PONSSE News 1/2011 ENG In English

PONSSE NEWSThe spearhead of productive harvestingEnglish1•2011PONSSE BuffalOThe new champion of forwardersPaGE 9TimE fliEs in ViErEmäPONSSE cElEBraTES 40yEarS Of OPEraTiONSPAGE 22rEwards for ThE forEsTsEcTor EliTEThE EiNari VidGréNfOuNdaTiON rEWardSfOrEST PrOfESSiONalSPAGE 30PErTTi KasTinEn in businEssfor ovEr 30 yEArsGENEraTiONS chaNGE –PONSSE rEmaiNSPaGE 44Ponsse News 1 • 2011 1

PONSSE NEWS 1 • 2011conTenTsHardware, sofTware andserviceEditorial ................................................................................................... 3Hardware, sofTware and serviceEight-wheel PonssE Ergo – much expected additionto the british machine markets ..................................................................... 4PonssE Ergo 8w – at home on the french slopes ........................................... 6PonssE Ergo 8w – optimal harvesting even in the most demanding of terrain ..... 8PonssE buffalo – The new champion of forwarders ......................................... 9PonssE comfort user interface .................................................................. 10PonssE fox ............................................................................................. 11PonssE h5 ............................................................................................. 11PonssE c6 sliding boom crane .................................................................. 12a logging site in the archipelago .................................................................. 14PonssE provides cost-effective solutions for harvesting energy wood ............... 16do you want us to wrap it up for you? .......................................................... 18Ponsse on logging siTesfor 40 yearsPonsse on logging sites for 40 yearsin the beginning there was a logging site, a hand-held saw and Einari ................ 22Einari vidgrén 1943–2010 ........................................................................ 23Events during the past year ........................................................................ 24for the iron hands it's the attitude that counts .............................................. 28Matti Hiltunen – 40 years at Ponsse ............................................................ 29THe foresT worldThe Einari Vidgrén foundation rewarded forestry professionalswith EUr 86,000 .................................................................................... 30Top-notch motivation at forest machine training for adults ............................... 31onward in good spirits ............................................................................... 32skilled workers are always in demand .......................................................... 33a pleasant accident ................................................................................... 33hannu's long pile ...................................................................................... 34Karttulan metsätyö oy: Getting on together .................................................. 35aatto silventoinen: slow and steady wins the race ......................................... 36THe foresTworldlogging HeroesThe litmus test of may ............................................................................... 38Veljekset Knuutinen oy harvesting with the power of seven PonssE machines ... 42Generations change – Ponsse remains ......................................................... 44Earl st. John – the road from the woods to success ...................................... 46PoNssE NEws 1/2011Ponsse's customer magazine for customers and partnersPublished byPonsse Plc, Ponssentie 22, fI-74200 ViErEmäSubscriptions:: Tel. +358 20 768 800, fax +358 20 768 8690Editorial staff: Ponsse PlcLayout:Työmaa, www.tyomaa.comPrinted by:Kalevaprint oyFeedback:ponssenews@ponsse.com2logging HeroesPonsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and serviceEiGhT-WhEElPONSSE ErGO– mucH exPecTed addiTion To THe BriTisH macHine markeTsThe harvester's eight wheels improve its performance on steep hills anddemanding terrain. The world's first eight-wheel Ergo operates on a felling sitewhich is located 20 miles to the north of the Ponsse UK Lockerbie Service Centre.4Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and servicebobby dick on the left, his son alistair, harvester operator dave wilson, and Gareth williams, sales manager at Ponsse uK.Nowadays, it is extremely rare to find a sixwheelforwarder in British forests, but withregard to harvesters, the eight-wheel modelshave been scarcely available. Only somesmaller forest machine manufacturershave offered eight-wheel harvesters. "Onthe other hand, machine development isgoverned by the needs of markets that arelarger than those in the UK, which placeeven higher demands on the machines dueto their terrain conditions," says Dave Wilson,a machine operator at Dick Brothers,a company located in Galashiels, Scotland.This Ergo 8w operator is undoubtedlymore than pleased with his new machine."The machine is excellent in terms of itscomfort – compared to a six-wheeler, it ismore stable and able to suspend bumpsmore effectively," Wilson comments.uNdiSPuTaBlE BENEfiTSOf ThE EiGhT-WhEElErThe felling site, where the machine operates– 70,000 cubic metres of prematurecutting that needs to be cleared away fora wind power plant – does not have themost demanding of conditions, but thebenefits of the machine have been evidentright from the start. The machine startedoperating in a low-lying wet area, where itwas able to work without tracks. The machinecuts about 500 to 600 tonnes of Sitkaspruce a week. The trunks are sturdybut not of good quality. Most of the treeswere planted in 1971."The crane operation of the new machineis faster and smoother, and the harvesterhead and saw are much faster, evencompared to the previous Ergo," he says.Wilson also points out that one of the benefitsincludes the possibility to fine-tunethe crane operations with the computer.The Ergo 8w is equipped with a PONSSEH7 harvester head and a PONSSE C4 slidingboom crane with its ten metre reach.The machine is also equipped with balancedbogies, which are provided as optionalequipment. According to Wilson,this means that the machine is able toclimb the slopes more efficiently and witha better grip, and also prevents the tracksfrom rising off the ground even when thecrane's maximum reach is applied.There is one difference between theErgo with six wheels and that with eight– the six-wheel Ergo has an active suspensionsystem for the front axle. The systemkeeps the cabin straight on uneven terrainand eliminates the sideways movementsdirected to the operator. Due to its differentdesign, this is not possible in the eightwheelversion. However, this has beensolved by furnishing the machine with aSit Right seat leveller.The logs from the felling site are takento local sawmills. The site has alsobeen stripped of many of its stumps. Thestumps are delivered to Dick Brothers'wood chip mill, where they are first treatedin "drying drums" and then in a CBI MagnumForce 8400 chipper. The wood chipmill is located only a few miles from Eon'sbiomass energy mill in Lockerbie, which isthe final destination of the stumps.PrOPEr machiNES fOr TruEPrOfESSiONalSMeanwhile on the site, Dave Wilson continuesharvesting in high spirits. The newErgo 8w was introduced to him on hisbirthday. Coincidence? "I am a good employerto my subordinates," Bobby Dicksays, smiling. Dave's previous Ergo arrivedjust in time for Christmas Eve!Dick Brothers has already purchasedits next Ergo 8w, which is operating inNorthern Scotland. Ponsse has also manufacturedan eight-wheel version of itsBear harvester. The Bear is a significantlylarger machine: regarding its weight, it isabout eight tonnes heavier. The machineis equipped with a larger harvester head,PONSSE H8, and it is delivered with an11-metre parallel crane."It'll be interesting to see how thepopularity of eight-wheel harvesters willgrow. They have been available for years,but when a major machine manufacturerintroduces its eight-wheel version, it cancause the six-wheel harvesters to becomeas rare as the six-wheel forwarders in Britishforests in three to four years time,"Dick says. Time will tell.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 5

Hardware, sofTware and servicePonsse ergo 8waT hOmE ON ThEfrENch SlOPESOur French customers have expressed their need for better performing PONSSE machinesfor sloping sites. We responded to the challenge by developing an eight-wheel version of theErgo harvester.The first much-awaited machines were delivered to the Limousin region of France. The newmodel is much more than just the conventional Ergo with eight wheels.EfficiENT harVESTiNG PErfOrmaNcEHarvester operator Frédéric Foucaultworks for Mécafor, a company located inthe region of Corrèze in France. He hasbeen working with the new Ergo 8w fortwo months. Frédéric is more than pleased.The harvester's eight-wheel feature and thepositive feedback on the design from theoperators encouraged the company to investin two Ergo 8w harvesters. It is a signof trust in the properties and performanceof the machine, as well as in the servicesprovided by the Ponsse Limousin team,who work in the city of Peyrat-le-Châteauin the region of Haute-Vienne.The harvester moves around the steeplot in a nimble manner. The soil on thebanks of the River Vézère is extremelywet, but it manages well," Frédéric says.After he started using the eight-wheeler,Frédéric has not needed the tracks much.With the old harvester, the tracks were used80% of the time. One of the key criteria isthe treadmarks left by the machine in thewoods: the lower surface pressure of theeight-wheeler makes working easier alsoin this respect.Frédéric confirms that the size of theharvester is a definite plus when movingaround the sites that have been thinned forthe first and second time. The manoeuvrabilityimproved by the increased tractiveforce manifests itself especially in wetlands.Due to the eight wheels and the balancingmechanism of the bogies, its slopeproperties are good, regardless of the foresttype. The driver's Sit Right seat adapts tothe body movements. Frédéric wears theseat belt under all conditions.Frédéric Foucault was mostly impressedby the C4 crane of the eight-wheel Ergo.The fast and efficient C4 complements theperformance of the H7 harvester head perfectly.The sliding boom with its ten-metrereach comes out quickly, which speeds upthe work stages. The operating comfort hasbeen further improved as a result of theunforeseen stability. The machine has notendency to fall, even if the grapple grabs alarge tree of more than four cubic metres.Thanks to the crane tilt, which turns 30 degrees,there is no need to force the grapplemovements. The operation of the harvesterhead is also facilitated by the 228 kNm lift-6Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and serviceing power, 280° turning angle, and 35 kNmslewing power.The H7 harvester head enables extremelyfast working: this is mostly affected by thefeed speed that is adjusted to each work stage,as well as the pinching force that varies accordingto the trunk diameter. "I was completelyamazed by the harvester head's operatingspeed," Frédéric admits. He uses a feedspeed of 5 m/s and controls all the cuttingand delimbing stagesmanually. The output,for example, ina spruce forest that isthinned for the secondtime is 24 m 3 per hour,and the maximum dailyoutput is 253 m 3 . According to Frédéric, heis now working more efficiently than before.The daily output increases by about one thirdduring first thinning, and undoubtedly evenmore during the second. The machine is extremelyproductive with its 16-litre (4.2 gal)hourly consumption. This can be seen duringits operation. The crane moves quickly to thetree butt, and the easily controlled harvesterhead rotates around the tree trunk until thebest cutting angle is identified. The crane liftsthe tree, and feeding is started. The adjacenttrees are barely touched. The rotation speedof the motor does not decrease during trunkprocessing, and before you know it, the craneis on its way to cut the next tree.The 8w model is 8,055 mm (317 in) longand 2,840–3,100 mm (112-122 in) wide. Themachine equipped with the narrowest tireis sufficiently agile for thinning, but the thenarrowness does not significantly weakenthe machine's stability. For operation onsoft terrain and steep slopes, Ergo 8w canbe equipped with suitable tracks and chainsto ensure unbeatable tire grip and machinestability.The eight-wheel model is naturally somewhatbigger than its six-wheel counterpartdue to its additional tires, bogie and a slightlylonger frame. However, the differences in theactual working condition remain small and,with regard to the effects on the terrain, theeight-wheeler's extremely low surface pressureensures superior performance.Both Ergos use the same six-cylinder 205kW (275 hp) Mercedes-Benz engine with anoutput 1100 Nm and a dual circuit hydraulicsystem. The tractive force of the PONSSE Ergo8w has been increased by 14% from the sixwheelversion to ensure its operation in thethe most demanding of conditions."I was completelyamazed by the harvesterhead's operating speed."The dual circuit hydraulic system of bothmodels guarantees that the machine will notrun out of power even in heavy-duty operations.A separate 190 cm 3 (11.6 in 3 ) workingpump is provided for the harvester head, anda 145 cm 3 (8.8 in 3 ) pump for the crane.The harvester climbs theslopes efficiently andturns in place.TESTEd ON ThE SlOPESThis is not the first Ponsse machine for Arnaud,a company located in Haute-Vienne.In fact, Arnaud was amongthe first customers and usersin France during a periodwhen Ponsse was not yetrepresented in France. Thecompany has experience alsowith Ponsse's earlier harvestermodels. Now the company chose theErgo 8w especially for sloping sites. ChristopheArnaud operates his new harvester andspecifies his selection criteria. He chose the8w due to its high performance, applicabilityto slopes and economic efficiency. With thisin mind, eight wheels constitute a significantadvantage.Christophe is already familiar with mechanisedharvesting on steep slopes. Eventhough the terrain in Limousin is not as famousas the slopes of the Alps, it is just asdiverse and dangerous at points. The sizeand location of certain wood lots require precisecontrollability. Christophe has masteredthe Ponsse machines well. When I ask himabout the good qualities of 8w, he replies "incrediblestability",without hesitation.Christophe admitsthat he recognisedcertain features ofErgo 8w. Accordingto him, already thesix-wheel version felt incredibly stable.As the interview starts, Christophe headsdirectly to the slope. The agility of the machinewas not affected even by the steepestof tilts. These typical and familiar conditionsused to make working considerably morecomplicated. The interviewee is very experiencedin working on sloping sites. Accordingto this forest machine entrepreneur, it makesno difference if the machine is going up ordown the slope. He knows how to utilise themachine's stability effectively. Previously, twotree belts could be processed when workingon a steep slope, and now three is no problem.It should be noted that Christophe'smachine does not have balanced bogies. Hethinks that they are unnecessary, as the machinewill turn before the bogies rise off theground. This, if anything, strengthens Christophe'simpressions of the behaviour of theharvester. He has selected the 710 tire size,but has not filled the tire with water as hedid with his six-wheel harvester. In the sixwheelversion, filling the tire with salt waterwas necessary.The harvester climbs the slopes efficientlyand turns in place. These are practical propertiesalso on this steeply sloping site, whichis located partly on a forest road. The machinelooks small in front of the over 20-metreDouglas spruces. The 8w model enablesharvesting over wide areas without additionalloading. Approaching the trees is considerablyeasier, the cutting and processing stagesfollow each other almost at the same pace aswhen working on even terrain.In terms of the crane, Christophe has onlypositive things to say about the new developmentsteps. Power is, of course, one of thefactors. Another is the crane tilt, which extendslonger in the front. He also remembersto mention the fact that the crane is installedon a pivot cylinder instead of a toothed rack.To top it all off, Christophe thinks that thereach has also improved.Regarding the harvester head, Christophevalues the great opening range of the rollersand knives. He has been able to process atrunk with a 92 cm (36 in) thick butt. The operatingspeed, 5.2 m/s with small trunks and4.5–4.8 m/s on large ones, is also appreciated.The harvester head neverjams – a feature that is trulybeneficial when delimbingover 14-metre logs. The combinedeffect of the torque andproportioned speed exceedsthe expectations of even themost seasoned user familiar with the brand,and the change to the old H73 model is remarkable.Furthermore, Christophe comments onthe design of the front end of the machineframe: it can now manage the steepest ofslopes. The cabin, which is located lowerthan in the Ergo 6w, is handy on slopes, eventhough the fuel tank cover decreases the visibilityof the front wheel to a certain extent.The Ergo 8w has been selling well inFrance. The 8w was not designed solely forsloping sites, but it overcomes both challengeswith ease: as an eight-wheeler it has alower surface pressure and guarantees morecomfortable operation.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 7

