This story is probably timely considering recent announcements on encouraging more electric vehicles onto our roads. While a single computer used to take up a whole room, now they comfortably fit inside your backpack to be easily carried around. From computers to mobile phones, developments in modern technology mean everything has got smaller. But the “eDumper” is a very different …
Bigger T-WINCH coming….with NZ in mind
The T-WINCH traction assist machine was unveiled to local logging contractors at the HarvestTECH 2019 event in New Zealand few weeks ago. With the first cab-free T-WINCH machine already working in New Zealand, a new and larger model has just been developed which should be well suited to markets like ours. A forestry operation north of Gisborne has been operating …
Gym in a truck concept unveiled
At a global launch of its S-Way range truck cabins, IVECO has unveiled the Fit Cab concept designed to incorporate exercise and gym equipment under a healthier push to help long distance drivers, a group long associated with an ordained, sedentary lifestyle. Upcoming workshops for the concept were tested as part of a research project coinciding with the European Truck …
Hi-tech shirt for forestry workers
A shirt with built-in sensors could help reduce fatalities in New Zealand’s forestry industry. Researchers at the University of Waikato are developing a hi-tech way to keep forestry workers safe on the job, with a ‘smart shirt’ the leading contender. Using sensors on the front of the shirt to monitor heart-rate variability and others on the back to measure perspiration, …
Tree seedling deliveries by drone tested
David Herries from Interpine was able to open the minds of many of the harvesting contractors and forest managers who attended the HarvestTECH 2019 event a couple of weeks ago. The opportunities of using drones operationally in a raft of forestry activities was outlined to those attending. Already in New Zealand, some 118 foresters have successfully gone through the Interpine …
Falling log prices impact on woodlot harvesting
In-market prices for logs in China – New Zealand’s largest export market – have fallen in recent weeks and ANZ Bank warns the drop will make the harvest of some woodlots unprofitable. While some price softening is not unusual at this time of year as construction activity slows in the hot months, “the scale of the correction was unexpected,” said …
Contractors encouraged to access support
The Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) and Forest Owners Association (FOA) are encouraging New Zealand contractors to access support early during the logging downturn. The price drop has been felt across the industry in recent weeks. FOA President Peter Weir says “Woodlot owners and managers are highly likely to reduce or cease log harvesting in the short term in response …
Fatigue management guidelines released
The Logging Investigation and Training Association (LITA) has released guidelines for developing and implementing a fatigue management policy for the forestry industry. The material aims to assist forestry industry participants to identify, assess and manage the risks associated with fatigue. The guidance material offers a structured approach to the development of a fatigue risk management system including a fatigue policy, …
Truck platooning: New trials on the way!
Encouraged by what they learned during last year’s test campaign, FPInnovations and its partners plan to continue evaluating cooperative truck platooning technology in the coming months. This year’s goals are more ambitious. Researchers, in addition to confirming developments in the technology since last year, will be focusing on steering control in the following trucks. The data collected will be used …
World-first robotic logging truck scalers
The world’s first two automated logging truck scalers, commissioned by Mount Maunganui-based ISO Limited, are now scanning logs at Port of Tauranga, New Zealand. The Robotic Scaling Machines (RSM) give a faster, safer and more accurate measure of logs on the trucks and trailers than the manual process. Tauranga-based agritech company Robotics Plus designed and built the automatic logging truck …
Paige picking up top forestry award
Paige Harland was born to be in the bush. Miss Harland (21) comes from a Southland family who have sap in their blood over three generations. Named apprentice of the year at the recent 2019 Southern Wood Council Forestry Awards, she works for Harland Brothers Logging. The business was established by her grandfather and great-uncle, later taken over by her …
HarvestTECH 2019 Sold Out
HarvestTECH 2019 has officially sold out. This two-yearly harvesting event also sold out in both the 2015 and 2017 events. Close to 450 logging contractors, forestry managers, forest owners, harvest planners and equipment suppliers will meet next month in Rotorua, New Zealand. This is truly an international gathering. The New Zealanders will be joined by large contingents from Australia and Canada …
Connected C-me vest enhances driver safety
Truck driver safety takes big steps forward with the introduction of the technology laden safety vest. The Scania C-me vest is a connected safety vest that features automatic lighting when exiting the cab. If the driver falls while outside the truck and becomes inactive a sensor in the Scania C-me will trigger a call for help. Final verification tests are …
Featured Sponsor: Onsite Hydraulic Hose Repair & Maintenance
