English - Komatsu Forest

Transcription

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M A G A Z IMAGAZINE
NE
No 2 • 2 0 0 5
INTERNATIONAL
Timbco
Investing
in Valmet
Germany’s largest pulp mill is
investing in harvesting with,
among other equipment, eight
Valmet machines.
Page 14
W
O
SH M E
I
T
Increased
choice
Valmet LoadFlex3 and the flexible
bunk make it possible to load and
unload more quickly.
Page 4
Read more
A year with Komatsu Forest ..... 8
ELMIA WOOD 2005
Coordination
in Central Europe .................... 16
ProSelect
– everything you need ............ 24
New skidder ............................ 28
Q UALITY LEAV ES A L A S T I N G I M P R E S S I O N
We know the forest.
We also know the challenges facing
modern-day wood harvesting.
We know that quality machinery demands
tyres that live up to the task.
We have developed and manufactured
forestry tyres for several decades.
We strongly believe that investing in quality
is the sensible choice.
Nordic Tyres ( UK ) Ltd
Unit 24A
Brampton Road
Longtown, Cumbria CA65TR
United Kingdom
tel +44 (0)1228 792677
Nokian Tyres Inc.
339 Mason Rd. La Vergne
TN 37086 Nashville USA
Tel. 1 615 287 0600
Fax 1 615 287 0610
www.nokiantires.com
Nokian Forest King F
Nokian Tyres plc, P.O.Box 20
FIN-37101 Nokia
Tel. +358 3 340 7111, fax +358 3 342 0101
We’ve
broadened
our focus
T
he time for the forestry industry’s most important conference is drawing near and
Komatsu Forest will of course
be in attendance. Elmia Wood is the
world’s largest forestry fair with some
50,000 visitors from all corners of the
world and provides an important global show window. After a little more than
a year with Komatsu as owner, it will be
exciting to present Komatsu Forest to
the international forestry industry as the
complete supplier that we are.
We’ve made our future objectives clear.
We continually work to develop the company and strive to become even better.
We achieve this through various
efforts, such as placing a greater focus
on quality, where our long-standing Japanese tradition of systematic quality
assurance will be of great benefit. We’ve
already taken a broader grip on quality
assurance with our Total Quality Management System. Quality is something
that now permeates our entire operation
– from development, through production, to service and spare parts supply.
We’ve learned that the forestry industry
has strict requirements and that the conditions under which different customers
operate can vary considerably. But one
thing is clear. Our customers will always
INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
Publisher: Roland Lundqvist
[email protected]
Editor: Anders Pauser
[email protected]
Address: Just Forest, Komatsu Forest AB,
Box 7124, SE-907 04 Umeå, Sweden
Contact: Telephone +46 90 70 93 00,
fax +46 90 19 16 52
be able to rely on Valmet machines.
We also strive to be a full-line supplier with global coverage. We are already
a broad supplier as we can offer both
Valmet’s forestry machines and Komatsu’s tracked construction machines to
the forestry industry the world over. We
would, however, like to offer our customers even more. This is why we will
broaden our product offering in order to
become a full-line supplier.
Those of you who are able to visit us
at Elmia Wood will see that we are well
on the way. r
Hideki Yamada
Chief Executive
Officer,
Komatsu Forest AB
Contents
LoadFlex3 increases choice
4
Tougher and more durable
6
A year with Komatsu Forest
8
Long-term quality assurance 10
Clear strategy for success
12
Germany’s largest pulp mill
invests in Valmet
14
Coordination
in Central Europe
16
Bear hunting on
a backwoods river
20
ProSelect
– everything you need
24
Tailor-made
e-commerce system
25
New center strengthens
product training
26
New skidder
28
Thin rapidly and profitably
29
Tailor-made for steep terrain 30
Lower pressure
reduces barking
36
Timbco
Internet: www.komatsuforest.com
Production: AB Nordreportern
Writers: Gunnar Andersson, Anders Pauser,
Roger C Åström
Photographers: Gunnar Andersson, Anders Pauser,
Nate Burton, Roger C Åström, Marcus Gustafsson
Layout and design: Fredrik Lundell
Printing: Tryckeri City, Umeå, Sweden
Paper: Gotic Silk 130 gram
Circulation: 33,000
Languages: Swedish, Finnish, English, German,
French, and Portuguese
Contents may be quoted if source is stated
JUST FOREST NO 2 • 2005
3
LoadFlex3
increases
choice
To choose Valmet Loadflex is to choose
freedom. This flexible bunk makes
loading and unloading faster.
V
almet LoadFlex3 is a
f lexible bunk system
suited to all Valmet forwarders. The design is simple and completely mechanical, making it robust and very
reliable.
Basically, LoadFlex3 comprises parallel-controlled bunk
stakes with extra joints that
fold outwards to make the bunk
wider than normal. The side
walls also adjust so that the load
volume can be maximized. The
tailgate also extends outward
so as to cover the wider bunk.
With LoadFlex3, the forwarder’s
bunk becomes 55 inches wider.
The bunk can easily be divided
into several sections for different product sorts.
Valmet LoadFlex3 contributes
to faster loading and unloading
as the boom operates in shorter
cycles and bunk divisions keep
the load in good order. Transport speed is also faster as the
low center of gravity increases
stability.
The MaxiScale weighing program, which is bundled with
LoadFlex3, helps optimize the
forwarder’s load without exceeding the machine’s weight capacity. It can even report the exact
volume of each sort in the load. r
Maxi builds bridges
The forestry industry is putting increasingly tough demands on contractors. Valmet’s
Maxi control system helps operators plan,
revise, and report their production.
T
he forestry industry’s different production stages are no longer isolated islands. The indus-
4
try wants fresher timber and
clients want more information
about harvesting. Maxi is a collective name for Valmet’s con-
trol and information systems.
With these systems, the operator gains access to a number
of programs for tasks such as
machine control, price list management, GIS, and production
and operation follow-ups.
MaxiHarvester 3.7 is Valmet’s most recent Maxi system
program package. The control
system also offers the oppor-
tunity to use quality assured
harvester measurements to
increase measurement reliability. This means that Maxi-Harvester randomly selects sample trees to be re-measured.
The operator is first warned via
the display that the tree being
logged is a sample tree after
some of the trunk has been processed. The operator then re-
Faster,
easier,
improved
No longer need anyone manually lubricate Valmet forestry machines. With a
central, automatic machine lubrication
system, lubrication becomes easier,
faster, and better.
A
centralized lubrication system that automatically lubricates is now available as an optional extra on all Valmet harvesters. As of the fall, it will also be available
on all forwarders. Since the beginning of the year the lubrication system has been available as an optional extra for harvesters and customer interest has been great.
The centralized lubrication system comprises a small tank
of grease and a pump that delivers grease to all lubrication
points on the machine at regular intervals. Five distribution
points are found on the machine. From these points, grease is
delivered to joints, pivots, and other moving parts with grease
fittings, for example.
The interval at which grease is pumped is easily set via a
control on the lubricant tank. All hoses are routed through
protected areas to avoid breakages.
The automatic centralized lubrication system means that
one no longer needs to perform manual lubrication with a
grease gun. This saves valuable time. Moreover, lubrication is
greatly improved with the automated system as the machine is
lubricated more regularly and when in motion, which provides
better lubricant distribution. r
measures the trunk with a caliper as with regular systems.
MaxiHarvester has also been
expanded with regression analysis which, simply put, provides more exact calibration
over the entire diameter interval. Calibration is much faster
and requires fewer caliper measurements.
New MaxiHarvester 3.7 can
also create individual production files, often called ’pri’ files
because the file names end in
’.pri’. These files are used to
store production data, such as
length, diameter, species, and
quality, for each individual log.
The MaxiA application, used
to create and edit price lists, is
now a fully integrated part of
the Maxi system. The operator simply clicks in the menu to
edit the price list. After changes
are made, the file is saved and
the crosscutting computer is
automatically updated with the
new price list. r
5
New additions to Valmet’s head lineup
Tough and reliable .2s
Four important new features
1. New hydraulic hose routing
between link and head.
2. New hydraulic hose routing
from feed roller motors to valve set.
3. Improved hydraulic system.
4. New recessed diameter sensor housing.
4
We are now ready
to present new
versions of the
Valmet 360 and 370
to customers. With a
long list of improvements, the Valmet
360.2 and Valmet
370.2 have become
even more reliable
forest companions.
3
1
2
T
he Valmet 360 and 370
are the backbone of
Valmet’s comprehensive head offering. These heads
are based on well proven basic
designs that have been refined
and modified over the years.
We’re now ready to launch
the next versions of these heads,
the Valmet 360.2 and the Valmet 370.2. Both are built from
the ground up to be robust, reliable, and productive. Mountings, moving parts, and the
motor mounts are all very solid and the valve set, hoses, and
onboard computer are well protected.
6
And this is the concept that
Komatsu Forest’s designers and
technicians have adhered to in
further developing 32 aspects
of these heads. Everything to
make the heads highly productive with greater use of maximum capacity.
One example is the new hose
routing between the boom tip
and the head, which provides
greater hose protection and
makes them easier to replace.
The hydraulic hoses between
the feed roller motors and valve
set have also been rerouted to
minimize the risk of breakage
and wear. The hydraulic system
has been improved in order to
increase the life of the hydraulic
motors, the cylinders, and other
components. The recessed housings for the heads’ diameter sensors, which are located in the
forward knife axles, have been
fitted with controls to simplify
adjustment and maintenance. r
A HEAD FOR EVERY NEED
A thinning specialist
THE VALMET 330.2, tailored to the Valmet
901 harvester, is a light thinning head with
speed and reliability as its major traits.
The 330 head is available with only single grip knife arms or also equipped with
grapple arms.
Whichever the model, the new Valmet
330.2 is a light and flexible thinning head
that is easy to maintain. A simple design
with robust construction guarantees it’s
In many places the
need for thinning is
great. With the new
Valmet 330.2, thinning is both quick
and easy.
used to the max.
The Valmet 330.2 is now available
with alternative feed roller motors, modified delimbing knives for improved contact and delimbing, and a more compact
rotator, which is also equipped with a roller slewing. This has led to a greater tilt angle on the suspension linkage. In addition,
the lubrication oil tank is integrated into
the linkage.
Flexible head with a perfect balance
The lightweight
Valmet 350 head
combines strength
and weight in optimal
amounts. This makes
the head a real allrounder – suited to
thinning as well as final logging.
THE VALMET 350 is a multifaceted head offering the perfect balance between strength,
speed, and weight. This enables the head to
easily cope with either thinning or final logging. In order to achieve this, the head has a
powerful and compact design that provides
the optimum relation between strength and
weight. With its strong traction force, high
performance, and short frame, this head is
nimble and effective.
With three very effective feed rollers and
four powerful feed motors, the feed is fast
yet gentle. Added to this are four optimally shaped knives for good delimbing quality
and great accuracy. The Valmet 350 also has
a large cutting unit for fast felling and processing. And the stable frame with well protected components and a sturdy roller slewing bearing rotator guarantees it will be used
to capacity.
A head for the toughest jobs
The Valmet 370E
is a tough character primarily designed for tracked
machines. In order
to cope with difficult conditions this
head is solid and
robust.
THE VALMET 370E is a tough and reliable
head based on the well proven technology of the Valmet 370.1. The 370E is primarily tailored for use on tracked machines.
The 370E harvester head has a robust chassis and a sturdy construction, built to cope
with the demands of running on tracked
machines.
The felling link is reinforced to handle
thick forests. The feed roller motor mounts
are especially sturdy, as are the mounts for
all other moving parts. The hosing is well
protected and the cutting unit is robust
enough to cope with the physical challenges presented by the machine.
The head has five custom-designed delimbing knives developed and tested in Brazil to handle the tough challenges associated with eucalyptus tree debarking.