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE ErGO 8WoPTimal HarvesTing even in THe mosT demanding of TerrainA very effective and ergonomic harvester,PONSSE Ergo has achieved a stable positionin the sector. The effective yet economicalMercedes-Benz engine, dual circuit hydraulicsystem, sturdy and service-friendlystructure and the best ergonomic featuresguarantee that the PONSSE Ergo will continueto be the most efficient upper midrangeharvester on the market.As an eight-wheeler, harvesting with thePONSSE Ergo 8w is particularly effectiveon sloping sites and otherwise demandingterrain. The Ergo 8w can be equipped withbalanced bogies to improve its hill-climbingcapability. The surface pressure generatedby the machine is lower than thatof a six-wheeler, ensuring better carryingcapacity on soft soil.PONSSE c44The geometry of the PONSSE C44 parallel crane is designed on the basis of itspopular little brother, the PONSSE C22, but its structures are built for heavydutyoperations. The new design combines the lightness, excellent efficiencyof the hydraulically operated parallel crane, the easy use enabled by the carefullydesigned movement path, superior crane operation control, as well as thepower and durability Ponsse products are famous for.PONSSE c44 -craNESlewing torque (gross)Tilt angleCrane turning angleLifting torque (gross)Reach31700 lb/ft (43 kNm)30 degrees250 degrees169600 lb/ft (230 kNm)36 ft (11 m) (H6) and 33 ft (10 m) (H7)8Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE BuffalOTHe new cHamPion of forwardersThe new PONSSE Buffalo forwarder isbased on Ponsse’s familiar and reliable solutions.A Mercedes-Benz 906LA engine,Sauer’s hydrostatic transmission and 44°steering angle guarantee ultimate efficiency.In addition, Buffalo’s productivityis strengthened by a strong and reliableK90+ or K100+ loader, a spacious cabin, avariety of load space alternatives (includingvariable load area), a two-part rear frameand a handy load space extension. The newPONSSE Buffalo has new machined frontand rear frames which have been designedpaying special attention to ease of service.A new cast middle pivot, a reliable andsturdy cylinder-powered frame lock andnew reinforced bogies ensure that the reliableBuffalo will serve you in logging for along time. Furthermore, the new Buffaloincludes a coloured forwarder display (exceptin machines equipped with Opti), anew cabin air conditioner system and severalother new features that make Buffaloeasier to service and more comfortable touse. New additional equipment availablefor Buffalo includes an electric cabin tiltpump, log gate rising, a floating bulldozerblade, a quick-release rear frame extensionand a Dual type load space with a quickreleaselog gate as an option for tilt frames.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 9

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE cOmfOrT-uSEr iNTErfacEDrivers’ ability to cope at work is extremelyimportant both with regard to their ownwell-being and the productivity of theirwork. When designing the new PONSSEComfort user interface, drivers were monitoredduring actual work and a number ofpossible solutions were tested to obtain thebest possible ergonomics. The completelynew and fully adjustable control handles,armrests and switch consoles help increasethe drivers’ comfort and ability to cope atwork over the hours, weeks and years.The new user interface will become availablein 2012.10Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE fOxTHe new Ponsse fox overcomes difficulT and sofTHarvesTing condiTionsThe new PONSSE Fox harvester combinesthe latest technology and reliable basic solutionsto produce an efficient entity. Foxis a harvester responding to current harvestingchallenges. The completely newand powerful PONSSE C22 crane has anextensive reach and, thanks to its hydraulicmovement function, is easy to use. Theeleven-metre (36 ft) reach, easy manoeuvrabilityand dual slewing motors makeworking with the machine extremely effective.The crane has been placed close tothe cabin to improve visibility. Due to itseight-wheel design, the PONSSE Fox hashigh stability, which makes working evenin hilly terrain extremely comfortable. Asan eight-wheeler, the surface pressure ofthe new harvester is also extremely low,making it particularly suitable for soft terrains.PONSSE h5The PONSSE H5 harvester head is ageneral harvester head especially suitedfor thinning and designed withparticular attention to smooth multistemming.The large opening, long front delimbingknives and the correctly placedwide top feed roller intensify the thinningof single trees as well as the collectionand handling of trunks duringmulti-stemming. The extremely fast yeteconomical feed and cutting guaranteehigh productivity under all operatingconditions.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 11

Hardware, sofTware and servicePonsse c6 sliding Boom craneThE NEW rEach Of ThE BEarOne of the last year's innovations introduced at the FinnMetko Trade Fair was a slidingboom crane designed for the Bear, Ponsse's biggest harvester. We were able to visit Swedento see one of the first machines ever sold, now being used in Skillingaryd in the province ofSmåland.A clatter and rumble is heard from adense forest in Småland. Contractor NiklasSavilahti is performing final felling withthe PONSSE Bear, which is equipped withthe new crane design. We are, in fact, followingthe footsteps of the bear.STEady WOrk machiNE"No defects have occurred. The controlsseem to be in place now," says Niklas, onhis break. This harvester model has beenon the market for many years, and it is thebiggest PONSSE harvester available. The24-tonne Bear is designed for final felling.It is equipped with a state-of-the-art C6sliding boom crane."I have always used a crane of this type.The best feature of this crane is that theload remains inside the bogie. This makesthe Bear extremely stable. I also like itsspeed and flexibility. Besides, the machineis easy to move about because the craneis so low.""The crane is not very high even in itsworking position, which is why it can beoperated under power lines. This wouldnot be possible with the parallel crane,which has a height of six to seven metres,"Niklas explains.a maN Of hiS WOrdThe C6 crane has a reach of up to ten metres.Compared to the C4 sliding boomcrane, which had the best performance untilrecently, all components of the C6 havebeen taken one step further. This providesadditional capacity for handling the H8harvester head, which weighs 1,350 kg. Inaddition to the harvester head's weight, theweight of the load to be lifted must also beconsidered – this can be up to three tonnes.Niklas's machine is equipped with theC6 crane, which was the second in Swedenand the third in the whole world. Sometime ago he was telling Ponsse, jokingly,that if they ever design a sliding boomcrane for the large H8 harvester head, hewill be the first to buy it."In March 2010, they phoned me fromthe factory and said that they are now de-12Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and serviceall components of the bear are sturdier compared to the previous Ergo niklas had.charles werninger loading pine trunks with the Elephant, Ponsse’s largestforwarder, which accommodates a load of 18 tonnes.veloping one, so I should be a man of myword," he says, laughing. It is extremelynimble for such a big harvester. Many arewondering if buying such a large machinemakes sense. Although the sites are notalways dense forests, large trunks are alwaysfound. When handling them is easy,I believe that a slightly oversized machinewill give more lasting performance. Comparedto my old Ergo, everything aboutthis harvester is a bit more robust. Theframe, bogie housings and, for example,the crane extension, which has bearings atfour points instead of just two."a TOrNE VallEy BOyNiklas comes from Övertorneå in theTorne Valley. Fifteen years ago he moved1,200 kilometres south because of the forests."Here in the south the trees are sturdi-er and harvesting is more pleasant. Life iscompletely different in Norland, especiallybecause you have to travel away during theweeks. I think it's important to get homeevery night, especially if you have family."He has been working as a contractor for oversix years, since January 2005, when the Gudrunstorm hit Sweden.machiNE ruNNiNG iN TWO ShifTS"That was a good time to start, there was enoughwork to work 24-hours a day if you wanted to. Iwas driving alone at the time. Now my wife is doingthe accounting and I also have one other employee.The harvester is operated in two shifts.The objective is to have eight hours of operationin each shift. Economically, shift work is not thatprofitable, but it ensures efficient harvesting andbetter service for the sawmills," Niklas says.They are harvesting a total of 8,000–10,000cubic metres of wood every month for Ture JohanssonsTrävaru, their customer in Klevshult.PONSSE c6 TEchNical SPEcificaTiONS:Slewing torque (gross)Base tilt angleCrane turning angleLifting torque (gross)ReachLifting power with full reach"They give me work all year round. During quieterperiods, they have provided me with hardwoodharvesting. They are a good customer andalways pay me in time, for example. This is whyI want to consider their wishes and don't want toniggle over every detail."Niklas is happy to be a contractor in the forestsector, although he admits that "rainy Mondays"also exist. Jobs are performed within a radius of50 miles from Klevshult, and Niklas takes care ofmoving the machine himself using a trailer thatis registered as a tractor."These machines are too expensive for me toremove and fasten the chains and tracks for drivingon the road. These machines were not designedfor driving on public roads."55 kNm+/-20 degrees250 degrees310 kNm10 m1500 kp/10 mchristian, charles werninger andniklas savilahti say that from themachine cabin, the trunks seemsmaller than they actually are.Even the butt of the trunk,which is closest to thecamera, accounts forone cubic metre of woodand weighs a tonne.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 13

