7 minute read
AKD builds their competitive edge with technology from USNR
from Millwide Insider #45
by USNR
Building a competitive edge
NEW SAW LINE IMPROVES RECOVERY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND FLEXIBILITY
Advertisement
In early 2015 AKD Softwoods began its quest for a new state-of-the-art sawline for its main Colac operation. The goal was to lower production costs through improved productivity and recovery, and lift flexibility by enabling a greater product range. After considering other recent large-scale projects in the region and evaluating other suppliers, USNR became the clear choice to transform this process at AKD. Civil construction on the buildings began in 2017, and the first log was processed on time on the 26th of March 2018.
USNR had recently completed several large-scale projects in the region, so we felt there was a high level of experience that was relevant for what we wanted to accomplish.
Shane Vicary, CEO of AKD, says the new Colac sawline was designed with no compromise, and is therefore one of the most modern in the world, and it supports one of the company’s key goals which is to be internationally competitive. Another key company requirement is safety, or to have zero harm in the workplace. This was one of the primary drivers behind how the sawline was designed, constructed, and is now operated.
Associated Kiln Driers Pty Ltd, or AKD Softwoods, was founded in 1955, and its head office is based in Colac, Victoria, Australia. It also has operations at Irrewarra and Yarram, also in Victoria, and Caboolture in Queensland. AKD has a long history of growth through strategic acquisition, and continuous reinvestment. AKD owns over 9,500 hectares of Radiata Pine plantations, which supplies some of its raw material for its mills, while the rest is sourced from sustainably managed plantations. AKD also owns and operates three post and pole businesses in Victoria.
Vendor considerations
Shane described the consideration process behind selecting USNR to partner with AKD on this major investment. “It’s one thing to simply choose an equipment vendor, and it is quite another to choose one from another country that is located on the other side of the world. AKD had completed previous projects with USNR and through those projects we formed a solid level of trust with USNR and its personnel. In addition, USNR had also recently completed several large-scale projects in the region, so we felt there was a high level of experience that was relevant for what we wanted to accomplish.”
He continued, “We had equipment that was over 20 years old and we recognized that we needed to invest in efficient state-of-the-art equipment. The Colac site has a very high log cost due to high cartage costs, so we needed to maximize productivity and recovery to ensure our operation could be cost competitive, and therefore have a sustainable future.”
Embracing BioVision
AKD was an early adopter of USNR’s BioVision technology, first installed on an edger in 2013 and subsequently upgraded on two trimmer lines. Shane notes, “We’ve been running the BioVision system for 4-5 years. It’s reliable and dependable, and very user-friendly. It certainly has made a difference for us. I’m a big fan.” He continued, “We just ordered our fourth BioLuma system, and we will be looking to order more for our other sawmills.”
Reciprocating primary breakdown line
The equipment supplied includes a reciprocating quad bandsaw line. It is designed for logs up to 650 mm (25.6”) in diameter and down to 150 mm (5.9”), in lengths up to 6.3 m (20.66 ‘). Design speed is 16 logs per minute.
Once logs are scanned, they are turned in the quad roll log turner, and a Precision Geometric Log Rotation (PGLR) scanner monitors and adjusts the turn in real time to match the turn solution from the log optimizer. The PGLR significantly improves cutting accuracy, increasing uplift and recovery. Log rotation error can be reduced by 50% or more. A mis-turn of as little as 2 degrees could wipe out an entire board in a small log, so the first cut is crucial for everything that happens downstream.
The operator’s screen shows an optimized HSS breakdown solution.
Next the optimized log infeed provides slew and skew actuation, ensuring precise positioning ahead of the canter heads. Conical chip heads operate in a 30 degree vertical plane, keeping the cutting heads on the log center line, thus reducing side chipping forces and resulting in smoother feeding, better quality chips, and longer-lasting knives.
Sideboards are separated from the cant downstream from the quad bandmills.
