UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2019

L ogistics plays a significant role in the forest industry’s production chain. First the wood rawmaterial is transported from the forest to the mill. Then, after processing, it is shipped to the customer as pulp, paper, plywood, or sawn timber. UPMForest reduces its carbon footprint and emissions by choosing the most appropriate vehicles, routes and warehouses for its transport needs. As a further positive offshoot, this also improves transport efficiency. “The logistical choices we make in transporting rawmaterials and products are important not only for commercial reasons but also in terms of environmental responsibility. Transport must always be safe, environmentally sound and profitable,” says Esa Korhonen , Senior Manager, Logistics Services at UPMForest. Harvesting, storage and transport to the mills are carried out using a flexible combination of railways, vehicles and water transport. The mills use more than 20 million cubic metres, which amounts to more than one thousand truckloads, of pulpwood and log wood as rawmaterial every day. Two thirds of the pulpwood and log wood is transported by road vehicles, a quarter by train, and approximately 5% by water.

UPMForest makes use of up-to- date geographic information systems and GPS navigation to plan and monitor transports. Rather than purchasing its own transport fleet, the company collaborates with more than 350 private transport entrepreneurs. In selecting its transport partners, UPM emphasises the need for quality of service and a commitment to the UPM Supplier Code and UPM guidelines for safety, responsibility, quality and the environment. UPM takes an open-minded approach to adopting innovative logistics methods. In recent years, UPMForest has actively piloted High Capacity Transport (HCT) as part of a large project involving various research institutes and transport entrepreneurs. Since 2013, giant trucks longer than 25.25 metres and carrying over 76 tonnes have been tested as part of a new project headed by Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency). “I immediately came up with the idea of renting the runway at Lappeenranta Airport for a day. People from the University of Oulu took part in studying the vehicles’ turn rate, inclination and safety. This required

positive thinking and a bit of madness, too,” Korhonen describes.

Gentle giants The airport runway was used to

test a 100-tonne HCT combination vehicle used for transporting wood between four Finnish mills since 2014. In addition, UPMForest uses four slightly lighter combination vehicles to transport chips between selected mills. The results of the trial have been promising. “HCT combination vehicles allow us to reduce fuel consumption per load and improve safety by reducing the number of trucks on the road. Thanks to the location of the mills, our unique transport system and great planning, we have been able to increase the proportion of giant trucks that carry a full load,” says Korhonen with a smile. According to Metsäteho Oy, R&D specialists also involved in the project, the benefits of giant trucks are especially clear in chip transports between terminals. Depending on the size of the combination vehicle, the costs are reduced by 5–15% compared to regular trucks. HCT vehicles transport up to a third more wood than regular trucks. An 84-tonne vehicle can retrieve the load directly from the forest, leading to a cost saving of almost 10% compared to regular combinations. Heavier vehicles cannot be used in forests, which means

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“The logistical choices we make in transporting raw materials and products are important not only for commercial reasons but also in terms of environmental responsibility. Transport must always be safe, environmentally sound and profitable,” says Esa Korhonen, Senior Manager, Logistics Services at UPM Forest.

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