Hardware, sofTware and serviceharvesting performed on the island of innerstö, off the coast ofsweden's hudiksvall municipality, places more than the usual demandson forwarders. Göran svahn of Via skog and PonssE buffalo.a lOGGiNG SiTEiN ThE archiPElaGOLogging carried out on an uninhabited island off the Swedish coast poses more than the usualdemands on contractors and machine operators."The harvesting itself does not really entail anything out of the ordinary, but transport takestime and one has to be prepared to take care of oneself on the island," says Kjell Magnusson,whose company Bäckskogen AB operates from the municipality of Hudiksvall in Sweden.The forwarder drives to the ferry to lift itscargo to the bundling place.14Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and serviceIt is early in summer and an early morning inMössön. On the tongue of land east of Hudiksvall,Kjell Magnusson and Göran Svahn areabout to set off for work in an open boat. Thecrossing takes a minimum of twenty minutes,so the men are clad in warm floatation garmentsand headgear. The well-clothed menbear more resemblance to snowmobilers thanloggers heading to the sunny islands."This early in the summer the sea is stillchilly, especially at this hour of the day. Wehave to dress warmly. It's as important for thesake of warmth as it is for safety, just in casesomething did go wrong and we found ourselvesin the water," says Kjell.a jOB ON aN iSlaNdKjell drives his first shift of the day with hisPONSSE Ergo harvester, partnering up withGöran, whose forwarder vehicle is a PONSSEBuffalo. Both machines are ideal for final fellingpurposes."We have worked together for years, on themainland as well as on the islands. This is becomingjust another routine job for us," saysGöran.It is probably quite a thing to spend one ortwo summery months in the Swedish archipelagoand even get paid for it."It is nice and the scenery is magnificentat times. But you don't have too much time toenjoy the surroundings when you work sinceyou need to perform work in the usual way. Ihaven't taken a single swim in the sea," saysKjell, dispelling any illusions of an idyllic summerjob.Innerstön is one of four relatively big islandslocated southeast of Hudiksvall. True toits name, the island is the one closest to themainland. In the old days, the island was hometo a fishing village and a pilot station, but nowadaysit is uninhabited."The island does, however, have a visitor'sharbour and a house owned by the companyHolmen Skog, so we do see people from timeto time other than our colleagues," observesKjell.ExPEriENcE iS ThE kEyBäckskogen and Via Skog are among themost experienced entrepreneurs of Holmeninvolved in island harvesting. That is also whythey were chosen for the job. The island's forestshave been well managed and this is evidentin the quality of the harvested timber."Logging in island conditions is both laboriousand expensive. We are performing finalfelling at this point so that the value of the timberwill not suffer. The spruce logs are destinedfor Finland, whereas the pulpwood andpine log will be handled by us at Iggesund,"says Martin Karlsson, head of production atHolmen Skog AB.Transporting machines and floating logs tothe port generate additional costs and the contractorraises the price of a contract by ten percent to cover the costs."There must be a certain amount of forestthat is ready for harvesting for the harvestingto be worthwhile. Innerstön isa relatively big island, roughly the sizeof two hundred hectares. We estimatethat we will be harvesting some 5,000–8,000 cubic metres per summer during thecoming two years," says Martin.uNuSual TraNSPOrTaTiONDue to practical matters, contractors have agood two months to spend on island cutting."The weather is usually ideal from mid-May until the end of July. After the autumnstorms begin, nobody wants to float the logs orferry the machinery over," says Kjell.He arrived on the island on the first ferry,accompanied by a harvester, a site hut and afuel tank."Jan-Anders Larsson's ferry is a former carferry, so although the ride took several hours,the twenty-tonne weight of the harvesterwasn't a problem," says Kjell.After a couple of days of cutting, GöranSvahn arrived on site in a similar fashion – accompaniedby his forwarder and site hut."The most important function of the sitehuts is to serve as backup just in case it's windyand we have to stay on the island," explainsGöran.Once the machinery and huts have beenreadied and the work has commenced, one stillneeds to get on site and away from there oncea shift ends."We drive a boat to catch our shift. SinceVia Skog and Bäckskogen both have their ownmotor boats, the arrangement works well."The trip may take anywhere from twentyminutes to an hour depending on the weatherand the wind. When the fog gets thick or thewind particularly strong, it can get really coldin the boat."I'm no seafarer. My family worries and alwayswants to know that I've crossed over safely,"says Kjell. He is also inclined to stay on theisland when the weather gets bad.TrEES frOm ThE fOrEST TO ThE SEaThe final felling work performed by Kjell is exactlythe same as it would be on the mainland."Sometimes you get to see pretty spectacularvistas from the highest points of the island.The crew has also developed a good team spiritsince we are so isolated. But apart from that,the work is the same as any other harvestingjob," says Kjell.The forwarder's job, however, is different."As usual, we collect the logs following thecutting. Sometimes the transport route for thelogs is really long as they have to be drivendown to the ferry. At the shore, we lift the logsto the bundling site adjacent to the ferry. Theferry men then secure a rope around the bundleand it's dropped into the water."The logs included in any one bundle mustalso comprise a mixture of different speciesof trees – pines and deciduous trees have tobe bundled up with spruce logs to prevent thebundle from sinking.The finished bundles are left floating in thesalt water in pairs, until they form a 300-metrelong queue or approximately 1,500 solidcubic metres (m3). Only at this point are thelogs towed to the harbour of Skärnäs and fromthere on to the industrial district of Iggesund,where the quantity of the wood is measured."Floating is an excellent method of transportationin terms of controlling bark beetles,even though it's not my favourite job to fishthe logs out of the water if the rope gives way,"says Göran.Runaway logs must be pushed next to theferry with the help of a steel barge and the logsare then re-lifted to the bundling place by aforwarder who has backed up next to the ferry.dON'T PaNicIf something happens on the island, one cannotalways just call for help."When my harvester had a flat tire, it hadto be taken ashore, first on the ferry, and thento the garage. It was somewhat difficult, butwe did get the tire fixed in the end," adds Kjell.And when the fuel tank holding four cubicmetres of fuel is empty it, too, must be takenashore for refilling. In practice, this means orderinga road tanker to the harbour and gettingthe timing right."Spending the night on the island becauseof the wind adds a bit of excitement to ordinarylife. A forest fire that flared up in the cuttingarea was a more serious incident," says Göran.The most likely explanation for that incidentwas that the harvester's underbody shield orthe forwarder's caterpillar tracks hit a rock andignited a spark left smouldering there. At firstno-one noticed the start of the fire, and oncethe wind picked up, the flames were rising."It took two hours for the firefighting crewto get here on their boat. But we didn't haveany real luck putting the fire out before thefirefighting helicopter arrived on scene," saysGöran. He is thankful for the one remainingsummer of logging left on the island of Innerstö.Of course, there will be plenty of loggingto be done on other islands after that."The team spirit is unbeatable. We are inthe habit of throwing a nice barbecue beforethe closure of cuttings such as this," says Kjell.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 15

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE PrOVidES cOST-EffEcTiVE SOluTiONS fOrharVESTiNG ENErGy WOOd16Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and serviceEconomical harvesting of energy wood requires effectiveand productive methods. PONSSE Bioenergy productsmake the harvesting of energy and small wood flexible andefficient. Energy wood can be harvested simultaneouslywith industrial wood, felled separately or, when necessary,the harvesting equipment can be moved to be used solelyfor industrial wood harvesting.mulTi-STEmmiNGPowerful technology for theharvesting of small-diametertreesThe multi-stemming feature of harvesterheads is the solution for harvesting partiallydelimbed wood, undelimbed pulpwoodand energy wood. The selection iswide-ranging: all standard PONSSE harvesterheads of different sizes are suitablefor multi-stemming, either as such orequipped with minor optional equipment.By means of the multi-stemming function,industrial and energy wood can beharvested simultaneously, thus increasingthe yield. Modern PONSSE harvesterheads can be harnessed for the purposeof multi-stemming, even without any mechanicalchanges. When the objective is toharvest a stand's trees delimbed by multistemming,the handling and feeding of thebundle can be enhanced with the new feedroller solutions. The solution also worksfor standard roundwood harvesting.When performed with PONSSE harvestedheads, multi-stemming is based onthe control function of delimbing knivesand feed rollers: when the machine grabsa new trunk, the rollers hold the trunks inthe harvester head in place while the knivesgrab a new tree. After this the rollers openand grab a new trunk which is cut. Theoperator can control the entire collectionprocess with the push of a single button.Finally, the bundle is assembled as wholetrees or delimbed by feeding the bundlethrough the harvester head, depending onthe need.The size of the harvester head is chosenaccording to the size of the timberto be handled. A strong harvester headequipped with a large opening is naturallyable to hold even sturdier trunksawaiting multi-stemming. Smaller trunksizes allow for the use of smaller and lighterharvester heads. A load scale is recommendedfor the forwarder for weighing the timber.TimBEr WEiGhiNGPonsse loadoPtimizer load scaleThe PONSSE LoadOptimizer load scale isa solution for weighing loads: it weighs,sorts, saves and manages load data whilethe work is being performed.The PONSSE LoadOptimizer can alsobe used as an official timber measuringsystem. Load data and load logs are automaticallytransferred from LoadOptimizerto the OptiForwarder system. The data canalso be saved on a USB memory drive orprinted directly on paper. The load scale'sdisplay unit is fully dustproof and waterproof.The weight sensor is designed towithstand extreme conditions and extensivewear and tear. In addition to PONSSEloaders, the PONSSE LoadOptimizer canbe installed in the majority of other loaders.Multi-stemmed timber is automaticallymeasured by PONSSE LoadOptimizerduring unloading, and the weighingcan be done by batches and timbergrades. Timber grade selector switches,which can be installed in the control handles,are available as optional equipment.mOdifiaBlE lOad SPacES:flexibility for industry and energywood transPortationPonsse's mechanically or hydraulicallymodifiable load spaces bring a new typeof flexibility to the harvesting of differentsites. The modifiable load space makesindustrial wood harvesting easier and increasesthe load volume in energy woodharvesting by bringing harvesting productivityto a new level, as the capacity is betterutilised. The PONSSE LoadOptimizerload scale guarantees properly-sized loadsand provides accurate reports on the transportedvolumes.The hydraulically modifiable space canbe controlled by operating switches directlyfrom the cabin while working. When transportinglighter energy fractions, the expandedspace allows for bigger loads, thusoptimising the use of the machine's capacity.During the transportation of normaltimber, the load's centre of gravity can belowered by expanding the load space. Hydraulicallymodifiable load spaces are availablefor PONSSE Elephant, Buffalo and Elkforwarders. They are always accompaniedby the PONSSE LoadOptimizer load scale.For more detailed product information,go towww.ponsse.com/bioenergyPONSSEBIOENERGYPonsse News 1 • 2011 17

