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Now we go on.... [Holzkurier no. 1/2006]
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Now we go on.... [Holzkurier no. 1/2006]
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| Million capacity sawmill started production after a precise landing |
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Only eight months after having announced to build a million capacity sawmill with planer mill and future laminated wood facility in Kösching near Ingolstadt (Germany), Holzindustrie Binder processed the first log on December 14, 2005. |
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Precise time schedule kept
With a minutious planning, the Tyrolean family-owned company, under the project management of Martin Henne, even succeeded in undercutting its ambitious plan: a production start six months after laying of the foundation stone on May 30, 2006. End of last week, the drying facilities started its production – and the following steps are also precisely planned: January 16 – test run of the planer mill, in March the second shift and in June the third shift in the sawmill.
A suitable concept, the necessary money and the entrepreneurial courage were the prerequisites for choosing the production site Kösching. Basis was the infrastructural perfect position in an industrial area, 4 km away from the next village, i.e. railway connection, a near Danube harbour and a 2 km distance to the motorway without having to pass any towns or villages.
Optimum position on the green countryside
On 50 hectares, Binder can realise its experience with its own products: the main production site in Fügen – grown within the last five decades, the glulam production in Jenbach, the solid wood board production in St. Georgen and the fibreboard production in Hallein. In addition Binder benefits from Martin Henne’s experience gained by working with LINCK, Oberkirch/Germany or with another sawmill company. He has proven to be able to build up such industrial sites. The sawmill and planer mill layout provides shortest distances of handling. The two stations for feeding logs to the round log sorting line are located at the railway connection. The sorting chain ends close to the feeding station for logs into the sawline. The lumber stacking at the end of the sawmill building meets the drying facilities which are close to the lumber feeding station towards the planer mill.
The equipment installed is of the latest design supplied by the main contractors LINCK, Oberkirch/Germany, Springer, Friesach/Austria and Ledinek, Maribor/Slovenia.
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Perfect geographical position
However, the infrastructure of the Kösching Interpark was only one point of view for managing director Reinhard Binder. Another reason for the investment was the adequate log supply. “We are in the heart of Bavaria. Within a radius of 100 km, we can get 80 % of the required logs. In 2006 we need 970.000 m³ of round wood for processing 900.000 m³ - these quantities are a done deal”, he declares. Kösching is far enough in the North to not touch the log supply area for Fügen. Logs from 12 to 60 cm diameter are required.
New procurement system
With regards to procurement, Reinhard Binder particularly points out the cooperation with UPM Kymmene. Holzindustrie Binder places the contracts – UPM Kymmene harvests the logs. 80 % of the round wood will be purchased from private forest owners – 60 % are private owners of small forest areas.
In addition to Fügen (processing of 4 m logs for the Italian market), Kösching is designed for producing lumber mainly for the American market. The processing of 80 % of 5 m logs is one evidence, the engagement of MBA Jörn Kimmich another one. The sales manager was responsible for the lumber marketing in a large German timber industry.
Envisaged target figure 250.000 m³
One of Kimmich’s first tasks was to plan the selling of 250.000 m³ of lumber for 2006. “The freight capacities are already available”, he points out. “We already had prospective customers from the United States – more delegations will follow”. “The business relations with the USA, however, will not be more than 20 % of the company’s total turnover – this is the difference with regards to other sawmills”, declares Franz Binder jun. Up to date the Tyrolean timber industry has not been present on the US market. The new planer mill opens the doors. Being one of few, we will be able to offer everything, from 2-by-4 up to 2-by-12. Additional boards will be supplied from Fügen. The centre products are required for the own value adding processes. Germany, France, The Benelux and Austria are further important markets. Kösching will supply mainly pallet boards to Italy – “we recently had only small quantities to delivery”.
Fügen remains Italian centre
« Due to its geographical position, Fügen will always remain our Italian and Levante centre », Reinhard Binder points out the importance of the main production site. But the sawmill at Kösching allows the Tyrolean sawline to go back from a four-shift to a three-shift operation. During the start-up period, the sawline in Fügen is used for training the Kösching personnel – vice versa the Tyrolean personnel completes the team in Kösching. “Presently ten men from Fügen are at Kösching, this provides security at the beginning”, explains Henne who is already busy looking for personnel for the second shift in the sawmill.
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Two loading stations at the rail
90 sorting bins, supplied by Springer, are available for sorting round logs. Two loading stations, each with a Bruks-Klöckner butt end reducer, feed the logs onto the sorting chain where they are scanned under bark. Non-suitable logs can be sorted out. Debarking of logs is done by a Valon Kone 27 inch double rotor debarker. On the log yard as well as in the sawmill, conveyors supplied by Rudnick & Enners, Alpenrod/Germany remove bark resp. other by-products.
