In Sweden, forest industry major SCA has announced that it has taken delivery of a new generation of log stackers at its Östrand pulp mill woodyard. With the new EdiLog hybrid-electric log stacker, SCA is taking another step towards fossil-free wood handling.
At SCA’s Östrand pulp mill area, there are large log stackers that operate around the clock, all year round.
The new EdiLog log stacker has recently been taken into service at Östrand by SCA’s operational partner Engbergs Transportsystem AB which has managed wood logistics and handling at Östrand’s pulp mill since the 1970s.
Owned by Engbergs Transportsystem, EdiLog is a company that designs and develops next-generation log stackers that with modern technology ensure operational reliability, lower operating costs, improved operator environment, and reduced emissions.
The first edition operated by Engbergs Transportsystem for SCA Östrand began pulpwood handling operations in the wood yard in 2018.
In addition to reducing operating costs compared to conventional log handling equipment, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were reduced by approximately 125 tonnes per machine per year on a round-the-clock basis.
Next-generation log stacker
EdiLog was also designed for reuse. After roughly half of the steel construction’s lifespan, components can be replaced to extend the truck’s life at a reduced cost.
Engbergs has now developed a hybrid-electric powered EdiLog log stacker.
EdiLog is now powered by an electric motor on the front axle. We expect the machine to run for up to 4 hours on battery. When the batteries are depleted, the machine automatically switches to diesel operation without disrupting production. Charging the battery from 20-80 percent takes about 90 minutes. The lower RPM in the new EdiLog also reduces noise, and all specified effects are achieved without impacting the machine’s performance, said Kjell-Arne Engberg, Head of EdiLog at Engbergs Transportsystem.
Advanced control technology facilitates troubleshooting and enables technical diagnostics, measurements, and monitoring.
It is very good that we can develop the electric truck handling further through this new generation of electric hybrid trucks. Here at Östrand pulp mill, the trucks run around the clock, and the more that operation can be done by electric-driven trucks, the better, said Juha Kivimäki, Team Leader for the wood yard at Östrand pulp mill.
Safety aspects
Ensuring that EdiLog is safe to operate is important to Engbergs.
We use a battery chemistry with slightly lower energy content, but which is much safer against thermal runaway. We have also developed a training program together with a company that spans four levels, from operators and supervisors to various levels for maintenance personnel, said Kjell-Arne Engberg.
