John Deere – a visit to Joensuu - Forestry Journal

John Deere
– a visit to Joensuu
2012 is a significant year for John Deere. Founded in 1837, this year marks its 175th birthday.
More specifically for forestry, the Joensuu factory, which makes all Deere’s cut-to-length
equipment, also has an anniversary in 2012 – it will be 40 years old. So, an auspicious time to
visit Deere’s Joensuu plant, a facility that has seen many changes down the years.
Although founded in 1972, the
Joensuu factory did not concentrate
solely on forestry equipment
until 1995. Then, it manufactured
only forwarders, but the manufacture
of harvesters and harvesting
heads was moved to Joensuu in
2003 when the Filipstad factory in
Sweden was closed.
In 2006 a ‘factory master plan’
was drawn up in preparation for
the E model launch two years later.
2010 saw the completion of the
thousandth E-Series machine, and
also the manufacture of 20,000
machines since 1972.
It would take some time to explore
the whole of the Joensuu factory.
Situated on a 10-hectare site, it has
a floor space of just under 2 hectares,
including 2050 square
metres of office space. It employs
380 permanent employees, 60 of
them salaried staff, the rest being
paid on an hourly rate. One third
of these work in fabrication, and
the remainder in assembly. The
whole workforce eats in the same
canteen.
The factory can produce up to
ten machines a day, using components
that come in from a hundred
suppliers. One nearby supplier –
just two kilometres away – cuts and
presses the steel, but all welding is
done in the factory, 85% of it by
robots. Back in the days of the
D-Series machines, robots accounted
for just 55% of the welding.
The factory produces six models of
forwarder and four harvesters. With
fabrication, machining, painting,
assembly, a test drive and shipping
to be completed, it takes ten working
days for a machine to pass
from one end of the factory to the
other.
The machine’s serial number is
allocated at the very beginning of
the process, and this serves as the
basis for bringing its parts together
as the machine takes shape.
Forwarders and harvesters pass
along the same assembly line, and
the teams who work there do not
follow the machine all the way
through the assembly process.
Instead, they attend to a particular
machine while it passes through
two or three stations. Teams do not
specialise on particular models;
they are able to assemble all the
different harvesters and forwarders
that the factory turns out.
Once assembled, the machine ventures
out for a test drive. We took a
ride in a 1270 fitted with the bestselling
H480C head. Harvesters on
test do not go off to the forest, as
used to be the case. Instead they
work their way through a pile of
timber a few hundred metres from
the factory. Overall, testing takes
10 to 12 hours, depending on the
model.
The 1270 in question was due
for shipment to Ireland. Having
ascertained that all machine functions
are operating correctly in
Finland, final set-up and calibration
would take place upon delivery to
the customer, over a period of a
couple of days.
Then it was off to the woods to see
a couple of machines in action. The
first was an 1110E forwarder, working
on second thinnings in spruce
alongside a 1270D. It was set up in
a typical Finnish configuration, carrying
a 10-metre crane with double
extension, and with a shorter load
space than is usual in the UK, due
to the fact that in Finland a single
stack of logs is normally carried.
Operator Seppo Tiainen came to
the 1110 from an 810, and says he
would never go back. With the
rotating cab and better visibility of
the boom and grapple, he feels
much fresher at the end of the day.
Also, he finds the machine much
quieter. Fuel consumption is 10.4
litres per hour.
The site was typical of many in
Finland. Although it is a largely flat
country, it is not uncommon to
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Robot welding has increased from 55% on the D-Series models, to 85% on the
E-Series.
find woods planted on severely
undulating terrain. This meant the
1110 was constantly clambering up
a short, steep slope, and then
nose-diving down the other side.
Also, the ground can often be
boggy, and Seppo complained that
the winter had not done its work
properly. The temperature on the
day was a mere -6ºC – warm for
the time of year – and the still soft
ground meant he was not carrying
out full loads.
Shortly after our visit, temperatures
plummeted to -35ºC. No
doubt that made life a lot simpler!
Darkness was falling by the time
we caught up with Timo Majoinen,
who was just starting the night
shift on his 1170E, somewhere near
the Russian border. He was due to
work until one or two in the morning.