Do you ever ask yourself “Where does the time go?” How can I create more time to achieve tasks or spend more time with friends & family? At BOA we believe we have a solution which helps loggers “turn wasted time into profit”. We’re focused on solving the problem of large hydraulic repair bills, expensive hose and fittings, and most …
Featured Sponsor: Applied Teleoperation
Applied Teleoperation Limited (ATL) was established with the goal to apply teleoperation and vision systems to improve safety and productivity in the forestry industry. ATL is dedicated to delivering practical solutions for loggers. We provide a number of products as well as custom solutions to meet each Customer’s needs. ATL’s products include the CutoverCam, Teleoperated Anchor Machine (TAM), WinchEye and Full Teleoperation …
Featured Sponsor: McFall Fuel
McFall Fuel is a committed & dedicated family fuel & lubricant distribution business. McFall Fuel has developed great relationships with people at all levels of the forestry industry. We are a family business who take great pride in our exceptional customer service, the quality products we offer, and our ability to meet the needs of the sector. As a fuel …
Caterpillar selling purpose-built forestry business
In August 2018 Caterpillar Inc. announced plans to sell its forestry business to Weiler Forestry Inc. Caterpillar and Weiler have now entered into a definitive agreement to sell Cat’s purpose-built forestry business. The deal will close in Q3 2019. In November last year, Gough Cat announced that they’d entered into an agreement with United States company Weiler Incorporated to distribute …
Meeting the workforce needs of American loggers
American Loggers Council welcomes launch of Future Logging Careers Act, saying allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to work in mechanized logging operations under parental supervision will help meet future workforce needs while supporting small family businesses The American Loggers Council (ALC) has applauded the introduction of the bipartisan Future Logging Careers Act in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. …
Results from latest Forest Contractors Business Review
The Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology has recently completed another update of their New Zealand Forestry Contractors Business Review. The results are summarised below and a copy of their latest full report is attached. This review represents the views of more than 115 contractor crews from all regions in New Zealand. Of these, 24 per cent state the risk of …
Minimising stem breakage on steeper slopes
There’s nothing more frustrating than watching an impressive 35-m tall Radiata pine topple to the ground and then shatter into two or more pieces. That stem has now not only lost a chunk of its value, it has also become harder to get those fractured pieces back up to the landing or skid site, compared to a wholly intact tree. …
Competenz calls for forestry industry feedback
The New Zealand government’s proposal to reform vocational education could undermine the success of training and apprenticeships at a time of critical skills shortages in forestry, says industry training organisation (ITO) Competenz. Chief executive Fiona Kingsford is encouraging the forestry industry to this week provide feedback on the plan, which includes replacing all 16 polytechs with a new national organisation …
CNI company establishes all-female forestry crew
A group of New Zealand women have found employment together in an unlikely industry as new figures show job advertisements in the Bay of Plenty are soaring. CNI Logging has been working with 18 women as part of a process to choose an 11-strong, all-female team to work in silviculture. Health and safety recruitment officer Joe Taute said he believed …
Support key to success forestry training programme
Nearly a year after its official launch, New Zealand’s Eastland Wood Council-driven Generation Programme is proving its worth in multiple ways. Launched in April last year the programme had its first intake of 14 trainees in October, with most of those now gainfully employed within the industry. The programme is now accepting enrolments for its second intake. Generation Programme manager …
Tigercat unveils largest machine in forestry line-up
Tigercat continues to set the bar high with the introduction of the new 890 logger – the largest machine in the Tigercat forestry equipment line-up – a heavy duty, purpose-built forestry carrier that can be configured for loading, shovel logging or processing. Weighing 47 900 kg (105,600 lb), the Tigercat 890 is the largest, highest capacity machine in Tigercat’s purpose …
Distractions slow your reactions campaign underway
Forestry Corporation of NSW kicked off 2019 with a series of safety campaigns and workshops to put safety first after the holiday break. The Safe Start campaign was targeted at forestry drivers, operators and staff to help everyone make the transition back to work. The campaign focused on two key driver risks – fatigue and distractions, said Forestry Corporation Haulage …
Komatsu buys forestry machine manufacturer
Komatsu America Corp. a leading global heavy equipment manufacturer, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TimberPro, Inc. The acquisition is expected to close on April 1st 2019, subject to completion of the closing conditions. Established in 2002, TimberPro is a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of purpose-built forest machines and attachments, offering tracked feller bunchers and harvesters, forwarders, …
Report out on new excavator-based yarder
