Heavy Life 1/2016 by Silvasti

HEAVY CUSTOMER MAGAZINE 1/2016

THE MAN

AND THE VEHICLE FROM THE FINNISH WINTER TO THE STORMS

OF THE BAHAMAS

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTS TO BE EVEN STRONGER Did you know that the majority of transport jobs carried out by Silvasti cross the borders of different countries? In recent years, our main areas of operation have been Scandinavia and Continental Europe. They will continue to be important areas to us. Our subsidiary Silvasti Heavy has been operating in Russia since the 80s. The furthest we have transported a load in Russia with our own equipment (by land) was the one we took to Bratsk, which is about 7,000 kilometres (4,300 miles) away. With the company acquisition we made last autumn, we received more robust experience in taking transports to Russia and the Baltic states. Thanks to the new Silvasti team, we can now add an area roughly twice the size of Continental Europe to our area of operation. We’ll see what the future holds for us! For one thing, we are eagerly waiting for the construction of the new Hanhikivi nuclear power plant to begin on the west coast of Finland. For us, that will mean the beginning of transport jobs from Russia. The challenges in transport jobs to Russia are different from those we are often used to in the West. Silvasti is well familiar with them, you can count on that. Have a great summer, and safe travels to all of our cooperation partners! Ville Silvasti, Managing Director

Editorial board: Transport Company Ville Silvasti Ltd, Susanna Mäkinen and Mervi Leinonen Jooli markkinointi & viestintä Oy Graphics & production: Heidi Ruotanen Printed by: Kirjapaino Kari Ky

Transport Company Ville Silvasti Ltd Kiviniementie 40, 41290 Kangashäkki, Finland www.silvasti.com tel: +358 42 453 41 email: info@silvasti.com

FROM THE FINNISH WINTER TO THE STORMS OF THE

BAHAMAS

In January 2016, we were faced with a job that was not of the usual variety. The assignment was to transport a water slide structure manufactured by Mobimar Oy, a company operating in Turku, to the luxury cruise ship Liberty of the Seas, docked in the Bahamas. With the shipping there was no time to waste, as every additional day in the dock is very expensive for the shipping company.

he transportation schedule was extremely tight, so careful planning was in order. The planning started with determining the harbour. The first options were Rauma and Turku, but in the end, due to challenges occurring along the route, it was decided that the whole delivery would be shipped from Turku. “The load included a large support column structure, which it was better to ship in one piece to minimise the amount of disassembly and assembly work. When in one piece, it was so wide that we had to partly revise our plans regarding the choice of harbour”, says Mikko Ruohoranta of Silvasti. The aluminium frame of the slide was manufactured in accordance with strict requirements to be light and durable. The large measurements of the structures posed some challenges, especially for the land transportation stage. The width of the pieces varied from a few metres to almost nine metres. The route from the production facilities to the chosen departure harbour in Turku had to be planned carefully. “We looked into route alternatives and

established a suitable route to the Port of Turku by getting on all fours with a measuring tape”, says Ruohoranta, who was responsible for planning the land transportation stage. We also had to give careful thought to the order in which we would transport the parts to the harbour.

Many moving parts accompanied by the weather The loading order of the parts, the crane lifts and the lashing capacities had to be planned carefully. The lashing of the pieces had to be seaworthy, meaning that the lashings had to be able to withstand at least twice the mass of the pieces. The parts were loaded onto two floors of the ship. The shipping route to the Bahamas went via Germany and the USA. The trip began in Turku and took about four weeks. The load was taken to Hamburg, from there to Texas and finally to docks in Freeport, in the Bahamas.

“The weather conditions created some additional tension around the transportation, as the weather became stormy when we were approaching the Bahamas. However, we managed to keep to the schedule despite things looking a little worrying for a moment”, recounts Ruohoranta. The weather conditions at the destination were blessed with a little luck, as the unloading day was calm and sunny, just missing a storm which struck the following day. In Freeport, the parts were unloaded from the ship onto land and partially on a barge floating on the water. “I was there to supervise the unloading

”

The weather conditions at the destination were blessed with a little luck, as the unloading day was calm and sunny, just missing a storm which struck the following day.”

and everything went well, thanks to the precise work of the professionals. No parts were damaged during the transport or the lifts”, says Ruohoranta.

