October 2001 Volume 26, Number 8
October 2001 Volume 26, Number 8
In the lumber manufacturing business, leaders are constantly seeking opportunities to make incremental changes in their businesses to improve performance levels. New technology is one of the most widely used primary methods to achieve process improvement, and most lumber manufacturers have at least one eye focused on the latest technology that may help them "raise the bar" in their organizations.
At times the availability of new technology to take advantage of the opportunities that may be present doesn't exist, and that's when real leadership has to step up and make it 
come together. This is the case where two industry leaders, one a leading appearance-grade lumber manufacturer, and the other a leading technology provider, recently got together to bring new technology to hardwood sawing.
In September 1995, Inovec, a leading manufacturer of optimization systems based in Oregon, and Northwest Hardwoods, a hardwood lumber manufacturing subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Co., expanded their already successful working relationship and entered into a new phase of cooperation destined to reinvent headrig carriage scanning systems.
Northwest Hardwoods was already a major user of Inovec's YieldMaster light-curtain scanning systems on its headrig carriages, with seven systems installed nationwide. However, Rob Taylor, President of Weyerhaeuser's Appearance Wood Group, and Jerry Martin, Northwest Hardwoods Vice President of Alder Operations, recognized the opportunity that improved scanning technology could provide for processing alder logs in their West Coast operations.
"The existing headrig carriage scanners produced a variation in the opening face accuracy, due to the limitations of the light curtain scanner technology," according to Martin. "We knew that if we could produce more consistent opening faces, the potential yield in terms of volume and value could be huge."
Inovec's vision was to develop 3-dimensional, high-speed carriage scanning technology to produce a 3-dimensional "map" of the log's surface. If successful, Inovec had an opportunity to upgrade the hundreds of headrig carriage systems it had already installed with light curtain scanners around the world. What Inovec needed was a test bed, and the opportunity to work with a customer who would be able to derive maximum value from the new technology, and who would be willing to help work out the wrinkles to get the maximum benefit. When this vision was shared with Northwest Hardwoods, the opportunities for each company seemed to line up.
Encouraged by the interest shown by Northwest Hardwoods, Inovec initiated the project to research 3D scanning, and develop a system that would provide new performance levels in opening face control, taper orientation, and higher production speeds.
After reviewing different possible approaches, Inovec decided to rely on its long-term relationship with LMI/DynaVision, of Delta, BC, who is known for accurate, high-reliability scanning devices for the wood products industry and with whom Inovec already had a strong working relationship. LMI jumped at the opportunity, and the StereoScan project was born.
Inovec's requirement for a high-accuracy scanner at long range, operating in the environment of a carriage headrig was met with enthusiasm by LMI. After studying the application requirements provided by Inovec, LMI proposed the development of a long-range version of its already successful multi-laser scan heads which had been developed for edger and trimmer scanning applications.
LMI chose to use only solid-state components for maximum reliability, fiber optic interface for the highest possible speeds, and a dual camera arrangement for increased data integrity.
Northwest Hardwoods backed up its initial enthusiasm by placing an order for the new scanner technology and agreed to assist with development of operational specifications. Northwest Hardwoods provided a beta test site at its Eugene, Ore. sawmill, which due to its proximity to Inovec's facility was a perfect fit for the integration testing that would follow.
the story continues...
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(c) 2001 Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., used by permission.