John Deere – a visit to Joensuu - Forestry Journal

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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