Södra chose Heinola to supply new Progressive kilns for the sawmill in Värö, Sweden. Heinola will deliver two 2-zone automatic HTC-type Progressive kilns with a total drying capacity of 60,000 m3/year to Södras sawmill in Värö.
The progressive kilns can dry 23 mm, 33 mm and 43 mm pine and spruce down to 12 % final moisture content, and are equipped with Heat Recovery Unit, pressure frames, high-pressure hot water spraying system HPHW, energy measurement per kiln and the very user-friendly Heinola Control System. The kilns will be suitable for the future addition of two more progressive kilns. The two progressive kilns will be delivered turnkey alongside existing continuous kilns, and the drying plant will be put into production in June 2020.
“The drying kilns are currently a bottleneck in sawmill production at Värö and, with the investment in two new kilns, we are ensuring the conditions to be able to utilise our entire production potential, while also taking the future into account,” says Mill Manager Marcus Åsgärde from Södra Wood Värö. The drying kilns will initially be used in existing production, but when the new factory for cross-laminated timber is ready at Värö, the kilns will be used to dry timber down to 12 %.
“We compared several suppliers, but eventually we choosed Heinola because they offered a customised drying plant with a focus on our conditions and requirements. In the procurement process, Heinola has been very responsive regarding what we actually want, and dialogue throughout the process has been very good,” says Mill Manager Marcus Åsgärde from Södra Wood Värö.
“We are currently Finland’s largest supplier of drying kilns, and with this order, new channels are opening in the Swedish market for Heinola drying kilns,” says CEO Jan Räsänen from Heinola Sawmill Machinery Inc. “Safety features and the user-friendly control system play a very important role in these progressive kilns. Heinola’s success in Sweden is the result of a long-term and targeted investment.
Södra was founded in 1938 and is Sweden’s largest forest owner association, with nearly 52,000 forest owners as members. Södra operates modern, responsible forestry and industries where the raw material is processed. Turnover in 2018 was SEK 24 billion and the number of employees was 3,100. Through value-added relationships and long-term actions, Södra is showing the way for the next generation of forestry.
Heinola Sawmill Machinery Inc. plans, manufactures and markets technology for sawmills and the energy wood chips production. The company has a turnover of approx. 25 million Euros and has 77 employees. The company is owned by a listed Lifco AB, of which the Swedish company Carl Bennet AB is the chief shareholder.
