ROTTNE INDUSTRY AB has signed one of its biggest order ever. A Russian company has ordered forestry equipment worth over 40 million. Deliveries will be made in three stages during 2012.

- This is a business that has great value for several reasons. In monetary terms, this is the largest single deal we made in Rottne Industry’s history. But it is also interesting that there is a business to Russia, where we have a couple of years marked a certain inertia. The agreement we signed means that Rottne industry gets a boost in Russia, says Roland Axelsson, export manager and one of those who have been involved in the deal.

In Russia Rottne Industri resellers Forest Service, a company that is both responsible for the sales and after sales of Rottne machines.

- With the size of the transaction, we have been involved in the negotiations at an early stage. The first discussions began in 2011, says Rolf Andersson, CEO at Rottne Industry.

- It’s about both harvesters and forwarders of intermediate size. The machines will be delivered in three installments. The first delivery is made before the summer and the last operation before year end.

In total, the deal on 18 machines, forwarders and harvesters, to a value of about 40 million. The machines will be delivered continuously for a total of 9 months. It gives us a solid foundation for 2012, says Roland Axelsson, Marketing ROTTNE att. We are optimistic about the cooperation with our customer in Russia.

http://rottne.com/aktuellt/rottne-industri-kvar-i-toppskikt

Eacom Timber has contracted for the supply of 2 new optimized board edger lines for its mills at Nairn Center and Elk Lake, Ontario.

Each line will consist of an unscrambler, lug loader, scanner transfer, SGII charger table, top arbor edger (1 with top reman head), and edger picker outfeed. ControlLogix PLC systems will also be installed.

Optimization will include new scanner frames outfitted with state-of-the-art full coverage BioLuma^TM 2900L transverse sensors, and the latest version of the Newnes Sawmill Suite software platform. These new lines will improve recovery and uptime with simplified calibrations, improved diagnostics, and supportable hardware.

Insider@USNR.com    www.usnr.com

Carmanah Design and Manufacturing Inc., of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, have supplied a Fuji King Debarker to the AV Nackawic Inc. Pulp mill located in Nackawic, NB, Canada.

The Fuji King Debarker, a single KD6/120DT, replaced a pair of rotary style Debarkers. The change has resulted in higher capacity, improved bark removal, increased fibre yield and greatly reduced maintenance and downtime. Start-up was October 2011.

CARMANAH Design and Manufacturing Inc. (CARMANAH), a privately-owned Canadian company located in Surrey, B.C. Canada, designs and manufactures equipment for the panel and engineered wood products, pulp and paper, and sawmill industries. (more…)

The Village of Napaimute (meaning “forest people”) is a quiet locale on the North bank of the Kuskokwim River in Western Alaska. Once an important hub for the central Kuskokwim River area, the area lost some of its luster with the decline of the mining, fur, and reindeer industries; however, within the last 25 years, the original members of the village have been working to revitalize the area in hopes of bringing back its commerce and native people.

Part of this revitalization was building an economic base for the community based on utilization of local wood resources. Napaimute established a firewood business several years ago and quickly realized the great demand for firewood that exists along the Lower River and West Coast. Community leaders also realized that to truly meet the demand, mechanized timber harvesting equipment was needed; this led to the acquisition of a 622B Waratah head. The head will be used to process firewood for export to the villages along the treeless Lower River and Coast where heating oil is $7 per gallon or more and people are looking for a more affordable energy alternative. In Napaimute alone, winters can often reach 50ºF below zero. In the wind blown Lower River and West Coast, temperature extremes are much worse and the demand for firewood is overwhelming. The 622B Waratah harvester head makes the high-volume of firewood at a greatly reduced cost possible for the first time in the region. (more…)

The EWD bandsaw technology allows sawmills to combine high production volumes with highest possible flexibility and recovery. The QuadroLine bandsaws use state of the art setworks, scanning and control technologies to achieve the highest possible feed speed under any sawing conditions. All EWD bandmills can be fitted with the new EWD FlyingBandSaw Technology magnetic guide system to achieve greater sawing accuracy, longer operating life of saws and higher feed speeds.

http://www.ewd.de

The competent professional jury was comprised of three experts from the timber industry and 4 journalists working for renowned trade publications.

The prizewinning Flying BandSaw technology of EWD is a new pioneering system of saw guidance for bandsaws, providing longer sawing time, better sawing accuracy and higher feed speeds. Instead of the well-known pressure saw guides two pairs of magnets with a closed loop electronic control system ensure that the saw blades stays on track. This development paves the way for bandsaw lines into the performance class of modern profiling and circular sawlines, with the advantage of a thin saw kerf irrespective of the sawing heights.

www.ewd.de

In a move to improve service and decrease costs within the European market, Tigercat has officially relocated assembly of wheeled harvesters and forwarders from the somewhat remote Tigercat facility in Hede, Sweden to a newly constructed assembly facility in Kincardineshire, Scotland.

