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Bygdsiljums Sawmill invests in batch kilns from Swedish Valutec
To increase quality yield and gain greater flexibility in production, Holmen, one of Scandinavia's leading sawmill groups, has chosen to rebuild its drying fleet at its sawmill in Bygdsiljum, Sweden. An older continuous kiln is being "retired" and replaced with four state-of-the-art batch kilns from Swedish Valutec.
– It is an honor that Holmen has chosen us again. We have had a very good collaboration for many years, says Joakim Berglund, Sales Manager at Valutec.
Holmen's sawmill in Bygdsiljum has been producing glulam since the mid-1960s and is today one of the largest producers in the Nordic region. In addition to glulam, it also manufactures CLT and produces sawn timber.
In addition to a TC continuous kiln and three FB continuous kilns, Bygdsiljums Sawmill already has nine batch kilns from Valutec. The four that are now being invested in are very similar. The only difference is that the new ones are a little wider to make loading and unloading easier. Otherwise, they are actually copies of the nine existing chamber dryers that Holmen is happy with. Getting 13 identical chamber dryers is an advantage for production planning because it means great flexibility and ease in optimizing the drying programs when you have the same conditions in the dryers. This makes the drying process predictable and repetitive.
– The fact that we have extensive experience of projects together with Valutec was a big advantage when choosing a supplier. It will be predictable projects where timelines are keept, which is a security and you never need to worry. Valutec is a professional supplier in all aspects, says Andreas Jonsson, production manager for sawn timber, Bygdsiljums Sågverk, Sweden and continues:
– We want to take care of the raw material in the best way. The trees that we saw were planted, cleared and thinned by our ancestors. When we bring the timber into production, our driving force is to refine it in the best way to extract the highest value. Therefore, we want to make sure that we have wood dryers that make this possible. We want it to be easy to do it right, quite simply, says Andreas.
In connection with the investment, Bygdsiljums Sågverk is also upgrading to the latest Valmatics control system, “Valmatics 4.0”, for all kilns at the sawmill. Having the same contro system for the entire drying fleet will make it easier for the drying operators.
– Bygdsiljums Sågverk has long been one of our partner sawmills where we have had the opportunity to test and develop new drying solutions, says Joakim Berglund, Sales Manager at Valutec. It is an important part of the collaboration that contributes to our continued development work. It is valuable and is completely in line with our desire to increase the use of sustainably produced wood products.
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