The large Czech sawmill Labe Wood in Štetí is one of the most modern sawmills in Central and Eastern Europe. With a cutting capacity of more than 1 million m³ of log wood, Labe Wood produces at least 600,000 m³ of lumber a year, which is exported to all of Europe.
Top suppliers
The state-of-the-art plant technology for the high-performance sawmill, which went into operation in 2020, was supplied exclusively by well-known European suppliers, such as Springer. “When it came to equipping the sawmill, we looked for the best industry solutions available on the market. We opted for the globally successful company Springer because of its many years of experience and its customized plant designs,” Radim Strava, Managing Director of Labe Wood, explains.
The log yard with a Taylor 1200 butt end reducer bypass, the sawmill infeed and the two sorting lines for main assortments and sideboards were supplied by Springer. The saw line was bought from Linck of Oberkirch/DE. Installation started in October 2019 and was completed just before the factory acceptance test in May 2021.
The log yard is designed for an annual capacity of 1 million m³ of logs in a two-shift operation. The two 3D scanners and the above-mentioned butt end reducer are the heart of the plant. The butt end reducer works with a reduction rotor on both sides in the bypass. The logs are sorted into 88 boxes.
Log yard Labe Wood
Capacity: 1 million m³/year in a two-shift operation
Feed speed: up to 200 m/min
Infeed: infeed from two sides with screw feeder log allocation unit
Scanning: two 3D scanners
Butt end reducer: Taylor 1200 butt end reducer with a reduction rotor on both sides in the bypass
Sorting: in 88 boxes
42 logs per minute and an optimal gap
The sawmill infeed is designed for a feed speed of up to 170 m/min. “With a log length of 4 meters, this is more than 42 pieces per minute,” Springer Managing Director Timo Springer explains. The mechanization expert delivered two independent lines, each with one infeed including a screw feeder, 3D turning and debarking. The logs are brought together with a screw feeder and are fed on to Springer’s special acceleration conveyor, which ensures an optimal gap between the logs. Springer was also responsible for the bark disposal and the connection to the adjacent paper and pulp mill. Afterthe main timber and sideboards have left the Linck saw line, they are fed into two identical Springer lumber sorting lines. The high-performance servo allocation unit has a performance of up to 220 cycles per minute. The timber is sorted into a 20-level tray storage unit. After it has left this unit, the layers are cut. Whenever necessary, the timber can be dipped in a tank which contains a chemical for blue stain protection. The packaging unit with its double lifting table and tried-and-tested pivot tongue can take over up to 26 packages per minute. In the package removal area, Springer installed two Pascal presses.
Labe Wood is a joint project involving Mondi, Eco-Invest and Holzindustrie Maresch from Austria as well as Unitimber from Slovenia. The high-performance sawmill is located next to Mondi’s paper and pulp mill in the Czech Republic, where the wood chips from the sawmill are processed. Labe Wood employs around 220 people.
The family company Springer, which is headquartered in Friesach, plans, develops and produces machines and digital solutions for the wood-processing industry. All processes related to the transport, sorting and grading of wood as well as to automation are implemented at the highest technological level. Springer employs more than 700 people worldwide and is managed by third-generation family members Timo and Gero Springer.
