
• PONSSE Active Crane loader control system available

Technical specifications:

• Lifting torque: 140 kNm/160 kNm (K101/K111)
• Swing torque: 40 kNm
• Reach: 8 m/10 m (S/M models)
• Tilting base tilt angle: -12°…+24°

Further information:

Juha Haverinen,  Ponsse Plc, Product Manager, forwarders
tel. +358 40 839 8529, juha.haverinen@ponsse.com

Glennon Brothers, a third-generation family timber processing business, has entered into an agreement with SHV Energy to purchase Balcas Ltd, subject to approval from the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK and Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in Ireland.

Balcas operates a sawmill in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, producing quality sawn timber products for the Fencing, Landscaping, Agricultural, Construction, and Pallet & Packaging sectors. In addition, the business operates two renewable energy plants at Enniskillen and Invergordon, Scotland, which incorporate CHP (Combined Heat & Power) and wood pellet production.

Mike Glennon, of Glennon Brothers commented: “We look forward to welcoming the Balcas team onboard as part of Glennon Brothers, and to working with them to grow and develop the business in the years ahead”.

Pat Glennon, of Glennon Brothers, commented: “This is another milestone in Glennon Brothers’ history, which dates back to 1913 and we are thrilled to have Balcas join us on the journey moving forward”.

Brian Murphy, CEO of Balcas remarked: “We are excited to be joining Glennon Brothers, a business with a deep rooted history in the timber processing sector and values aligned to our own”.

Roof Profiles has invested in a Hundegger Turbo saw and, according to company directory Johnny Fellingham, it is allowing the company to produce more volume of timber, to the highest quality standard.

“This saw is becoming widely known as the best saw of its generation for cutting truss and timber frame material,” said Mr Fellingham. “Fuelled by files from Mitek software, the speed and accuracy at which it cuts timber is second to none.

“Due to the accuracy of the cut timber the tolerances in all the timber joints, both in our finished roof trusses and timber frame panels, are zero millimetres. The benefit of this is multi-faceted as it makes it quicker for us to assemble and press our roof trusses and frame components and nail our wall panels as there is no need to make final adjustments for components to fit together, exactly.”

The Hundegger Cambium software enables Roof Profiles to have complete transparency of productivity, timber yield, waste percentage and stock profile.

“Additionally, the finished product that we then send to the building site pieces together in exacting dimensions in accordance with the building plans,” said Mr Fellingham. “Furthermore, should there be any technical issues with the saw that we are unable to resolve internally there is excellent remote back-up from Hundegger’s base in Germany.

“The Hundegger support staff can dial into the machine and using mobile camera technology normally resolve issues immediately or identify any parts requiring replaced allowing us to resume production with minimal interruption.’

Roof Profiles Ltd t/a Structural Timber Frame
7 Kyle Road
Irvine Industrial Estate
Irvine
Ayrshire KA12 8JF

Photo: Johnny Fellingham (left); Carol Smith, sales, (centre); Kenny Smith, production and operations (centre right); with operators Craig Speirs and Lewis Corson

Second quarter earnings rise on 34% increase in net sales, reflecting strong market conditions and broad improvement across divisions and geographies.

Equipment-division operating margin of 19.5% demonstrates solid execution, impact of strategy. Full-year earnings forecast raised to range of $5.3 to $5.7 billion.

Deere & Company reported net income of $1.790 billion for the second quarter ended May 2, 2021, or $5.68 per share, compared with net income of $666 million, or $2.11 per share, for the quarter ended May 3, 2020. For the first six months of the year, net income attributable to Deere & Company was $3.013 billion, or $9.55 per share, compared with $1.182 billion, or $3.73 per share, for the same period last year.

Worldwide net sales and revenues increased 30 percent, to $12.058 billion, for the second quarter of 2021 and rose 25 percent, to $21.170 billion, for six months. Net sales of the equipment operations were $10.998 billion for the quarter and $19.049 billion for six months, compared with $8.224 billion and $14.754 billion last year.
“With another quarter of solid performance, John Deere closed out the first half of the year on a highly encouraging note,” said John C. May, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our results received support across our entire business lineup, reflecting healthy worldwide markets for farm and construction equipment. Our smart industrial operating strategy is continuing to have a significant impact on performance while also helping customers do their jobs in a more profitable and sustainable manner.”

