Scoring with performance: Jukka Lindsberg, Production Manager at Keitele, is convinced by the solution provided by Nordautomation © Raphael Kerschbaumer
“We have a long-standing partnership with Keitele. The group uses our solutions in all three of its sawmills,” Timo Kuusisto, Managing Director at Nordautomation, says at the beginning of our conversation and adds: “Our production site in Alajärvi/FI is just a stone’s throw away from Keitele’s sawmill. What really convinces our customers, though, is the capacity of our machines and plants, both in terms of their high speed and availability.” According to the company, the machines have a technical availability of over 99%.
Scandinavian School
Bin n. 1: The first bin of the sorting line is a “control bin”. Logs are randomly ejected here and measured manually to verify the scanner results © Raphael Kerschbaumer
“The conditions here in the far north can be very tough at times. Regardless of whether the temperatures rise above +30°C or fall below -30°C, though, our machines withstand even the most adverse conditions without the customer having to compromise on performance,” Kuusisto tells us and explains that Nordautomation is always striving to further improve and optimize its plants and machines. “Lately, we have devoted ourselves in particular to matters of safety and noise reduction. The latter played a central role in the Keitele project in Alajärvi.”
A special reference
Two at once: Thanks to the generously dimensioned log infeed, two trucks can unload the logs at the same time © Nordautomation
The scope of delivery for Nordautomation’s project in Keitele included the log infeed first of all. As a rule, the trucks which arrive at the sawmill are unloaded directly at the sorting line using a crane which feeds in the logs. If necessary, loaders loaded with logs can also approach the infeed via a special ramp. Then, the logs pass through an X-ray scanner and metal detector before they go outside again and move on the seemingly endless sorting line, which does not skimp on speed. The logs basically race down the conveyor line at more than 210 m/min and are pushed into one of the 126 sorting bins within a fraction of a second. “We tried to take everything we learned during the Alajärvi project one step further here. Even after several years of being in operation (the plant was installed in 2018), the sorting line has not yet reached its limits,” production manager Jukka Lindsberg explains.
Log yard creates added value
Past an important mark: Over 1 million m³ of log wood are handled and processed at Keitele each year © Raphael Kerschbaumer
“Sorting is half the battle,” Keitele’s Managing Director Matti Kylävainio explains and adds: “The potential that you leave unused in the log yard you cannot make up later in the sawmill.” In many regions of Finland, all of the available log wood is being used already. “We are confident that we will be able to secure our raw material supply in the future, too – despite significantly higher cutting capacities. (Note: At its headquarters, Keitele invested in a new sawing line from Finnish machine manufacturer Veisto, which will raise the site’s production output from 450,000 m³ to over 600,000 m³ a year.) However, in order to get the most out of each log, accurate log sorting is the first crucial step. That is also the reason why we have such a high number of sorting bins,” Kylävainio tells us.
Leader in technology in Scandinavia
Whenever there is talk of an exciting sawmill project in Finland or Scandinavia, the name Nordautomation comes up when the involved suppliers are listed. For example, one of the biggest and most modern sawmills in the country is currently being built in northern Finland near the university town of Oulu. Junnikkala invested more than €80 million in the latest greenfield project. The sawmill’s future production capacity will be 350,000 m³, and production is to start this autumn. “We are currently in the installation phase. After the summer, the first logs will already be running through our newly built sorting line,” Kuusisto explains.
Another project full of superlatives was also carried out with Nordautomation in a leading role. Metsä’s mega-project in Rauma in western Finland was the largest order in Nordautomation’s company history. Up to 1.5 million m³ logs are handled and sorted each year.
“We have successfully implemented many projects in the Nordic countries. In the future, we want to continue to prove our skills beyond our national borders,” Kuusisto says with confidence.