Even surprises can be handled with expertise Seven people from Silvasti were involved in the whole project. Ruohoranta was responsible for planning the land transportation, while the shipping arrangements were handled by Joakim Jensen of Silvasti’s German office. In Finland, four vehicle operators and one traffic manager were involved in the land transportation. When asked about factors affecting the success rate of the project, Ruohoranta

answers quickly. “Our knowledgeable personnel involved in the transportation and the lifts, as well as Joakim’s shipping expertise. Without this know-how, any unforeseen changes would have been a lot costlier or might might not have been successful. Our group has the ability to react to changing factors quickly and professionally”, he says with appreciation. There were no additional costs to the customer or other surprises, even though the transportation was a delicate operation in terms of both the schedule and the content.

TRANSPORT:

Aluminium structures for a water slide

POINT OF DEPARTURE:

Mobimar Oy production facilities, Turku, Finland

DESTINATION:

Freeport, the Bahamas

TIME:

December 2015 to January 2016

SHIPPING:

The Port of Turku

CRISS-CROSSING THE WORLD OVER THE LAST YEAR SILVASTI’S SERVICES HAS REACHED ALMOST EVERY CORNER IN THE WORLD.

THE BAHAMAS BELGIUM BULGARIA SPAIN SOUTH KOREA THE NETHERLANDS IRELAND ITALY AUSTRIA KAZAKHSTAN CROATIA LATVIA LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MONTENEGRO NORWAY PORTUGAL POLAND FRANCE ROMANIA SWEDEN GERMANY SERBIA SLOVAKIA FINLAND SWITZERLAND DENMARK CZECH REPUBLIC TURKEY THE UNITED KINGDOM HUNGARY BELARUS RUSSIA ESTONIA SLOVENIA 6

APPROX. 1,000 WIND POWER TRANSPORTS

APPROX. 600 SEA VOYAGES

customer’s voice

“SMOOTH OPERATION IS OUR

NUMBER ONE CRITERION”

llu Finland Ltd designs and manufactures products for environmental care, improving recycling methods and the processing of different materials. 90% of the company’s production is exported. The main markets are Europe, the USA and the Middle East. Europe is the most important market and can be conveniently reached by land transport. There was a need for land transport again in January, as a dipper displayed at a party arranged by the company’s German subsidiary had to be transported back to Finland. The dipper was loaded in Bünde and delivered to the Allu Finland facility in Pennala the same day. “Silvasti took the dipper to Germany and the natural thing to do was to order return transportation from them as well. Usually the dippers we need to have transported are smaller, but this was a large one and took special transportation know-how”, says Logistics Coordinator Maiju Koponen of Allu Finland. The company tenders all of its transport projects, but price is not the sole deciding

factor for them, although it does affect the choice. “Smooth operation is our number one criterion. Punctuality and the conduct of the sales person are important as well. The good thing about doing business with Silvasti has been that we’re constantly being kept up to date on the progress of the project. We can also trust that whenever something unusual occurs, things are taken care of appropriately”, she says. This job was run-of-the-mill for Silvasti, and nothing unusual took place during the trip. The transportation was booked conveniently with a few e-mails. “This is how things go at their best. Tight schedules often breed disaster. The snowball can start rolling in the wrong direction if, for example, the client gives wrong measurements or the transporter misunderstands the booking for some reason. The possibility of a human error is always there, and in such a case, problems tend to multiply along the way. With Silvasti, we have been able to rely on smooth transport. The service has

always been good and our questions have been answered quickly. Traceability works in this case as well. Mikko Ruohoranta gave us updates along the way and the dipper was delivered to Finland on schedule”, says Koponen.

Maiju Koponen, Logistics Coordinator ALLU Finland Ltd

PAINTING TRUCKS IN

YELLOW

Painting a Silvasti truck takes 4–5 litres of yellow paint and a little over half a litre of red paint. Entrepreneur Mika Savolainen of the vehicle painting company Uuraisten autopelti ja maalaus Ky is familiar with the colours of Silvasti, as he has been responsible for painting the company’s vehicles since 2003.