This move is another step in the process of increasing Tigercat’s presence in western Europe and Scandinavia. The existing facility in Hede will serve as Tigercat’s Swedish sales office, service facility and spare parts warehouse. In addition, Tigercat has sales personnel and service technicians strategically located in other forestry regions of Sweden.

Moving the assembly of harvesters and forwarders to Scotland will reduce transportation costs of both components and final assembled machines. The new facility is strategically located to serve both western Europe and Scandinavia.

Additional dealer representation in Europe

As part of Tigercat’s European market expansion strategy, the Clohse Group has been named authorized dealer for Belgium and several other neighbouring countries including Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany and the Paris, Strasbourg and Dijon regions of northern France.

Tigercat and Clohse will are participating at FOREXPO in Mimizan, France (June 6-8) and KWF-Tagung in Bobfingen/Ostalbkreis, Germany (June 13-16). In addition, Tigercat will be exhibiting in Sweden at Skog & Traktor 2012 in Emmaboda Flygbana and Mellanskog Fair 2012 in Mälardalen, Sweden.

AUSTimber was a great show for Tigercat and co-hosts Forest Centre (Tigercat dealer for NSW, Queensland and WA) and Onetrak (Tigercat dealer for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Along with Tigercat management, engineering, sales, marketing and field personnel and forest Centre and Onetrak team members, representatives from many Tigercat dealers across the southern hemisphere were also in attendance, including AB Equipment in New Zealand, AfrEquip in South Africa and Tracbel in Brazil.

Tigercat demonstrated at two sites. The clear fell pine site consisted of tall, heavy, mature pine in the range of 1,5-5 m³. (Average piece size was estimated at 2,7 m³) The site was harvested with a new 1075B forwarder and an LH855C harvester belonging to Galzon and operated by Shane Shiel. The pine operations were very well received with favourable comments from attendees on both the layout of the in-forest demonstrations and the machines themselves, which easily handled the heavy timber.

The second site was a tree-length blue gum operation with in-field flail/chipping courtesy of CBI. Tigercat demonstrated the 855C carrier fitted with 2000 series shear. The shear was redesigned in 2008 specifically for Australian blue gum applications. A 635D skidder pulled to the flail. Both the 855C and the 635D units are owned by local company G & R Logging. A 630D also worked the blue gum site. It is owned by Casegrande, part of the Kevin Morgan group of companies.

“The blue gum site was well laid out for in-field chipping operations and safely provided a great insight into the actual technique required,” comments Glen Marley, factory sales representative for Australasia and southeast Asia. “The 855C feller buncher fitted with the well regarded DT2002 high speed shear was the one of the stars of this exhibit.”

Also on site was an H845C harvester (owned and operated by Todd Gelletly from Barham) demonstrating full-stem debarking in the small piece size blue gum. The new Tigercat 215 loader was mounted on the CBI flail unit.

The show was well timed and organized with excellent attendance. Gary Olsen, international factory sales representative comments that, “the AUSTimber show has now become a well-recognized and professionally run dynamic show since the first one I attended in Albury in 2000. Tigercat is yet again proud to be a part of the show and looks forward to participating in the 2016 show which showcases so well the harvesting systems and solutions for southern hemisphere pine and gum plantations.”

“Interest in our products seemed to be very strong and with the blue gum expansion set to kick off with increased export volumes predicted out of this Mount Gambier - Portland region, it all augers well for a bright future,” adds Glen.

Britain’s forests contain an estimated 336 million cubic metres of coniferous timber, according to a report just published by the Forestry Commission.

Coniferous timber is timber produced by conifer trees such as pine, spruce, larch and fir species, and is also known as ‘softwood’. The ‘Standing Timber Volume for Coniferous Trees in Britain’ report, which contains important information for planning a range of forest-related developments, reveals that:

• publicly owned forests managed by the Forestry Commission contain just more than one-third of the timber, at 125 million cubic metres;
• forests in private and other forms of ownership contain about 211 million cubic metres;
• Scotland has by far the largest volume of standing coniferous timber, with 212 million cubic metres, followed by England with 87 million cu.m. and Wales with 37 million cu.m;
• Sitka spruce trees account for slightly more than half of all the coniferous timber, at 170 million cubic metres in Britain overall;
• the next greatest volume of coniferous timber overall is accounted for by Scots pine, of which there are 51 million cu.m; and
• there is more timber growing in Britain than was indicated by previous assessments based on the 1979-82 Census of Woodland and the 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

Peter Weston, Head of Inventory and Forecasting at the Forestry Commission, said,

“It is pleasing to build on the woodland area reports and maps which we published in 2011 with these robust, new estimates of coniferous standing volume. Knowing what we have on the ground now is an essential part of planning across a range of interests, including industry development, biodiversity and climate change.
 