The reciprocating sharp chain transition allows the mill the flexibility to slice off up to 4 flitches at the quad bandmill, then stop the forward motion and back the cant up to run through for a second pass, taking off up to 4 more flitches before releasing the center piece. This is an innovative design that is popular for some mills. Shane commented, “We were motivated to implement this reciprocation at Colac for flexibility and to conserve capital. We could have elected to install a second quad bandmill (and we have left room in our line for this in the future) but it would be under-utilized with our current log size distribution for this mill. We felt that reciprocation would give us that additional flexibility to cut larger logs at Colac, and/or multiple cant sizes which we could not do previously, and therefore conserve capital for other projects.”
The operator’s booth and console provides a bird’s eye view and control over the whole process.
Horizontal Shape Sawing line
Shane noted, “The HSS was designed with a profiler which was not originally in the scope, but after further consideration a profiling module was added to the contract. This addition was made to reduce the pressure on the single edging line, and maximize recovery.”
Once the cant is released onto a belt at the outfeed of the bandsaw line, it is transported to the HSS line where it is scanned once again before being fed into the cutting tools. A shape chipper module chips off the remaining rounded sides of the cant, then a shape profiler cuts profiles into all 4 corners of the piece ahead of the horizontal shapesawing double arbor sawbox. The shape chipper, shape profiler and shape-sawing sawbox all process the piece following its natural curvature, to produce longer and stronger boards, thus maximizing recovery. From the outfeed of the HSS, boards are transported on to the trimmer line.
Validating the investment
An integral part of the decisionmaking process was to run a variety of scenarios or log studies to help determine the best course of action. Consideration for the operational process, as well as budget and return on investment, are essential elements to achieving the overall objectives of the investment.
Shane described the process. “I think if you’re a good sawmiller you should already know what equipment you want. The log studies, however, are about validation – creating validation for your financial modelling. We wanted a robust business case and to ensure our strategic intent was going to be achieved. The log studies enabled us to point to empirical evidence as compared to just gut feel, and helped us determine what equipment we needed rather than simply what we wanted. The scoping, log studies/validation and negotiation phases took a long time for both parties (and we appreciate USNR’s patience), as we were absolutely driven to ensure our project achieved all of our goals, from safety through to productivity and ultimately financial.”
Road to success
The line has now been operating for several months, and Shane is well-satisfied with the way it is performing. “We are still on the upward curve, but we are ahead of where we thought we would be. We would normally expect to have a long list of exceptions to work through on a project of this size, but at this stage we do not have any major issues and only a small number of minor issues to work through. The line has been running really well, right from the first day.”
One highlight Shane noted was that the AKD team managed the project in-house. “This relates back to another one of our business goals, to develop a high performing team. We therefore created an in-house project team and it worked really well. In hindsight, I probably should have had a bit more segregation between the project and our operational business, as it created a lot of extra pressure for one or two individuals.
The AKD team is very proud of taking on the project management, and it has ensured that the individuals engaged in the project are here today ensuring the plant is operating successfully. They were responsible for all the planning, all the civil and building adjustments, installing the equipment, and now they are responsible for running it. That has given our team a real sense of personal ownership, and they should be proud of what they have achieved.”
The AKD project team is pictured left to right: Shane Vicary, CEO; Paul Muscat, Maintenance Manager; Michael Johnson, Electrical Engineer; Warrren Eyers, Installation Supervisor; Craig Campbell, Project Manager; John Browne, Facility Manager; Mick Walker, Main Line Trainer; Luke Day, Team Leader Day Shift; and Adam Harris, Area Fitter. Missing from the photo: Brady Wicks, Electrical and Automation Engineer; and Toni Kirkup, Health & Safety Manager.
Shane also acknowledged the USNR team, saying it was very professional and its skill contributed to a very successful commissioning phase of the project.
Another challenge was several large organizational changes occurred for the business at the same time. In March of 2018, the same month the new equipment came online, AKD acquired two new sawmills: Yarram Victoria and Caboolture Queensland (from Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts). Shane said, “March was probably one of the craziest months of my career. We had 3 large events all happening at the same time, and a fourth happening in the background. Subsequently AKD has announced that it will be acquiring the Tumut NSW sawmill and a 50% stake in the Highland Pine operation in Oberon and other associated sites. Therefore, AKD completed this large-scale project in-house at the same time as acquiring four additional sawmills.”
These latest advancements will project AKD further along its path to operational excellence and maintain its strong competitive edge.