Hardware, sofTware and servicedO yOu WaNT uS TOWraP iT uP fOr yOu?Ponsse Performance Packages – designed To enHance macHineProducTivenessPerformance Packages are pre-selected spareparts kits designed to meet the needs of forestmachine contractors, and they allow upgradinga machine back to its original condition.Performance Packages include a variety of optionsfor the purposes of upgrading harvesterheads, cranes and base machines. PONSSEPerformance Packages are designed to enhancethe performance of machines and toupgrade older machines to the level of currentforest machine technology.A forest machine's operating life dependson a variety of factors: regular service, economicaluse, the retention of technical efficiencyand the availability of spare parts. Tosecure the last two of these – technical efficiencyand the availability of spare parts –Ponsse now offers an entirely new productfamily.Through PONSSE Performance Packages,Ponsse supplies the market with a widerangingselection of spare-parts kits. Thepackages are designed for more thoroughoverhauls and modernisations of forest machines.With Performance Packages, evenolder machines can be upgraded to meet thedemands of modern harvesting, whether thesubject of the upgrade is the machine's informationsystem, harvester head, forwarder'sscale or crane.The range of Performance Packages includesa variety of means for improving theproductivity of a machine. Some of the packageshave been designed so that technologywhich is outdated or soon to be removed fromuse is replaced with modern counterparts.This ensures machines' future operation(for example, Opti5 upgrades). Other packagesare designed to replace parts exposed towear and tear and to expedite servicing operations(these include measuring wheel packagesand sleeve kits). Certain packages (suchas scale packages) can also provide older machineswith wholly new features.Our selection, composed of nearly onehundred different Performance Packages, isdescribed in more detail in the PONSSE Servicecatalogue. The development of PerformancePackages is overseen by the IisalmibasedOlli Koljonen, head of product groupdesign."The original starting point for the developmentof Performance Packages was feedbackreceived from customers. Hence futuredevelopment will also include cooperationwith our customers," says Olli Koljonen."We are more than happy to receive feedbackon the functionality of PerformancePackages and new ideas."18Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Hardware, sofTware and servicePONSSE SParE ParTSrEmaNufacTurEd ParTSPONSSE Remanufactured Parts offer you aquick, inexpensive and eco-friendly way of replacingdamaged spare parts. RemanufacturedParts is a service developed by Ponsse and isbased on recycling and reconditioning usedservice parts. Return the damaged part to usand replace it by buying a remanufactured partwhich Ponsse has carefully reconditioned. Youwill receive compensation for the returnedpart when you purchase a remanufacturedpart, thus providing you with considerable costsavings. As a guarantee of high quality, Ponsseprovides remanufactured parts with the samewarranty as new parts.BudGET ParTS: uSEd ParTS aT BudGETPricESPonsse offers an extensive selection of usedparts, which are an affordable alternative forforest machine maintenance. Budget Parts area good choice if you do not need a new part andwould like to get the part you need at low cost.Budget Parts are selected partic ularly with themaintenance of slightly older or backup machineryin mind. By choosing a Budget Part,you can save on servicing costs while also consideringthe environment.Budget Parts are, for instance, parts notused at a plant and components that haveun dergone test use in product development.The parts released for sale are carefully selected,af ter which the equipment and conditionclass of each part is separately assessed andthe price of the part is determined accordingly.claSSic ParTS: GENuiNE ParTS ThaT arEaS GOOd aS NEW fOr claSSic mOdElSPonsse also wishes to serve the owners of oldermachines by offering an extensive range ofClassic Parts. Classic Parts are unused genuineparts offered by Ponsse for older machinemodels that are no longer in production. ClassicParts enable the cost-effective maintenanceof older machines’ working capacity or theoverhaul of an old classic.Ponsse’s long history as a manufacturer offorest machines allows us to provide you withan extensive range of Classic Parts from theby gone decades. Whether you are the owner ofan HS10 Cobra harvester whose performanceyou would like to ensure for years to come ora legendary S15 forwarder that you would liketo repair to running condition, Classic Partsmake this possible. The range of Classic Partsincludes radiators, exhaust pipes, frame metalparts, engine cover parts and cable sets.fOrEST machiNE EQuiPmENT fOr ThEfOrESTry PrOfESSiONalThe equipment comprises quality products designedspecifically for the purposes of forestryprofessionals. The range of products includesequipment, tools and other gear essentialfrom the forestry professional’s perspective.THe new Ponsse sPare ParTs and services caTalogueThe Ponsse Spare Parts and Services cataloguehas been revised. The purpose of thenew and more thorough, 196-page catalogueis to serve customers as well as possible in allspare parts purchases. The catalogue is alsoavailable in pdf format in the SERVICES sectionof the www.ponsse.com site: Cataloguesand services.The catalogue includes new productgroups, such as electric and hydraulic connectorsand chemicals. The layout of the cataloguehas been revised so that product groups havebeen colour-coded and more product imageshave been added to make the catalogue moreuser-friendly.The catalogue also includes instructionsfor using and servicing various products andcontains, for instance, tire pressure recommendationsand hydraulic connector selectionguides. A completely new section on thePONSSE Performance Packages has also beenadded to the catalogue.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 19

aGiliTy aNd POWEriN ThiNNiNGThe new PONSSE Fox is a true all-terrain harvester. thefox features eight wheels and a powerful crane located close tothe cabin, meaning it performs in the most demanding harvestingsituations. be it on difficult terrain or in soft conditions, you canwork comfortably and efficiently. with the new fox, Ponsse deliversjust what customers were ordering: the best weight distribution,stability and visibility we have ever produced.The PONSSE C22 crane puts the fox in a class of its own.the c22 features multiple reaches (11 metres using the h53eharvester head, and 10,3 metres with the h6 harvester head) andis quick, easy and accurate to control. drivers and nature alike willthank the new terrain-saving fox.a logger’s best friend20Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Ponsse News 1 • 2011 21

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 yearsiN ThE BEGiNNiNG ThErE WaSa lOGGiNG SiTE, a haNd-hEldSaW aNd EiNariToday, Ponsse Plc is one of the world's largest manufacturers of rubber wheel cut-tolengthforest machines. Ponsse has grown from a machine entrepreneur’s dream into aninternational export company whose operations are guided by the same values as whenit was established. The company’s production, R&D and administration are located inVieremä, Finland – in the same place as 40 years earlier.alONG hiSTOry aT ThE cOrE Of ThEdEVElOPmENT Of cuT-TO-lENGThmachiNESEinari Vidgrén, the founder of Ponsse andthe late Chairman of the company's Boardof Directors, started working on loggingsites in 1957, when he was just 14. At theage of 27, Vidgrén – who had started harvestingwith a hand-held saw – already employed25 loggers, which made him one ofFinland’s major machine entrepreneurs.However, the machines suffered from durabilityproblems and in 1969 Vidgrén developedin a local village workshop a loadcarryingforest tractor for his own use. Henamed the forwarder Ponsse, after a crossbreedcourser dog that roamed the village.Ponsse was first used at the logging siteof Tehdaspuu, and after a year of use Tehdaspuuasked for more of the same kindof forwarders. This feedback encouragedVidgrén to establish a forest machine plantin Vieremä. With a one-vote majority, themunicipal council decided to build an industrialplant to be leased to the machineentrepreneur Einari Vidgrén. The plant wascompleted at the end of 1970 and PonsseOy was established. The first forest machineintended for serial production wasa PAZ forwarder. Difficulties and setbackscharacterised the plant’s early years: moneywas not easy to come by.A breakthrough in the evolution of forestmachines took place in the 1980s. Ponssebecame renowned to competitors andcustomers alike in a single dramatic stepin 1983 when it introduced the legendaryPonsse S15 forwarder. Built partly from aluminium,the machine's chassis made itsignificantly lighter than its competitors’chassis, putting it in a class of its own forcross-terrain performance. Another significantmilestone in Ponsse’s history wasreached in 1986 when the first harvesterhead H520 was introduced. It marked animportant step in the expansion of theproduct family from forwarders to harvestingmachines as well.Finnish quality was recognised in1994 when Ponsse became the first ISO9001-certified forest machine manufacturerin the world. This led to intensifiedmachine development work and an expansionof the plant. In the 1990s the productrange expanded and Ponsse Opti, anadvanced measurement and informationsystem for forest machines, was launchedon the market. Ponsse was listed on theHelsinki Stock Exchange, and establishedsubsidiaries in Sweden, the United States,France and the United Kingdom.2001 1971201022Ponsse News 1 • 2011

TOTal cOmmiTmENT TO iTS cuSTOmErS aNdThE fOrESTPonsse has continued its journey successfullyfrom decade to decade and continent to continent,thanks to hard work and its experienced staff. The7,000th PONSSE forest machine based on the environmentallyfriendly cut-to-length method wascompleted at the factory in August 2010. The threehectares of modern production facilities house anefficient production process. The Ponsse Group includesthe parent company Ponsse Plc and elevensubsidiaries in Sweden, Norway, France, the UnitedKingdom, the United States, Brazil, Russia,Hong Kong, China and Uruguay, plus Epec Oy inSeinäjoki, Finland, which manufactures embeddedmachine control systems. Ponsse has a retailernetwork of twenty-six retailers.The product range includes six harvester andnine forwarder models, a Dual combination machine,several harvester head models, informationsystem products and various cranes. All of theforest machines and harvester heads are manufacturedand designed in Vieremä. Product development,governance and marketing also operateunder the same roof – a fact that contributes tothe flexibility and speed of overall operations. Thecontrol systems are manufactured in Seinäjoki byPonsse’s subsidiary Epec Oy.The company’s values and operating methodsare based on the original principles of Einari Vidgrén.The customer has always been the startingpoint for Ponsse’s operations: all innovations areassociated with how customers value them andhow they can benefit from them in their own operations.Ponsse offers its customers comprehensiveharvesting solutions serving the productiveness ofa harvesting entrepreneur’s operations. Ponsse haslong experience in the manufacture and developmentof cut-to-length forest machines, and we continuallysupport our customers, even through themost difficult times.1969EiNari VidgréN 1943–2010Einari Vidgrén, the founder of Ponsse Plc and Chairman of the Boardof Directors, passed away suddenly on 26 October 2010.Einari will be greatly missed. Ponsse meant the world to Einari.The history of Ponsse is a story of hard work and a solid set of values.It is an honour for us to carry on the operations of the company asoutlined by Einari right from the start. Ponsse will cherish Einari'sideas, and our operations will continue along the same path. To quoteEinari, "We keep our promises."The Vidgrén family continues as the main owner of Ponsse - all foursons of Einari Vidgrén continue developing the company. Also in thefuture, the company will be a family enterprise rooted deeply in theFinnish countryside.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 23

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 yearsEVENTS duriNG ThE PaST yEarPONSSE'S 40Th aNNiVErSary WaS cElEBraTEd TOGEThEr WiTh arOuNd 1,700guEStS ON 14 auguSt 2010Ponsse’s 40th anniversary was celebrated in a relaxed mood and the spirit ofthe 1970s at Einari’s home farm in Mäkelä, Vieremä. The mood was warmand friendly. Speeches were given by Juho Nummela, President and CEO, andSeppo Kääriäinen, Deputy Speaker of Parliament. Ismo Apell, who acted as apresenter, interviewed Einari and Jouko Kelppe, the first ever engineer at Ponsse.During the party, the winner of the sideburn competition was also chosen.The competition was indeed hairy, but in the end the first prize went to PetteriHärkönen’s bushy burns.24Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 years27.8.2010 The 7,000th machine came off the assemblyline at the Vieremä factory on Friday, 27 August 2010.Koneyhtymä Randelin Oy received its new PONSSEErgo 8w harvester at the FinnMETKO Exhibition on3 September 2010. The special feature adorning the7,000th machine was its gilded exhaust pipe. Continuityand a positive approach are important aspects ofPonsse’s success story: confidential, long-term customerrelationships continue from one generation to the next,we have competent and long-term employees, and wecontinuously develop our products and services.4.9.2010 The 7,000th machine is handed over toKoneyhtymä Randelin.ThE SErial PrOducTiON Of NEW EiGhT-WhEEl harVESTErSPONSSE ErGO 8W aNd PONSSE fOx STarTEd.In Finland, PONSSE Fox was the best selling harvestermodel in 2010.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 25

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 yearsEVENTS duriNG ThE PaST yEarjuly Ponsse's 40-year jubilee mood andPonsse spirit at the summit of MountElbrus, at 5,642 m the highest mountainin the Caucasus, Russia13.8. Open house at the factory10.12. Ponsse Plc concluded newsports sponsorship agreementsauGuST The DEMO road show celebrating 40 yearsof Ponsse manufacturing toured the United States20102.–4.9. The FinnMETKO fair, Jämsä, FinlandJuly august september october november decemberNOVEmBErPonsse Ladies enjoying a river cruise, FrancedEcEmBEr Japan's first PONSSE harvesterSEPTEmBEr Ponsse North America Inc. at the LoggingCongress expo in Green Bay, the United States1.12. The 40-year jubileeDEMO road show in Canada26Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 years7.6. A new PONSSE Customer Service Centre was opened in St. Petersburg. Manycustomers attended the opening ceremony.3.–5.5. Professionals compete for theFinnish championships at Taitaja,the Annual Finnish NationalSkills Competition, held in Kuopio.Ponsse's representatives participatedin two categories: Industrial Maintenanceand Forestry Machinery.26.–28.5.The SkogsElmiaexhibition inJönköping,Sweden. Ponsseintroduceda thoroughselection ofnew PONSSEforest machinetechnology.2011January february march april may June13.–15.5. Expoforest 2011, Brazil 3.–4.6. Forestry Harvesting Demo, the United KingdomJarmo, Janne, Einari and Juha VidgrénjuNE:Ponsse donateda PONSSE Ergoharvester to thePilke Science Centreopened in Rovaniemi.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 27