A top saw can also be mounted on the
Valmet 370E. The ability to cut at both ends
of the head further speeds harvesting. Special processing knives can be mounted too.
Excavators soon made ready for the forest
A new installation
kit makes it possible to mount harvester heads on excavation machines. The kit
provides a well-proven and complete solution that transforms a
regular excavator into a
forestry machine.
T
he installation kit is specially adapted to Komatsu excavators and works
with all harvester heads in the
Valmet 300 series. The kit is
supplied complete with installation instructions and hydraulics
and electrical diagrams.
The installation kit provides
all necessary components –
from the adapter between the
excavator boom and the harvester head to pipes and tubes
for customizing the hydraulics. Moreover, the kit includes
important details for increased
operator safety.
The boom tip is fitted with
a special head adapter and four
specially built hydraulic pipes
bolted to the underside of the
excavator arm. A protective
brace is then fitted to reduce
the risk of damage.
A durable and sectioned protective hood reduces the risk of
foreign objects and dry leaves
entering air intakes and the
engine compartment. To further
increase operator safety, the door
is fitted with a safety switch and
the front windshield is replaced
with 0.6-inch thick safety glass. r
7
A year with Kom a
Komatsu Forest will continue to be independent and the cut-to-length system
is the right path to follow, but it will take the forestry industry time to adopt.
These are some of the experiences that Hideki Yamada has gained in his first
year as CEO of Komatsu Forest.
J
ust over a year has passed
since Japanese construction machine manufacturer Komatsu Ltd took over
as owner. The reason was that
Komatsu wanted to move into
the forestry industry and Valmet’s established brand was a
ticket in.
Hideki Yamada was the man
the new owners entrusted with
the responsibility of leading
Komatsu Forest’s operations.
“In Valmet Komatsu gained
8
both technical expertise and
important industry experience,” explains Hideki, CEO of
Komatsu Forest.
Komatsu’s previous experience of the Scandinavian mentality was limited, but Hideki thinks that collaboration
between the Japanese and Scandinavians has worked very well.
“I think there are many similarities between our corporate
cultures,” he says.
One major difference that
Hideki has discovered is that
customers within the construction and forestry industries are
very different. The construction machine market is relatively mature while the forestry machine market is still experiencing broad expansion and
rapid development.
“This means that we continually receive input from forestry
machine customers, providing
us with additional development
opportunities,” he explains.
His first year in the forestry machine industry has convinced Hideki that Komatsu
Forest must retain full responsibility for this segment within
Komatsu’s organization
In the future, he wants Komatsu Forest to gain a strong
position as its own division in
the Komatsu organization, at
the same level as the other two
divisions, construction equipment and mining equipment.
At the same time, he can
atsu Forest
see that Komatsu Forest’s localization to Umeå, Sweden is an
obvious decision. Komatsu has
an overall strategy that entails
operating in the major markets.
“Scandinavia is a large and
important market, and much
technological expertise important to Komatsu Forest is held
in the region,” he continues.
A VERY IMPORTANT factor
is that the cut-to-length system
originates from Scandinavia.
This is the system that Hideki
believes is the future. Komatsu
had hoped that the cut-to-length
system would break through in
more markets relatively quickly, but has partially altered this
strategy.
“In the long-term, the cutto-length system is the only
way to go in forestry machine
development,” he says. “But on
the way there, we must continue to develop machines for the
whole tree method too, as well
as products for modifying construction machines. We are to
be a full-line supplier that presents a united front to its customers,” he says.
This means that Komatsu
Forest will broaden its product
offering.
The first year has also
shown that there are many synergy effects from which we
can benefit. Valmet forestry
machines are sold via Komatsu’s established sales organization in markets that are new
to Valmet. Places such as Indonesia, Chile, and Russia. But
Komatsu can also benefit from
Valmet’s strong position in Brazil, for example, and sell more
construction machines.
Other synergy effects are
the consolidation of components in forestry and construction machines and cost savings
through increased production
volumes. But maybe the most
important synergy effect concerns quality. W ith its Japanese
industrial tradition of acknowledged quality assurance, Komatsu has a good reputation that
can benefit Komatsu Forest.
“We have raised the ribbon and made quality assurance more systematic with the
help of Komatsu’s expertise and
experience in the quality area,”
explains Hideki.
This means that quality is
now seen in a broader perspective and that quality work focuses on everything from development to customer support.
“One should be able to
expect the same quality in a for-
estry machine as in a construction machine,” he says.
Komatsu Forest’s CEO
thinks that the world market for
forestry machines offers great
development potential. Only
about a fifth of the world’s forest harvesting is mechanized.
Hideki believes that work conditions in manual logging comprise a factor that will drive
mechanization forward. It will
quite simply be difficult to
recruit a work force to conduct
manual forest work when taking into account safety considerations, for example.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT factor
driving forestry machine development is the fact that forestry companies are striving for
greater profitability.
“There will be a need for
more effective techniques in
order to meet customer requirements,” says Hideki.
In this context, he sees Komatsu Forest’s localization to
Umeå, Sweden as the optimal
solution.
“Scandinavia is still our primary market and here we also
have good opportunities to
invest in technical development
by recruiting knowledgeable
personnel,” he concludes. r
New Chairman at Komatsu Forest
Y
oshinori Komamura has been
appointed the new chairman of
the board of Komatsu Forest. He
has been responsible for Komatsu Construction and Mining Division in several overseas operations for many years,
including his most recent position as President of Komatsu Europe until the end
of March 2005.
Yoshinori succeeds Kazuhiro Aoyagi,
who has been chairman since Komatsu
Forest was formed.
News
Massive project in the
European forest sector
The Swedish research
foundation Skogforsk will
act as coordinator for
one of the EU’s largest ever research projects within the forest
and forestry industry sector. The
project, named Eforwood, will run
for four years and is intended to
produce tools to analyze opportunities to contribute to sustainable
development within the EU within
forests and the forestry industry.
The project will involve 35 organizations from 18 countries and the
planned budget runs to 19 million
Euros, equivalent to about 24.6
million USD.
Extinguished fires
slow greenhouse
effect
By effectively fighting
and extinguishing forest fires, greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere
can be reduced. So says Brian
Stocks, a forest fire expert at Canada’s Forest Service, reports Reuters. The number of fires is gradually increasing due to campers,
for example, or people intentionally starting fires in forests. Forest fires in Canada alone pumped
150 million tons of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere – to be compared with 730 million tons from
the country’s industry. Even worse
were the extensive fires in Indonesia at the end of the 20th century, which released 2.6 billion
tons of carbon dioxide. But it is
possible to prevent fires with suitable forest stand planning, monitoring, education, and faster response times.
New tool reveals
timber freshness
The extent to which timber has dried out since
being logged often provides a good indication of how
fresh it is. With the aid of a new
forecast tool, the Swedish research institute Skogforsk can
show how fast timber dries based
on current weather data and the
timber’s handling and storage. The
forecasts will be updated each
week throughout the spring.
9
ity assurance comes into play
much earlier in the production
process. Four people check, for
example, that goods from suppliers meet the stated specifications. In addition, there is one
person who works as the quality
control department’s right hand
when it comes to quality assurance of suppliers.
“We’re also improving
the final check process of
machines,” says Jonas. “This
will give us comprehensive control over the quality of delivered
machines.”
INTENSIVE EFFORTS are
Jonas Järnö is responsible for quality assurance at Komatsu Forest in Umeå.
LONG-TERM
quality assurance
Komatsu Forest is investing increasingly more resources in quality assurance.
Komatsu’s broad quality assurance experience comes in handy here.
“In general, we’ve adopted the Japanese
way of working with quality issues,” says
Jonas Järnö, Quality Assurance Manager at
Komatsu Forest.
K
omatsu has
worked systematically with quality assurance, or
QA, since the 1960s. That experience now benefits Komatsu
Forest greatly when investing
in further development of our
quality assurance efforts. The
long-term goal is to be number
one in quality control in the for-
10
est machine industry.
The quality control department is housed in the new customer support building at the
plant in Umeå. One important
part of quality assurance is taking care of all faults reported by
dealers in a systematic way and
ensuring that corrective measures are taken.
“If it’s smaller faults, it’s a
matter of finding a quick fix
and implementing it,” says
Jonas. “If a larger problem arises, we need a more comprehensive approach to solving the
problem. We assign tasks to
those parts of the operations in
question, such as design, purchasing, production, or customer support, for example.”
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
that work with quality issues
has increased since Komatsu
came in as owner. Four people work with guarantee issues.
Since major faults are often
guarantee issues, it’s good that
this function is within the QA
department, which ensures that
the problems are sent to those
who can correct them. But qual-
being made to find better ways
of handling responsibility in
quality issues. The goal is to
achieve faster response times
and to ensure that information about the problem is quickly reported to the right person
or department. Procedures for
problem management are being
established in every department
in a more standardized manner. And there is always a quality manager for each segment
of product development and
manufacture.
“It’s important that quality
assurance is strengthened and
that procedures are followed
as early as the development
stage of a product. Procedures
are a tool that helps achieve an
extremely good final result,”
says Jonas.
He feels that right now the
mood is positive when it comes
to employee commitment to
focusing on quality issues.
“Commitment is high and it
feels good to have the support
of Japanese Komatsu’s expertise
in this area,” says Jonas. “And
it’s not that hard, really. It’s just
a matter of listening, measuring, analyzing, fixing, and following up.” r
at E Join u
on lmia W s
Sta
nd ood
818

TRELLEBORG TWIN FORESTRY IS FOR REAL. EFFICIENT. COMFORTABLE. STRONG.
With Trelleborg Twin Forestry on your machine you can carry
out the job even more efficiently and smoothly and – at the
same time – preserve the woodland. We test and develop tires
in your working environment: snow and ice, stones and tree
stumps, day and night. Whether you opt for complete wheels or
new tires, you will obtain increased pulling power and lower
operating costs as part of the bargain.
Trelleborg Industri AB
Business Unit Agri & Forest Tires Europe
SE-231 81 Trelleborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)410 510 00, Fax: +46 (0)410 139 96
www.trelleborg.com/wheelsystems
Thomas Hubert is a successful German contractor who has invested in helping his customers in the best possible way.
Clear strategy
for success
With much stubbornness, forestry contractor Thomas Hubert from Bavaria,
Germany has stuck to his guns in always putting the customer first. And by
concentrating on employing skilled personnel the company has grown – in little
more than 20 years – to 40 employees with 17 Valmets in the machine lineup.
T
hings have moved
fast for Thomas
Hubert and his company Hubert Forst
GmbH outside Munich. When
he decided to invest in forestry machines and made his first
investment of 600,000 Deutschmarks for a six-wheeled Valmet 901 harvester in 1993, he’d
stepped on a train with his family firm without really knowing the destination. All he knew
was that you had to get in the
12
game early when mechanization took speed.
Today, 24 years later, chainsaws are still part of operations,
alongside the company’s three
Valmet 921s, three Valmet 911s,
Valmet 901, and Valmet 801
Combi. The explanations are
many. Thinning, for instance,
comprises 95 percent of the
company’s work, and in German thinning roads may not be
closer than 30 meters, which
means the harvester can’t reach
all forest areas. Furthermore,
the steep terrain demands the
use of chainsaws in certain
areas.
“Not all German contractors have personnel with chainsaws, but we want to do a really
good job even if it’s a little more
expensive,” explains Thomas.
“Moreover, in some places the
trunks are too large for the harvester to cope with.”
A meeting with Thomas
quickly leads to a discussion
about how to run a company
and the importance of customer focus. Thomas is clearly convinced and ever since his company’s beginnings he’s concentrated on a multifaceted concept. One of them is the belief
that a private forestry contractor can only survive in the longterm if one’s customers are satisfied, which is why - as far as
possible - one should act as an
advisor as well. It’s important to
provide good advice, not to sim-
ply try to earn as much as possible, but to instead build longterm relationships. Another facet is to be a completely independent company with no ties to a
single large customer or some
other conglomeration. In this
respect, it’s important to have
really good personnel.
