NEWS EXTRA

NEXT-GEN TRAINING

Simulators are vital for addressing the forest machine operator shortage and assisting existing operators in achieving greater efficiencies – Eoghan Daly reports on the latest system from Ponsse

Finnish manufacturer Ponsse is renowned for its sophisticated forestry machinery and recently hit a milestone. In October 2020, the company delivered its 16,000th machine, an Ergo harvester, to a Brazilian customer operating on a eucalyptus plantation.

Keen to attract new operators to the industry and develop the skills of those already operating forestry equipment, Ponsse also offers a range of training simulators. And now there’s a new flagship – the Ponsse Full Simulator. Launched in late January 2021 and employing advanced 4G Optics, the new system comprises an operator’s pod and overhead frame attached to three 55-inch screens which, thanks to the Full Simulator’s excellent graphics, mimic the effect of

“THE SIM’S looking through a front cab EXCELLENT GRAPHICS MIMIC THE EFFECT OF window towards an over-cab boom. There’s also a Ponsse Opti information system that is

LOOKING modelled on technology found

THROUGH A in real forestry machines. The

FRONT CAB measuring device’s touchscreen

WINDOW TOWARDS AN OVER-CAB goes one step further in terms of realism, being identical to that seen in a genuine forestry machine. The simulator’s

BOOM” harvester section allows actual harvesting tasks to be practised, different thematic exercises to be performed, and the operation of a machine’s control and measuring system to be studied. In the forwarder section, it is possible to practise how to operate and load a forwarder and control a crane in realistic conditions. The Full Simulator can also be converted for excavator-based harvester training by replacing the handles and pedals.

As well as allowing an operator to practice using Ponsse systems, the Full Simulator captures a wealth of data which can be analysed to improve the operator’s efficiency and productivity by correcting any bad habits. Ponsse’s new training device can also simulate machinery malfunctions and teach operators how to overcome them.

Ponsse’s more affordable Compact Simulator and Basic Simulator make up the rest of the range, and with over 200 Ponsse sims already in use worldwide, it’s clear that companies are taking their worth seriously.