 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From left: Mr. Tim Browning, general manager, Forestry, of Timbercorp Ltd.; Mr. Sol Rabinowicz, chief executive officer of Timbercorp; Mr. Mike Jones, managing director of Komatsu Forest Pty. Ltd.; and Mr. Tosh Miyake, chief executive officer of Komatsu Forest AB
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Timbercorp uses 430FX harvesting equipment to work on its forest plantations.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Whole tree lengths are harvested using a Valmet 378 single-grip harvester head.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From left: Mr. Norio Kido of Komatsu Ltd., Mr. Tosh Miyake, Mr. Mike Jones, Mr. Sol Rabinowicz, Mr. Tim Browning and Mr. Brenton Yon of Komatsu Forest Pty. Ltd.
|
|
|
One of Australia’s leading agribusiness specialists, Timbercorp Ltd., has signed a supply agreement with Komatsu Forest for 53 machines and 26 harvester heads to be delivered over the next three years. The agreement was signed in Osaka, Japan, in October 2008.
These machines have been purchased to work in the three states of Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia. This investment will further enhance operational efficiencies in Timbercorp’s Forestry Division.
Close Cooperation Ensures Optimum Equipment Performance
“This major deal forges an even stronger link between the two iconic companies,” said Mr. Tim Browning, Timbercorp’s general manager of Forestry. “Timbercorp has worked closely with Komatsu Forest in the ongoing development of harvesting equipment maximizing production performance, availability, fuel consumption, serviceability, operator comfort and longevity of components.”
The latest purpose-built, tracked-base 430FX is a direct result of information sharing between the companies. “Any weaknesses of previous machines have been engineered out and the strengths maintained. In particular, we have found the latest Komatsu undercarriage is more solid and stable, thus offering durability and comfort,” said Mr. Mark Diedrichs, Timbercorp’s national industrial operations manager.
“The Valmet 378 single-grip harvester head has come a long way since trialing the prototype back in 2004,” he also noted. “The head has undergone strengthening in all aspects, giving it more consistent reliability. The offset feed rollers continue to make easy work of debarking.”
Timbercorp harvests whole tree lengths with a single-grip harvester, felling, debarking and delimbing. The benefits of this method of harvesting are high production, excellent debarking performance, minimal damage to stem surface, reduced contamination and uniform distribution of organic matter in the plantation.
Timbercorp uses Trelan chippers, in which the slant disk provides a better quality woodchip in an efficient manner. A single operator feeds the chipper with three to five trees at a time, processing chip directly into a chip van reversed up to the chipper outfeed. The chip is then transported to the wharf by road trains with payloads in excess of 50 tonnes (55 U.S. tons).
Harvesting Equipment to Support Operations in Green Triangle Region
“Harvesting will start later this year in Timbercorp’s forestry estate in the Green Triangle region of Victoria and South Australia, and agreements with infrastructure providers for processing and exporting wood fiber are currently being finalized,” said Mr. Browning.
Harvesting of the region’s new plantations is expected to provide an economic boost for the region, with an estimated 1,000 direct new jobs to be created. Over the past few years, Timbercorp staff have been in Western Australia providing training in harvesting operations, and are now being relocated to Victoria.
“The industrial operations division has a focus on health and safety, good environmental practices, quality outputs and production efficiencies, which in turn are managed through certification standards, codes of practice and auditing,” Mr. Browning explained.
“Commitment to continuous improvement is another key business driver for both forestry and industrial operations,” he added.
Timbercorp’s Forestry Division is a wholly-owned vertically integrated operation, responsible for the establishment, management, harvesting, processing and marketing of approximately 100,000 ha (250,000 ac) of Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum) forest plantations. Timbercorp first established plantations in 1991 in Western Australia and now has around 35,000 ha (85,000 ac) of plantations there and a further 65,000 ha (160,000 ac) in the Green Triangle region. All are FSC certified. Mr. Browning is clearly proud of his staff and plantations, citing Timbercorp’s recent award as best Australian large forest manager by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Timbercorp’s Forestry Division is one of the largest in Australia and harvests, processes and transports wood fiber for export on behalf of its eucalypt project investors. In 2007 to 2008, Timbercorp harvested 526,000 tonnes (580,000 U.S. tons) of wood fiber worth AUD57 million from the plantation forests in Western Australia. This wood fiber was sold to the Japanese trading house Marubeni Corporation and supplied to Oji Paper Co., Ltd. and Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
Mr. Browning said the plantations in Western Australia have been harvested since 2002 with over 2 million tonnes (2.2 million U.S. tons) produced to date. Timbercorp operates five harvesting and in-field chipping systems. Each system consists of two to three harvesters, one forwarder, one chipper, two off-road prime movers and 12 chip vans.
Timbercorp currently employs over 100 staff in its Forestry Division. Once harvesting activities in the Green Triangle are in full operation, this number will increase to between 250 and 300.
|
Terms and Conditions