Bend The Rules
When is a forklift not a forklift?
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Doosan Case Study : Timber Yard
 A
former Soviet airbase, an hour east of the Estonian capital of Tallinn,
is possibly not the first place you'd go to when looking for a materials
handling success story, but in the town of Tapa, that's precisely
what you'll find.
The Tapa Mill is a 4.5 hectares site processing 63,000 cubic metres
of wood a year, mostly grown in Russia for eventual sale to local
Estonian businesses, as well as the Benelux countries, Germany and
France.
It would be difficult to imagine a more dramatic change in fortunes
for what was once one of the largest airbases in the Baltics and
home to the Soviet Voyska-PVO, or Air Defence Corp.
The Soviets were quick to exploit the town's important rail links,
constructing a huge crane for unloading weapons, a feature which
attracted the mill's MD, Kalle Valdlo, to the site.
"The rail link is important," says Kalle, "with 70
percent of our timber coming in from Russia. The crane too is very
strong, but no-one gave much thought to operator comfort - or safety
for that matter!"
Estonia itself was one of the first former Soviet republics to
break away, with organised mass dissent in 1987, when the government
demanded autonomy.
Until then, according to Tapa's mayor, Soviet pilots at the airbase,
judged on how many hours they flew by how much fuel they used, dug
pipes into the ground and poured the kerosene for their fighters
down into the water table, making the water undrinkable. So much
kerosene went into the drinking water in fact, that after the Russians
pulled out, the town was able to pump up the groundwater and burn
it in their power plant to heat the town.
You get the impression that a few transportation difficulties wouldn't
stop the Estonians one bit.
"Six years ago when we founded the business, there were still
many obstacles to overcome," says Kalle. "The military's
thinking was to not think about things too much. There was available
territory, concrete roofing, railroad - that's it. The rest was
up to us."
And now, timber processing and logistics is what it is all about,
which means the Doosan forklifts are an essential item.
"You can't get it done without forklifts. Sometimes we have
a lot of snow and need the steer loader for clearing, but the forklifts
are in constant use. Service is the most important thing to us,
and secondly - simple things - we need the trucks for lifting from
A to B. Things like air conditioning and fancy electronics are secondary.
We are not interested in doing anything but driving, and we don't
want to be constantly repairing our own fleet."
The responsibility for the upkeep of the trucks belongs to Daelift,
the authorised Doosan distributor in Estonia, and one of Doosan's
fastest growing dealers in Europe.
Daelift's MD, Krister Lepp, believes the trucks are ideally suited
to the hard application at the mill. Says Krister: "We've been
successful here because of the simplicity of the machines, the cost
and the reliability. It's the combination of all three that appeals
to Estonian businesses like Tapa Mill."
Despite the benefits, the choice of Doosan was, as Kalle puts it,
a "risky decision" as the brand wasn't so well known,
but six years on, he's more than satisfied with the outcome:
"We started with 2 trucks and built from there. Every truck
has advantages and disadvantages but generally we're very satisfied.
We have a concrete floor that helps, but we had holes in it, which
makes it harder on the trucks."
"It is quite a tough application and the trucks have proved
strong enough, in fact, we've had no problems, engine or otherwise,
after 20,000 hours which is a pleasant surprise. The trucks are
strong enough and, compared on price and quality, absolutely the
best available. Can it do the job? Yes, absolutely."
So, in an exciting time for Tapa and for Estonia in general, the
future is looking good.
"It's very exciting times," concludes Kalle, "because
things are more normal. The only option is to work and go on and
make things happen as fast as you can. You can easily see there's
still lots to do, to catch up. But there's more decision making
here, we are more reliable and we make it easy for others to do
business with us."
Related Links
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Do you take plastic?
Timber pallets and packaging producers face a tough winter as
shortages in the supply of timber begin to bite and buyers push
up demand for plastic alternatives, according to goplasticpallets.com.
In just eight weeks this summer, the industry reeled under
a price rise of more than 20%. The news comes as a further blow
to an industry which has already suffered as a result of the
introduction of ISPM 15 regulations.
The latest problem has been caused by increased demand throughout
continental Europe. The UK has suffered more than most because
the shortfall has been met by diverting supplies, currently
fulfilled by Baltic countries, to mainland Europe.
Jim Hardisty, managing director of goplasticpallets.com, the
UK’s fastest expanding supplier of plastic pallets says:
“Sustained price increases are now pushing up the price
of wood pallets and packaging. Not surprisingly, buyers are
looking at ways to contain costs and plastic pallets offer a
serious return on investment.”
The latest offering from goplaticpallets.com proves the point.
High-quality pallets ideal for repeated long-term use are being
produced in a super strong one-piece design (800 x 600mm and
1200 x 1000mm) with open or closed top decks.
“These products have a life expectancy of at least ten
to fifteen years, five times longer than wooden pallets,”
says Hardisty.
Timber Terms
Ever wondered what FLEGT stood for? Or TTAP2? Perhaps you have
wondered what BREEAM was (it is not a fish!). The Timber Trade
Federation has this week come to the rescue with publication of
a Glossary
of industry terms.
Clean Sweep
Cut costs, prevent breakdowns, improve hygiene. Sounds like a
job for a floor sweeper... Find out how they work? read
more
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