(UPM, Helsinki, 10 May 2017 at 12:00 EET) – UPM's Finnish mills use around 19 million cubic metres of wood as raw material for manufacturing pulp, paper, sawn timber and plywood. Making use of production sidestreams is very important to UPM's material efficiency, and for instance the woodchips produced at sawmills and plywood mills are used as raw material at pulp and paper mills. The effective management of major material streams requires developing new solutions and approaches. One of the solutions being tested by UPM is the use of High Capacity Transport (HCT) trucks, which are being developed in collaboration with transport contractors, Finnish authorities, researchers and manufacturers. The goal is to make operations efficient, safe and environmentally friendly.
"The Orpe Kuljetus Oy HCT timber truck has been transporting logs and pulpwood between our mills in the vicinity of Lake Saimaa since October 2014," says Janne Kukkura, Specialist, Development from UPM. "The idea of this solution is that we can first transport all types of wood from the nearby area to our local mill's wood yard and then use the HCT truck to take the logs to the mill that uses them. This reduces traffic on the small roads. The solution also reduces traffic on main roads, as the HCT combination used by Orpe can transport four bundles of roundwood instead of three."
"During the past two and a half years peroid, Orpe's HCT combination has reduced traffic on main roads by more than 750 vehicles. This means that there has been on average one combination vehicle fewer on the roads on each working day," Kukkura continues. "The CO2 emissions per unit of transported cargo have also been significantly reduced."
Chip transport in focus
The first HCT truck transporting woodchips was taken into test use in February 2017. The maximum total weight of the loaded truck driven by Kuljetusliike Huhtala is 100 tonnes. The truck delivers sawmill chips from the UPM Seikku sawmill in Pori to the UPM Rauma paper mill. The maximum total weight of a regular combination truck in Finland is 76 tonnes.
In Eastern Finland, a HCT truck began transporting spruce chips from the UPM Pellos plywood mills at the end of April. This truck is driven by Kuljetusliike Wickström, and the maximum weight of the loaded vehicle is 85 tonnes. The chips are transported from Pellosniemi to the UPM Kaukas mills in Lappeenranta or the Kymi mills in Kouvola to be used as raw material for new products.
"We have been transporting chips from the Pellos mills to the Kaukas and Kymi mills for years," says Managing Director Jorma Wickström from Kuljetusliike Wickström. "Our drivers are professionals and know the route. Just under nine metres of additional length and nine tonnes of additional weight have not caused any problems as our drivers are used to heavy-duty vehicles. All our HCT drivers have also been familiarised with the technical properties of the new combination, and they have test-driven the truck in an enclosed area before going on the roads."
"In addition to the HCT chip trucks driven by Wickström and Huhtala, a HCT combination driven by Koneurakointi Sammalisto will also begin transporting sawmill chips later this year. The truck will transport chips from the UPM Korkeakoski sawmill in Juupajoki to the Kymi mills and the Rauma paper mill," Kukkura says.
Developing transport technology is an essential part of HCT projects. Lappeenranta University of Technology and the manufacturers of the HCT combinations suitable for chip transport are currently carrying out research on the body structures of HCT vehicles and optimising the manufacturing process. They have received funding for the project from Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation. The research project includes regular monitoring of vehicle performance, fuel consumption and many other factors.
The HCT projects in which UPM and its transport contractors are involved are part of a larger research project coordinated by Metsäteho Oy, a limited company owned by the leading forest industry organisations and companies of Finland. There are currently seven HCT combinations on the road as a result of this project. Since 2013, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi has granted temporary special permits for 27 HCT vehicles.
For further information please contact:
Janne Kukkura, Specialist, Development, UPM, tel. +358 40 768 3222
Read also
Watch the video Testing the timber truck of the future
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Through the renewing of the bio and forest industries, UPM is building a sustainable future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Speciality Papers, UPM Paper ENA and UPM Plywood. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. We serve our customers worldwide. The group employs around 19,300 people and its annual sales are approximately EUR 10 billion. UPM shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. UPM — The Biofore Company — www.upm.com
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