“I’ve invested in six team
leaders so that we can really
help our customers in the best
possible way,” says Thomas.
He’s also invested in being
a complete company that works
with a broad customer base
from the German state to private individuals. In addition,
they can work in the mountains, take care of transportation, and set up plantations.
THE LONG-TERM perspec-
tive is very important to Thomas. That’s why he’s stuck with
Valmet since he began investing in a machine system.
There’s a Valmet dealer near his
company, providing good service opportunities.
“We were mostly after the
best possible service and we’ve
collaborated ever since,” says
Thomas. “I’m of the opinion
that if together we can solve
problems that always arise in
a good way, then why not continue? I’ll happily admit that
sometimes I’m a bit tough on
Komatsu Forest, but so far
they’ve always solved things
in a good way. It’s a fact that
Bavarian forests place heavy
demands on the machines and
any customizations.”
Thomas has generally invested in slightly smaller machines
and his f leet of forwarders
includes five Valmet 840s, two
Valmet 830s, and two Valmet
820s. Loaded, the Valmet 860
and 890 are too heavy to use
due to the 51 inches of annual rainfall in the area. On the
other hand, a large harvester like the Valmet 941 could be
of interest if the harvested volumes were sufficiently large in
a stand, according to Thomas.
“But the private stands we
work with are mixed forests,
and we often only harvest 200250 cubic meters over two to
three days before moving on,”
he explains. “So such large
machines would be unprofitable.”
When we meet Thomas a
dozen or so miles from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a four
year-old Valmet 921 is busy
thinning in steep terrain
together with a few men with
chainsaws. Despite the slope,
everyone seems to feel safe
with the machine, which they
find to be very stable. Thomas also emphasizes stability
with the boom extended as one
of Valmet’s major advantages.
The forwarder hasn’t arrived
yet though, as there was snowfall earlier in the week and the
ground is too slippery for forwarding.
Thomas’s company has
grown continually, as each
time they’ve needed to buy
new machines it’s felt like the
right thing to do. For Thomas it’s important to always move
forward; whether it concerns
growth or developing operations in some other way doesn’t
matter.
“The only trouble with growing is that you spend more time
in your car and less time meeting customers,” he says. r
Each work team has a
spare parts truck from
Komatsu Forest GmbH.
Here we can also see
team leader Wolfgang
Ritter.
Thomas Hubert (on the right) talking with harvester operator Anton
Riegner and team leader Wolfgang Ritter.
A Valmet 921 clearing in a forest near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
95 percent of German logging work is clearing.
Facts
Hubert Forst GmbH
Owner: Thomas Hubert and
father
Number of employees: 40
Machines: Three Valmet 921s,
three Valmet 911s, one Valmet
901, one Valmet 801 Combi,
five Valmet 840s, two Valmet
830s, and two Valmet 820s
13
Zellstoff Stendal produces 550,000 tons of pulp a year.
Germany’s largest
invests in Valmet
When Germany’s largest pulp mill, Zellstoff Stendal GmbH, recently opened,
Komatsu Forest supplied eight machines for the mill’s own harvesting operations.
T
he American Mercer
Group is behind the
venture to build Germany’s largest pulp mill in
Stendal, west of Berlin, at a
cost of one billion Euros. The
plant was recently fully commissioned and has an annual production of 550,000 tons of
pulp. The venture included creating job opportunities for the
unemployed in Eastern Germany. 560 people have been directly employed by the mill and
on the transport and purchasing side, while at least twice
14
as many have been employed
by companies working with
the mill. The 560 employees
include 44 forwarder and harvester operators who operate
the mill’s own f leet of 22 forestry machines, providing about
ten percent of the 9,000 cubic
meters of timber and chips consumed by Zellstoff Stendal each
day. They work in the subsidiary ZS Holz GmbH, which is
responsible for the transportation and provision of raw materials in the form of timber and
chips, using the subsidiary’s
own machines and trucks.
HEAD OF HARVESTING and
transportation, and thereby responsible for the forestry
machines, is Martin Gehringer, who explains the investment
in company-owned machines as
the desire for greater f lexibility
and the ability to meet temporary increases in demand or to
obtain certain materials. Moreover, the company wants close
contact with loggers in order
to better understand contractor conditions. The investment
includes machines bought from
the three largest manufacturers. Komatsu Forest has supplied four Valmet 840.2s, three
Valmet 911.1s, and one Valmet
901.3.
“The soil is very sandy in
Eastern Germany and the timber is small, so we wanted
smaller machines,” explains
Martin. “We’ve extended the
Valmet forwarders by 23.5
inches between the bogies in
order to avoid an overhanging
load and to gain space for two
10-foot logs. This also means
Martin Gehringer, head of timber purchasing and timber transportation, flanked by
his colleagues Ronny Pötzsch (on the left) and Ronny Köppen.
Two of the Valmet machines bought by the Zellstoff Stndal
pulp mill.
pulp mill
that the machines don’t rut the
ground, reducing the risk of
causing ground damage.”
THE CONCEPT includes hav-
ing three competing manufacturers, which ensures improved
service. So far Martin is very
pleased with Komatsu Forest’s service. Wisely enough,
they have chosen the different geographic areas according to where the different manufacturers already had a strong
service presence. For example,
the Komatsu Forest machines
are operated in the southern
regions of the harvested area,
the borders of which are 200
miles long.
“We also chose three suppliers because no single supplier
could provide the 22 machines as
quickly as we needed them. And
we would have affected the market too much if we chose a single supplier,” states Martin. “As
things stand now, we’ll continue
to invest in all three brands.”
HE THINKS THAT the Valmet
machines generally have good,
ergonomic cabs with good visibility. Martin also sees advantages with a cab and boom
that rotate together. With this
design, the operator always
directly faces his work and his
view through the right cab window is partially blocked by the
boom rather than the view
through the front cab window.
“They’re good machines
and they’re easy to operate,”
says Martin. “We have a fully-equipped service pickup for
each machine with a 100-gallon
auxiliary fuel tank and so far
service has gone very well.”
He notes that the idea of
having machines from three
different manufacturers has
attracted much attention in
Germany, especially as they
have also invested in training young drivers to operate
the machines. This has created interest for many surveys.
Since they began purchasing
the machines in 2004, productivity – as expected – has risen steadily and they are now on
their way out of the red and into
the black.
“We’re still developing our
operators’ skills and teaching
them to save more time, such
as when they change shifts in
the two-shift system,” explains
Martin. “There’s still time to
be saved, but generally speaking our operators are more than
twice as productive as they were
a year ago.”
THE GOAL IS to reach a pro-
duction level of twelve cubic
meters an hour, but this will
also be strongly inf luenced by
how often they are forced to
harvest smaller sized timber in
tight stands, where a great deal
of time is spent navigating the
forest and removing poor quality trees in order to reach the
good timber.
“We still have a lot of development work to carry out and
are working on a GPS system to
make it easier for the log transport trucks to find the right forest roads,” says Martin. “Generally speaking, we’ve had to establish operations in a relatively
short time, but now we’re well
on our way.” r
15
Vöhringen
Bernd Rauser is responsible for Komatsu Forest GmbH and thereby also for Komatsu Forest’s ventures in Central Europe.
Coordination
in Central Europe
Since the end of 2004 Komatsu Forest’s venture into the Central European market has
been managed from the German sales company in Vöhringen under the leadership
of Bernd Rauser. The logic behind this is the company’s central location and proximity to the market, which means spare parts reach customers faster.
M
echanization of the
European forestry
industry is becoming increasingly rapid. Not least
in the former East Europe-
Facts
Komatsu Forest GmbH
Location: Vöhringen outside
Stuttgart in Germany
CEO : Bernd Rauser
Numbers employee: 34
Spare part maintenance :
In eleven countries in Central
Europe there Komatsu Forest
exists
16
an states. In order to meet this
need, Komatsu Forest has coordinated its ventures in Central
Europe, aside from the Baltic
States and Russia, to the German sales company Komatsu
Forest GmbH under the leadership of CEO Bernd Rauser. The
basic idea is to be near the market, which harvests a total of
180 million cubic meters a year.
Germany alone harvests 46 million cubic meters of timber.
“All in all, this involves a
market comprised of 25 countries, 17 of which are EU members, 18 languages, and 13 currencies,” says Bernd. “For us it’s
important to be able to coordinate our efforts, such as demonstrations, brochures, and naturally – support. We shall be
seen as and act as a single company within all our markets.”
KOMATSU FOREST GmbH
currently has 34 employees who
work primarily with the German market. In most other
markets the company works via
dealers, who have good knowledge of their markets. Bernd Rauser and Komatsu Forest GmbH support the dealers. Komatsu Forest GmbH is
responsible for spare part deliv-
eries in many of the countries
in Central Europe, something
which has successively been
moved from Umeå in Sweden
to Vöhringen in order to save
time. The spare part warehouse
in Vöhringen holds 11,000
parts and can provide nextday deliveries to customers on
orders received before 4.30 in
the afternoon.
Several markets are experiencing growth, but the current dominant market is still
Germany, where 700 Valmet
machines are in operation.
“We’re strong in Germany in
terms of numbers of machines,
but our best market share is
held in Austria, at 40–50 percent,” says Bernd.
THIS YEAR Bernd predicts
an all-time high in Germany, although future potential
is considerably greater. This is
mainly due to the relatively low
degree of mechanization. Only
about 40 percent of logging is
conducted with machine systems, compared with 95 percent in the Scandinavian countries. Researchers believe, however, that 70 percent mechanization is possible in Germany greater than this is not possible
due to large trunk diameters and
steep terrain.
The forests are often tightly
packed and sometimes coarse,
with 300–350 cubic meters per
hectare, something that places tough demands on harvesters and, even more so, harvesting heads. Bernd is happy to praise the Valmet 941 as
a machine made for the coarser
trees found in Central Europe.
The best selling machine, however, is the all-round Valmet
911.3 harvester.
The future ambition is to
grow and penetrate many markets in order to become less
vulnerable to the economic f luctuations of the different
countries. Objectives include
increasing sales volumes for
both new and used machines
and introducing new products
to the market, such as the new
skidder from the US.
“We also see a great advantage with Komatsu as owner as
we have begun selling Komatsu
excavators fitted with harvester heads, such as the Komatsu
PC228 with the Valmet 370E,”
says Bernd, who views the
future with much optimism.
ANOTHER challenge is the for-
mer East Bloc states, where the
degree of mechanization is low.
Markets where volumes are still
small but where there is growth
potential, even though a number of obstacles must be overcome and it will take time.
“The global paper, pulp, and
sawmill industry has, however,
begun to invest in these countries and this will drive development forward,” says Bernd. r
Volker Wolz is the longest serving mechanic at Komatsu Forest
GmbH. He’s been with the company for almost 16 years.
Follow the timber flow with Lukas
Komatsu Forest GmbH
in Germany has developed an Internet-based
platform called Lukas
that makes it possible to
follow timber flow from
forest to end-customer. Those connected to
Lukas can follow the
harvesting process via
their computers.
T
ests are underway with
Lukas among 78 users
in Germany. Rüdiger
Staib, development head for
Lukas, hopes that everything
will be completed in time to
launch the program at the end
of the summer.
Lukas is an acronym of the
German “Logistik und Kommunikationsplattform zur
Arbeitsprozesssteuerung”. It’s
based on GPS technology, databases, and digital maps wherein a forest area to be harvest-
ed is entered with a work order
containing logging details, timber volume, product types, and
landing location. The team
leader, for example, can sketch
where the log transport trucks
shall collect the logged timber
and different protected areas.
“In the ideal situation, the
team leader can also estimate
what products can be extracted, as well as how much is to be
harvested,” explains Rüdiger.