Company Outlook & Summary

Net income attributable to Deere & Company for fiscal 2021 is forecast to be in a range of $5.3 billion to $5.7 billion.
“While the company is clearly performing at a high level, Deere expects to see increased supply-chain pressures through the balance of the year,” May said. “We are working closely with key suppliers to secure the parts and components that our customers need to deliver essential food production and infrastructure. Despite these challenges, Deere is on track for a strong year and we believe is well-positioned to unlock greater value for our customers and other stakeholders in the future.”

For further information contact:
Jen Hartmann
Director, Public Relations
Deere & Company
HartmannJenniferA@JohnDeere.com

Wood processing technology supplier USNR has signed a number of major contracts in the last few months.

At the end of 2020, USNR signed a €13m contract with Tschopp Holzindustrie AG in Switzerland, for a new sawline. The sawline will be a fully equipped premium production line, custom designed to cut a maximum volume of thin boards from each log. The mill, one of Switzerland’s largest, provides the raw material for Tschopp’s production of formwork panels for the construction industry.

The log line will comprise two Logmaster HPS quad bandmills. Designed for accurate cutting at speeds up to 180m/min, Logmaster HPS is the most advanced bandmill in USNR’s programme for throughput and recovery.

The line will also be equipped with USNR’s optimisation and controls, and designed with flexibility and capability to accommodate complex saw patterns.

To handle the large volume of sideboards, USNR will also deliver two Catech XT edger lines that operate in the range of over 70 boards/min. These lines will be equipped with the latest optimisation technology.

“Winning this order means that USNR can look back on 2020 as one of the best years ever in terms of sales for our European operations, despite the ongoing pandemic,” said Johan Johansson, CEO USNR AB.

In other developments, Nix Forest Products in the US, has updated its planer mill with advanced technology from USNR. The mill has been relying on manual grading and is looking to improve grade recovery from its products. It is also investing to increase the efficiency of its process.

The order features USNR’s Transverse High Grader (THG) automated grading system with ‘deep learning’ technology. This technology increases the speed and accuracy of THG’s defect detection.

Meanwhile, Lecours Lumber in Canada has ordered new 47-bin sawmill sorter, which is scheduled to be installed in Q3, 2022.

The new vertical bin sorter will feature the Pusher Lug sorter top, ideal for high speed applications. The sorter is designed to operate at 140 lugs per minute.

Finnish forest machine manufacturer Logset Oy and South African forest machine dealer Green Projects have signed a dealer agreement to market and sell Logset products in Southern Africa. For Logset this means claiming an area on a new continent: Africa.

Under the terms of the agreement the new dealer will provide sales, service and parts for the Logset equipment. Green Projects service territory includes all of Southern Africa.

“We are excited to start working with Green Projects. They have a vast experience in selling forest machinery and therefore they are the perfect partner to bring the Logset brand to a new continent”, says Logset’s CEO Tommi Ekman.

Frank Uzzell from Green Projects is pleased as well.

“We are honoured to represent Logset in our territory. The Logset products are well suited for our customers. The first loose harvester head is on its way for an excavator installation. Logset offers a very comprehensive range of products for our local forestry needs. We are excited that we can very soon start demonstrating the performance and quality of the Logset products. The Robust forwarders will be a big advantage and even clam bunk versions of the forwarders are of big interest here already”, he says.

The main office of Green Projects is located in Lions River in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

For more information:
Tommi Ekman CEO Logset Oy
Email: tommi.ekman@logset.fi
Phone: +358 40 664 1666

Under the terms of the agreement, Thippaporn will sell Nisula Forest products, parts and offer services in Thailand for the products manufactured by Nisula Forest.

“We are very happy about this new cooperation. It is a great opportunity for Nisula Forest, we have now a great and experienced team in Thailand offering Nisula forest products and professional customer service.

The current Nisula Forest product line will perfectly fit the market needs, we offer harvesting and shear heads for excavators from 6t to 24t and all the attachments needed for the conversion of excavators for forestry work.” Says Nisula Forest Sales Director Timo Savornin.