“Further reports to be published later this year will explore the implications of these figures with particular reference to potential timber availability and carbon sequestration.”

The report can be downloaded from the National Forest Inventory pages of the Forestry Commission website at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8RBP67, where there is also a Questions and Answers document with more-detailed explanation and interpretation.

The website also contains a preliminary estimate of the standing volume of broadleaved, or ‘hardwood’, timber in Britain, of 234 million cubic metres. Further surveying and sampling of broadleaved timber volume is planned, and a final report will be published in 2013.

The 180G LC features a rugged, 121 hp, field-proven IT4/EU Stage IIIB John Deere PowerTech^TM diesel engine that meets rigid emissions regulations, enabling operators to work anywhere jobs are available, including non-attainment areas. The new unit employs filed-proven cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) for reducing NOx, and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) to reduce particulate matter. Extended engine and hydraulic oil service intervals increase uptime and reduce daily operating costs.

The hydraulically driven, highly efficient fan at the heart of the excavators’ cooling system runs only as needed, reducing noise, fuel consumption and operating costs. The cooling system keeps things running cool, even in high-trash environments and high altitude. An automatic or operator-activated reversing option back-blows cooler cores to keep them clean and free of debris.

The 180G LC comes equipped with a Powerwise^TM III hydraulic management system that yields pinpoint metering and smooth, low-effort control. The Powerwise III perfectly balances engine performance and hydraulic flow for predictable operation.

Three productivity modes (high-productivity, power, economy) allow an operator to choose the digging style that fits the task at hand. High-productivity delivers more power and faster hydraulic response to move material. Power delivers a balance of power, speed, and fuel economy for normal application and economy reduces top speed and helps save fuel. In addition, a “power boost” button on the right hand control provides extra muscle to drive through tough digging conditions. The Machine Information Center (MIC) captures and stores vital machine performance and utilization data to help improve productivity, uptime and profit.

With a focus on operator comfort, the 180G LC cab features self-cleaning steps and wide entryways. In addition, the cab is spacious and provides extra legroom. Silicone-filled mounts effectively isolate operators from noise and vibration, affording a noticeably quieter cab. Contractors will also appreciate unsurpassed all-around visibility, low-effort joysticks, a highly efficient HVAC system, and numerous other amenities to help with productivity. A sculpted mechanical-suspension high-back seat has 12 1/2 inches of travel, sliding together or independent of the joystick console. For even more support, contractors can opt for the air-suspension heated seat. There is no shortage of storage options either. There’s a place for a cooler, cup holders, and a hot/cold box that keeps beverages at just the right temperature.

The cab also includes the multi-language LCD control monitor to simplify navigation. The operator can easily access a wealth of machine information and functionality with a tap and turn of the monitor’s rotary control.

Operators have quick access to information such as engine rpm and oil temperature, and they can easily check maintenance intervals, adjust cab temperature, tune the radio and select productivity modes. In addition, short-throw pilot levers provide smooth, predictable fingertip controls with less movement or effort. Pushbuttons in the right lever allow fingertip control of auxiliary hydraulic flow for operating attachments.

Like all John Deere excavators, the 180G LC is loaded with features that make it hassle-free to maintain. Large, easy-to-open service doors and easy-access service points make quick work of the daily routine. Remote-mounted vertical oil and fuel filters and extended engine and hydraulic oil-change intervals minimize maintenance too. In addition, the Machine Information Center (MIC), LCD monitor, and fluid-sample ports help with timely decisions about machine upkeep. Standard boom/frame lights and cab/boom-mounted optional lights provide illumination to extend the workday beyond normal daylight hours. Other traditional John Deere features include tungsten-carbide thermal-coated arm surfaces, oil-impregnated bushings, and welded-boom bulkheads. An optional camera is also available that displays action behind the excavator on the LCD monitor.

For those fleet managers, owners or operators looking to get the most out of their equipment, a standard three-year subscription of JDLink^TM continuously collects and transmits machine data for machine management. The system enables timely preventive maintenance and remote diagnostics, as well as the coordination of machines working on multiple jobsites to get the right machine to the right place at the right time.

The 180G LC is available with a variety of track widths, arm lengths, buckets and other options.

Worldwide Construction & Forestry Division  Mailing: P.O. Box 8806 Moline, IL 61266-8806

Kyle Rubeling IMRE Phone: 410-821-8220 E-mail: kyler@imre.com