“

One truck takes a total of about 10 litres of sprayer-ready paint with hardening and diluting agents”, Savolainen says. The paint is applied in two coats, which enables the surface of the truck to withstand washes, solar UV rays and varying weather conditions, among other things. It takes 3–4 days to paint one truck. The biggest ordeal is disassembling and reassembling the parts of the truck, as well as the preparatory work. The spray painting is the

fastest – and most fun – part of the process. “I take apart components such as seals and detachable parts in order to paint the interiors neatly as well. “You can’t just throw some paint on the parts. I make the surfaces smooth and even, which separates the quality of my work from that of cheaper painting shops. I also sand the surfaces as part of the preparatory work, but I rarely have to apply any putty. Silvasti’s equipment has always been in good condition and is renewed often”, Savolainen says.

Over the years, Uuraisten autopelti ja maalaus has painted dozens of Silvasti’s yellow and red vehicles. At least two trucks are sent to the painting shop every year; some of Silvasti’s new vehicles have already been painted appropriately at the factory. “We have now been painting more trucks than in several years combined, as Nurminen Logistics Heavy Oy’s vehicles receive the Silvasti colour scheme.”

W AND RED

INFO: EQUIPMENT: - 25 trucks - 60 special transport trailers of various kinds - 65 module axles and various accessories for them. Skidding & jacking equipment for up to 350 ton loads EQUIPMENT BRANDS: Mercedes, MAN, Volvo AVERAGE AGE OF THE EQUIPMENT: 2 years SERVICE TEAM: service manager, WORKSHOP MANAGER AND 3 MECHANICS HOW MANY TYRES ARE REPLACED ANNUALLY: About 250 WORK CARRIED OUT OUTSIDE THE COMPANY: painting, larger maintenance jobs such as engine repairs, and some vehicles have service agreements at authorised workshops SPECIAL FEATURES IN SILVASTI TRUCKS: alcohol locks

THE MAN AND

THE VEHICLE

This truck takes off darn well NAME: Pekka Toivonen DRIVING A SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK SINCE: 1984 (started working as a van driver at Jukka Silvasti’s transport company in 1981, took the wheel of a truck in 1984) THE BEST THING ABOUT MY WORK: The freedom and the varying routes WHAT I LISTEN TO ON THE ROAD: Radio Nova WORTH MENTIONING: Visited Belarus for work 22 times in the last 7 years FUTURE “PARTNER”: A 2016 model EURO-6 (the truck is currently being prepared at the Silvasti workshop and should hit the road in May 2016). TRANSMISSION: Torque converter EMISSIONS: Euro 6, a very low-emission truck, “nothing but flowers coming from the exhaust pipe”. ACCESSORIES: An endurance braking system that reduces momentum when driving downhill with a heavy load. THE TRUCK IS AT ITS BEST IN: Heavy jobs. I recently used it in Estonia to haul a 280-tonne transformer alone. WHAT I WOULD MISS WHEN SWITCHING TO ANOTHER TRUCK: This truck takes off darn well. That’s important in heavy jobs. I would also miss the quiet driver’s cab and the good driveability. INTERIOR EQUIPMENT: The truck has bunk beds, a TV, a microwave oven, a coffee maker and all the other essentials. The truck also has a break air conditioning system that works without fuel and keeps the cab cool for 9 hours. You have to be self-reliant if you take jobs to some places, where services are not always around the corner.

Highlight: “My most memorable job was probably a long trip to Belarus. We bounced on bumpy gravel roads for two months straight – with a total weight of 200 tonnes.”

