Describing Egoin Wood as a classic timber company would be too narrow a definition. After all, the traditional Spanish company is committed to a holistic approach in doing business, which ranges from sustainable forest management to a wide range of wood products and finished timber constructions. “We offer several services: from timber construction-related consulting and planning services for architectural offices and project sponsors to the manufacture of various industrial timber construction systems, which are completed with on-site logistics management and assembly,” Managing Director Unai Agirre explains and adds: “Our engineers and architects find the best solution for the requirements of each project because they are able to combine different construction systems, thereby optimizing the design of a building.”
With the help of its around 160 employees at three production sites, Egoin Wood carries out public and private projects – from the renovation of old farmhouses and roofs to residential and office buildings as well as cultural, sports or industrial sites. For the projects, the Basque company uses CLT, glulam, timber frame and facade elements as well as numerous other timber construction products from its own production. Most of them are made from Pinus radiata, which grows in the region.
Flexible press solution
Egoin Wood started producing CLT already in 2007. In order to increase the one-shift capacity by 25,000 m³ a year, the company recently invested in another production line. After much deliberation, the decision was made to use a high-frequency press from Danish manufacturer Kallesoe for the first time. “Switching to high-frequency technology was not an easy decision for us since our 30 years of experience was based solely on cold press technology. We had to do research and understand the technology first in order to overcome our inner resistance to it,” Agirre says. The managing director and his team visited several companies and had numerous discussions with experienced users of high-frequency technology. “Ultimately, the high degree of flexibility in terms of panel size and type of wood without losses in capacity, the excellent technical properties of the panels and the possibility to easily increase capacity were decisive factors in our decision,” Agirre tells us.
Kallesoe’s Managing Director Kristian Kallesøe also lists some of the advantages of using a MUF adhesive: “When cross-laminated timber is glued with melamine resin, you have enough time to lay the press cake, since the possible open time is up to 90 minutes. This way, load-bearing narrow-edge gluing can easily be done in one operation. The adhesive only sets quickly and completely once the element is inside our high-frequency press.” In addition to this flexibility, the good properties in the event of fire, the high quality of the panels and the lower adhesive costs are further advantages of the MUF technology, according to Kallesøe.
In addition to the press, Kallesoe also delivered the mechanization in front of and behind the press, the laying station and, together with System TM, another Danish subsidiary of Homag, almost the entire line.
Optimal yield
At Egoin Wood’s new CLT plant, System TM is responsible for a separate sorting line and the newly developed, high-performance Opti-Joint V-L finger-jointing line. This vertical line is characterized not only by its high capacity, but most of all by its high availability and long service life.
“When it comes to the sorting line, our main goal was to get the best out of every piece of wood,” Per Jørgensen, CSO of System TM, tells us. For this purpose, the Danish machine manufacturer installed an Opti-Kap 3003 cross-cutting saw inside the sorting line. “Based on the quality characteristics detected by the Microtec scanners, we often cut individual laminations several times. This way, we achieve an optimal raw material yield,” Jørgensen explains. In addition to the Microtec scanner systems, the sorting line is also equipped with a Rex planing machine. According to Jørgensen, System TM has worked successfully with both companies many times, which is why their machines and systems were included in project planning.
From the sorting line, the 200 to 2,500 mm-long laminations are transported to the infeed station in front of the finger-jointing line. Pieces of up to 600 mm in length are fed in manually, while longer pieces of wood are stacked with the help of a vacuum lifter. “The possibility to feed in several packages of laminations with different qualities increases the flexibility of the line. Each lamination is recorded in the system and the master computer can collect the wood for the respective panels, depending on the order,” Jørgensen explains.
Common goals achieved
Before Egoin Wood chose System TM and Kallesoe as suppliers, the company contacted all the leading CLT machine manufacturers.
“At that point, high-frequency technology was one of the options, but not the main driver behind our project,” Agrirre says and emphasizes in particular the positive attitude, proactive approach and professionalism of both System TM and Kallesoe, which accompanied the project from the beginning.
“We’ve had some negative experience with a North American supplier in the past. That’s why it was all the more important for us to have a supplier who is as committed to our project as we are. The Danes understood our requirements and goals best and presented us with a very strong and reliable technical and economical solution”, Egoin’s managing director says, not holding back praise, and adds: “So far, we are very satisfied with our decision.”
Just a few weeks ago, the Hasslacher Group acquired a 40% stake in Egoin Wood. Apart from economic synergies, the two companies share principles and visions, which are the best foundations for a successful future, according to Agirre, who is pleased that Egoin Wood can also count on the expertise and support of the Hasslacher Group when it comes to high-frequency technology.
