Deere hosts international journalists

International journalists, representing forest industry trade magazines from around the world, were welcomed to the John Deere manufacturing facility in Dubuque, Iowa, in late September.

Representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the United States came to learn more about John Deere’s commitment to the forest industry and to forge strong relationships with their fellow forestry colleagues.

John Deere Worldwide Construction & Forestry equipment senior management were there to welcome the group to North America and invite them to visit both the Dubuque and the Davenport
factories to see the newly completed forestry product manufacturing lines.

John Deere Worldwide Sales & Marketing director Esa Läensitalo kicked off the meeting with an overview of the global forestry market and future opportunities in expanding markets. Forestry Operations & Division Quality director Tony Worthington discussed the recent changes in manufacturing facilities and John Deere management’s commitment to the forestry industry.

After a tour of the Dubuque Works facility, the group headed down to Moline, Illinois. There was an impressive line-up of forestry equipment at the
John Deere demonstration site in Coal Valley, Illinois, and the journalists were invited to get up close and personal with all of the forestry machines. A tour of the Davenport manufacturing facility completed the factory tours, and then the
group was on a plane to Atlanta, Georgia.

Deere arranged a customer site visit to give the European journalists a taste of the South. For many of the journalists, this was the first time they had seen full-tree equipment in operation. Featured were a John Deere 535C knuckleboom loader, a Timberjack 460 skidder, and a 643J feller
buncher.

This global meeting was a first for both John Deere and the global journalists. Läensitalo made a promise to the group prior to the close of the meeting. “This has been a first for all of us—John Deere and the global forestry magazines. We at John Deere will continue to reach out and build on the relationships that have been established this week.”

Pauli new senior VP at Coe Newnes McGehee

Mill equipment supplier Coe Newnes McGehee has announced the addition of Markus Pauli as senior vice president for Operations. Pauli’s primary organizational responsibilities will include all manufacturing operations, supply chain/ procurement, quality assurance, sales estimating, project management, and capacity scheduling and maintenance.

“As advanced controls and optimization become a major component in many of our products, our supply, manufacturing and quality assurance processes have to evolve to meet the growing sophistication of our products,” said Shawn Casey, chairman and CEO of Coe Newnes McGehee. “Markus’ extensive experience with high-tech manufacturing equipment and the newest operations principles will contribute to the increased efficiency and quality our customers value.”

www.coenm.com

A-C-T knife grinder from Hanchett

Hanchett Mfg’s A-C-T knife grinder, specifically designed for grinding AC-T knives, is said to be a quality and economical knife grinding solution.

The grinder features a 1-1/2 hp grinding spindle, 6” x 2” x 5” steel backed grinding wheel, variable speed pneumatic carriage drive and variable stroke
adjustment.

The grinder has a precision linear dual profile rail system, replaceable bearings, air clamped knife fixture and full flood recirculating coolant system. The carriage tips back for easy wheel change. Options on the grinder include mechanical clamping, an electromagnetic knife bar and way covers.

www.hanchett.com

Gilbert invests in new factory

Gilbert Products Inc, which specializes in the design and manufacture of sawmilling and forestry equipment, will invest over $10 million in the construction of a new 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility.

The investment will enable the company to respond to ever-increasing international competition, both in North America and in Europe, and to manufacture world-class equipment. In addition, it will increase the company’s production capacity to meet the growing demand by American and European clients.

www.gilbert-tech.com

Maritonex now representing Carmanah

Carmanah Design and Manufacturing Inc of Vancouver, BC, has appointed Maritonex Inc of Quebec, as the exclusive licensee for chipper capital equipment sales and chipper aftermarket parts sales to Eastern Canada.

Carmanah’s recent acquisition of the Nicholson chipper product line made Maritonex a natural choice, as they have represented Nicholson Manufacturing Ltd since 1987. Maritonex will be responsible for the existing aftermarket parts business and all future capital equipment sales for both CAE/Carmanah chippers and the former Nicholson chippers to the region. Complete chip plants that include the Fuji King debarker will continue to be marketed and sold by Carmanah in the region.

Aftermarket parts to these chip plant customers for both chippers and debarkers will continue be sold directly by Carmanah.

www.carmanahdesign.com

FECON introduces Stump Hog

FECON, Inc recently introduced the Stump Hog SH340 for reaching up and down slopes and other areas that can’t be reached by traditional stump grinding equipment.

The SH340 has 90 cutting tools with large thick carbide tips that are patterned for maximum cutting action, while protecting the wheel and each other from wear and foreign materials.

The 33” x 4-1/2” wide tip-to-tip cutting wheel utilizes the Sandvik Dura DiskTM II Stump Cutting System. Tools are easily independently changed with an impact wrench.

The SH340 requires as little as 40 gpm when powered by a 20-ton excavator and can accommodate up to 100 gpm when powered by FECON’s self-contained Power Pack. It also features complete plumbing with built-in hydraulic motor protection for plug-and-go installation.

www.fecon.com

Safety guide from Cat

Safety is more important than ever for loggers. The need to maintain a healthy, satisfied workforce, rising costs of workers’ compensation insurance, and required safety meetings have all moved to the forefront in today’s fast-paced forestry industry operations. With these needs in mind, the Cat Forest Products Consulting Services Group has put together a comprehensive manual and poster to increase safety awareness in all aspects of logging operations and forestry equipment operations. These materials are available in English, French and Spanish.

www.forestpro.com

New board printer and camera recognition system from SOFTAC

SOFTAC Systems Ltd has introduced a new board printer and camera recognition system. This high speed printer, using invisible fluorescing ink, is intended for lineal planer lines to mark a unique ID code on each board as it passes under the printer on its way to the slowdown and landing deck.

A series of coded marks are printed by up to four ink nozzles near the trailing end of each board in such a way as to ensure the reliable decoding of the marks by the camera recognition system. The complete package consists of an ink marking printer system including a board hold-down wheel, camera system, control panels, and a user interface PC.

www.softacsys.com

New sales rep at BGR Saws

Sylvain St-Hilaire, president of BGR Saws Inc, recently announced the addition of Gary Gallant as its new sales rep in the Maritime Provinces. Gallant will add his eight years of selling experience serving the lumber industry to BGR’s sales team.

www.sciesbgr.com

New tensioning system on TimberFox debarker

The new improved tensioning system of the high speed TimberFox debarker offers uniform pressures, and its intercrossing knife concept reduces fibre loss and increases debarking performance. The debarker’s two reversed rotors reduce tension created by the first rotor, which requires less force to maintain the log in place, improving debarking and parts resistance. The reversed rotors are said to be ideal for effective debarking of frozen or burnt wood, and produce better debarking around knots without deteriorating the fibre.

The TimberFox reaches speeds of up to 400 fpm, at 100 per cent capacity. It can be adapted to mill needs, single or double rotor—14”, 18”, 25” and 30” diameters. It’s also available with right or left hand configuration, and can be installed in the same parameters as a conventional debarker with guide rolls.

www.dkspec.com