When the work team arrives,
they can download the information to their computers and
start logging. When the timber is subsequently harvested,
the other parties in the timber
f low, such as the sawmill, can
see what is ready and can quickly collect interesting products.
Previously they were forced to
wait for the final inspection by
the team leader. With Lukas
much time can be saved. Even
the log transport truck drivers
know where to go and save time
as they know when a certain
volume is ready for collection.
“It’s sufficient if the harvester and forwarder download the
day’s operations into the system
each evening,” says Rüdiger.
Similar systems to Lukas are
already available on the market,
but none are Internet-based and
independent of the machine
brand used. The advantage of
this platform is that the timber f low is better managed and
time thereby saved. In turn,
this means that all parties
involved in the timber f low will
earn money from Lukas. r
The computer
screen shows
everyone connected to Lukas
how the harvesting work is progressing.
17
The full tank is lifted and emptied in two minutes. In trials a Valmet 840 forwarder was used, just the right size and able to handle ten-ton loads.
Chipping head
– new market for combis
Successful trials with the Valmet 801 Combi equipped with a chipping unit have been
conducted in Finland. With productivity of at least 24 cubic meters of chips an hour, a
new market is opened in a country where the need for biofuel is fast on the increase.
T
rials with a combi
and chipping head
have been underway for some time
in Finland – with very good
results. Essentially, the concept is based on a Valmet 801
Combi equipped with a chipper
attached to the front, a 12-inch
18
pipe through which the chips
are forced with compressed air
to a 28-cubic meter chip tank
mounted on the bunk at the
rear.
“All the components are easily mounted and dismounted with standard connectors,”
explains Antero Siuro, infor-
mation officer at Komatsu Forest Oy in Finland. “We’ve developed this new concept with a
chipping unit together with
Sakari Kulju and there are a
number of patented solutions.”
The head can both saw broader trees and cut thinner trees.
It’s fitted with an addition-
al device for handling multiple trees and can grip up to ten
smaller trees at once. Two different cutting units housed in the
same head just 1.8 inches apart
and well protected is revolutionary. The head sits on the combi’s
36-foot boom, which feeds the
logged trees into the chipper.
“The combi and chipping
unit have exactly the same characteristics as a regular combi and make a very good thinning machine,” says Antero.
“It’s well suited to Finland, but
also to other markets where the
need for thinning is great and
where there’s a need for wood
chip biofuel.
When the tank is full, it’s
raised 13 feet and emptied in
two minutes into a forwarder by
releasing two bolts in the bottom of the tank. In trials a Valmet 840 forwarder was used,
just the right size to handle
ten-ton loads. The setup also
includes 42.5-foot trailers or
containers for transport to one
of the many existing combined
power and heating plants or to
a plant nearing completion.
One feature of the chipping
unit, in combination with the
combi, is that there are no extra
hydraulics or motors. Instead
the combi’s hydrostatic motor is
used solely to power the chip-
per while the machine is stationary, or more sparingly when
in motion. This means that the
chipper runs continually, but at
different power settings, so that
chipping even can take place
while on the move.
“Productivity has proved
to be very good and has never
dropped below 24 cubic meters
of chips an hour despite the
thinner forests found in northern Finland. Further south we
expect to be able to reach productivity levels of up to 36 cubic
meters of chips an hour,” says
Antero.
According to calculations,
the bottom line for profitability
is a production rate of 17 cubic
meters of chips an hour. Another advantage is that production is possible all year round.
Antero emphasizes that the
Valmet 801 Combi is the right
machine for chipping and that,
in principle, it takes only an
hour to fit the chipping equipment.
“We know that a mediumsized combined power and
heating plant needs between
100,000 and 200,000 cubic
meters of chips a year,” states
Antero. “A combi with a chipping head can produce about
50,000 cubic meters a year,
which means that just a few
machines are required to supply
a combined power and heating
plant. So it’s not surprising that
we’re receiving a lot of interest
in this machine concept.” r
Facts
Chips in Finland
Bioenergy use is on the increase in Finland. In 2001, 20
percent of all energy in Finland
was produced using fuel harvested from the forests. The
number of combined power and
heating plants that can be fired
with a mixture of 80 percent
peat and 20 percent fresh wood
chips is currently being expanded. The addition of wood chips
increases the energy extracted
from the peat, despite the fresh
chips’ 50 percent moisture content. New legal requirements on
thinning will encourage this development, and enable a considerable increase in the use of
wood chips.
The head feeds the logged trees into the chipper mounted on the front.
19
Remote and quiet. Such is the wilderness of northern Canada.
Bear hunting on
backwoods rivers
Bear hunting in the Canadian wilderness entails a lot of things, but one has
to ask oneself whether Lars-Gunnar Mårtensson might not have had an
experience beyond the norm when he shot his first black bear in Canada.
“There are 80,000 black bears
and 4,000 wolves in Alberta,”
said Oscar, our guide, when our
helicopter landed after a 70-mile
flight straight out into the wilderness from Fort McMurray in
Northern Alberta, Canada.
There were four hunters in
our party, and two guides. Ten
20
days of canoe paddling, hunting, and wilderness life lay
before us. A new kind of hunting for all of us. None of the
Swedish hunters had ever shot
a bear before.
THE HUNTING TACTICS were
actually very simple. In the
afternoon we sat in the canoes
and paddled or drifted with the
current on the lookout for black
bears that might appear along
the shore. Since we had three
canoes we started at about halfhour intervals. At about eight
in the evening, we stopped paddling and made camp. Then we
had the opportunity to sit and
watch by the river until dark.
At about four in the morning, it was light enough to sit
on watch for another couple of
hours. In the middle of the day
it was time to sleep and rest
before the canoes were once
again put into the water for a
new and exciting leg of the trip
with rif les at the ready.
The first morning I paddled together with Lars-Gunnar, upstream along the Firebag River. The stretch of water
was calm and slow moving and
it was easy to move against the
current. In the distance we
heard the ringing sound from
Tom-Erik Fredriksson’s bird
call. Tom-Erik had paddled the
Richardson River for ten days
and then joined out group after
just one day of rest. A late cancellation in our group would
have posed major problems for
us if Tom-Erik hadn’t agreed to
join us.
WHEN WE RETURNED to
camp, Ulf Österby, a young
hunter from Halmstad, Sweden, had something to tell.
He had stayed in the camp on
guard and from his position on
a sand hill he could look out
over all the surrounding terrain. On the other side of the
river there was a lake and one
of the guides, Oscar, and TomErik had paddled there in order
to try to find wolf and bear.
Half an hour after they had
stopped trying to call them out,
Ulf saw a wolf come sneaking up. The wolf discovered the
hunters’ canoe and immediately disappeared into the safety of
the forest.
“The wolf is amazingly shy,” said Oscar. “When you
see a wolf, you can be sure it’s
already seen you. If you see
a wolf 300 yards away, shoot
immediately.”
Two times every year bear
and wolf are hunted on the Firebag River. Sometimes, when
the water is low or there are
many hunters booked, hunting
also takes place on the Richardson River. The Richardson
is a bit further north and runs
through f latter terrain that
gives hunters a greater chance
to survey the surrounding area.
The majority of the woods
we went through during 120
miles of paddling were completely untouched by modern
forestry. On the other hand, forest fires had taken their toll on
the woods. Electrical storms,
not accompanied by rain, commonly occur in the wilds of
Canada. When these storms
occur during warm periods, the
risk of forest fires is great.
AFTER THREE DAYS OF pad-
dling and intensive still hunting in the mornings and evenings, the desire to see a bear
was becoming incredibly
strong. In the mornings and
evenings we saw bear and wolf
tracks, but not a single living
bear had been seen by us hunters. The hard wind held steady
and we decided to stay put
another night if the wind didn’t
let off. As if on command, the
wind began to calm that afternoon and about four in the
afternoon the weather was perfect. The canoes were placed in
the water and the first one out
on the river was Lars-Gunnar
with guide Jordan.
I went in the last canoe
together with guide Oscar and
we hadn’t paddled for more
than an hour before it was time
for our first bear contact.
“Shoot the first bear you
see,” was the advice given by
the man who had arranged the
trip, Raimo Kanninen, before
we parted company.
I did as he said and with a
shot from almost head on, the
first bear of my life dropped like
a stone. The distance was about
40 yards and it was a small bear.
We loaded it into the canoe and
continued to paddle.
About ten minutes after I had
shot, Lars-Gunnar spotted a
bear that lay sleeping on the riverbank.
Jordan and Lars-Gunnar
had paddled past the bear when
Lars-Gunnar discovered it. Jordan managed to turn the canoe
in the current and paddled
frantically so as not to miss
their chance at a shot. The bear
was completely unaware of what
was about to happen.
Lars-Gunnar tried frantically to wake the sleeping bear,
Lars-Gunnar Mårtensson boils rocks in order to get rid of
the last moisture from his boots.
but after four whistles with
no effect, Jordan took his paddle and hit it hard against the
water. The black bear awoke
and looked dazedly out towards
the rapids. The shot from LarsGunnar’s Weatherby 300 hit it
in the throat.
“It was about 70 yards,”
stated a beaming marksman
when we others arrived at the
site of the shooting. The bear
remained where it was and
Lars-Gunnar fired a kill shot
when he got on dry land.
NATURALLY, black bears can
be dangerous. Their behavior is
unpredictable to say the least.
A story about two Norwegians
who had shot a bear and loaded
it onto the canoe was the highpoint of the week. After paddling a while, the one hunter
says to the other, who is sitting
with his back to the bear:
“It’s breathing!”
The bear wasn’t dead and
the chances of shooting a kill
shot successfully in a plastic
canoe aren’t very good. With
great haste, the guys made it
to land and unloaded the bear
Oscar Agnemark, Canadian hunting guide and
cook, took care of most things in the camp
during the hunt.
21
before putting it down for good.
The next canoe stretch
was filled with various wilderness experiences. After an
hour’s paddling, Lars-Göran
saw a lynx splashing around
the water’s edge. Directly after
a bend in the river we passed
close by a moose cow lying on
the banks with a new born calf.
IN THE EVENING when we
had made camp, I took the
opportunity to go up on a high
bank to scout after bear with
binoculars. After a half hour
I saw a movement along the
water’s edge a couple of hundred yards away. A wolf! After a
couple of exciting minutes, the
wolf came into range. The wolf
fell from the shot, but unfortunately rolled down into the
rapids and disappeared into
the waves. Since I was standing on one side of the river and
the wolf was on the other side,
there was no chance to rush in
and try to save my prize. The
guys at the camp had heard the
shot and stood like living question marks when I called out
from the distance that the wolf
had disappeared in the current.
THE GUIDES PUT a canoe in
the water and crossed to the
other side. The roar of the rapids made it difficult to communicate and the Canadians thought that the wolf was
wounded and alive. It took
a while before I managed
to scream myself heard and
explain the situation and finally Jordan found the wolf approximately a hundred yards downstream from where I shot it.
The wolf was under three feet
of water. It turned out to be
an old Timberwolf. The wolf
weighed close to 180 pounds
and was almost 8 feet from
nose and tail, an enormous
predator.
THE LAST TWO days of the
trip were through a relatively
calm part of the Firebag. After
almost 120 miles of paddling
we had seen four bears and shot
two. Two of the bears were spotted by Tom-Erik, but he had his
sights on bagging a larger bear
A temporary windbreak and a proper fire managed to keep the hunters
warm and drive the worst of the damp from their clothes.
and so let those go and satisfied himself with video filming
them instead. In the evening
we watched wide-eyed the bears
on the video camera screen and
had some difficulty understanding how he could let one of
them go, since we thought it
was quite large.
All agreed that we had experienced something truly special and had some fine hunting.
