Day Five, Alucar and Logset Visits

ByForest Machine Magazine

14 December, 2024
Alucar

Our journey over to the west of Finland to visit Alucar and Logset

We had a three and a half hour bus ride west towards Vaasa where our first visit of the day was to Alucar.

Alucar are a world leading manufacturer of superstructures for logging trucks and are based in Maxmo. They develop innovative solutions for timber transport, and the company is famous for being a trailblazer in this field.

Not long after leaving we had a quick visit to a rail terminal where thousands of tonnes of timber was stacked ready for transporting to the mills, unfortunately it was still quite dark so we couldn’t see the full extent of the terminal.

After about two hours on the bus we stopped for a coffee break, the café was next to a railway line and had been the station waiting room at one time. On the far side of the tracks there was a large sequence of carriages all loaded with pulp ready transporting. Kari Palojärvi explained that millions of tonnes of wood move by rail to the mills each year and this was one was of the smaller terminals which was loaded by the timber trucks.

It was almost lunchtime when we reached Maxmo and Alucar had arranged lunch at a nearby restaurant. As we approached, we saw a there was a big, fully loaded, Scania timber truck from the company Klemettila Oy in the centre of the car park.

Finland is quite lucky as they work with random timber lengths, this makes harvesting, forwarding and the haulage far more productive as the forwarders are loading a single full length bunk and the trucks carry three bunks. Timber is graded by diameter and in some cases species and not lengths, no wonder Finnish forestry workers are always happy and smiling.

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After another delicious lunch and even more coffee, it was back to Alucar for a company presentation prior to the tour.

I recognised Anssi Alasaari, the managing director and Virpi Hattula, the export sales manager, who I had met previously but this was the first time I had met Thomas Partanen and Marcus Peth who were all contributing to the presentation and tour.

Today Alucar are a global market leader and were established back in 1984 with a solid business idea to produce aluminium lightweight superstructures for logging trucks. They were extremely popular within Finland to begin with until the 1990’s where they started to develop their export trade.

Last year Alucar’s turnover was €21 million with their 70 employees. They are owned by the international company Extendo Ab and produce 5,000 timber bunks and over 350 subframe packages each year which are exported to 30 countries, their export to domestic ratio is 70/30.

This is another proud company who recognise that employees are their most valuable resource and working closely with truck manufacturers is key to continued success. They are not a company to rest on their laurels and are continually moving forward by investing up to 3% of their turnover into product development

Once the presentation was over, we split into two groups, and we set off with Anssi and Thomas for our tour of the premises.

We started firstly in the parts department, and everything was so well organised and tidy, even the floor was immaculate. We then moved along to the individual welding bays where the superstructures were being put together, they were on a massive turntable, so the welders were always working from above, again each bay was so tidy with everything in its place and a clean hazard free floor space.

There was something different happening at each bay, some were welding the superstructures, some were grinding joints prior to welding and bunks were being put together, this large area was a hive of activity.

I am no expert, but I do know a good weld when I see one and the quality of this welding was some of the best I had ever seen.

Anssi was a superb guide, taking time to explain exactly what was happening at each bay and was able to answer every question that was asked.

In the next section we saw Robot welders in booths, it is always fascinating to see just how fast and efficient they are, its like watching a Sci-Fi movie.

It was interesting to see how they bend some of the superstructures to fit certain truck chassis, you would have thought they had been moulded that way. It is surprising just how strong but lightweight aluminium is and how much of it is available. It is the third most common element and due to its lightweight, yet strong, properties, is used in many industries throughout the world. It accounts for around 8% of the earth’s crust.

It is a lightweight, corrosion resistant, versatile and 100% recyclable material so it is the perfect choice over steel structures for reducing the weight of timber trucks while increasing the capacity and profitability of each load of timber.

Even items like the truck’s storage boxes are made of aluminium to maximise load profitability.

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Our next area was to where the finished bunks and bolsters were stored, they looked immaculate now that they were all painted and ready for use. This was yet another spotless and well-kept area.

Our next stop was to where a Mercedes, Scania and a Volvo truck were being worked on, the Volvo had the superstructure and bunks fitted and was in the process of having the Exte TU automatic load tensioners installed. The Mercedes and Scania looked like they were almost completed with their bunks and bolsters fitted.

