August 2005        Volume 11, Number 08

Missouri Company Adds Optimization

By Diane Calabrese
Contributing Author

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Performance and results are only two parts of a three-part equation, though. Roger said the third part is also in place -- service. "When it comes to service," he explained, "INOVEC will walk their talk."

Altenburg has put INOVEC's staff to the test more than once. "We start at six o'clock in the morning," said Roger. "If we call them, they'll be on top of it," even though it's four o'clock in the morning on the West Coast, where INOVEC is headquartered in Eugene, Ore.

The INOVEC G3 software became available in 2004. It emphasizes intuitive interaction of the user interface, which relies on a Windows^TM XP operating system with a heavy emphasis on Internet connectivity and compatibility.

View of the in-feed of the TMT edger. The edging process is controlled with the INOVEC WaneMaster G3 optimization system.

The open connectivity of the INOVEC G3 software facilitates communication, whether it is between the head rig and edger or across the Internet. The concept that drives the development and application of the INOVEC G3 software is plug-and-play. In other words, make the software so easy to use that deploying it is like plugging in a tried-and-true appliance. And make the software play anywhere -- across the mill, or across mills at different locations, and so on.

Besides focusing on the software side of optimization, INOVEC makes certain that all the related equipment supports the process. Powerful computer hardware is supplemented with strong, stabilizing components on the saw line. The INOVEC YieldMaster StereoScan hardwood head rig carriage optimizer and 3-D log scanner scans 60 times per second and is supported by linear positioning designed for accuracy and tapering control. Linear positioners for an incoming log are ruggedly made with welded trunion and precision self-aligning rod eye mounting. High-speed servo-proportional valves are standard, and shock-absorbing features are in place. Temposonics^TM linear transducers contribute to accuracy.

Timber Machine Technologies has put its optimized two-saw, three-saw and four-saw edgers in hardwood and softwood mills across the country. Headquartered in Tualatin, Ore., TMT also offers chipping edger systems and chipping systems, curve sawing gang systems, custom-built machinery and parts and conversions. TMT has a collective track record of more than 100 years in the wood products industry.

The TMT edger installation and its results were a collaborative effort not only with INOVEC but also Altenburg, noted TMT's Greg Smith. "Kevin and Roger were really good to work with on the project," said Greg. "Kevin was the key to really making it a successful start-up. We really look forward to working with them again."

Roger cited the employees at Altenburg Hardwood Lumber for what the company has been able to achieve. "We've got a workforce that is second to none," he said. "When we travel, what we hear from others is 'labor problems.' We just stay mum. Even after a long holiday weekend," the first return shift will have a full complement of workers.

Neither Roger nor Kevin comes from a family with roots in the wood products industry. "I started out in northern Indiana in the mid-to-late 70s as a log hauler," said Roger. Eventually he got into log procurement.

Kevin has also been in the industry some 30 years. During high school he began working nights in a pallet mill. The pallet operation sent him to school to learn how to be a saw filer. He spent most of his career as a filer until he was named production manager a few years ago. Altenburg has two good filers, said Kevin, who still misses the work.

Both Roger and Kevin enjoy the camaraderie of the wood products sphere. "The people in this industry are pretty fantastic," said Roger. They are "down-to-earth, good people," Kevin added.

In his spare time, Roger plays some golf; he lives on a golf course. Kevin is a musician. "I play music on the side, guitar -- country to rock," said Kevin.

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