OPERATION FOCUS Customer Olavi Salo and
Rotator Product Manager, Janne Salomäki
this job site. One is a V-shaped bucket designed especially for digging ditches; the other is used to turn the moss over and compact it, creating spaces for the new trees to be planted in the ground. The forest is privately owned by a Finnish
family, like the majority (60%) of Finland’s forests. The wood is supplied to UPM, a leading global supplier of energy and paper products. There is generally a three-year gap between felling and replanting trees, but sooner is always better than later, explained Antti: “If you
Maanrakennus Vanonen took delivery of a ZX110M-3 in April 2009 and it was being used to build ditches in a forest near Halmeniemi, 190 km north-east of Helsinki. In central Finland, O&J Salo has a ZX135USL-3 in use at a peat bog in Hirvaskangas, 120 km from Tampere. Maanrakennus Vanonen is co-owned by Antti
Vanonen and his father, and was established in 1963. Although it specialises in forestry, the company also works on small construction sites, for example preparing foundations for summer cottages.
“Our first Hitachi machine was a used
EX100M, which we bought from Rotator in 2004,” Antti said. “When my father started our company he used a backhoe loader to maintain ditches, which was hard work compared to working with Hitachi excavators. “The EX100M worked reliably for 6,000 hours, so we decided to buy another Hitachi model. We wanted the same kind of machine with similar capabilities. And the resale value for Hitachi models is relatively high in Finland.” The base ZX110M-3 machine was supplied from the HCME factory in Amsterdam. Rotator
The EX100M worked
reliably for 6,000 hours, so we decided to buy another Hitachi model – Antti Vanonen
and the top of the cab. “The machine has track support skis fitted in both sides of the track frame to enhance the durability of the undercarriage,” Janne added. “These also help to keep the tracks steady on uneven terrain.”
Since the ZX110M-3 was delivered in 2009, it has accumulated 1,740 working hours and impressed both Antti and his father. “It’s easy to handle and precise,” Antti said. “Compared to the previous Hitachi, it is also slightly faster and more powerful.” Speed is particularly important, considering
Maanrakennus Vanonen works mainly on a contract basis. In one day, working from 8am to 8pm, the ZX110M-3 not only digs sufficient
trenches in a 1,000 m² area, but also creates about 1,800 shallow holes in the 4,000 m² space, where the new trees will be planted. The machine requires two attachments for
strengthened the undercarriage and provided 900 mm wide tracks to ensure low ground pressure. The dealer also added xenon lights, hydraulics for the quick coupler, and additional protection on the side of the machine
wait too long before planting new trees, something else will grow in its place and weaken the new roots.” The ZX135USL-3 may be Olavi Salo’s first Hitachi Zaxis machine, but he has a long history with dealer Rotator and Hitachi. He bought his first crawler excavator from Janne’s grandfather in 1976 and purchased his first Hitachi model in 1995. Since then, he has owned an additional three Hitachi machines, including an EX100M, which he ordered in 1998 and still operates today.
“I need at least two machines, in case one gets stuck and needs to be pulled out by the other,” he says, referring to the soft ground in the Hirvaskangas peat bog. The total production area is about 400 ha, with peat depths of up to 4 m. Olavi has been working here full-time since 1986 and is a sub- contractor for Vapo, the world’s leading peat supplier. His work involves gathering the peat and wood from the area, before the two materials are mixed together to create fuel. “The fuel consists of 90% peat and 10%
wood chips,” Olavi said. Around 150,000 m³ of peat are produced at this site annually. “It
varies from 50,000-200,000 m³ depending on the weather,” he Olavi. “If it’s a rainy summer, production falls because the peat has to be dried before it can be harvested.” The majority of the peat is transported by
road to power plants in Tampere, which supply homes in the city. It is also transported to other cities in western Finland, such as Pori and Seinäjoki, where it is used for industrial and
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 | International Forest Industries 53
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