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 yearsfOr ThE irON haNdSiT’S ThE aTTiTudE ThaT cOuNTSPonsse still employs many staff members who have contributed to the company's successsince its inception. A trio working at the welding shop, for instance, represents a perfectexample of the kind of employee Einari liked to talk about: "Our success is based onhaving the right people in the right places." All three men can boast a 25–40-year career atPonsse and a few years more in terms of life experience. And still they continue to have adisposition towards life and work that many would do well to emulate.28Ponsse News 1 • 2011

Ponsse on logging sites for 40 yearsThE PicTurE Of hEalThThe senior member of the team, Osmo Saastamoinen,has worked at Ponsse for nearly40 years, Aimo Ruotsalainen for 30 years andthe novice of the team, Kalevi Tikkanen, for25 years. Although a welder's work has, particularlyin the past, entailed heavy labour, itdoes not seem to have left its mark on thesemen. Or, at the very least, it will not be easyfor you to get these three jovial natives of theSavo region to admit to any such thing. Noneof the three has spent more than a few dayson sick-leave throughout their entire careers.The sceptic needs to seek verification fromthe supervisor."It's true. I don't think Kalevi's 25-year careerincludes a single day of sick leave. Aimohas had two short periods of being away sickduring a career spanning three decades andOsmo's 40 years of service for the companyhave included only a few days of sick leave,"says Ilkka Toitturi, the supervisor of the weldingshop, and himself a nearly 20-year veteranat Ponsse.The secret of such health may largely residein the men's positive outlook on life;something an outsider can spot immediately."If the job was still similar to what it wasa little more than twenty years ago, I'm sureour health would have suffered. But nowadaysthe tools are good, air conditioning takes careof welding gases and occupational health requirementsare followed to the letter. Thework can't get any cleaner than this," claimsAimo Ruotsalainen, who works on the frontframe welding line, with a slight twinkle inhis eye.Kalevi Tikkanen, who also works on weldingfront frames, confesses that on manyoccasions in the past one's health was safeguardedby sheer luck."In the past, the frames were suspendedon trammels during welding and movedaround with bridge cranes. The risk was considerable.Now the frames are welded on theline with remote-controlled welder's jig/conveyorsets designed specifically for that purposeand the welding is done using a robot."Osmo Saastamoinen's current job is to workas the so-called robot operator of the weldingrobot. The men do not frown upon the partialtransfer of duties to the robot.According to the group of three, havingthe heavy labour done by the robot has beena relief: keeping up with the competition andrunning long weld seams is demanding, evenfor experienced welders."For the most part, health is really a questionof taking care of oneself and one's basicfitness. In addition to physical fitness, onealso has to have goals and a healthy lifestyle.Work itself, of course, forms a part of an individual'shappiness," says Kalevi Tikkanen.He used to spend his leisure time skiingand on track and field sports, nowadays hishobbies include weight-lifting on the nationalchampionship level for seniors. According toAimo Ruotsalainen, he keeps physically activemainly for his own pleasure and concentratesmainly on jogging. After a little prodding,however, he modestly admits to havingaccumulated some 7,000 km on his bicycleduring 2009, for instance, when lay-offs lefthim with more time on his hands. OsmoSaastamoinen used to play badminton, butnowadays he prefers jogging and skiing.TEam SPiriT iS ThE kEy – rEGardlESS OfThE jOBLengthy careers have naturally entailed a colourfularray of experiences, but team spirithas always helped the men pull through."We did have our work cut out for us duringthe early days of Ponsse. At the time ofthe first machinery plant, the pipes could befrozen when you came to work in the morningand you'd have to start the day by gearingup the iron heater stove. Once it even blew upwhen we ended up throwing too much woodin there in our enthusiasm to get warm. Duringquiet periods, when business was slow,we passed the time by making hay for Einari'shorses, among other things," recalls OsmoSaastamoinen. The long periods of temporarydismissals and staff reductions in 2009 representeda serious lesson to the whole company.But in the same breath the trio is mindfulof how one has to pull through in hard times.A sense of humour is what helped the menovercome the most recent difficulties.It would be safe to say that we are all proudof our professional skills, say the men. We areso-called first generation iron hands in the regionof Ylä-Savo. Nowadays, the region of Ylä-Savo is known for a strong competence in themetal industry and back in the day we werecommitted to making the region the strongholdof an industrial job pool. We didn't havea lot of options around these parts then. If theagricultural sector could not support you, youeither had to go away to study somewhere elseor get a job in the industrial sector.But what is it that has kept the men loyal toone employer all these years? The small turnoverof employees at Ponsse is not explainedaway merely by the traditionally long employmentrelationships in the region.According to the trio, one of the factorswhich really motivates is the excellent dailyflow of information. "The staff needs to beaware of what they are expected to do and ofhow the company is doing. Otherwise thepulling together part just does not work,"adds one of them."Also, one is not too keen to change jobs ifhe is surrounded by a good crew and attachedto that community," says Aimo Ruotsalainen.maTTi hilTuNEN iN ThE SErVicE OfPONSSE fOr 40 yEarSMatti Hiltunen has worked for Ponsse for40 years. To be precise, he started workingfor the company as a machinist on 1 December1970, and is still a machinist today. Theduties of a machinist have changed considerablyas technology has developed overtime. In the early years, tasks were carriedout at a manual lathe, whereas nowadaysMatti uses a fully automated machiningcentre.When Matti started at Ponsse in the 70s,the company had fewer than ten employees.However, according to Matti, there is somethingthat still remains unchanged: ”Ponssehas always appreciated the working man.Employees have been respected and theirvoice has been heard. My sincere wish isthat this will always be the Ponsse way ofworking," says Matti.Ponsse rewarded Matti Hiltunen for his40-year career with a trip to China and anintroduction to the local operations.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 29

THe foresT worldThE EiNari VidGréN fOuNdaTiONrEWardEd fOrESTry PrOfESSiONalSWiTh Eur 86,000The Foundation, established to maintainthe life’s work of the late Industrial CounsellorEinari Vidgrén, who died in Octoberlast year, convened on 20 May to recogniseprofessionals in the field. It was the firsttime the Foundation presented awardswithout its founder present. The EinariVidgrén Foundation is chaired by JuhaVidgrén.Industrial Counsellor Einari Vidgrén,the founder of Ponsse Plc, established theEinari Vidgrén Foundation in April 2005in order to increase the appreciation of thework done in mechanised wood harvesting.The purpose of the Foundation is tomake the entrepreneurship related to woodharvesting better known and to make themechanised harvesting sector more interestingas an employer, especially amongthe young.The Foundation granted the Einariaward of EUR 10,000 to the following forestmachine companies: KoneurakointiLukkarinen Oy, Varpaisjärvi, MetsäkoneurakointiAhti Hirvi ky, Kouvola, and MetsäAalto Oy, Yli-Ii.In addition to recognising contractors,the Foundation granted four forestryawards and awarded 26 forest machinedrivers and 20 students of forest machineschools. The total amount of the awardsthis year was EUR 86,000.Regarding forest machine companiesand forest machine operators, candidatesfor the award are shortlisted nationwideby forest companies and sawmills. Withregard to students, candidates are namedlocally, by forest machine schools and institutes.The forest industry's recognition wasgiven to forest machine instructors PerttiLakkala from Rovaniemi and Erkki Puranenfrom Tampere. The award-winnersalso included the forest industry communicationsexpert Juha Aaltoila, the newspaperMaaseudun Tulevaisuus and theMetsäopetus.fi organisation, focused onmarketing forest machine related educationto the youth.30Ponsse News 1 • 2011

THe foresT worldTOP-NOTch mOTiVaTiON aT fOrESTmachiNE TraiNiNG fOr adulTSOne of the first tasks of instructor Erkki Puranen, who joined the Kuru Institute of Forestryin 1992, was the establishment of adult education. The task was pleasing to the formertimber buyer who had also worked as a forest machine operator for a number of years.For years now, the institute – nowadaysfunctioning under Tampere College – hasexcelled in updating the qualifications ofolder forest machine operators. Ever sinceit was commenced, the 12-month studyprogramme arranged in the form of secondaryschooling for adults has had significantlymore potential students than therehas been capacity for.Erkki Puranen, , who is in charge of theprogramme, considers the situation excellentbecause an average of 30 from a total50 applicants are invited to an interviewon the basis of their applications. Only 15of the applicants interviewed are then admittedon the basis of the interviews held.The process makes for a carefully selectedgroup of people who are superbly motivatedand there have been no dropouts. Theemployment levels of former students arelikewise exceptionally good and they haveremained in the industry.The total length of the training programmeis 1,500 hours of which a mere350 hours consist of theory. According toPuranen, one can master working skillsonly by working. For now, the coursesheld in Uimaharju, Joensuu, are in theirfifth year. The spare rental premises compriseonly a classroom and service facilities,since the actual learning takes placein the forest.The contracts concluded with companiesthat buy timber are of crucial importancewith regard to the programme'sfunding. The Centre for Economic Development,Transport and the Environment(ELY) funds two-thirds of the programmeand invites educators to submit tenderson arranging the courses. The rest of thefunding is earned from the private sectoror, in other words, by engaging in machinework. Erkki Puranen readily admits thatthe commendable completion of a singlecourse costs a substantial amount of money,but that the training of a professionalforest machine operator likely to stay in thebusiness only costs a good EUR 20,000.The sum can be considered quite reasonablewhen compared to almost any other training.One of the biggest challenges the organisersface is maintaining the equipment in up-todatecondition. The course must be able to supplystudents with modern machines of variousmakes and models. At the moment, the courseuses six machines, with the intention of changingone machine per year so that the equipmentdoes not age.The forest machines of Tampere College arein very productive use indeed, as teaching is carriedout in two shifts. The lively study pace runsup to 2,000 hours on the machines' metres in ayear. Students are divided into groups from thestart and the groups are provided with specificmachines for the duration of the programme.Quite often the selected students already havean idea of the make of the machine they will beworking with after completing the programme.Naturally, students also receive intensive trainingon the makes and models that will be used inthe future towards the end of the course.Erkki Puranen knows that when educatingadults, putting the students' experience andextensive know-how to use benefits the entiregroup. Strongly interactive studying achievessustainable results. Feedback on the success ofthe course is collected continuously so that theprogramme can be developed in the right direction.The feedback received so far from both studentsand their subsequent employers has beenpositive.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 31