The feeling of being in the wilderness is perhaps what we will
remember best of all. The feeling of being bound to the river as the only possible way out
of the wilderness is something
that you just can’t experience at
home. The feeling of for once in
you hunting career being able
to roam more some 200 miles
without seeing a single clear-cut
area is also worth a great deal. r
Lars-Gunnar Mårtensson with his fine black bear. The result of ten days of canoe paddling on the Firebag River in Northern Canada.
22
Major investment
in boom control
Computer regulated
boom control with a single
joystick can soon be a
reality in both forwarders and harvesters. An
additional USD 1 million
for Umeå University’s
research project on boom
control is set to speed
development.
R
esearch on computerized regulation
systems for boom
control is being
performed within IFOR, Intelligenta Fordon Off-Road (Intelligent Off-Road Vehicles), which
is a collaboration between the
Umeå Institute of Technology,
the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Skogforsk research foundation, and
manufacturers and users in the
region, such as Komatsu Forest.
The primary aim of the
boom control project is to
increase forestry machine productivity. With intelligent boom
control, researchers believe
boom operation will be speeded and operators less tired - two
important factors for increased
productivity.
“And of course it will
become much easier to operate forestry machines, which
means a shorter learning process. With this solution alone
we’ve made boom control so
easy that even a small child
can cope,” says Kalle Prorok, a
researcher and the project’s laboratory coordinator.
So far the boom control project has mainly involved finding
geometric solutions in a laboratory environment. The laboratory contains a 16.5-foot forwarder boom and sensors and detectors in the boom joints are connected to a computer. Researchers have found out how to get
the boom, with the aid of sensors and detectors, to calculate its position. This information specifies the boom’s spatial
coordinates.
“We’ve had test operators
from Komatsu Forest here,”
says Kalle. “The feedback we
got was that control wasn’t good
enough. Among other things,
the regulator caused small
swinging motions.”
The laboratory tests also
showed that the concept needed
further development in order to
increase productivity if it’s to be
commercially viable.
The next step in the project is therefore to find a more
advanced solution that takes
into account additional factors,
such as machine load and terrain. This will first be done in
the laboratory environment.
Then there will be at least two
years of field tests before hopefully - a final solution of
interest to manufacturers is
available.
“If we find a solution, it will
demand more powerful forestry
machines computers and a new
control system,” says Kalle. r
Facts
Project: Intelligent boom for forestry use
• The project is included in the IFOR venture for intelligent off-road
vehicles.
• Komatsu Forest invested USD 280,000 in the initial project phase.
• The project has now been awarded a further USD 978,000.
• Project manager is Anton Shiriaev, professor at the Department
of Applied Physics and Electronics.
• The project group also includes Kalle Prorok, laboratory coordinator,
researcher Anders Sandberg, and research fellows Pedro Xavier,
Miranda la Hera and Uwe Mattin.
23
MEETING
PLACE
Coming events 2005
Europe
NordCon
May 26–28
Jönköping, Sweden
www.elmia.se/nordcon
Elmia Wood
June 1–4
Jönköping, Sweden
www.elmia.se/wood
InterLes 2005
June 14–17
St. Petersburg, Russia
Asturforesta
June 23–25
Tieno Asturias, Spain
www.asturforesta.com
Foire de Libramont
July 29–August 3
Libramont, Belgium
Forstmesse Luzern
August 18–21
Messegelände, Switzerland
www.fachmessen.ch/forst
WoodTec
September 7–10
Sopron, Hungary
Bioenergy in Wood Industry
2005 Conference
September 12–15
Jyväskylä, Finland
Les 5èmes Forestières en Limousin
Massif de Chabrières
September 16–18
GUERET (Creuse), France
Rossiiskij Les 2005
December 9
Vologda, Russia
North America
Midw Sawmill Woodlot & Logging Equip Expo
June 3–4
Youngstown, Ohio, USA
Expo 2005, Forest Products Expo
Atlanta
June 23–25
Georgia, USA
LOGFOR
September 8–10
Quebec City, Canada
Lake State Logging Congress
September 8–10
Marquette, Michigan, USA
South America
Forestry Seminar
June
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Expocorma
November 10–14
Conception, Chile
www.expocorma.cl
24
Komatsu Forest is
now launching a
broad offering of
accessories and
consumables under
the name ProSelect.
The range will
provide professional forestry contractors with everything they need to
maintain and optimize work with their
machines.
ProTec will be introduced as an accessory in the ProSelect range.
ProSelect
– everything you need
P
roSelect will be presented to dealers
and machine owners
at the Elmia Wood
trade fair. The range is currently far from complete, though
the goal is to have a competitive
range available at most service
shops by year-end.
Heading this venture is Jörgen Nilsson, with experience
from purchasing as well as
spare parts sales.
“We want to offer ‘one-stop
shopping’ with products of the
highest quality, such as grapples, bars, filters, filter kits, and
oils. Global coordination means
we can offer very competitive
prices.”
One of the most interesting
products in the ProSelect range
is ProTec. With its protected hose passages, this solution
eliminates hose breakage at the
boom tip. ProTec has previously
only been available on new Valmet machines, but is now being
introduced as an accessory that
can be fitted to all makes of
boom and grapple.
PROTEC IS A GREAT step for-
ward as hydraulic hose breakage usually occurs at the boom
tip. With ProTec you can wave
goodbye to all the unnecessary standstills and oil spillages
associated with hose breakage.
Jörgen is looking forward
to the successive expansion of
the range of ProSelect products. Among other things, he’ll
interview a large number of
sales company representatives
and dealers about their accessory and consumable needs and
requirements with the aim of
tailoring the range as it’s introduced throughout 2005.
“There’s always a need to
optimize machine work,” he
says. “And this is where the
ProSelect range will help out. A
large part of the range will even
be well suited to other machine
brands.” r
Tailor-made e-commerce
system improves service
Komatsu Forest is to
have its own, new online
system, Valmet eSupport, for dealers and
their workshops. The
system provides quick
answers about prices,
stock levels, and specifications for spare parts
and accessories.
K
omatsu Forest has
long worked to develop
a new Internet-based
e-commerce system for its sales
companies and dealers the
world over. The idea has been to
produce a solution independent
of the business systems used
by the various companies and
offered in several languages.
Orders are to be managed with
minimum administration delay.
The system is already in
use in Sweden and the UK. In
August it will go online in the
US and Germany, and somewhat later in the other countries
where Komatsu Forest operates.
“Valmet eSupport is an
online system for which users
can be assigned different authorization levels,” explains Lars
Örtengren, the project manager
at Komatsu Forest. “This means
that the user can quickly access
information about spare parts
and accessories 24 hours a day.
If an order is placed, a delivery
report is sent by e-mail.
Each user is given a user ID
and password and can then use
Valmet eSupport via any computer with an Internet connection. The dealers assign access
to users, providing a smooth
and decentralized system.
Valmet eSupport is designed
to be fast as well as easy to
use and navigate. To this end,
it includes search engines for
standard items and accessories. It provides a specification
archive and the electronic spare
parts catalog, ESS, is an integrated part.
“With Valmet eSupport we
have a tool to help improve our
service offering,” says Lars.
“In the long-term, our customers will benefit greatly
from Valmet eSupport.” r
New used machines center
Demand for used machines is great in several of the growing markets in Central Europe. As
a result, Komatsu Forest GmbH in Germany will
establish a central sales point outside Chemnitz in
Eastern Germany for used machines.
I
nterest in used machines
is considerably greater
in Central Europe than
in Scandinavia. In Scandinavia used machines are usually
traded in when new machines
are sold. And Komatsu Forest
dealers sometimes have trouble finding a market for these
used harvesters. In Central
Europe, in particular the former East Bloc countries, the
situation is reversed. Contractors prefer to start out with a
used machine and buy a new
machine when the business is
better established. The demand
for used machines is therefore
quite high.
At the same time, it takes
a long time for a contractor to
travel around looking at possible buys and there are no specialized Internet sites for used
forestry machines. This is the
reasoning behind Komatsu Forest GmbH in Germany opening
a used machines center outside
Chemnitz, near the border with
Poland and the Czech Republic, this fall.
“We’ll gather the machines
in one place. We hope to have a
showroom with space for 15-20
machines,” says Bernd Rauser,
CEO of Komatsu Forest GmbH.
The new used machine showroom will be maintained by a
single employee. The machines
will be gathered from several
different markets and, for example, the Scandinavian market
may require help in shifting an
influx of used machines when
the work to clear windthrown
forests after the severe January
storms is complete.
“The center will provide an
important support function for
machine demand in the Central
and East European markets,”
says Bernd. r
25
New center strengthens
product training
The new Training
Center at Komatsu
Forest’s plant in
Umeå, Sweden is
now complete. The
new, spacious training center also
houses a workshop for technicians. Personnel
working with quality issues and technical support are also
found in the new
building.
T
he new premises provide a positive, fresh
impression. One end
houses two stories of bright,
glazed offices with a light garden. At the other end we find a
large staffroom, a lecture room
that can be divided in two with
a sliding panel, and an airy
workshop where machines can
be demoed when training technicians. The Training Center
is home to a number of simulators as well. The total f loor
space is 10,333 square feet.
“Our task has been to spread
knowledge to the sales companies and to train their technicians on an ongoing basis,”
explains Erik Anens, head of
technical support and training.
The Training Center has 28
offices, a bonus for the personnel who previously sat in open
plan office space in a corridor.
At present there are four people
working directly with training
and twelve associated with technical support and service, as
well as a number of people in
the growing quality assurance
and guarantees department.
THE NEW Training Center is
adjacent to the plant grounds.
This makes it very easy to drive
new machines directly from the
plant to the demo workshop.
“Proximity is important
because we work in close concert with production and design
and are involved in new projects
from an early stage.”
In total about 200 people
will be trained each year. The
technicians will mostly come to
Umeå for training twice a year.
New technicians also do their
first few weeks of basic training here.
“It feels good to have access
to a large, modern workshop where there’s still space
even with a machine in place.
The old premises were far too
small.”
“Machine development
moves pretty rapidly today,
making ongoing training even
more important.”
Erik finds the good work
environment one of the main
advantages of the new building,
which has also been designed
with the environment in mind
Erik Anens is head of technical
support and training at Komatsu
Forest’s plant in Umeå, Sweden.
Here Erik shows the simulator
room in the new Training Center.
The lights, for example, are
activated by motion detectors to
save electricity.
“The Training Center provides a really comfortable and
stimulating environment.”
When we meet three of
the four people with primary
responsibility for training, they
tell us how they too are pleased
with their new workplace.
“It’s great that service and
technical support, guarantees, and training are all under
the same roof and close to the
plant,” says educator Roger
Sandemo. “It really simplifies
things.” r
The new machine workshop is
very roomy. Here we see educators Martin Isaksson and Roger
Sandemo.
26
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NEW SKIDDER
Komatsu Forest has
expanded its product range with a
skidder, the Valmet
765, and there’s
already much interest in this powerful
machine.
T
he Valmet 765 is
Komatsu Forest’s
first skidder and
a part of the company’s strategy to broaden its
product range to meet different market needs. This model
is available in two versions, single function arch or dual function arch.
“There’s a great demand for
skidders in the American market where we’ve had customers
inquiring after different alternatives,” says Leif Magnusson,
CEO of Komatsu Forest LLC.
The Valmet 765 is a machine
that fulfils the requirements of
28
whole tree harvesting.
The machine can be delivered with two different grapple sizes; a standard grapple
measuring 123 inches with an
11.7-square foot load area, and
a 127-inch grapple with a load
area of 14.9 square feet. The
grapples can rotate 360 degrees
and are nimbly operated. And
there’s no external hosing that
can break. Both arch alternatives have a well protected (timing bar) single cylinder system
for both grapple claws.
The Valmet 765 is a stable machine with a low center of gravity – something
which the long wheelbase and
broad wheel axles contribute to.
Ground clearance is 25.5 inches
with standard 30.5 x 32 tires.
The skidder’s articulation joint
makes for very nimble maneuvering.
