Ponsse establishes a subsidiary in Chile

In Chile, the news received a positive welcome. There are currently about 170 PONSSE machines in operation across Chile.

Ponsse’s subsidiary Ponsse Chile S.p.A will be responsible for sales, spare parts and maintenance services in Chile.

“Our customers in Chile heard really good news when Ponsse announced its intention to establish a subsidiary in Chile. Together, we want to develop Ponsse’s services, maintenance network, training opportunities and the availability of spare parts in Chile,” says Martin Toledo, managing director of Ponsse Uruguay, who is also in charge of operations in Chile.

The subsidiary was established when Ponsse acquired the operations of its dealer F.C. Ventas. The transaction started in November 2021, with Ponsse’s subsidiary in Chile seeing the light of day on 16th March 2022. The transaction included the service centre and its operations, spare parts stocks, and maintenance vehicles.

“WE ARE DEDICATED TO HIGH-QUALITY WORK AND OUR CUSTOMERS”

Nearly 20 employees transferred from F.C. Ventas to Ponsse, and they were pleased after hearing news of the transfer.

Service mechanic Miguel Gustavo Riquelme believes that he can develop his skills even more by working for Ponsse. What he thinks is special about Ponsse is that it keeps its promises, as defined by its values.

“We are dedicated to high-quality work and our customers,” Riquelme says.

He enjoys working as a service mechanic and says that it is like a never-ending adventure.

“I can visit different places every day on my own or with my colleagues. It’s great to talk with customers and forest machine operators. At the end of the day, I’m happy that I’ve been able to help them and meet their expectations,” says a satisfied Riquelme.

GOOD NEWS ACCEPTED WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Ponsse has a good reputation and high expectations in Chile. Its Chilean customers work especially for local sawmills, plywood, and wood processing plants.

Jorge Arce y Cía Ltda is a family-owned business located in Coelemu, in the region of Nuble. It started by using chainsaws and by transporting wood pulled by horses but, come the 2000s, it put forest machines to work. In 2013, the company bought its first PONSSE machine.

Jorge Arce, the company’s managing director, has high expectations now that Ponsse has gained a firmer foothold in Chile.

“Ponsse establishing a subsidiary in Chile is good news for the country’s forestry and especially for everyone who has selected a PONSSE machine. I hope that Ponsse’s dedication to its customers and the level of maintenance can be seen even better than before,” Jorge says.

Jorge believes that, as a major international forest machine company, Ponsse will develop and improve the quality of its services and machines even further.

ROOTS IN THE 1990S

The first Ponsse machines arrived in Chile in the early 90s to a company named Monte Aquila. The first machines were HS15 Ergo and S15 Ergo. In addition to forest machines, Ponsse has shared its knowledge about the use age of cut-to-length forest machines in forestry operations. After the mid-90s, HS16 Ergo and S16 Buffalo models were also exported to Chile.

The very first machines in the 90s were delivered straight to the customer, but all the way until 2022, Ponsse has operated in Chile via dealers.

Currently, there are 170 PONSSE forest machines operating in Chile.

Ponsse’s facilities are in Chillán, a town some 400 kilometres to the south of Santiago de Chile, the capital city.

Ponsse provides not only machine sales, spare parts, and maintenance services, but also training.

“We started to develop our training range even further and work with local educational institutions to train more forest machine operators for customer companies and mechanics for Ponsse,” Toledo says.

CHILE & HARVESTING

• Approximately 47.6 million cubic metres of wood is harvested annually in Chile

• The CTL method accounts for almost 30 per cent of harvesting, and its role has increased during the past ten years

• At present, Ponsse’s market share in CTL-based harvesting is roughly 40 per cent

THE ROLE OF DATA ALSO INCREASING IN SILVICULTURE IN CHILE

Chile’s forestry is based on planted forests, with pine and eucalyptus trees mainly being harvested. The sustainable annual harvesting volume has grown steadily thanks to the trees’ quick lifecycle and well-managed forest plantations.

Currently, harvesting is mostly carried out using the full tree method. However, the role of the cut-to-length method has increased during the past ten years.

In the future, the need for digital services will increase in harvesting. Data is needed to support operations, all the way from planting to thinning, harvesting, and transporting.

“The change will be a big one, and Ponsse definitely wants to be part of it and grow alongside our customers, supported by data,” Toledo says.