The machine works two tenhour
shifts, with the next driver
taking over at 6am. This is a very
common working pattern in
Finland.
One difference for operators in
Finland is that they usually go
home at night, rather than staying
in caravans or lodgings. Jobs tend
to be smaller and more local, and
for this reason all contractors have
their own low loader.
Timo came to the 1170, which was
fitted with an H414 head, from a
harvester of a different colour,
which had experienced a few problems.
The machine before that had
been of the same make, but had
been trouble-free.
The problems weren’t huge, but
the failure of the local dealership to
sort them out had led Metsä-
Majoinen to look for something different,
and the 1110E arrived in
July 2011. The company has eight
machines, but this was the first
green one, and, says Timo, it has
performed well so far.
It took a little while to get used to
the keypads and levers, but Timo
has now grown to like them. Fuel
consumption is a modest 9.1 litres
per hour, and Timo is very happy
with the length measurement –
accurate to ±1cm – and with boom
performance and handling. He
finds the cab levelling and rotating
useful, and he was also impressed
that the machine was so well set
up when it was delivered.
Heads
Heads, too, are made in Joensuu, but not at the main factory. Waratah
Outokommun Metalli, of which Deere owns 51%, is situated two or three
miles away, and produces eight heads – four 2WD and four 4WD, weighing
from 750kg to 2.2 tonnes.
It is an assembly-only plant, and the assembly line consists of seven stations.
One team of two stays with each head right down the line.
The staff of 50 works a single shift at present, producing five heads per
shift. Half of the staff work on assembly and testing, with others working on
research and development, quality control and ‘product verification and validation’.
Some have been with the company for many years – up to 30.
A sub-assembly
line runs parallel
to the main line,
and passes finished components to the main line as and when required. The factory receives
a consignment of frame assemblies from Outokommun Metalli each day. The vehicle that
delivers this then takes finished heads to the Deere factory.
Once constructed, the functionality of the head is tested to ensure all hoses are correctly
connected, that all movements and pressures are as they should be and that calibration for
length and diameter measurement is corrected. To do this, the head on the test rig is connected
to a genuine Deere automation system, as would be used in the cab, complete with
keypads.
The H480 is the biggest seller nowadays, with almost 2,000 shipped. This has a 70cm single
cut and weighs 1300kg. The current C version was developed with feedback from many
markets, including the UK.
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Forestry Journal 3/12

(Above and left)
The 1270E and
its H480C head
on test at the
factory.
(Right) Seppo
Tiainen and his
1110E. He is
seen talking to
Jari Mennala,
Managing
Director of John
Deere Forestry
Ltd, who
nowadays is
based in Finland.
Timo Majoinen, starting the night shift, and ready to work until the early hours of the morning.
Interim Tier 4
On a global scale, John Deere is the second biggest manufacturer of off-highway diesel engines. Unlike other harvester/forwarder manufacturers who
have chosen SCR (selective catalytic reduction) to reduce emissions, Deere has followed the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) route. However, as mentioned
in last month’s magazine, it seems probable that the two technologies will have to be combined before Tier 4 comes into force in 2014.
Tier 3 engines are the norm at the moment, but since our visit, Deere has announced that Interim Tier 4 (IT4) engines are already being fitted to 1270
and 1470 harvesters.
Tier 3 engines that have already been manufactured can continue to be fitted, but all machines over 130kW (175hp) will be fitted with IT4 engines in the
relatively near future. As well as the two machines already mentioned, this will include the 1210, 1510, 1910 and 1170 in Deere’s range.
Emission control will be handled by a particle filter oxidation catalyst on Deere’s IT4 EGR engines. Another change is that the engines will have twin
turbochargers – one big and one small – to enhance performance. The smaller turbocharger ensures very good torque at low rpm, and the larger one
joins in at high revs.
IT4 engines have been used on some John Deere construction machines for a year already, and they are also in use on R-Series tractors.
Regarding harvesters, the other big news that comes with the IT4 engines is in the hydraulics. Instead of a single pump, twin pumps will be used – and
not one dedicated to driving while the other one acts as a dedicated work pump. Instead, both pumps will contribute to the boom and harvester head
when the machine is standing still.
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