Anssi then showed us the different methods they use for securing loads; customers have different options depending on use and budget. The main types are the mechanical and pneumatic strap tensioners and the chain tensioner. All of these can be lifted over the load using the large hook which attaches to the side of the grapple. There is a simple but very clever quick release system to release the strap or chain from the one side so there is no need to walk all the way around the truck to unhook the straps.

Next, we entered another large area with five truck bays, an overhead 5 tonne capacity crane and special moveable gantry’s for working at height. This is where the superstructures are fitted onto the trucks and the other parts like storage boxes, headboards and steps are all installed.

It was fascinating to see the amount of work that is involved to adapt the trucks for hauling timber.

After saying our farewells (Anssi and Virpi were joining us for dinner later) we got on the bus for our next visit which was at Logset.

Logset

CEO Ron Back and Marketing Manager Jussi Metsäpelto were there to greet us when we arrived.

Logset’s history goes back quite some time as it started out under the Norcar name in 1976, Ab Logset Oy was formed in 1992 and continues to this day at the same premises. It was nice to see the Norcar door handles still on the main entrance as you arrive.

Logset Oy is a leading manufacturer of innovative and sustainable forest machines and equipment. With a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, Logset continues to set industry standards through technology development of its forest machine portfolio, having customers as its primary focus and achieving value through increased efficiency, uptime and reduced fuel consumption

Logset are performing very well in the current marketplace, the 12H GTE and 8H GTE hybrid harvester models are still proving to be extremely popular, the 12H GTE Hybrid is still the worlds most powerful harvester and Logset are the only manufacturer of Hybrid harvesting technology.

They manufacture 7 harvester models and 7 forwarder models covering every aspect of work from first thinning to mature clear felling  Logset also manufacture 7 harvesting heads which can be used with their own harvesters or with other bases including excavators, they have a reputation for manufacturing robust equipment which is reliable and offers a long service life.

Visiting harvesting sites, it is not unusual to see some older Logset models still working productively with many of them with well over 20,000 and occasionally 30,000 hours on the clock.

This was a nice, relaxed visit where we could wander around and see what was going on and Ron and Jussi were there to answer questions or offer advice. They were quite please as some of the visitors were happy Logset customers 😊.

Getting close you could see the strength and quality that is in a Logset, I was struck by the robustness of their centre joints, I believe to date they still haven’t had one that has failed.

The workshop was quiet as it was a Friday afternoon and most had gone home for the weekend but this made our visit all the better as we were not in anyone’s way.

A new 8H GTE harvester was nearing completion and it would be fitted with a TH75 harvesting head, this one was destined for a customer of the UK dealer, RJ Fukes Forestry Services, in Llandovery. They have been Logset’s UK sales and service partner for the UK and Ireland since 2008.

There was a lot of forwarders and harvesters under construction and their colour scheme is absolutely stunning in shiny black and purple.

This was another well organised facility and it looked to be a good, safe working environment, everything was in its place and wheeled tool stations could be manoeuvred to where you were working.

It was interesting to see the enclosed harvester head testing station, the heads can be piped up and run for checks and adjustments which are much easier to do in the workshop rather than in the forest when it is being field tested.

Some of the group were not quite as familiar with the Logset brand but were nonetheless mightily impressed with the modern, well equipped workshop facilities that they had just seen on,

It was time for us to head off to our hotel in Vaasa but Ron would also be joining us for dinner later that evening.

The hotel was only 20 minutes away and once we were all checked in Kari Palojärvi and Kari Lahivaara asked me to call into their room for a photo after finding my room. This was a lie, as soon as I arrived they were ready with a bottle of Koskenkorva vodka and a bottle of Jalovina to start the evening’s festivities in earnest.

At 7.45 we met Ron, Anssi and Virpi and the rest of the group in the hotel reception and set off to the old bank restaurant which was just a short walk away. We had a three course meal with a mains choice of sirloin or salmon and the food was incredible.

Ron, Anssi and Virpi were hosting this evening and their hospitality was nothing short of amazing.

Coming up next is our last day where we get the ferry over to Umea in Sweden to visit Komatsu Forest, Volvo Trucks and Olofsfors and then the return ferry back to Vaasa in the evening

Forest Machine Magazine is written and edited by a forest professional with over 40 years hands on experience. We are dedicated to keeping you informed with all the latest news, views and reviews from our industry.

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