46 | Sector Focus: Handling & Storage
SUMMARY
■ Dindas Australia is using Baumann trucks to handle JJI-Joists
■ Engineered timber creates new handling complexities
■ Loads define the material handling system
Handling JJI-Joists
■ The Baumann Online remote monitoring system captures operational data
UNDERSTANDING THE LOAD
Why engineered timber is changing the way materials are handled, says Tony Benson, global marketing manager at Baumann Sideloaders
In timber handling, conversations often begin with the machine. Lift capacity, aisle width and attachment choice typically dominate discussions around materials handling equipment. But as timber products continue to evolve, particularly with the growth of engineered wood systems, many operations are beginning to discover that the real starting point lies elsewhere. Not with the machine, but with the load itself. For Riccardo Bove, this distinction matters. As managing and technical director at sideloader specialists Baumann, he knows well that in long load applications, handling challenges are rarely defined by the truck alone. They are defined by the behaviour, geometry and structure of the material being moved. “In industries such as timber and steel, materials are not created with handling in mind,” says Bove. “They are shaped by structural or production requirements, with handling treated as a secondary consideration. That becomes particularly clear when comparing raw timber with modern engineered products.”
TTJ | Summer 2026 |
www.ttjonline.com
FROM FORESTS TO ENGINEERED SYSTEMS In its raw form, timber is unpredictable. A tree trunk is naturally tapered, irregular and difficult to balance consistently. While purpose-built forestry equipment has long addressed these challenges, conventional forklifts have never been ideally suited to handling raw logs safely. “We don’t generally transport logs,” said Mr Bove. “If you can’t find the centre of gravity, you don’t know where it will tip.” The timber industry solved much of this problem through processing and standardisation. Timber became boards, packs, beams and structural sections. More recently, engineered products such as LVL, glulam and laminated timber systems have pushed this transformation even further. Companies such as Dindas Australia specialise in engineered structural timber products designed for long spans, dimensional consistency and high- performance construction applications. These systems allow architects and builders
to create larger, stronger and more efficient timber structures than would ever be possible using raw timber alone.
The shift towards engineered timber is also changing logistics beyond the sawmill itself. James Jones & Sons’ JJI-Joists, developed in the UK for modern timber construction systems, are now distributed into Australia through Dindas, where long engineered sections move constantly through storage, production and dispatch environments. As engineered timber products become increasingly international, the demands placed on handling systems are also evolving. Longer spans, higher-value loads and denser storage environments are placing greater emphasis on stability, visibility and predictable load control throughout the supply chain.
But while engineered timber creates more precise and consistent products, it also introduces new handling complexities. Long structural beams, laminated sections and oversized timber packs behave very differently to standard palletised loads.
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