August 2005        Volume 11, Number 08

Missouri Company Adds Optimization

By Diane Calabrese
Contributing Author

ALTENBURG, Missouri -- Optimization has been so enthusiastically accepted at Altenburg Hardwood Lumber Co. that Roger Moser, vice president, would not dare joke to employees about reclaiming the past.

"If I was to tell them they were going to have to go back to the old way, they'd probably leave," he said.

In the summer of 2004, Altenburg Hardwood Lumber added an INOVEC YieldMaster^TM StereoScan ^TM hardwood head rig carriage optimizer and 3-D log scanner for its head rig, a Filer-Stowell 7-foot slant bandmill. By December 2004, Altenburg also had added an INOVEC WaneMaster G3^TM edger optimizer to its new TMT (Timber Machine Technologies) 3-saw conventional edger.

Flitches move from right to left under INOVEC edger optimizer prior to entering the Timber Machine Technologies (TMT) three-saw edger, visible in top left of photo.

Both optimization systems were selected after thorough research. Roger, in collaboration with Kevin Engert, production manager at Altenburg, wanted to see what other mills were doing and learn about their experience. They wanted firsthand comments from people at other mills.

"We've looked at -- at least -- 15 other installations," said Roger. "We did a lot of traveling, to the East Coast" as well as in the Midwest.

They also researched optimization technology from the vendor side. "We looked at every company that had a 3-D scanner," said Roger. The two men got to know the personnel at various supplying companies and had an opportunity to assess the people who would be servicing the supplier's system. The goal was to get to know as much as possible about what actually happens in the mill when a system is in place and to find out how vendors handle both service and installation.

When the Altenburg mill was ready to upgrade its edger and to optimize it at the same time, Roger and Kevin embarked on another round of mill visits. "We did the exact same thing with the WaneMaster G3," said Roger.

Altenburg made a quick transition to both new systems. "For the StereoScan, it was not long at all," said Kevin. "We have a very capable sawyer," added Roger, and he learned the new system quickly.

Results were noted almost immediately. "The StereoScan is much faster," said Kevin.

The sawyers at Altenburg already had some experience with scanning. "We replaced a light-bar scanner" on the head rig, explained Roger.

Employees also adapted rapidly to the TMT 3-saw conventional edger with the INOVEC WaneMaster G3 (transverse) edger optimizer, according to Roger. The installation of the TMT with INOVEC WaneMaster G3 was tricky because of the limited space that was available in the mill. However, the layout challenge was solved by TMT and INOVEC personnel, who worked together closely on the project.

"INOVEC and TMT, they both had people here," said Roger. "The engineering people from both helped get the edger into the space. That was key."

The introduction of the TMT edger brought some real changes to the mill. "We went from a total manual system to an automated one," Roger noted.

For Roger, the safety of the TMT edger was a huge selling point. Paired with the INOVEC WaneMaster G3 edger optimizer, the new TMT edger is even more efficient than the Altenburg staff expected.

With a manual edger system, the operator's role is to ensure that lumber entering the machine is fed straight. With the TMT automated edger, there is very little for the operator to do. "When we put this in, we thought the operator would be overriding a lot of decisions" of the optimization system, said Roger, but they do not need to.

the story continues...

(c) Copyright 2005, Industrial Reporting, Inc., reproduced here by permission. This article may not be reproduced without written consent of Industrial Reporting, Inc. 10244 Timber Ridge Rd. Ashland, VA 23005 Phone: (804) 550-0323 or FAX (804) 740-2826.