Ponsse sets industry standards in mechanised tree harvesting
When forest machine entrepreneur Einari Vidgren could not find logging machines that measured up to his standards, he created his own under the Ponsse brand. After almost 45 years, the company today maintains the passion for creating some of the best mechanised heavy equipment for cut-to-length (CTL) logging. As opposed to transporting whole trees to sawmills, CTL is a highly mechanical and efficient harvesting method that cuts the trees on site into specific order sizes.
When forest machine entrepreneur Einari Vidgren could not find logging machines that measured up to his standards, he created his own under the Ponsse brand. After almost 45 years, the company today maintains the passion for creating some of the best mechanised heavy equipment for cut-to-length (CTL) logging. As opposed to transporting whole trees to sawmills, CTL is a highly mechanical and efficient harvesting method that cuts the trees on site into specific order sizes.
"Unlike other companies, we focus 100 per cent on forest machines in the CTL segment," says Dr Juho Nummela, president and CEO. "We've been developing this technological capability for decades to create the best machines in the world straight from Finland."
Last August, Ponsse launched the PONSSE Scorpion harvester. Using its 11-metre boom, the machine's harvester head clutches trees and cuts them into specified order sizes at 7 metres per second. Designed and produced by Ponsse, the harvester has an on-board computer that feeds the machine with order sizes derived from the office in real time. This year, the company will start producing its Ponsse 2015 series featuring further improvements in ergonomics, productivity and serviceability.
"We're not only investing heavily in product technology but also in service concepts," Nummela says. "Providing customers the best holistic solution is ingrained in our corporate culture."
Ponsse provides comprehensive after-sales service in all its markets comprising Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. To help scale up the labour force in these areas, the company implements rigorous training programmes for machine operators, mechanics and other forestry professionals.
This is especially true in China, where Ponsse hopes to share the significant benefits of CTL logging to operational efficiency and the environment. The company started with this endeavour on the mainland through its partnership with Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso in Beihai in 2007.
http://www.ponsse.com