THe foresT worldONWard iN GOOd SPiriTS32The story of Ahti Hirvelä, who runs his forestmachine company from the village of Survajain Finland, is quite common. Machine contractingstarted with a farm tractor a good 40years ago and continued through Pikkunalleand Lokomo to the current PONSSE Ergosand Elks.The tongue-in-cheek Finnish version of thename given to the PONSSE Elk by Ahti Hirviis Hirvi (hirvi being Finnish for elk). Friendsand acquaintances are fond of remarking thatonce Ahti shows up, one can expect plenty ofelk damage.kEy ENTrEPrENEurShiP GENEraTES rE-SPONSiBiliTyNowadays, Hirvi's company, as one of UPM'skey entrepreneurs, is in charge of the standsat Savitaipale, Lemi and Taipalsaari. Ahti Hirvireminisces on how many people it used to taketo run a logging site, whereas nowadays, thecompany receives all data on stands and thecutting instructions, complemented with anypossible information on protected conservationsites, directly on the computer. After thisthe overall responsibility transfers to Hirvi'scompany and, above all, to the harvester operatorwho performs the cutting.These days, a machine contractor forms animportant link between forest owners and thecompany buying the wood. According to AhtiHirvi, one must be mindful of the interests ofboth parties when performing the harvesting.A forest left tidy and with plenty of valuabletimber is in the interest of the forest owner.The buyers, on the other hand, value as higha yield as possible in terms of the wood typesthey desire. The buying companies send contractorsfeedback on each and every stand. Hirviappreciates this a great deal since, accordingto him, the reports tell the contractor whetherthings are progressing in the right direction.Ponsse News 1 • 2011Continuous feedback allows the contractor tofine-tune operations, when necessary, in thespirit of continuous improvement."That is actually at the heart of forest machinecontracting – being able to observe theinterests of both parties. As long as you workwith an open hand and discuss issues honestly,larger issues do not even have a chance todevelop. The entire crew involved in the harvestingwork needs to have an idea of the bigpicture and pull together," says Ahti Hirvi.cONTiNuOuS chaNGEBack when harvester heads first appeared inthe forests, they represented a major change.Ahti remembers the time when people wonderedwhen the harvester heads would takecare of 20 per cent of the cutting. The advanceswere tremendously fast and these days loggersneed only handcut the most unusual of places.Another rapid development that raised plentyof discussion in its time was the large-scaledeployment of measuring devices."Some had their doubts about the effectivenessof the devices, so we invited timbersellers along to see the measuring in practice.After we performed manual control measurements,suspicions were dispelled quite soon.This was another case in which open discussionand cooperation proved to be fruitful,"says Ahti Hirvi.Hirvi has never had any problems in findingoperators. Competent and committed operatorshave always been available. The workcarried out during one shift is reasonable interms of hours, on top of which his companyhas always been able to offer round-the-yearemployment. The harvesting of energy woodand felling waste from thinning sites andwood from water system areas balance annualworkloads. Students of the field have also occasionallybeen involved in work as trainees,but according to Ahti Hirvi, training a youthstill in school to become a forest machine operatoris, in most cases, too expensive for anentrepreneur.WEll maiNTaiNEd machiNES laSTIn Hirvi's company, machines are usually replacedin two waves of sorts. Some of the newermachines are employed for a mere three orfour years before replacement. A couple of oldermachines with fewer kilometres on themare kept in good condition as a sort of reserve.Hirvi's employees perform oil changes andother minor service themselves, but for majoroverhauls, machines are transported on platformsto Mikkeli for expert service.Three years ago, Ahti purchased a yellowgreenPonsse S15. His reason for buying themachine, which was built in the late 1980s andhad been driven for more than 61,000 hours,lay in timber cut in marshland. Nobody hadbeen willing to harvest that timber, not eventhose who drove farm tractors. So Ahti boughtthe yellow-green S15 and drove the wood away.The light and efficient machine was practicallymade for the soft marshland. After the job,the seasoned machine was "repurposed". Lastsummer the S15 had one job when a heaviermachine got bogged down in the marshes andneeded to be plucked out."I am not looking forward to any revolutionaryinventions and innovations involvingforest machines, because the current machinesare quite good and reliable. When amanufacturer develops its machines with asystematic calmness, the entrepreneur feelssafer as well. Of course, the spare parts andservice side of the business need to functionso that work in the forests can continue withdowntime periods being kept as short as possible,"says Ahti Hirvi.

THe foresT worldSkillEd WOrkErS arE alWayS iN dEmaNd"It has been my experience that the forest machine industryhas a constant shortage of professional workforce, particularlyoperators with a genuine commitment to their job. We do havequalified people, but better salaries in the mining, earth-movingand transportation sectors are naturally attractive," says TeemuAalto, who has headed the Yli-Ii-based Metsä Aalto Oy for thepast 15 years.According to Aalto, it would only be fair to beable to pay harvester operators a competitivesalary, more in line with the substantial demandsand responsibilities of the job. A callingis of course a terrific thing when choosinga vocation, but the pay plays an equally importantrole when it comes to job satisfactionand commitment. According to Teemu, themachines are so comfortable and ergonomicthat the industry's attractiveness needs to beincreased with other means.Kone Aalto Oy, which harvests and forwardstimber in two chains primarily for StoraEnso in the Oulu region, is a partner in HarvestLogistic Oy, comprising several companies.The cooperative enterprise, which completedone year of operations in the spring of2011, has received only positive feedback fromtimber companies and participating contractors."An idea that one has been entertainingalone has often undergone an exciting refinementwhen discussed in the board meetingsof Harvest Logistic Oy. Having more mindsthan one to come up with ideas and thinkabout targets of development often proves tobe a lot more productive," remarks a satisfiedTeemu Aalto.Teemu's career in forestry was no accident.His father Pentti founded the companyback in 1965. In the beginning, the companybarked logs for pulp and paper mills. Thefirst forest machine was bought during thefirst half of the 1970s. Harvesting heads wereadopted in 1992. Once Teemu took over thereins in the mid-1990s, the company formwas changed from a partnership to a limitedliability company and the company adoptedits current name.About 90 per cent of Metsä Aalto's loggingsites consist of thinning stands. The annualstacking speed amounts to roughly 60,000solid cubic metres. The valuable machines cutgreen gold primarily in two shifts."The advanced technology of forest machinesis one serious matter. One has to participatein courses and training to be able tooptimise the benefits to be gained from themachines. When studying things with an activeapproach, they tend to stick as well," saysTeemu Aalto.Minor maintenance of the machines istaken care of by the company, but warrantyservices and any possible overhauls are performedby the contractual service partner operatingin Pudasjärvi. Replacement comesup once a machine has accumulated some10,000–15,000 hours of use. This means thatMetsä Aalto rarely employs machines morethan five years old."From the forest machine contractor's perspectivethe situation looks promising. Therehas been a good number of sites and cooperationwith all parties is working well. Withregard to operational development, the prevalentmood seems to be one characterised bya spirit of cooperation," says the 36-year-oldTeemu Aalto.a PlEaSaNT accidENTPauli Pöllänen, who has earned his living as aforest machine operator for a good 20 years,says he wound up in the business somewhataccidentally. When attending a dredgercourse, he was offered a job as a forwarderoperator."It was indeed something of a coincidencethat I started driving a forwarder in 1989. Butafter I completed my military service, I reallydidn't think twice about returning to the worldof men and machines," says Pauli Pöllänen.He says he has been interested in machinesever since he was a small boy. PauliPöllänen is one of the fifteen professionals ofJP Metsäkoneurakointi Oy. When includingpart-time contractors, this leading harvestingcompany in the region of Southern Ostrobothniaworks with the strength of morethan 30 machines.In 1997, Pauli switched the cabin of a forwarderto that of a harvester. Ever since then,he has cleared and thinned the forests ofSouthern Ostrobothnia. The harvesters cutwood at a rate of roughly 30,000 cubic metresa year. The hours pile up at a reasonable rateas well, since the 2007 PONSSE Beaver operatedby Pauli has already accumulated 8,500hours of use."Not that these woods were as sturdy as theones in Eastern Finland, but I have had the opportunityto cut down a tree the size of 2,700litres. But in this region a tree would quicklybe furnished with a conservation band if itwould top 3,000 litres," says Pauli Pöllänen.Thinning accounts for the better part offifty per cent of the harvesting and especiallymulti-stemming, or thinning performed witha fuel-wood grapple, has increased considerablyduring the past few years. The biofuelpower plant in Jakobstad is one of the mostimportant delivery points for the energy wood.When asked about the positive aspects of aharvester operator's job, Pauli responds withouthesitation that the independence is one ofthe essential features that increase job satisfaction.When harvesting, the operator mustmake independent decisions all the time. Thesuccess of such decisions is measured by boththe forest owner and the representative of thebuying company. According to Pauli, a professionallyand carefully performed job has beensufficient so far, and that the operator doesnot spend much time thinking about his rolebetween the seller and the buyer.Although the company's machines primarilycut wood in two shifts, Pauli Pöllänendoes not perceive this as particularly taxing.The morning shift begins at six and the eveningshift ends around midnight. Luckily, shiftscan be switched between operators, a factwhich alleviates the drawbacks of shift work.According to Pauli, work in the cabin of aforest machine constitutes the best possibleinstruction and accumulation of skills. Naturally,more in-depth orientation is necessaryin relation to new machines. This kind oftraining has been managed in an exemplaryfashion by the company together with the machinemanufacturer."This is a nice and challenging job, nocomplaints there. But sometimes I get thefeeling that the parties offering forest machineinstruction glorify the job a little toomuch. This might lead to some disappointments,particularly among younger students,"says Pauli Pöllänen.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 33

THe foresT worldhaNNu'S lONG PilEJämsänkoski resident Hannu Jokiperä has forwarded timber forthe better part of 36 years. When combined with the fact thathis employer has stayed the same as well throughout the years,that spells the correct career choice and satisfaction toward theemployer, Metsäkonepalvelu.Hannu's career choice was strongly influencedby his forest-institute educated olderbrother. He was the one responsible forluring the man working in three shifts at aParkano plant to the forest. The forwarderhas been Hannu's workplace from the verybeginning. When harvesters first enteredthe forest scenery, Hannu decided never toget involved with these machines sufferingfrom continuous failures."I do remember the first harvester operatorsbeing under quite a bit of pressure. Iwatched the cycle of repairs and trials anderrors from the sidelines and decided tostick to the forwarders," says Hannu Jokiperä,adding that modern harvesters are in aleague of their own with regard to functionalityand reliability.Hannu is happy with the fact that thecompany has forwarders driving in one shiftonly. A designated machine stays in mintcondition when always operated by the sameperson. Hannu is able to pile a nice amountof timber during the roughly ten-hour workday,since downtime has remained at a minimum.According to Hannu, he has operatedhis current Elk for 10,000 hours without anysort of overhaul whatsoever, including tirework.The machine's durability and accomplishmenthave a lot to gain from composedprofessional skills. Every now and then,Hannu has come across a young and enthusiasticoperator under whose operation evena forwarder seems to fly. Apparently the guysare looking to break records of some sort.But a work pace that is too fast is easily wastedin additional remedial manoeuvres andservice. The daily goals that Hannu Jokiperäsets for himself do not comprise a certainamount of cubic metres or hours. Rather,his goal is to keep his machine intact and inconstant motion."Once you manage to strip your performanceto the bare minimum, your resultswill speak for themselves. Or maybe I'mjust lazy enough not to be bothered with toomuch manoeuvring, felling, dipping – notto mention service overhauls," says HannuJokiperä.Solitude is the only downside Hannu canthink of in relation to a machine operator'swork. The programming offered by radiostations has become quite familiar throughoutthe years. Indeed, Hannu has at timestoyed with the idea of becoming a critic, becauseit could be done quite easily with thehelp of a handsfree phone while toiling away.When asked for advice for younger operators,Hannu says that having some patienceis valuable, even if the work does notseem that rewarding in the beginning. Thatis because the forest machine industry doesnot reveal itself at a glance. Even if one possessedgood professional skills, the mentalside requires its own period of growth. Ittook Hannu many years to decide whetherto continue or move on to other work beforethe forest industry took root. Conclusionsthat are drawn hastily seldom lead to afavourable outcome.When considering the more than80,000 hours Hannu has put in during his36 years of forwarding, it is easy to agreewith his opinion. He has put together quitea pile of wood as well. The average volume ofcubic metres stacked at the side of the roadamounts to roughly 200. When factoring inthat his annual working days average 250,one comes up with 1.8 million cubic metresof forwarded timber.34Ponsse News 1 • 2011