Microtec, Brixen/Italy and Linz, scanners measure, control and document the logs. Microtec is also responsible for the electric control, the metal detector (an X-ray scanner Tomolog) and the picture recording system Screenlog Plus. The 360° picture recording system takes a photo of the log and represents it as a true 3D-panorama photo. “After evaluating the logs we can hand over a DVD to our suppliers – you see the take-over is transparent”, describes Matteo Binder who, to a large extent, took part in realising the project.
Presently 50.000 m³ of round wood are stored on the log yard, a maximum of 60.000 m³ shall be the normal condition, 90.000 m³ of round wood would be the maximum quantity that could be stored. The logs are handled by rolling stock supplied by Liebherr, Sennenbogen and Volvo.
The LINCK log loading station is the connection to the sawline which, according to Henne, is considered as being very robst. Three accelerating rolls guarantee the necessary speed for feeding the sawline. 3D-scanning is provided for measuring the sawlogs which is only for determination of top end, diameter and curve: logs that do not suit the actual cutting pattern, are sorted out.
New log turner
According to the now existing data, the sawlogs are turned by the latest turner technology which LINCK only realised once. A buffer storage is built after the log turner allowing an intermediate storage of logs during short stops without having to stop the sawline or the sawlog feeding station.
Following the log turner, logs are fed into the sawline via a cross and a longitudinal conveyor. The central control cabin is located above the longitudinal conveyor – line of sight for the operator in Kösching is towards the sawline. |
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Sophisticated sideboard optimisation
“We installed all technical possibilities available for sideboard optimisation – such as 3D-cant scanning”, describes Matteo Binder.
The sideboards are immediately separated and can be transported to the lumber sorter separated according to width and thickness. Sideboards with suitable dimensions are also fed to the centre product sorting system. The feeding conveyors can be lifted and lowered accordingly. Henne particularly points out the higher line utilisation (up to +10 %) by the flexible lumber handling: in case big and small square sizes are kept separate from each other, there is less damage in the sawn goods.
Third sorting station planned
Presently two Springer sorting lines are installed. “Depending on the market requirements and products required, we would be able to immediately build a third sorting station”, Franz Binder jun. Explains. But even with two sorting stations, the nominal annual capacity of 1,5 Million m³ of round wood can be handled. Two VM 50 chipper canters are installed followed by sideboard optimisation and metal detectors until the first CSMK double arbor circular saw produces up to four sideboards. Following the second CSMK, a double arbor gang MKV with two preceding profiler units is installed.
“Far more than” (Henne) 200 boards per minute arrive at the two lumber sorters. On two sorting decks, the boards are examined, if required trimmed and then handed over software supported (Variosort by Microtec) to the 16 horizontal film- and 14 deep pile trays. Up to 170 m sorting line length offers enough space prior to stacking the lumber packages for drying.
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Drying of 750.000 m³ of lumber
The lumber packages to be dried are transported down to a storage conveyor, where 16- and 20 ton Kalmar forklifts take over the packages for transporting them to the drying kilns.
End of last week the first 16 Mahild drying kilns were taken into operation.
In the final stage, 48 drying kilns will be installed in Kösching for drying up to 750.000 m³ lumber per year.
Heat is supplied by a 12 MW-biomass-combustion installed by VAS, Großgmain. The combustion plant with hot water boiler, multicyklon and electric filter started operation on December 27, 2005.
The dried planer products are normally transported to the adjacent planer mill. Binder decided to install a 600 m/min-high capacity planer mill Stratoplan supplied by Ledinek. Right before Christmas 2005, a 500 ton special crane brought the 70 ton machine into the building – start of the machine is planned for January 16, 2006.
Speed for safety
“Continuous operation at highest speed”, this is what Martin Henne expects of the Stratoplan.Compared with the 600 m/min. machines installed up to now, this machine is different by detailed improvements, he states imprecisely. A maximum throughput of up to 1500 m³/day is envisaged – “this offers important capacity reserves”.
The Slovenian company supplied the mechanisation in the planer mill building from the special accelerating rolls up to the retarding belt conveyor – the remaining components including re-sorting and packaging was supplied by Springer.
What to come ?
To date it is not made known what shall be produced in the planned laminated wood plant (start scheduled for end of 2006). Glue lam can be excluded, as the production site in Jenbach (annual production nearly 200.000 m³) is well established. “We are going to make new, alternative products,” was the latest statement of the Tyrolean timber industry……
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