Smaller scale forest owners in New Zealand (those owning less than 1000 hectares) made up 30% of the national plantation forest estate in 2017 (MPI, 2017). Recent forecasts indicate that the potential harvest volumes available from these small-scale owners’ forests could increase from 8 million cubic metres per year to around 15 million cubic metres per year from 2020 through …
Health and fitness pay off for forestry truckers
A healthy and safe crew is a happy crew. Warwick Wilshier knows that all too well through the extra measures he has put in place to benefit drivers at his logging truck companies Williams and Wilshier and Pacific Haulage. Starting work an hour later on Mondays and an annual three-month fitness programme called Lose Your Load have proved hugely successful. …
John Deere appoints AFGRI in Western Australia
As outlined in an earlier release a couple of weeks ago, John Deere Construction & Forestry and Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) Pty Ltd had announced they were ending a successful 29-year distribution arrangement of Deere branded and manufactured construction, forestry, and compact machinery in Australia. In line with this change, AFGRI Equipment has been appointed by John Deere to distribute …
Scania and Rio Tinto trial autonomous truck
Commercial vehicle manufacturer, Scania, is testing a new generation autonomous transport system at Rio Tinto’s Dampier Salt operations in Western Australia. The first phase of the trial started August 2018, involving a Scania XT 8×4 autonomous tipper working separately from Dampier’s active operations. During this initial stage, a safety driver reportedly rides in the vehicle to observe the truck’s performance …
Dyneema rope testing for load restraint
A recent project undertook load restraint testing to ascertain the engineering qualities of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE e.g. Dyneema®) rope as an effective mean of load restraint for industry and to continue to collect data to build on previous load restraint testing. The overall intent of the load restraint testing was to refine existing load restraint methods to improve …
Why LEAN? Lessons from a NZ logging contractor
If you have a business that is experiencing the following ‘symptoms’ read on…… – Are your costs rising? – Are mistakes on the increase? – Are your efficiency levels unsatisfactory? – Are your profits evaporating? – Could the morale and culture of your people be better? The good news is that it’s all reversible, but the first step is to …
Early NZ logging – an added bonus for HarvestTECH 2019
In addition to the very latest in harvesting technology, new innovations and new operating practices that are making such a huge difference to New Zealand, Australian and North American harvesting contractors, an extra bonus for harvesting crews, harvest planners and forest managers has been added to the HarvestTECH 2019 event running in Rotorua on 26-27 June. The logging historian, Paul …
New Cat app delivers streamlined equipment data
Caterpillar launches the industry’s first mobile app designed to allow customers who spend their time in a truck, at the job site and on-the-go to take advantage of equipment telematics data. The new Cat® App delivers simplified, streamlined data directly to mobile devices, helping customers monitor machine location and health, react faster to fault codes and maximize uptime. The culmination …
Deere and Hitachi end Australian partnership
John Deere Construction & Forestry Company (Deere) and Hitachi Construction Machinery (Hitachi) have had a long and successful global partnership spanning multiple continents and product lines. This partnership has served both companies well and supported each company’s global growth over the multi-decade relationship. However, after 29 years of distribution Deere, Hitachi, and HCA have agreed to end the current distribution …
Fatigued log transport drivers and sleep apnoea
In December we were fortunate to get an update on the very popular work being delivered to log transport companies and their drivers up and down New Zealand. This is important initiative being led by the Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) in New Zealand. In the course of the meeting, LTSC’s Bruce Nairn made mention of the high levels of …
Generation Z – the key to meeting skills shortages
The last wood harvesting event ran two years ago in New Zealand. It was a sell-out. Same story two years before this in 2015. Over 450 met at both events in Rotorua, New Zealand. Both also saw the largest gathering of logging contractors, forestry managers, forest owners, suppliers and harvest planners ever seen in New Zealand. It wasn’t only the …
The attraction of operating multi-million-dollar machines
Scott Thomas is a young man with an exciting future. Aged just 21, he is currently working for Gamble Forest Harvesting in a fully mechanised 8-man hauler crew in Otago. Scott has found his passion, and that is driving big harvesting machines. I caught up with Scott in Flagstaff Forest, part of the City Forests estate high above Dunedin, during …
Logging in a living technology laboratory
A few years ago, American logger Eric Krume expressed some frustration that technology had not moved quickly enough to adapt to Pacific Northwest conditions and dynamics. A lot has changed since then. To address this, Eric constantly seeks technology with flexible solutions to suit the differing forest conditions his logging crews encounter from one setting to the next. His inventiveness …
HarvestTECH 2019 details now on line