THe foresT worldwhen it comes to harvesting, the menof Karttulan metsätyö have vision andexperience.from the left: Esa Jauhiainen, hannuliikanen and ari moilanen.karTTulaN mETSäTyö Oy:GETTiNG ON TOGEThErKarttulan Metsätyö Oy, founded 20 years ago, hasestablished its position among harvesting operationscarried out in the vicinity of Kuopio. The company, whichperforms harvesting for Metsäliitto and Harvestia, alsoemploys other contractors in the region.The company is owned by Ari Moilanen,his mother Anna-Liisa Moilanen, HannuLiikanen and Esa Jauhiainen. The company'sfounder Ari Moilanen calculatesthat, in addition to seven harvesters andfour forwarders, the work employs six parttimecontractors, whose combined harvestinglast year amounted to approximately200,000 cubic metres. The fluctuation inharvesting quantities is substantial, sincethe company has accomplished twice thatin the best years.STaNdS chaNGECubic metres accumulate rapidly whenworking final-felling stands. Correspondingly,trunks are handled in large quantitiesduring thinning, while the cubic volumesremain low. The size of stands hasalso diminished noticeably during the pastfew years. Prior to the end of area taxation,the average size of a stand easily stood ataround 500 cubic metres. The average sitelast year was maybe half that size. Ari, Esaand Hannu recall that slightly before thechange in taxation policy, the largest standwas somewhere in the ballpark of 10,000cubic metres. Last year's record was a1,200 cubic-metre site.The decrease in stand-size is a sourceof concern for the men, since it inevitablyleads to more difficult harvesting. Valuableforest machines increasingly often standon platforms, on their way from one siteto the next. The reasons for this unfavourabledevelopment are many, but the breakdownof forest tracts during estate distributionsis one of them. One way to increasestand-size would be jointly-owned forests.The experience of Finnish jointly-ownedforests has been overwhelmingly positivefor all parties involved.harVESTiNGThe partners of Karttulan Metsätyö emphasisethe fact that they focus on harvestingin particular. Machines with maintenancecontracts do not pose service ormaintenance concerns for the entrepreneurs.The arrangement allows both maintenancecontractors and harvesting professionalsto concentrate on what they knowbest. Due to good cooperation, the com-pany's base at the southern edges of Kuopio isrelatively modest.The company also has experience of workingoverseas, and spent three months clearingup storm sites in Sweden in 2007. There is continueddemand on the other side of the Gulf ofBothnia, but operating in two countries has itsdifficulties. That is why the company intends tostay within a 100 km radius of Kuopio.According to the entrepreneurs, the Finnishforest sector has developed in the right direction.From twigs and stubs to the sturdiest logs,the entire forest produce has always had takers.The large-scale exploitation of the forest, carriedout in a sustainable way, is a fact that pleases theEinari Award winning entrepreneurs.The harvesting of energy wood from thinningstands has also increased strongly. The biomassand chip-run power plant set to becomeoperational in Kuopio during the current yearwill multiply the quantity of wood chips duringharvest. The harvesting of energy wood is a challengingundertaking, which needs continuousdevelopment. Ponsse's Dual has proven to bean efficient machine, as suitable for felling as itis for forwarding.aTTiTudE cOuNTSAri, Hannu and Esa have not had a shortageof operators for a while. The area's institutionstrain new operators, who tend to develop intofully blown professionals relatively quickly. Accordingto the entrepreneurs, attitude is decisivein terms of the development of a new operator.An appropriately enthusiastic operator quicklydevelops the skill set demanded by modern machines.However, the institutions should increasethe supply of practical cutting and driving opportunitiesgiven to students. Relying on traineeopenings supplied by the region's entrepreneursalone is not a sustainable solution. The instructors'practical skills could also do with somepartial honing, since the machines advance ata rapid pace. Simulator-based training is sure toprove useful, but the downside of it is not havingto explain one's mistakes to anyone. Mistakesmade in an authentic stand are visible fora long period of time and forest owners do givefeedback on them.Managing a forest machine company thesedays requires genuinely multiple skills. Managementskills have become a particularly desirableasset, because a forest machine contractorneeds to be able to calculate what is worth doingand what is not. The three-man cooperation ofKarttulan Metsätyö provides the company withthe vision, experience and synergy it needs todevelop.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 35

THe foresT worldaaTTo silvenToinen:SlOW aNd STEadyWiNS ThE racEIt was the end of the 1960s when Aatto Silventoinen, who grew up in the village of Särkilahti inPunkaharju, took up the forwarding of timber in the winter and the barking of pulpwood in thesummer with a Super Major and a Nuffield. That youngster probably did not even dream of someday creating and managing a full-service forest industry company employing some 20 people.Nowadays, the company founded by AattoSilventoinen has seven forest machines, fourtimber trucks and a tugboat that cleaves theshores of Saimaa in the summer. Responsibilityfor management has already beenhanded over to son-in-law Kimmo Honkanen.During the best years, the companyhas cut and forwarded some 440,000 cubicmetres of timber to the region's plants. In additionto the company's own machines, thisamount of timber has employed an equivalentnumber of other contractors in the area.cONSidErEd iNVESTmENTAatto Silventoinen purchased his first PON-SSE machine in 1985, after Valmet's Terra,Volvo's Pikku-Nalle and a Kockum."We put some serious effort into fixing upour old machine when Einari Vidgrén wason his way to make a deal on a new forestmachine. But once he got here, Einari tookonly one look at the machine standing in theyard and closed the deal," says Aatto Silventoinenwhen remembering back to his firstPONSSE deal.Since then, the company has purchased25 new forest machines, but most throughcompetitive bidding, to keep up-to-date onthe market supply and cost-benefit ratios.The company's growth has been deliberate,if considered. Recent research and deliberationsinclude the most cost-effective approachesto harvesting energy wood. Sometrials have already been run with a couple ofmachines and the amount of wood chip requiredby the Kaukaa heating plant demandsfinding a successful solution quite soon.Aatto Silventoinen is no stranger to theadvances in forest machine technology. Thetransition from the plywood cabin of a farmtractor to the first machine equipped withglass windows and heating fills Aatto's memoriesas a kind of leap in user friendliness. Ofcourse, rather than taking any great leaps,the industry's development has consisted ofthe continuous repair and improvement ofdetails.With regard to actual forest machine development,Aatto considers it the result ofjoint cooperation that still continues. Theintroduction of measuring devices and informationtechnology in general was the excellentoutcome of cooperation through trialand error.BETTEr machiNES"Back in the 1970s, if someone would haveplanned to use a forest machine for a good15,000 hours without a basic overhaul, itwould have raised some eyebrows. But thesedays, a well serviced machine operated by aprofessional easily works through the 15,000hours without problems," says Aatto on thedevelopment of machines.In Silventoinen's company, the lowerthreshold for replacing machines is the15,000 hours of use mentioned, after whichthe idea of a new machine is taken underconsideration. Once upgraded, the used machineshave almost without exception founda new user among full-blooded contractors.Aatto Silventoinen stresses the importancethat good service holds for successfulmachine contracting. Modern machines demandincreasing attention and cleanlinessis a particularly important issue, since theincreased amount of electronics and electricvalves do not tolerate neglect nor impurities."When there is a skilled operator in thecabin of a well serviced machine, the likelihoodof carefree work increases significantly,"remarks Aatto.The company services it machines largelyindependently, but there is an authorisedPONSSE service in nearby Punkasalmi. AattoSilventoinen finds it difficult to go intospecifics when explaining his choice of machinerybecause, when choosing forest machines,it is precisely the whole which is ofdecisive importance. Everything from salesto service and a new machine deal has to gosmoothly.iNTErESTiNG WOrkThe longest-standing operators of forestmachines among Silventoinen's staff haveworked for the company for more than 40years. Employee turnover is very low, a factthat makes Aatto Silventoinen happy. Workwith skillful professionals flows smoothlyand many issues are resolved before theystart causing problems.Educational establishments are also activein offering trainees for Silventoinen'scompany. However, teaching a student howto use a demanding machine ties up the company'professionals to a great degree. If forestmachine operators fresh out of college wouldcommit to working in the company, it wouldsurely facilitate the obtaining of trainee positions.That is why a more comprehensiveagreement on the gain of operations betweenschools and companies would be in order.Silventoinen's company has also trainedoperators itself from the start. These operatorsprovided with training and a vocationhave agreed to work for the company in exchangefor training. According to Aatto Silventoinen,such mutually beneficial arrangementsconstitute a sustainable way of preparingfor the future.faVOuraBlE TrENdSAatto considers the current timber tradegood in comparison to the operations ofyears gone by. As late as during the 1980s,one could be delivering stocks up to twoyears old to plants. This system created agreat degree of fluctuation in both harvestingand supply, which was difficult for bothcontractors and forest owners.36Ponsse News 1 • 2011

THe foresT worldTuula and aatto silventoinen know harvesting in the varying terrain of the finnish lakeland.However, Silventoinen still considersthe timber trade to be slightly too weightedon the autumn months. In the longrun, balanced round-the-year transactionswould benefit all parties, from forest ownersto contractors and processors.Silventoinen, who harvested wood forUPM ever since his company started operations,performs harvesting as an overalldelivery. This means that his companyreceives data on the stands to be cut fromUPM and, every week, more specifics onthe desired wood types. The contractorremains responsible for coming up withoptimal logistics between the stands employedand the wood types needed by theplants. The plants need to be supplied witha suitable amount of the desired wood typeat the right moment. Sometimes Aattothinks that the biggest stock of timber islocated on wheels.Aatto's dealings with Einari were notrestricted to machines alone. In the early1990s, a pregnant mare from Vieremäarrived at the stables in Punkaharju. Andthat is how Silventoinen's equestrian hobbiesbegan. Nowadays, the stables houseten horses, most of which are thoroughbredtrotters. They are accompanied by aFinnish horse taken care of by the youngergeneration and a pony taken care of by aneven younger generation. Aatto confessesthe horses constitute his only real hobby.Though he does also enjoy a little boating,just for fun.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 37

logging HeroesThE liTmuS TEST Of mayThe sun has reappeared after the rain, and the day is as beautiful as it gets when we head off to visitSAC's Viksjö team. The team is performing final felling with a new PONSSE Ergo harvester andBuffalo forwarder on the northern side of Lake Skälsjö, near the village of Ljustorp.38Ponsse News 1 • 2011

logging HeroesAfter the sleety overnight rain, the ice-glazed forest road is slippery,forcing the driver to proceed with intense concentration."The road is slippery and slushy. The bottom is a little icy, but theground is not yet frozen. This can happen at the start of the season,"says Emil Flordal, who is operating the forwarder this morning. Theteam started driving Ponsse's machines in May 2008."We perform both thinning and final felling. While the externaldimensions of PONSSE forest machines are quite small, they'reequipped with powerful engines and their load-capacities are high,"says Emil.a NEW ExPEriENcENone of the team members had operated a PONSSE machine before,but everyone wanted to test the new forest machines because they hadheard they were reliable and efficient, capacity-wise."Even though it might be a little early to say, given that brandnew machines aren't supposed to give you trouble, it looks like therumours were true. We are happy and content with the choice ofmachines," says harvester operator Nils-Göran Viklund. PhilosopherRené Descartes is known for his proposition "Cogito, ergo sum", (inEnglish, "I think, therefore I am")."If Ponsse's founder Einari Vidgrén named his first machine aftera clever dog, does the name Ergo have its roots in the machine's fast,smart and efficient information system? Learning the new menuswas relatively effortless and by now their use is easy," says Nils-Göran,whose work efficiency has increased. Although, for the most part,everything has been positive during the first season, one change waseffected after the new machines arrived.mOrE liGhTS"I thought the visibility insufficient, since the crane is in the front insteadof where I was used to it being. I wanted more lights because thevisibility during thinning was poor, particularly to the sides. Lampswere added and after that the convenience of the crane's new locationcompensated for the poor visibility.""The crane being located away from the cabin creates betterworking conditions and reduces vibration. On top of that the cabinis roomy and of a high quality. Driving comfort is furthermore increasedby the machine's suspension, which keeps the cabin leveldespite rugged terrain."a GOOd harVESTEr hEadNils-Göran is very happy with Ponsse's new H6 harvester head. Forone thing, the needlessly long hydraulic hoses have been shortened."The harvester head works fantastically well, it's fast and its measuringaccuracy is excellent. It's handy in both thinning and final felling,"says Nils-Göran. The feed speed, which is as fast as 6 m/s, the64 cm opening, the tilt's broad movement range and precision steeringare features that should please even the most seasoned harvesteroperator. Since the machines are equipped with efficient engineswhile having relatively small external dimensions, the team can carryout both thinning and final felling."Small BuT POWErful"The machines are small, but they have big hearts," says Emil Flordal,who has pulled his forwarder over by the side of the road leading upto the storage site. He likes the fact that there is plenty of horse-powerbeneath the hood. He attributes the machine's strength and efficiency,accompanied with previous levels of fuel consumption, to thehorse-power. The forwarder's load-bearing capacity is 14 tonnes andits engine size, 270 horse-power, equals that of a harvester.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 39