FROM THE MOUTH OF A COLLEAGUE

work at Silvasti as a project manager, primarily in sales. In transportation projects, I work as the link between different parties, such as customers, crane companies, drive arrangers, vehicle operators, harbours and shipping companies. My duties include tasks such as co-ordinating transportation jobs and acting as a contact person for customers. At the Jyväskylä office, I calculate and plan various transportation jobs, shipping jobs and lifts – in fact, I do just about everything imaginable regarding the different phases of transportation. My operational area is the whole world. I’m currently working primarily with European traffic. Jyri and I have been working together for about six months now. We began working together in October 2015 when Silvasti purchased Nurminen Logistics Heavy Oy. With the deal, Silvasti acquired Nurminen Logistics Heavy’s special transport operations and the entire personnel, including Jyri. The most important factor in the successful collaboration between us is definitely communication that works both ways. Transportation projects often involve so many variables and surprises that the information has to flow seamlessly both from me at the office to Jyri and from Jyri on the road to me. As a work partner, I appreciate Jyri’s experience and willingness to take the initiative. He’s been in the industry for a long time and knows what he’s doing. Right from the start, he can take into account issues and factors that could affect the entire project later on. Jyri doesn’t just think about his part, but he can perceive the project in its entirety. This means that he can often support and help me as well as others working on the project. Mikko Ruohoranta Project manager, project logistics

work as a vehicle operator in Silvasti’s mid-heavy-duty equipment department. My ride is one of those ‘multiuse’ vehicles that is suitable for almost anything. I’m in my dream job, as I’ve wanted to be truck driver ever since I was a child. No two workdays are alike, and that gives me a nice amount of new challenges. There’s never a dull moment. Generally half of my working hours consist of domestic transport jobs and the other half of jobs outside Finland. Customs practices, the legislation in different countries, changing languages and permit matters pose their own challenges in my work. I was transferred to Silvasti through a company merger in October 2015. Overall, Mikko and I collaborate on a variety of different things. Sometimes I can provide him some hints based on what I see and hear in the field. For example, I can tell Mikko whether a certain load can fit or get through a certain spot. Other times Mikko joins us on the field. We don’t have a strict division of labour, where one person does this and another person that. It’s easy to ask him how he would do something. In our work, communication is key. Both of us have to know what is going on at any given time. As a partner, Mikko often takes the initiative and moves things forward. It’s easy to get along and work with him. I feel that one important aspect of our working together is a similar sense of humour – we laugh at the same things both on the road and at the office. Furthermore, it makes my work easier when the transportation has been planned well. Then it’s easy to carry out. The saying ‘a job well planned is a job half done’ rings especially true in this profession! Jyri Klint Vehicle operator

VEHICLES IN WORKING CONDITION AT THE COMPANY’S OWN

WORKSHOP

eli-Matti Saarelainen, who began working as the service manager at Silvasti’s workshop in March, has 20 years of experience in the automobile industry. He has driven trucks, repaired cars and trucks and worked as a work supervisor and a service manager at car dealerships. “I’ve always been interested in vehicles, both small and large. There are differences in the technology, but the basic idea is the same: you have the accelerator, the brakes and the turning front wheels. The great thing at Silvasti is that I get to do a variety of work in addition to the managerial tasks at the workshop. For example, I get to drive vehicles to bring them in for maintenance, order parts, have meetings and negotiate with suppliers”, Saarelainen is pleased to list. In addition to Saarelainen, the workshop team consists of Workshop Manager Jouko

Kovanen and three mechanics. They are always working on something. There is basic maintenance and preparing vehicles for driving jobs; for example, the number of axles on a trailer is modified in accordance with the weight of the load. The alteration work on one trailer can easily take an entire workday. Some of the vehicles are taken to authorised maintenance shops and painting jobs, for example, are carried out by the experienced co-operation partner Uuraisten autopelti ja maalaus Ky. “Much of my work consists of collaboration with mechanics, drive organisers, drivers and our partners. For example, drivers are pretty often present at the workshop and even give us a hand whilst they’re waiting for us to get the equipment ready. They also call us on the road if a problem occurs with a truck. We here at the shop advise them whether the truck should be taken immediately to

a workshop or whether we could get it fixed at our own shop”, Saarelainen says. Saarelainen says that work at Silvasti is teamwork where everybody’s input plays an important role. They are used to working as a team. Especially at the workshop, it is difficult to carry out heavy equipment maintenance work alone. “All in all, as a transport company Silvasti has an honest and direct operating style. That the owners are involved in the everyday work can be seen in their fast decision-making, for example”, Saarelainen states.

N SOCIAL MEDIA!

Transport Company Ville Silvasti Ltd tel: +358 42 453 41 info@silvasti.com www.silvasti.com

Services: Special transportation Project logistics Windpower transportation Hauling & Jacking Route and project planning Shipping (liner & charter)