This is a powerful machine
driven by a Cummins QSB 5.9L
engine developing 205 gross
horsepower at 2,200 rpm. Max-
imum speed is 18 mph with
six forward speeds and three
reverse speeds from the torque
converter, power-shift transmission. The right and left sides of
each axle are fitted with dual
brake discs for effective braking.
The Valmet 765 is very fuel
efficient and is available with
a 78-gallon main tank and a
50-gallon auxiliary tank.
This model has the same
cab standard as all Valmet
machines with, among other
things, climate control and very
good visibility due to the sloping hood and large windows.
All controls and buttons are ergonomically positioned in order to make operation as comfortable as possible. The cab meets all requirements of the applicable safety standards. Fire safety is also
good. The optional, pressurized
water system for fire suppression includes valves, hoses, and
regulator to quickly extinguish
a fire with reduced risk to oper-
ator and machine.
The Valmet 765 is simple to
service and the cab can be tilted for easier access to the transmission and driveline.
“The Valmet 765 is an exciting product with components
selected to withstand with the
toughest conditions,” states
Leif. “Moreover, we’ve invested
a great deal to offer a good operator environment with a well
designed, insulated cab.” r
Technical data
Valmet 765
Engine:
Cummins QSB 5.9L
Power:
205 hp at 2,200 rpm
Wheelbase:
151 inches
Wheel axles:
128.5inches
Ground clearance:
25.5 inches
Tank:
78 gallons,
auxiliary tank 50 gallons
Max. speed:
18 mph
With its three wheels, the Valmet 603 is a quick machine for tight thinning.
Kevin and Kyle Pack run Pack Brothers
Logging in North Carolina, USA.
Thins fast
and profitably
Pack Brothers
Logging in North
Carolina, USA is
pleased with its
first Valmet 603,
an economical
machine used, for
the most part, for
tight thinning.
P
ack Brothers Logging operates in the
heart of the south in
the North Carolina
Smokey Mountains. The company has long been a Komatsu Forest customer and owns,
among other machines, three
Timbcos – a 430, a 445c, and a
445d. The owners, Kevin and
Kyle Pack, have run their company along the lines of the traditional American model for six
years, with feller-bunches, skidders, crane loaders, and grinder/delimbers. They also have six
logging trucks and an excavator
for road construction in their
machine lineup. They currently
have eight employees.
THE NEWEST addition to the
lineup is the three-wheeled
Valmet 603, which can be
described as a feller-buncher that is driven up to trees to
fell them with its large, 18-inch
saw blade rotating at 1,150 rpm.
The trees are then piled up in a
bunch ready to be transported
by skidder to the landing where
the timber is delimbed and
loaded on log transport trucks.
“We saw the Valmet 603 seven months ago at a demonstration in Arkansas and realized that it offered better performance than the machine we
were previously using for thinning,” explains Kyle Pack. “We
were very impressed by the traction force in felling and the
603’s nimbleness in mountainous terrain.”
When we meet them sev-
en months later, they’re still
pleased with the machine,
which has mostly been used
for thinning on plantations
where it works nimbly thanks
to its single rear wheel and
light weight. The Pack brothers report that they’ve seen a
ten percent increase in production for narrower timber
and that this, together with
the machine’s lower price, has
increased profitability considerably, despite rises in fuel prices. It’s easy to see this is the
case when one sees the fast rate
at which the operator works
and how the 603 is in constant
motion in order to keep up with
the skidder collecting the timber. So far service needs have
been minimal and standstills
seldom seen. They’ve mostly involved replacing saw teeth
in the 300-500 hour interval,
which is part of regular maintenance. Replacement takes four
to six hours.
“The Valmet 603 is easy to
operate with its simple controls
– two pedals and two joysticks,”
says Kyle. “It’s fast and stable,
even on steep inclines. There’s
never been any risk of it toppling.”
ON A GOOD DAY, the 603 can
produce about ten truck loads,
the equivalent of about 216 tons.
The weekly average is 1,100 tons,
which provides good profitability
even if timber prices in the area
have dropped in recent years.
Today Pack Brothers Logging is a profitable company,
but still faces many major challenges. One of these challenges
is the continual squeeze on prices, which constantly demands
increased productivity. Another is that the large forest owner
the company mostly works for is
selling his land.
“We’re looking at different
solutions, but our reputation is
good enough that we won’t have
any problems finding new clients,” says Kyle. r
29
The Valmet 911 X3M is well suited to steep Scottish terrain.
Tailor-made
for steep terrain
There is much interest in the Valmet 911 X3M in Scotland. G Booths & Sons is the first
Scottish forestry company to invest in the X3M model for logging in extremely steep
terrain, where its relatively low weight enables high productivity.
B
eautiful Scotland
doesn’t only captivate visitors with its
marvelous panoramas and barrenness – it also
places tough demands on visitors with its physical challenges. The steep terrain provides a
difficulty to be mastered by the
country’s forestry contractors,
who are expected to work highly productively. That the inter-
30
est in tracked machines is so
great is understandable, since
tracked machines offer considerably greater mobility in steep
terrain than their wheeled counterparts.
THE VALMET 911 rubber tire
harvester has sold very well in
Scotland, and now interest is
increasing in the customized
tracked version, the 911 X3M,
pronounced ‘911 Extreme’.
One company that has realized the advantages of this
machine is G Booth & Sons,
run by Stewart and Gordon Booth. They have long
been faithful Valmet customers and ordered, among other machines, a Valmet 941 on
the spot when they visited the
Umeå plant in April.
In July 2004 they bought
their first 911 X3M, a machine
we saw last fall when we were
looking at final logging in
steep terrain outside Glencoe in
northern Scotland.
ONE INDICATION OF the
machine’s good mobility in
steep terrain was the trying and
wet hike up the mountainside
to interview operator Jim Melvin about the machine.
MAY WE
ASK...
…TORE WAARA,
CEO of Komatsu
Forest A/S in
Norway.
“The Valmet 911 X3M is considerably better in steep terrain than all the wheeled machines I’ve operated,”
says Jim Melvin of G Booth & Sons.
“The 911 X3M is considerably better in steep terrain
than all the wheeled machines
I’ve operated,” says Jim when
we meet him high up on the
mountain.
“I’ve been able to work on
slopes of more than 30 degrees
with no problems when the
ground conditions are right
and the surface doesn’t give.
The traction of the geared
down machine is an impressive
40 tons, which is more than
enough for the steepest terrain.”
Jim even emphasizes the
machine’s excellent stability, which has been achieved by,
among other things, extending
the contact area with the ground
by 50 percent by replacing the
wheels with tracks. At the same
time, the three-ton weight of the
tracks has lowered the center of
gravity, further improving stability despite a 6-inch (15-centimeter) increase in ground clearance.
Jim is pleased with his
machine, although he’d like a
slightly bigger cab. When the
machine is stationary, conditions in the cab are better than
in the wheeled machine. Things
are, however, a little shakier during operation.
Jim finds the automatic leveling a big advantage.
“The tracks are considerably better for the ground and
cause less damage than wheeled
machines,” says Jim, with personal experience of how easy
it is to rut the light, red Scottish soil.
ANOTHER explanation for the
lower levels of ground damage is that despite the track
weight, the machine is lighter
than most competing tracked
machines. This reduces damage as the machine slips and
spins less.
According to Jim, the X3M is
a very productive machine and
is easily maneuvered through
the terrain. He praises the joystick design, which he’s very
pleased with. The smooth handling, the boom’s ample reach,
and the machine’s ability to
climb have all contributed to
high productivity. Jim has managed to produce 80 tons a day
when thinning and 100 to 150
tons a day in final logging,
something which he’s satisfied with despite relatively long
workdays of ten to twelve hours,
six days a week.
“I’m very satisfied with the
machine and the good visibility that makes it easy to operate
the CRH 18 boom,” says Jim.
“We’ve only had the machine
for three months, but from my
experience, I think that many
other companies ought to buy
a 911 X3M if they’re logging in
steep terrain.” r
Technical data
Valmet 911 X3M
A modified 911 4wd
40-ton traction force
Handles 80 percent incline
High productivity of 14–28 m3/h
I understand business has been good
this year?
During the past six months
we’ve had considerably better sales than in any other
six-month period. One explanation is that the extreme price fixation of recent years is
tending toward more regular
cost-orientation and another
reason is, of course, the healthy economy. But there’s also
great interest in our products.
Do you have any
other explanations
for this success?
The major lift we got after our
long demo road show with
the 921’s successor, the Valmet 911.3 with a 360.1 harvester head. Both the machine and the head have received great reviews. When rumors started to spread in the
market about the machine’s
capacity and features, many
more people made their interest known.
There’s also talk of more thinning, so there may be a new
spring for the Valmet 901.3
and 840.2.
What does the
immediate future
hold?
We’re going to recruit a new
administrative service assistant in order to free up more
time for our technicians to
work with our customers. This
will even provide improved
administration and following
up of incoming assignments
from customers.
31
The Scandinavian forestry industry has long awaited what
will be the future communication solution for rural areas.
The answer may be a new digital cellular network that is
now challenging the established GSM network.
Rural 3G
challenges
GSM
A
ccessibility to broadband and digital cellular telephony is an
important factor in
making the Scandinavian forestry industry’s mobile communications more effective. So far,
the GSM network has been the
predominant solution for voice
traffic in particular, but a major
problem is the lack of coverage
in rural areas.
The company Nordisk
Mobiltelefon now hopes to provide rural areas in Scandinavia
with mobile telephony and data
communication. The company
has already obtained a license
to establish digital cellular networks in Norway and Sweden and now hopes to secure a
license in Finland. At the time
of writing, the allotment of
Finnish licenses is still undecided.
THE NEW DIGITAL cellular
network, which is being called
the rural 3G, will replace the
analog NMT network that was
put into operation in Sweden in
1981. This network is already
closed in Finland and will close
32
in 2007 in Sweden.
This rural 3G will be located on the 450 MHz bandwidth
and will cover almost all of Norway and 80 percent of Sweden. Coverage in Finland is still
unknown.
The analog NMT network
still has approximately 130,000
customers in Sweden. The
entire Scandinavian forestry
industry comprises an important customer group for Nordisk Mobiltelefon. The idea is
that this rural 3G won’t be used
solely for telephone traffic, but
also for data traffic.
In Finland the idea is taken even further so that rural 3G
will be primarily used for wireless broadband in rural areas.
The existing GSM network,
which was launched at the
beginning of the 1990s, still
doesn’t have enough coverage,
particularly in Swedish rural
areas. It does have good coverage in Finnish rural areas, but
in Sweden the GSM network
covers just 70 percent of the
country, and then primarily in
densely populated areas. Urban
3G, which is still under con-
struction, will only cover about
25 percent of Sweden’s area and
even less in Finland.
The threat from rural 3G
has speeded the promise of the
expansion of the GSM network
in Sweden. TeliaSonera has
promised to expand its Swedish
GSM network to 90 percent coverage within four years. In addition, they will supply GSM networks with Edge technology in
order to increase the speed of
data transfer. This provides the
possibility of data speeds of 200
KB per second for reception and
about 100 KB per second for
transmission.
ONE ADVANTAGE OF THE
GSM network is that there are
already mobile phones that support GSM, Edge, and urban
3G. So you only need a single
phone.
The technology in rural area
3G is a variant of the Ameri-
can CDMA 2000 and is called
CDMA 450. This provides faster data speeds than GSM networks with Edge technology,
but there are currently no telephones that can handle GSM,
urban 3G, and CDMA 2000 in
the same unit, and even when
such phones do become available, the choice will be smaller.
Whether the expansion of
the GSM network is a promise
to customers or a warning shot
to slow the progress of rural 3G
remains to be seen. Hopefully,
at least one digital cellular network with high availability in
rural areas will be available in
the near future.r
Facts
Digital 450 network
Coverage in
Scandinavia
• The digital 450 network is
currently found in more than
20 countries, including China,
Russia, Rumania, Poland, Portugal, Brazil, and Tibet.
