28 | Country Focus: France
SUMMARY
■ Ducerf has invested €2.7m on a new debarking line
■The productivity gain is estimated at around 10%
■The line can process logs up to 1.1m in diameter
DUCERF INVESTS IN DEBARKING
The French hardwood specialist says its latest mill upgrade boosts product quality and improves environmental performance and operator safety. Mike Jeffree reports
As part of an ongoing “comprehensive industrial modernisation programme” worth €50m, French hardwood specialist Ducerf has invested €2.7m on a new debarking line. The development at the company’s
Vendenesse-lès-Charolles plant is backed with support from France’s 2030 industrial development strategy through its SCB Wood Construction Systems programme. The new technology, says Ducerf, is “designed to strengthen industrial performance while integrating environmental and human challenges”. It is capable of processing logs up to 1.1m in diameter and according to the company will streamline production flows at the mill, improve debarking quality and drastically reduce maintenance requirements. At the same time, it is designed to also improve operator working conditions and enhance the site’s environmental impact.
Conceived as the backbone of the sawmill, the new debarking line plays a central role in the modernisation of Ducerf’s log yard and site organisation.
“The old debarking line was over 20 years old. It was time to invest in a more efficient tool, capable of supporting our increased capacity and market expectations,” said Jean-Marie Ducerf, deputy director of Ducerf Group. “The investment project has taken up the time of 12 people for more than six months. It’s important for us and fully aligned with our modernisation strategy. It allows us to gain fluidity, increase our production capacity and better meet our customers’ needs. We estimate the productivity gain at around 10%.”
Thanks to its tenfold improvement in storage capacity – going from six to 60 bundles stored on the decks – once the decks are loaded, the log yard forklift operator
can then focus on other tasks. Automated pacing allows logs to be distributed according to destination at the mill and guarantees continuous feeding of each sawmill station. “The entire site thus gains in fluidity and responsiveness,” says Ducerf. “Additionally, the ability of the line to process logs up to 1.1m in diameter, compared to 80-90cm previously, expands production capabilities.”
Another technical advance is the integration of a butt reducer, which corrects the flared bases of trunks to obtain straighter and more cylindrical wood. This limits waste in the sawmill, helping avoid unnecessary sawing. It also improves stacking of wood in dryers and on trucks. “The result is more space, less energy consumed, and consistent quality,” said Ducerf. Where the old debarker required regular corrective maintenance due to recurring breakdowns, the new system is designed to require just occasional greasing and preventive maintenance, allowing production to run continuously. “We have clearly gained productivity and, since we no longer have to intervene on debarking, we can focus on other sawmill installations, like the dryers,” said Florian Anamoutou, Ducerf Group maintenance technician. “And the wood arrives cleaner, straighter, the boards are better machined, better stacked. Everything is more fluid right to the factory exit.”
Above left: Ducerf’s debarking line Above right: Debarked boules TTJ | July/August 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
The control cabin, he added is soundproofed and air-conditioned to guarantee a more comfortable working environment, summer and winter. For operators, the design means “less noise, less stress, and optimal visibility of operations”.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85
