Ponsse celebrates a milestone – 22,000th forest machine manufactured in Vieremä delivered to Ireland
Ponsse celebrates a significant milestone today as the 22,000th forest machine manufactured at the company’s Vieremä factory is delivered to Irish customer G&G Timber Harvesting. The milestone machine is a Ponsse Elk forwarder, valued for its agility, productivity and suitability for a wide variety of forestry work.
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That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
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Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
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It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
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Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
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Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.
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“This is a significant milestone in our cooperation with G&G Timber Harvesting. Along with the Ponsse Elk, a Ponsse Scorpion Giant harvester, which is one of our flagship models is also being delivered in the same shipment to complement their fleet. We thank the G&G Timber Harvesting team for their trust and wish them safe operations in Ireland’s forests,” says Ville Mansikkamäki, Vice President, Europe, Ponsse.
G&G Timber Harvesting – A family‑rooted forestry business
G&G Timber Harvesting, established in 2009 by brothers Greg and Garrett Cuddy in Camross, County Laois, operates at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains. The company has since grown to include another brother, David, Greg’s son Greg Jr, and their cousin Pakie. With six of the seven Cuddy brothers working in forestry, the business represents a strong multigenerational commitment to the industry.
Their first experience with Ponsse came in 2020 with the purchase of two pre‑owned machines; a Gazelle and a Beaver. Over time, their fleet expanded to include two harvesters and two forwarders, representing different brands of machines. In September 2025, the company upgraded one of their forwarders to a Ponsse Buffalo with Active Cabin, which quickly impressed them with its operator comfort, power and productivity. This encouraged them to continue modernizing their fleet with a Scorpion Giant harvester and the milestone Elk forwarder.
During a demo arranged by Ponsse Ireland, Greg Cuddy highlighted the Scorpion Giant’s powerful crane, industry‑leading cabin visibility, cutting head performance and even its “cool design”. The Elk was selected for its reliable performance across diverse terrain and the additional comfort provided by the Active Cabin solution.
Working across diverse and demanding environments
G&G Timber Harvesting operates in a wide range of conditions, including steep slopes, flat bogs and sensitive habitats, serving both private clients and the state‑owned forestry sector. According to the company, their recent investment in Ponsse machines is driven by:
- Trust in the Ponsse brand
- Confidence in the service and support provided by Ponsse Ireland
- Strong alignment with Ponsse’s business partnership approach
- Attractive financing options supporting cost‑effective ownership.
Ponsse looks forward to supporting G&G Timber Harvesting in the years ahead and continuing a long and mutually beneficial partnership.
Today, Ponsse Plc is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cut-to-length forest machines. The roots of the family-owned company, grown from a machine entrepreneur’s dream into an international export company, lie deep in the Finnish countryside. The company is still based in Vieremä, in the same location in which it was founded in 1970.
Einari Vidgrén, the son of a small farmer from Northern Savonia, started working at logging sites using a frame saw in 1957, at the age of 14. Einari was carried away by forestry and at the end of the 1960s, he developed a load-carrying forest tractor in a local village workshop. The machine was named after a mixed breed dog that roamed the village. Ponsse’s fur was a mottled grey, and it sure was an ugly dog. However, it was a persistent hunter, and you never had to return empty-handed from a hunting trip with Ponsse. When Einari drove his first self-made forest tractor out of the workshop, the villagers were amazed by the brute of a machine made from recycled parts: “What kind of a ‘Ponsse’ is that going to be?” “Now it even has a name – it’s going to be Ponsse!” Einari decided.
The hideous machine was at home in hard logging conditions. Inspired by feedback he received from wood procurement company Tehdaspuu, Einari Vidgrén founded a forest machine factory in Vieremä village in 1970. Difficulties and setbacks characterized the early years of the factory – money was not easy to come by. During the first decade, only 50 forest tractors were manufactured at the factory. A giant leap took place in machine development in the 1980s. Ponsse became well-known to both competitors and customers in 1983 when it introduced the legendary PONSSE S15 forwarder. Built partly from aluminium, the machine frame made it significantly lighter than its competitors, putting it in a class of its own for off-road performance. The first harvester, PONSSE HS15, was launched in 1987, followed by the first PONSSE measuring devices in 1988.
In 1994, Ponsse was the first forest machine manufacturer in the world to be awarded the ISO 9001 quality certificate. This led to intensified machine development work and an expansion of the product range. When the export market opened up, the company was listed in the stock exchange in 1995. Today, Ponsse operates in harvesting markets in 40 different countries, and 75 percent of its net sales come from exports.
The Ponsse Group consists of the parent company Ponsse Plc and the country organisations Ponsse AB, Sweden; Ponsse AS, Norway; Ponssé S.A.S. France; Ponsse UK Ltd., Great Britain, Ponsse Czech s.r.o., Czech Republic; Ponsse North America, Inc., the United States of America; Ponsse Latin America Ltda, Brazil; Ponsse Asia Pacific Ltd, Hongkong; Ponsse China Ltd, China; Ponsse Uruguay S.A., Uruguay; Ponsse Chile SpA, Chile and Epec Oy, Seinäjoki, Finland.
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Written by loggers for loggers and dedicated solely to the equipment used in forestry operations.