2017 International Forest Industries Magazines June July 2017 | Page 36

LUMBER PROCESSING
SAWLINES – HEWSAW
Flexibility can be the key to
success for modern sawmills
In addition to single pass machines, HewSaw also manufactures sawlines. Pictued above is a HewSaw SL250 3.4 line in Finland
Today’s sawmill
business requires
the ability to quickly
change direction
when it comes to log
input and product
output, and having
the right equipment
in place can make the
difference between
being in the red or the
black when it comes
to the bottom line
R
apidly changing market
demands for timber
products have seen today’s
sawmillers rank flexibility high on
the wish list when selecting and
specifying new primary breakdown
equipment. Modern sawmills may
need to switch from running large
square timber products for heavy
construction one day to boards for
packaging the next, or they may
even switch products several times
within the same shift.
Changing log diets may also
mean a mill needs maximum
flexibility as they could be
processing 10 cm (4 in) logs one
day and then 40 cm (16 in) logs
the next. For the sawmill manager
and staff, dealing with these
uncertainties is not only a logistical
headache, it can also be expensive
as downtime for making production
set-up changes in the sawing
machine’s input or output can
quickly take away from the mill’s
bottom line.
Many mills around the world
have turned to HewSaw for
solutions to their flexibility issues.
This 50 plus-year old Finland-based
company, which specializes in
primary breakdown equipment, is
recognized as a global leader in the
processing of small to medium-
sized logs that range from just
under 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter to
large end diameters of 55 cm (21.5
in).
In many cases, these logs are
processed in what the company
calls a “single pass machine,”
meaning the entire log is processed
in one pass. HewSaw’s single pass
machines (today called the R200
and the R250) were its bread and
butter for years, with almost 400 of
them delivered around the globe.
HewSaw utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and technology at its factory in Mäntyharju, Finland
30 International Forest Industries | JUNE / JULY 2017