• The technology that will be
used is called CDMA 450 and
is based on the American
CDMA 2000 technology.
• Band frequency is 450 MHz.
• Data speed will start at 150
kilobits per second.
• Services offered, in addition
to voice and data, are typical
additional services such as
SMS, MMS, e-mail, and wap/
web surfing.
• Nordisk Mobiltelefoni promises that rural 3G will
have 80 percent coverage on a county basis in
Sweden. In Norway they
promise even better coverage.
Finland
Norway Sweden
• TeliaSonera has promised
that the GSM network in
Sweden, after expansion, will cover almost 90 percent of the country.
In Finland the GSM network has 97 percent coverage and in Norway
coverage is also high.
• Urban 3G will cover approximately a quarter of Sweden when fully
expanded. In Finland and Norway coverage will be even lower.
Forestry industry a winner
Two competing telecom operators in rural
areas could create a
win-win situation for
the forestry industry in
Scandinavia.
“It hasn’t looked too
bright, so if they keep
their promises it could
turn out really good,”
says Bertil Lidén,
researcher in logistic at
the Swedish Skogforsk
research institute.
U
ntil not too long ago,
the chances of good
future cellular telecommunications in rural areas, particularly in Sweden, was not too
promising. But with Nordisk
Mobiltelefon as a new player in
Norway and Sweden, and perhaps also in Finland, this situation has quickly changed.
There is now a chance that
rural areas will gain two functioning systems. In addition to
the establishment of rural 3G,
as the new digital 450 network
is referred to, in Norway and
Sweden, Finland already has a
GSM network with good coverage. Moreover, TeliaSonera is
now promising an expansion of
the Swedish GSM network.
“The way I see it, competition is good. If only the operators’ plans are realized then
there will be two systems that
can meet the needs of the forestry industry,” says Bertil.
The forestry industry in
Scandinavia has, according to
Bertil, three basic needs when
it comes to mobile communication. First there must be access
to telephones at all workplaces.
Second, it should be possible to
use e-mail. Third, there should
be access to mobile internet
with a transmission speed of
at least 144 kilobits per second,
which is the limit for 3G.
“Basically, we need voice
communication for such things
as safety in the forest, but just
as important is the opportunity
to transmit data in mobile environments,” states Bertil.
The current coverage for
mobile communication is a major
problem in Scandinavian rural
areas, even if the situation is better in Finland than in Sweden.
“The forestry industry prioritizes coverage, since there is a
major need for communication
everywhere that forests grow.
When it comes to data transfer, there are currently no large
amounts being sent, so speed is
not yet a problem,” he explains.
But in the future the ability to transmit data rapidly can
be important. For this reason,
the different technical solutions
that the GSM network and rural
3G are based on are not unimportant. The GSM expansion
will take place with Edge technology while rural 3G will be
based on a variant of the American CDMA 2000 technology,
called CDMA 450.
“From a purely technical perspective, CDMA 450 is a more
genuine 3G, while GSM with
Edge technology is what one
could call 2.5G,” says Bertil.
There is a risk that the GSM
network will be outdated in
a few years, since the forestry industry’s demands for rapid data transfer will most likely increase.
“Technically, CDMA 450 has
more development potential
and is deemed by many to be
more future-safe,” Bertil concludes.r
33
Snags left in clearings make excellent habitats for many threatened (red listed) beetles.
Snags good for insects
Snags left in clearings
are good for biodiversity. A new report from
the Swedish forestry industry’s research
institute Skogforsk and
the Swedish University
of Agricultural Sciences
shows that snags are
used by a large number
of insects, many of them
rare.
D
eadwood is an important factor in the survival of many wooddwelling insects. At the same
time, modern forestry techniques mean that very little
deadwood is left in the forest.
As a result, at the beginning
of the 1990s the Swedish forestry industry started to leave
snags in clearings. A snag is a
tree stump at least 5 feet (1.5
meters) tall left standing during logging. The stump should
preferably be the remains of a
thick tree with a quality fault in
the rootstock.
The theory was that since
windthrown trees left in place
34
become home to a rich insect
life, snags left in place should
also improve matters for many
insects. It was also known that
areas exposed to the sun and
containing deadwood are beneficial to many insect species.
“It was very much based
on chance, as we knew that of
the 2,000 forest-dwelling species that are red listed, 500
are wood-dwelling beetles,”
explains Jan Weslien, head
of the Nature & Environment
research program at Skogforsk
and one of the contributors to
the new report.
THE REPORT, based on six
scientific publications and
twelve years of studies, also
shows that the snags theory has worked better than anyone expected. The method was
established very rapidly in Sweden and in one study 300 different beetle species were found,
40 of which were red listed.
“We now know that snags
from both deciduous trees and
coniferous trees act as develop-
ment environments for a large
number of wood-dwelling beetles,” says Jan.
RESEARCHERS HAVE found
most rare species in aspen
snags. They were also found in
other types of less common tree
and Jan therefore underlines
the importance of not only leaving snags from the most common trees (in Sweden spruce,
Scotch pine, and birch).
Another point is that it can
take time before certain species appear. In the first clearing
with snags in Grangärde, Dalarna, Sweden, for example, a very
rare species of beetle appeared
after ten years.
Based on studies of snags,
researchers can now also
see an opportunity after the
recent severe storms in Sweden to benefit biodiversity and
wood-dwelling insects. All the
windthrown trees provide natural snags in many places.
“The opportunity to leave
these natural snags ought to be
taken by forest owners, espe-
cially if splitting and other
damage makes the wood worthless,” says Jan. “Moreover, our
studies have shown that the
harmful spruce bark beetle
propagates poorly in snags.”
Finally, Jan emphasizes that
snags are but one of many measures to benefit biodiversity.
There are many species that
thrive in environments other
than snags exposed to the sun. r
Advice for those
leaving snags
• Leave different tree types
• They should be at least 5 feet (1.5
meters) tall
• Try to choose trees with quality
faults in the rootstock
• Choose really thick stumps if several thin stumps can’t be found
• Choose stumps in clearings and at
the forest edge to encourage species seeking warmth and sunlight
• Clear around the stumps and they’ll
be good for insects for many years
• It’s unclear how many stumps are
needed to ensure biodiversity, but
the more the better
TIPS AND ADVICE
Just Forest plans to use this space to publish practical tips and advice for users of Valmet foresting machines.
The editors are happy to publish any ideas you may have. Please submit any tips or questions to [email protected].
Settings for reliable printouts
SINCE 2004 Valmet harvesters have
been equipped with color printers.
The installation carried out at the factory enables the printer to send information about cartridge ink levels. The
disadvantage of this installation is
that communication with the printer
can sometimes fail if the right measures aren’t taken.
All new harvesters from Komatsu
Forest are equipped with HP Deskjet
450 color printers. As standard, the
printer is installed at the plant using a
port called LPT1. However, it can also
be connected via a virtual port called
Dot4. The Toolbox program makes it
possible to read the cartridge ink levels. One disadvantage of this is that
the computer sometimes loses communication with the printer so that
printouts are locked.
This isn’t a serious problem and is
easily remedied. In principle, this can
be achieved in two ways, with the
easiest way being to take a temporary measure in the Toolbox program’s
print queue, thereby retaining monitoring of ink levels and printer status.
The other measure is to disable the
ink monitoring function and in this way
avoid the need for future measures.
However, the advantage of ink level
monitoring is that you need not worry about not being able to print due to
a lack of ink.
Below we’ll use screen shots of
the computer interface to describe the
two different methods.
Temporary measure to retain
ink level monitoring
2
Click ‘Try again’
in the ‘HP dj450
toolbox’ window
to initiate communication.
4
3
1
Communication
should be back,
earlier printouts
should be printed, and the status should be as
shown here.
If the printout still fails, check the
print queue.
Open the Toolbox program, select ‘hp deskjet’ from the menu, and
then ‘hp deskjet 450 printer Toolbox’.
5
Measures to completely disable
printer status and ink cartridge
level monitoring
Restart the documents that couldn’t
be printed. Another alternative is to
clear the print queue and make new
printouts.
1
Open the window for
printers and faxes.
Open the printer
properties page.
3
2
Select the tab for ports
where the ‘Dot4’ port is selected.
4
Scroll up the list on the
right to LPT1 and check
this selection. Click Apply.
5
Test the printer by printing a
test page.
35
News
G8 fights illegal
logging
Trade in illegal timber
from Africa is worth
about 15 billion dollars. 40 percent of the timber
is exported to the G8 countries,
that is, Canada, France, Italy,
the US, Germany, Japan, Russia,
and the UK. The secretaries of
the environment and development assistance in these countries are now encouraging measures to stop this illegal trade.
Russian wood
product industry
growing
The production of wood
products is expected to
increase by five percent
during 2005 and 2006. The factors behind this rise are exports
to China and timber demands
in Russia, where the economy is growing fast. The country is to invest in highly refined
forestry products to be exported to the EU, and the export
of sawn timber, plywood, and
board products to China, the
rest of Asia, and the US.
Russia has about a quarter of the world’s forestry reserves and harvested 81 million
cubic meters in 2004, which is
about 25 percent of the possible harvest.
Ancient monuments
protected with new
technique
In Sweden more than
half of all ancient monuments are damaged
by forestry practices. But with
modern technology, the damage can be limited. At a recent
conference in Sweden, Lars Ohlin from the company Korsnäs
explained how forestry machine operators can avoid damaging objects worthy of protection. Korsnäs has a system
that uses GPS and regularly updated map data. The company’s planners add measures to
help operators make the right
decisions.
36
Lower pressure
reduces barking
Lower pressure
on feed rollers
and knives reduces barking. This
is shown in a new
study from the
Finnish forestry
research institute
Metla.
T
he Finnish study has
been done in collaboration with forestry machine manufacturers,
including Komatsu Forest, and
the forestry companies Metsäliitto, Stora Enso, and UPMKymmene. The study shows
that by reducing the pressure
on the feed rollers and delimbing knives one can considerably
reduce barking. With the lowest possible pressure and cor-
rectly shaped and sharpened
delimbing knives barking can
be halved.
Barking reduces the timber’s
refinement value through natural or mechanical damage. When
the feed rollers and delimbing
knives pass over the timber’s
surface, the bark is sometimes
torn away. Blunt knives can also
lead to limbs actually being broken rather than cut off, with the
bark often in tow.
IN SCANDINAVIA the problem
with barking is encountered all
year round, but is most noticeable when the trees are producing sap, which is from May to
midsummer. At that time barking reaches its peak, as cohesion between timber and bark is
at its least.
The study was conducted
by Harri Liiri, Antti Asikainen, and Ari Erkkilä and was
based on digital photo analyses
and delimbing under laboratory
conditions.
THE RESULTS SHOW that it was
mostly reductions in the feed
roller and knife pressures that
led to reduced barking. Knife
pressure was of most importance. If this is reduced by a
third from the normal setting,
barking can be almost halved.
The lower knife pressure had no
significant negative impact on
delimbing quality. By reducing
the delimbing force, barking is
reduced. The delimbing knife’s
cutting angle and shape affect
the cutting force. By increasing
the delimbing knives’ cutting
angles from zero to 30 degrees,
the cutting force required was
reduced by 25 percent. Sharpening the lower part of the knives
can also reduce the required
cutting force. r
ANECDOTAL
Under this heading, Just Forest will print anecdotes and stories from then and now. The editor will be happy to receive
ideas for publication. Send your tips or stories to [email protected].
What type
are you?
Now you can finally find out what type of forest owner you are. A thesis from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has established that Swedish forest owners can generally be sorted into five different categories.
Take a look to see whether you’re a traditionalist, an environmentalist, an economist, a passive owner, or a more
broad-based owner.
