SCANNING & OPTIMISATION – On the frontline It was a first mandate carried
out in western red cedar and for TMI, but according to the sawmiller’s Vice President Operations, Mike Pederson, it will not be the last: “In the future, it will be difficult for us to plan a project without the Comact team. They are people who promise less and deliver more. ”
M
eanwhile back on Canadian soil, Comact received an
emergency call to recondition and revitalise equipment unused for more than two years. Canfor wished to revive a 1990s mill and bring it up to not just modern, but cutting edge standards. To accomplish this, the complete site was transformed from a plant producing 6 m (20 ft) product to a plant having the capacity to produce mainly 3.6 m (12 ft) product, with the possibility of going up to 4 m for the Asian market.
In itself, the task was difficult, but a tight schedule complicated the project – the December 2009 purchase order specified a May 2010 start-up.
Finding the solution To offer a first class solution, Comact had to tackle the problem on several fronts. First, at the Chetwynd sawmill, Comact installed edger optimisers as well as a complete optimised trimmer
Comact was given a tight timeline in which to complete a full
technology upgrade at the Chetwynd mill
line operating at more than 160 boards/minute.
Then, the old log sorters were
replaced by five new Wave Feeders. In the planermill, the end of the line was replaced entirely, from planer outfeed belts to package outfeed. Only a minor amount of equipment was re- used. “The addition of a GradExpert
gives this mill an unquestionable competitive advantage through its capacity to be operated at high-
speed over multiple shifts without requiring qualified graders,” Comact said. “It can also easily meet customer’s special requirements with a consistency not achievable by human graders.”
The upshot In just over four months, Canfor was equipped with a fully functioning production line, with cutting edge equipment including Comact vision systems. Today, Canfor operates a powerful plant with state-of-the-art technology, which produces more finished wood from the same raw material. The company increased production, recovery and percentage of premium product. It reduced its manpower requirements and lowered its production costs by a significant degree. It also has a better capacity to meet exactly the needs of its customers, in quality as well as in quantity. “In record time, more than 25 technicians in mechanics, control and optimisation performed their magic on-site at Chetwynd, contributing to a successful start-up.” IFI
Comact’s industry-leading GradExpert scanning unit 16 International Forest Industries | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
In record time, more than 25 technicians in mechanics, control and optimisation performed their magic on-site at Chetwynd, contributing to a successful start-up – Comact
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