Following on from the early announcement at the end of last year, full details of the two-yearly wood harvesting event, HarvestTECH 2019 have now been set in place and full details can now be found on the event website, www.harvesttech.events. The 2015 harvesting event, HarvestTECH was a SELL OUT. The 2017 event likewise sold out. Both at the time were …
New research collaboration on steep slope harvesting
Networking is an investment in business development and a recently published paper on tensile force monitoring in steep slope harvesting jointly written by Canada’s FPInnovations’ steep slope initiative (SSI) scientists and researchers at an Italian university exemplifies that golden rule. The seed for the collaboration was planted at the Forestry Mechanization (FORMEC) conference, held annually in Europe. Initial discussions at …
Harvesting operation’s completion celebrated
Rayonier Matariki Forests and Crew 21, from Maungawaru Logging this month celebrated the completion of an extremely challenging harvesting operation in Oponae Forest, New Zealand. Crew 21 has had to navigate steep terrain and unstable ground, manage unpredictable weather patterns and cope with flooding of the Waioeka Gorge over seven years of intense steep slope harvesting in Oponae Forest. Rayonier …
Gough Cat signs dealer agreement with US company
Gough Cat has announced this week an agreement with United States company Weiler Incorporated to distribute its forestry product line in New Zealand. Founded in 2000, Weiler has a long history of successfully manufacturing equipment distributed through the global Cat dealer network, says Gough Cat Executive General Manager Chris Heaton. “These products complement the Caterpillar forestry machines that Gough Cat …
Forestry truck platooning tested in Canada
FPInnovations and its partners took truck platooning research a giant step further and earned a spot in history by successfully road testing the emerging technology in the deep forests of Quebec in the first trial of its kind in Canada. The day-long trial in late October took place in Rivière-aux-Rats, Quebec and signals the beginning of a transformation of the …
Waratah Forestry Equipment celebrates 45 years
Waratah Forestry Equipment is proudly celebrating 45 years of innovation and serving customers in the forestry industry. Established in Tokoroa, New Zealand in 1973, the company transitioned to meet local loggers’ heavy-duty delimbing needs, creating a delimber-feller-buncher featuring a four-roller fixed head. Following that innovation, a red grapple processor for the Canadian markets marked the beginnings of the 600 Series …
Forestry apprentices growing the industry
In last week’s issue we asked for more good news stories to profile the industry, particularly to the younger generation. Attached is one supplied by Rayonier Matariki Forests. The company is stumping up tuition fees for its Southland contractors to train their apprentices in a bid to encourage school leavers to join the NZ forestry industry. Tuatapere brothers, Jackson and …
MOU for NZ and Canada on steep slope logging
FPInnovations, Canada has announced the renewal of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Forest Growers Research (FGR) of New Zealand to widen the scope of their information exchange in the area of steep slope harvesting, and to facilitate the international exchange of their combined research. FPInnovations and FGR are mutually interested in forest technology and will share expertise in cooperative …
Volvo’s self-driving Vera concept – with no cabin
Much is said about the emergence of autonomous cars on our streets, but enclosed areas like ports, factories and corporate campuses may well be where they are put to work first. With this in mind, Volvo has just announced a new electric vehicle concept built to tow loads around these kinds of environments all on their lonesome, so much so …
EOI to Present – HarvestTECH 2019
You know just how popular it was when last run in 2017. HarvestTECH 2017 SOLD OUT well in advance of the event even running. Over 450 harvesting and wood transport contractors, harvest planners, forest managers and equipment and tech providers met up at one place, Rotorua, New Zealand over a couple of days. It was the largest gathering yet seen …
Caterpillar announces plan to sell forestry business
Caterpillar, Inc. announced last Wednesday that it has entered into a preliminary agreement with Weiler, Inc. to sell the Cat purpose-built forestry business. The sale is subject to negotiation of a final agreement, the closing of which is expected by early 2019. Caterpillar will continue to provide forestry excavators designed for log loading, processing and other forestry applications, in addition …
Truck driving rates as most dangerous job
Truck drivers are in one of the unhealthiest and deadliest jobs in the country with a 13 times higher risk of dying at work than other Australians, a landmark study has found. The 12-year Monash University study of more than 120,000 insurance claims between 2004-2015 for work-related injury and disease found truck drivers were at higher risk of illness, psychological …
Einride reveals driverless all-electric logging truck
New start-up, Einride, recently participated as an exhibitor at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Future Lab, together with Roborace, Jetpack Aviation and others. The T-log was unveiled by Einride CEO Robert Falck and Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, who has hosted the festival at his estate since 1993. Showcasing the world’s first autonomous, all-electric logging truck, Einride was …