Traditionalist
Environmentalist
Economist
Passive
owner
Broadbased
AGE:
Old
Young
Young
Varies
Varies
PROPERTY:
Inherited property
Large property
Purchased property
Inherited property
Inherited property
FUTURE:
Wants the children to take over
Can consider selling
Can consider selling
Uninterested
Wants the children
to take over
LIVES:
On the property
On the property
In town
Not on the property
On the property
OBJECTIVE:
Inspired to pass on
a beautiful forest
Economy always
most important
Cultural and environmental protection
None
Environmental protection and financial return
ECONOMY:
Less than ten percent of
income from the forest
Forest represents
major share of income
Very little income
from the forest
Small income from
the forest
Major share of income from the forest
England
Portugal
Stewart MacGregor
[email protected]
Fax +44 1228 792388
Antonio Ramalho
[email protected]
Fax +351 244 685959
Australia
Finland
Spain
Marina Kirpichnikov
[email protected]
Fax +61 2 9647 2540
Antero Siuro
[email protected]
Fax +358 32658324
Cesar Sanchez
[email protected]
Fax +34 986 58 23 89
Brazil
France
Sweden
Marilia dos Santos
[email protected]
Fax +55 41 6673100
Martine Thuriault
[email protected]
Fax +00 33 130 905 144
Veronica Kjellen
[email protected]
Fax +46 171 41 67 80
Change of address
Is your magazine delivered
to the wrong address? Has
your magazine failed to turn
up? Or do you simply know
more people who wish to
receive Just Forest? Please
contact your nearest sales
office.
Chile
Italy
Germany
Alfonso Solar
[email protected]
Fax +56 41 92 53 55
Fabrizio da Fré
[email protected]
Fax +39 0438 430115
Silke Brückner
[email protected]
Fax +49 7454 960218
Denmark
Norway
USA
Michael Husfeldt
[email protected]
Fax +45 7634 3201
Mona Andersson
[email protected]
Fax +47 62572954
Nate Burton
[email protected]
Fax +1 715 524 7833
37
Wheeled product line
Not all products are available in all markets
901
901
801 Combi
330DUO
Production units
Komatsu Forest AB
Phone: +46 90 70 93 00
www.komatsuforest.com
Komatsu Forest LLC
North America
Phone: +1 715 524 2820
Timbco
Sales companies
and dealers
EUROPE
AUSTRIA
Karner und Berger GmbH
Phone: +43 2769 84571
www.valmet.at
BELGIUM
Komatsu Forest GmbH
Phone:+49 74549 6020
www.komatsuforest.de
CROATIA
Iverak d.o.o.
Phone: +385 1 291 0399
www.iverak.hr
CZECH REPUBLIC
Komatsu Forest
Phone: +420 272 701 621
www.komatsuforest.cz
38
350
840
830
860
330
911
890
860
360
370
370E
380
385
DENMARK
NETHERLANDS
UNITED KINGDOM
IDAHO
Valtra Denmark A/S
Phone: +45 76 343 2000
www.valtra.com
W. van den Brink
Phone: +31 3184 56 228
www.lmbbrink.nl
Komatsu Forest Ltd
Phone: +44 1228 792 018
ESTONIA
NORWAY
UNITED STATES
Modern Machinery
– Pocatello
Phone: +1 208 233 5345
www.modernmachinery.com
Ami Logging OU
Phone: +372 562 41192
www.komatsuforest.ﬁ
FINLAND
Komatsu Forest Oy AB
Phone: +358 3265 8311
FRANCE
Komatsu Forest A/S
Phone: +47 62 57 8800
www.komatsuforest.no
POLAND
Agrex Arcon Sp. z o.o.
Phone: +48 226 410 505
www.agrex-arcon.pl
Komatsu Forest, Devision of
Komatsu France s.a.
Phone: +33 1 30 90 51 00
PORTUGAL
GERMANY
RUSSIA
Komatsu Forest GmbH
Phone: +49 74549 6020
www.komatsuforest.de
Komatsu Forest Oy Ab
Phone: +7 095 258 1428
HUNGARY
SLOVAKIA
Kuhn
Phone: +36 128 980 80
www.kuhn.hu
ITALY
Imai
Phone: +39 04 38 43 0171
www.imai.it
Sefoeste Lda
Phone: +351 244 68 91 00
Komatsu Forest GmbH
Phone: +49 7454 960 20
SPAIN
Hitraf S.A.
Phone: +34 986 582 520
www.hitraf.com
SWEDEN
ALABAMA
Cotton-Hutcheson, Inc.
Phone: +1 251 578 1812
www.cotton-hutcheson.com
G&S Equipment
Phone: +1 334 365 5192
Warrior Tractor Equipment
Phone: +1 255 233 1914
ARIZONA
Dodd Diesel
Phone: +1 800 821 5921
ARKANSAS
Warrior Tractor Co.
Phone: +1 870 367 3497
CALIFORNIA
Sierra Machinery
Services Inc.
Phone: +1 916 655 3077
www.sierramachinery.com
COLORADO
Dodd Diesel
Phone: +1 800 821 5921
Modern Machinery – Boise
Phone: +1 800 221 5211
KENTUCKY
Lyons Sawmill & Logging
Equip Inc – Circleville OH
Phone: +1 740 474 6028
LOUISIANA
Warrior Tractor Co.
Phone: +1 870 367 3497
MAINE
The Oliver Stores
Phone: +1 207 778 6595
www.theoliverstores.com
MASSACHUSETTS
Barry Equipment Co.
Phone: +1 508 949 0005
MICHIGAN
Roland Machinery
Company
Phone: +1 906 786 6920
www.rolandmachinery.com
MINNESOTA
Silva Serviss Ltd.
Phone: +371 50 21754
SweLog Skogsmaskiner HB
Phone: +46 171 41 67 70
www.sweloghb.com
CONNECTICUT
Barry Equipment Co., Inc.
Phone: +1 508 949 0005
Road Machinery and
Supplies
Phone: +1 218 741 9011
www.rmsequipment.com
LITHUANIA
SWITZERLAND
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
W Mahler AG
Phone: +41 1 763 5090
www.wmahler.ch
Cotton-Hutcheson, Inc.
Phone: +1 334 578 1812
www.cotton-hutcheson.com
Power Equipment – Saltillo
Phone: +1 662 869 0283
www.powerequipco.com
LATVIA
Lifore Ltd
Phone: +370 5 2602 061
395
Waters
Truck & Tractor-Meridian
Phone: +1 601 693 4807
www.waterstruck.com
MONTANA
Modern Machinery
– Billings
Phone: +1 406 252 2158
Modern Machinery
– Missoula
Phone: +1 406 523 1100
NEBRASKA
Black Hills Timber
Equipment
Phone: +1 605 578 2003
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Phone: +1 508 949 0005
The Oliver Stores
Phone: +1 800 339 6595
www.theoliverstores.com
NEW MEXICO
Dodd Diesel
Phone: +1 800 821 5921
NEW YORK
CJ Logging Equipment Inc.
– Boonville
Phone: +1 315 942 4756
Equipment Inc. – Little
Valley
Phone: +1 716 938 9175
Tracked Product line
Timbco
911 X3M
603
941
425
425
EX10
Harvester
415 EX
Harvester or Feller
840
425 EX
Harvester or Feller
425 EXL
Harvester or Feller
890
445 EX
Harvester or Feller
445 EXL
Harvester or Feller
475 EX
Harvester or Feller
945
960
OHIO
Equipment Inc. – Circleville
Phone: +1 740 474 6028
OREGON
Modern Machinery
– Eugene
Phone: +1 541 688 7321
Modern Machinery
– Portland
Phone: +1 503 255 7841
PENNSYLVANIA
Lyons Sawmill &
Logging Equipment Inc.
– Brookwood
Phone: +1 814 849 4073
Equipment Inc. – Allenwood
Phone: +1 570 538 2504
RHODE ISLAND
Phone: +1 508 949 0005
SOUTH DAKOTA
Black Hills Timber Eqpt
Phone: +1 604 291 6021
TENNESSEE
Power Equipment
– Knoxville
Phone: +1 865 577 5563
475 EXL
Harvester or Feller
Model 233
Power Equipment
– Nashville
Phone: +1 615 213 0900
Power Equipment
– Memphis
Phone: +1 901 346 9800
Modern Machinery – Kent
Phone: +1 253 872 3530
Coneco Equip
– Fort McMurray
Phone: +1 780 791 0616
Modern Machinery
– Spokane
Phone: +1 509 535 1654
Coneco Equip – Red Deer
Phone: +1 403 340 8343
WEST VIRGINIA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Terratech Equip – Langley
Phone: +1 604 532 8324
www.terratech.ca
Power Equipment
– Chattanooga
Phone: +1 423 894 1870
Equipment Inc. – Sutton
Phone: +1 304 765 3810
Power Equipment
– Kingsport
Phone: +1 423 349 6111
Roland Machinery
Company
Phone: +1 906 786 6920
www.rolandmachinery.com
Terratech – Cranbrook
Phone: +1 250 489 1715
UTAH
WYOMING
Dodd Diesel
Phone: +1 800 821 5921
Black Hills Timber
Equipment
Phone: +1 605 578 2003
Terratech – Prince George
Phone: +1 250 564 8841
VERMONT
WISCONSIN
Phone: +1 508 949 0005
CANADA
The Oliver Stores
Phone: +1 800 339 6595
Coneco Equip – Edmonton
Phone: +1 780 451 2630
www.coneco.ca
VIRGINIA
Equipment Inc.
Phone: +1 304 765 3810
WASHINGTON
Modern Machinery
– Chehalis
Phone: +1 360 748 4421
ALBERTA
Coneco Equip – Calgary
Phone: +1 403 569 1109
Coneco Equip
– Grande Prairie
Phone: +1 780 532 9410
Coneco Equip – High Level
Phone: +1 780 926 2501
Terratech – Campbell River
Phone: +1 250 286 0694
Terratech – Kamloops
Phone: +1 250 374 6961
Coneco Equip – Fort St. John
Phone: +1 250 785 8161
www.coneco.ca
Coneco Equip – Fort Nelson
Phone: +1 250 774 3215
MANITOBA
Terratech Equip – Winnipeg
Phone: +1 204 487 1050
www.terratech.ca
NEW BRUNSWICK, PRINCE
EDW. ISLAND & NOVA SCOTIA
Equipement Fédéral
– Fredericton
Phone: +1 506 457 5544
www.federal-equip.com
NEWFOUNDLAND
& LABRADOR
YUKON
– Paradise
Phone: +1 709 782 2151
Coneco Equip – Whitehorse
Phone: +1 867 667 7368
www.coneco.ca
SOUTH AMERICA
ONTARIO
BRAZIL
– Timmins
Phone: +1 705 264 4300
CHILE
Terratech Equip
– Thunder Bay
Phone: +1 807 939 2262
www.terratech.ca
Komatsu Forest Ltda.
Phone: +55 41 667 2828
Komatsu Chile S.A.
Phone: +56 419 253 01
www.kch.cl
OTHER MARKETS
AUSTRALIA
QUEBEC
– Quebec
Phone: +1 418 654 0245
SASKATCHEWAN
Terratech Equip – Saskatoon
Phone: +1 306 931 0044
www.terratech.ca
Terratech Equip – Estevan
Phone: +1 306 634 3108
Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9647 3600
NEW ZEALAND
Komatsu NZ
+(64)-9-277-8300
www.komatsu.com.au
SOUTH AFRICA
Barlows Equipment Co.
Phone: +27 8332 74 17
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Terratech Equip – Regina
Phone: +1 306 359 3121
Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9647 3600
NORTH WEST TERRITORIES
INDONESIA
Coneco Equip – Yellowknife
Phone: +1 867 669 0738
www.coneco.ca
PT United Tractors Tbk
Phone: +62 21 460 5959
www.unitedtractors.com
39

English - Komatsu Forest

Transcription

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