Special sawmill

Horst Grötz, an expert for sawmills (previously Holzindustrie Schweighofer, Holzindustrie Maresch, UPM Steyrermühl etc.) joins the team of Herbert Handlos GmbH. Grötz is responsible for achieving the following:

• 100,000 to 120,000 m³/year in a one-shift operation
• sawn timber, tailored to the processing machines in Tragwein
• highest possible yield
• “relatively economical” machines
• high degree of automation
• cutting of logs of up to 1 m in diameter
• cutting of hardwood as well

“Our company has been around for more than 200 years. It was a sawmill for 180 years. We had the second Linck line that was ever built, parallel to a frame saw line”, Handlos tells us. Thus, when it comes to cutting, there was a break of 20 years. The reason why Handlos changed their mind again can be summed up in three letters: CLT. Cross-laminated timber is increasingly being produced by big timber companies. As a result, the supply of sawn timber became more difficult for Handlos. “We have been working on building a new sawmill for three years. For us, the most important factor is to make sure that we have the 250,000 m³ we need every year”, Handlos says frankly. Furthermore, the company is considering the construction of a “small but neat CLT production” (30,000 to 40,000 m³/year). “Almost all of our customers also need CLT. So it would fit perfectly in our portfolio. There is just enough space in Tragwein for such a production”, explains Handlos.

Nothing is decided yet

As of yet, it is not decided whether Handlos is going to build the sawmill. The zoning has been done but there are still legal hurdles. After the decision to build, the sawmill could be started up within 18 months.

For submitting the building application, Handlos had to finance an assessment which is over 1,500 pages long – and includes tests for Caesium-137, for example. “At the time of the start-up, we would employ around 30 people in Summerau. This is a lot for the border area with the Czech Republic, but too little to be politically interesting in Upper Austria”, is Handlos’s explanation for the lack of support.

“With a moderate budget” at his disposal, Grötz’s task is to plan a production site which

• can handle spruce/pine/fir logs of all diameters
• is mostly automated and
• processes everything with over 66 cm as well as hardwood with a log band saw

Which machine technology is used? “Chipper, circular saw and Quadro band saw”, lists Grötz. “We already gathered, gutted and adapted the necessary cutting components. All of this was done in-house. This is why the cutting line is unique. It is a Handlos line.” A German supplier is available for the log yard.

Completely transparent and automated

Scanning technology is very important to the Upper Austrian company. “I want a clean section and a photo of it already at the log yard. The aim is to ensure a fair, objective sorting when buying timber. We also need this data for optimal log turning in front of the cutting units. We want to get the most out of every log”, says Grötz casually about new technological territory. “Beetle wood will still be around for a while. Getting the necessary quality from damaged wood is the biggest challenge for sawmills. We are going to turn the logs in such a way that we can accept two or three boards with blue stain as long as the rest is good.”

The aim is to optimize yield, in particular in terms of value. “I can handle a 2 to 3% lower volume yield as long as I have the perfect material for further processing. I earn more that way”, explains Handlos.

“For our sawmill, we are not looking for specialized wood experts, but rather for technically experienced employees.” Seven employees are working on the sawmill project. “Every one of them approached us directly”, emphasizes Handlos. The company wants to have a maximum of five people working on the line itself.

Only one sorting plant

Handlos plans to have only one sorting plant at the production site which takes in both main assortments and sideboards and does the post-sorting as well.

In terms of buying, Handlos is “surrounded by wood” and thinks that the time of damaged wood is going to be over in the medium term. “There will always be softwood up there. With the new sawmill, we also want to revive our hardwood offer”, predicts Handlos.

100% for own use

The new sawmill is going to produce main assortments which are going to be used exclusively by the parent company. Handlos is also considering conical trimming and the production of CLT elements from those conical boards. “In case we start up a CLT production, we would like to include cutouts for windows and doors”, says Handlos who would like to have a more sophisticated CLT production than is currently the standard.

The planned sawmill is located 40 km from Tragwein. The production site has a railway connection and is close to the planned Mühlviertler Schnellstraße S10.