Valutec to supply lumber kilns to three Norwegian sawmils

2 May 2018

Three Norwegian sawmils have chosen to invest in lumber kilns from Valutec for a total order value of more than SEK 40 million ($4.5 million). Kjeldstad and Gran Tre are investing in batch kilns and Bergene Holm is investing in three continuous kilns with a total capacity of 120,000 cubic meters (50,800 MBF) annually, as the company says in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

The investment is the second step in an investment program that previously included a new lumber intake and saw line. The new continuous kilns will be built in the latter part of 2018 and commissioned in the 1Q 2019.

Gran Tre is planning on increasing its production by 50% and therefore chose to invest in two forklift-fed batch kilns.
“Today, we have three batch kilns and undercapacity. In connection with this investment, we will increase our drying capacity by almost 100% and will instead have overcapacity. The drying should not be a bottleneck,” says Finn Hoel, CEO of Gran Tre.

In total, the sawmill’s capacity will increase from today’s 60,000 cubic meters (25,400 MBF) of lumber per year to around 90,000 cubic meters (38,100 MBF). Gran Tre chose Valutec’s complete solution, as well as the advantages of using Valutec’s control system Valmatics.

“We want to get a better and smarter control system where we can optimize based on more parameters. It’s very important to have control of the drying processes; it’s the trickiest process we have. Branches, fibers and all of the input moisture ratios mean that no two boards are alike and that’s the challenge,” says Finn Hoel and adds that commissioning will take place at the end of the year.

Kjeldstad’s investment involves a batch kiln for the mill in Storen.

 

Source: lesprom.com