4 minute read
VALUTEC
Russian sawmill group Luzales makes third investment in TC continuous kilns
Russian Luzales, one of the largest sawmill groups in the Komi Republic, invests in two more TC continuous kilns to its sawmill in Syvyktar. It is the group’s third investment in Valutec TC kilns in five years.
Advertisement
”Valutec is a reliable and timetested partner. We get full-scale technical support, guaranteed value and immediate help with emerging issues”, says Luzales CEO Valentin Rozhok. “The Russian staff of Valutec are all professionals and easy to work with. I am sure that with Valutec we will be moving forward”.
Luzales became the first sawmill group in Russia to invest in TC continuous kilns with their order to Kyddzyavidz in 2017. Pleased
The great technological leap forward in this new generation of TC continuous kilns is the individual temperature and air circulation control in different zones. Integrated simulator technology gives the operator high flexibility when choosing the dimensions of lumber for drying, thus optimizing processes and providing high capacity.
The total annual capacity of the two TC kilns is 140 000 cubic meters (59 300 MBF). The kilns are made of stainless steel and equipped with pressure frames for minimal deformation of the upper lumber layers and heat recovery. The delivery also includes Valutes´s control system for drying Valmatics 4.0. It is packed with intelligence that senses and adapts the drying process accordingly. Integrated in the system is the Valusim simulator, which optimizes new drying programs with regard to capacity, quality and electrical energy consumption, in order to avoid costly running-in times.
Assembly of the kilns is scheduled to the final quarter of 2023.
with the delivery and output of the kiln the company invested in another two TC kilns to Syktyvkar the following years.
At the Woodex exhibition in Moscow in December 2021 the company opted to invest in two more TC Continuous kilns to further increase drying capacity at the Syktyvkar sawmill.
“We look forward to continue with our contribution to Luzales’ development. We know each other well and look forward to a continued positive collaboration. Our TC kilns are the best of what today’s market in wood drying can offer. They will help Luzales reach their ambitious goals when it comes to capacity, quality and energy consumption”, says Artem Veretennikov, Director of Sales, Valutec LLC.
“Today, we’re selling TC continuous kilns in markets all over the world. It’s the result of thousands of development hours during which we studied, evaluated, tested and reinvented every part of a type of lumber kiln which, in its original design, was first used back in 1927,” says Veretennikov.
Luzales, CEO, Valentin Rozhok
For more information, contact:
Robert Larsson Managing Director, Valutec robert.larsson@valutec.se
Mayr-Melnhof Holz, one of the leading companies in the European sawmilling and engineered wood products industry, has received the necessary approval from the competition authorities, and thereby completes its acquisition of the Swedish sawmill group Bergkvist Siljan.
The Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG group, located in Leoben, Austria, signed a contract in December last year to acquire the Swedish sawmilling group Bergkvist Siljan AB (publ.) from the investment fund ESSVP IV., advised by Orlando Nordics AB. Having gained the approval of the competition authorities, the acquisition is completed as of 01 February 2022.
The new sites in Insjön, Mora, and Blyberg (all in central Sweden) complement the existing sawmills in Leoben (Austria), Paskov (Czech Republic), and Efimovskij (Russia) perfectly and move Mayr-Melnhof Holz, with around 5 million cubic metres of log processing capacity, up to number 3 of Europe’s largest sawmillers. For the first time in its 170-year long history, the group expects turnover to exceed one billion Euros in the 2022 financial year.
“We are very much looking forward to working with our new Swedish colleagues. Together we will realise and build on the synergy and growth potential in sales and operations, and strengthen our position in the market“, said Richard Stralz, CEO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG. The Bergkvist Siljan brand and the existing management team will remain in place. Bergkvist Siljan
Bergkvist Siljan produces around 850,000 cbm of spruce and pine sawn timber annually. The group consists of three modern sawmills as well as one of the largest container terminals in Sweden, with a capacity of up to 50,000 TEU per year, and a direct rail link to Gothenburg port. Michael Wolfran, CFO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG, adds: „Bergkvist Siljan, with a turnover of almost 300 million Euros, employs 285 people. Both Mayr-Melnhof Holz and Bergkvist Siljan have a long tradition of family ownership over more than a hundred years, and together our sales make a perfect fit. Along with the Scandinavian market, the sawmill group serves the markets of the Far East, Western Europe, and North Africa.