logging Heroes"Despite the power of the machine, itis agile during thinning operations. Bothmachines are easy to operate and their geometryis good. A structure like this addsresilience," says Emil.The forwarder is also equipped withthe new Opti information system, a featuredue to which the forwarder is fast andefficient. The antennae located on the roofof the cabin conceal a considerable amountof technology, such as a radio, telephone,GPS and CDMA."The information system provides uswith access to maintenance help througha remote connection. The operator needonly give the number of his machine, afterwhich the service engineer can log inthe computer and adjust the settings. Ifthe case involves concrete problems, suchas a broken hose or the sensors of a harvesterhead, the operators can find sparesin the site hut and take care of the repairsthemselves.""The best thing about the forwarder isits new loader. The K90 loader is easy touse and a real heavy-duty piece of machineryequipped with a big hydraulic pump.Its geometry is well-designed and one canwork without interruptions," says Emil.He also appreciates the built-in hoses."The boom no longer gets stuck anywhereduring loading at the thinning sites, whichcan include tight spaces."rESPONSiBlE frEEdOmThe entire crew seems to perceive thechanges in machinery as a positive thing."We did take part in the discussionsand were of the opinion that trying somethingnew might be beneficial. My honestopinion is that manufacturers shouldcome up with a top-of-the-line solution, amachine that exploits the best features ofevery forest machine to its benefit, but Idon't think it really works that way," saysEmil Flordal.Nils-Göran can be considered a true veteranof forests. For nearly 40 years now,he has been an interested and up-close observerof the advancements in technology."When I started working for SCA, backin 1972, the work was done primarily withchainsaws. Even though mechanisationwas already gaining a foothold," says Nils-Göran. Trees were felled with chainsawsand delimbed and cut with processors onsite, in the forest."In the mid-1970s I was operating a cuttingand stacking Kockum 880 harvesterequipped with a cutter and a hydraulicchainsaw. That job was what landed mewith an offer to go first to Canada and laterto the United States to teach the localshow to harvest wood with the cut-to-lengthmethod," adds Nils-Göran.ThE rETurN hOmENils-Göran stayed loyal to the forest evenafter he returned to his native country."I like it in the forest and, on top of that,I'm interested in mechanical engineering.The work is independent and gives one alot of freedom." His guess would be thatone must have an interest in the woods andnot to be afraid of solitude to be happy as aforest machine operator."Thirty years ago a forest worker's jobwas quite a bit more social, but nowadaysyou have to be able make it on your own.Particularly before the snow falls, it can getboth dark and lonely. Operators who workin the same team only actually meet eachother during shift changes."When operating a harvester on majorcutting sites, Nils-Göran can't be botheredto take the trip to the site hut too often.Most often, he stays by his machine, hascoffee and eats his lunch in the cabin andwaits for the replacement operator.jOB rOTaTiONAs mentioned, Nils-Göran is happy. Helistens to plenty of radio and audio books."I'm particularly fond of listening tohistorical works. It's actually quite a privilegeto be able to 'read' while working," hesays. The Viksjö team works in two shiftsand usually rotates in operating machinery."Nils-Göran prefers the harvester,whereas I prefer the forwarder, so workingthe same shift is convenient for us.Planning the drive when loading and sortingduring unloading require my full attention.But I can relax during the drive,which suits me perfectly," says Emil.chamPiONShiP mEdalSIn line with the other men in the team,Emil is a true logger."My father was an instructor at theLjusdal Forestry School and I knew I wantedto be a forest machine operator, eventhough I chose to attend another secondaryschool," says Emil.As a skilled orienteerer on skis and a"conventional" orientereer, he opted forthe Mora Ski Gymnasium. He was also selectedfor the Swedish national skiing team40Ponsse News 1 • 2011

logging Heroesand his best achievements include a gold and silvermedal in the Swedish Championships."Only after that did I start my basic studies inforest management. But by now I've worked inthis business for a decade."He enjoys the forest outside work as well: "Istill do a bit of orienteering. I also enjoy huntingand fishing and in the autumn I'm drawn to theforest by the mushrooms.""There have been talks about possiblecooperation with the forestry schools inthe area. It is possible that we will forma group where younger operators couldlearn from more experienced machine operators.A group which gives one time tomaster things and in which the efficiencyrequirements are not as demanding. Thatwould be sensible," says Emil.The youngest operator in the team, Nils Björke,has also arrived on site for his shift. He skips havinga coffee break at the hut today. We leave the operatorsto their work, in the middle of the wilderness. They'vealready seen bears, of course, each of them and onmore than one occasion."I saw my first bear from the car. The most recentone I saw was some 50 metres away, heading awayfrom me. It was great," says Nils-Göran.SEcuriNG a yOuNGEr GENEraTiONSCA's Viksjö team has a good atmosphere. Themen often try to see each other once the shiftchanges in the afternoon. The daily situationand events are discussed over a cup of coffee.The shift in question covers a 36-hectare site andsome 9,000 cubic metres of forest to harvest."So this is a site where we'll stay for a while,"says Conny Larsson, who takes up his shift operatingthe harvester after Nils-Göran's shift isover. Conny lives in Njurunda, which is about90 km from the logging site. Working in shiftsusually works nicely, even though the distancessometimes make for long journeys to work. Thedark mornings in late autumn, before there issnow on the ground, can be tiring."Of course, in contrast to self-employed people,we never work on weekends or holidays.But our team's productiveness is good. And wedo need to be productive to keep our jobs," saysEmil.yOuNG PEOPlE arE NEEdEdWhat Emil Flordal is referring to is SCA's ownteams, which bring flexibility to resources andthanks to which it is possible to monitor pricesand production. But talks focusing on the responsibilityof ensuring future machine operatorresources have also been initiated recently.TecHnical sPecificaTionsThE PONSSE ErGO harVESTErOwner: SCA. Operators: Nils-Göran Viklund and Conny Larsson.Engine: MB OM 906 LA. Power: 205 kW (279 hp). Torque: 1 100 Nm/ 1 200 -1 500 rpm. Tractive force: 160 kN. Transmission: Hydrostatic-mechanicaltransmission, two speed ranges forward and reverse. Electronic drive automatics,OptiControl. Rear drive release. Shafts:Front: a rocking axle withplanetary gears and a differential gear lock. Rear: a bogie axle with planetarygears and a differential gear lock. Tires: Front: 600-34, rear: 600-26,5. Crane:PONSSE C33, reach 11 m (35 ft) and turning angle 280°. Harvester head: H6,feed speed 0-6 m/s (0-20 ft/s). Cutting diameter 640 mm (25 in), chain speed40 m/s (131 ft/s). Two stationary and four movable delimbing knives.Length:7,680 mm (302 in). Width: 2670-2840 mm (105-112 in). Ground clearance:610 mm (24 in). Net weight: 16,000 kg (35 274 lb).ThE PONSSE BuffalO fOrWardErOwner: SCA. Operators: Emil Flordal and Nisse Björke.Engine: MB OM 906 LA. Power: 205 kW (279 hp). Torque: 1 100 Nm/ 1 200 -1 500 rpm. Tractive force: 180 kN. Transmission: Hydrostatic-mechanical transmission,two speed ranges forward and reverse. Electronic drive automatics,OptiControl. Rear drive release. Shafts: Front and rear with planetary gears anddifferential gear locks equipped, gear wheel transmission bogie axles. Tire: 710-26,5. Loader: PONSSE K90, reach 10 m (32.8 ft), turning angle 360° and HSPgrapple. The crane's hydraulic pump: 190 cm³ (11.6 in 3 ) and a hydraulic oil tankvolume 200 l (53 gal). Length: 9405 mm (370 in). Width: 2990 mm (117 in) withouttracks. Ground clearance: 695 mm (27 in). Net weight: 14 800 kg (32 628 lb).Ponsse News 1 • 2011 41

logging HeroesVeljekset knuutinen oy harVesting with the Power ofseven Ponsse macHinesPONSSE fOx mOVES EffOrTlNOrThErN OSTrOBOThNiaVeljekset Knuutinen Oyfrom Pattijoki handles woodwith the power of sevenPONSSE forest machines.The company's most recentacquisition is the nimblePONSSE Fox thinningharvester.Brothers Veli and Oiva Knuutinen startedforest work with a farm tractor in the early1970s. Sturdier forest machines enteredthe picture once they began to be introducedto the market and Veljekset KnuutinenKy, engaged in the business of forestmachine contracting, was establishedin 1984. Veli's son Marko started work asa machine operator in 1991 and took uppartnership in the company in 1994. Thefollowing year the company form waschanged into a limited liability companyand today Veli, Oiva and Marko are joinedby ten permanent machine operators.cONTracTiNG WiTh ThE POWEr OfSEVEN PONSSE machiNES"We purchased our first PONSSE in 1985– a year-old green and yellow S15 forwarder.We've been relying on PONSSE eversince," says Veli Knuutinen.The company's business has expandedsignificantly throughout the years. Inthe early days of its existence, the companyemployed one forest machine. Nowits machinery includes five PONSSE harvesters(one Fox, two Ergos, a Beaver anda Cobra), two PONSSE forwarders (Wisentand Elk) and an excavator, mainly for thepurposes of pulling up stumps and forestregeneration. The machines are transportedby two of the company's own platformtrucks. The operations also include twosubcontractors."We have done contracts for UPMthroughout our entire history really, in additionto which we do some harvesting forsawmills. The majority of the harvestingis done in nearby municipalities, within a42Ponsse News 1 •2011

logging HeroesESSly ON ThE SOfT SOil Of200 km radius, but we do venture even fartherat times. In 2005 and 2007 we spent sixmonths clearing up storm devastation areas inSouthern Sweden with one harvester," MarkoKnuutinen explains.PlENTy Of SOfT TErraiN harVESTiNGThe forests of Northern Ostrobothnia oftengrow on soft terrain. The slow-growing treesare primarily quite small but often have sturdybranches and thick butts, all features whichbring their own challenges to harvesting work."The median stoutness of our thinnings isapproximately 75 litres annually. Last winterwe worked with full capacity, although on lessfinal felling than usual, and employed both ofour Ergos on thinning sites for about 60% ofthe time. We are now looking at a promisingamount of harvesting. Hopefully, our customersmanage to buy more stands for the summerand the autumn," Knuutinen says.PONSSE fOx – ThE riGhT kiNd OfharVESTErThe new eight-wheel thinning harvesterPONSSE Fox has been designed specificallywith soft terrain in mind. Veljekset KnuutinenOy received their new Fox, equipped with aH53 head. The transaction included the tradeof a PONSSE Beaver. 2002."We were looking for a powerful machinesuitable for soft terrain and equipped with aparallel crane for the purpose of thinning. Thenew PONSSE C22 crane has proved to be anexcellent solution. Thanks to the two slewingmotors and the hydraulically operated movementfunction, the crane is fast and easy tocontrol. The crane's reach is 11 metres, whichis an important feature on thinning sites. Andnow that the crane is located closer to the cabin,the visibility within the working area is extremelygood and the weight distribution isoptimal," Knuutinen says.The new Fox is praised by the operators."The cabin is really comfortable and not asnoisy as before. The fuel consumption has alsodecreased."Fox takes its power from the feisty fourcylinder145 kW Mercedes-Benz diesel engineand a single-circuit hydraulic system operatingwith a working pump.TraNSPOrTaTiON EQuiPmENT rEiNfOrcEdBy WiSENTIn February 2009, Veljekset Knuutinen Oy reinforcedits timber transporting capacity by acquiringa second forwarder, an agile and lightweightPONSSE Wisent."We wanted to have a light-weight and aslightly smaller forwarder, which still has asufficient load space. We equipped the machinewith wide 900 mm tracks, which permitmoving on soft soil. We are using the Wisentequipped with a scale also to transport energywood," Knuutinen says.The strain on the ground is minimal,thanks to its unbeatable ratio of net weight toload-carrying capacity, the smallest turning radiusin its size class, and dimensions whichdistribute the load evenly across all wheels.The tough Mercedes-Benz diesel engine nowruns a larger working pump than before,which in turn enables versatile and efficientloader use. Due to its great tractive force andexcellent cross-terrain performance, loads canbe moved quickly and smoothly. Moreover, thecabin's superior ergonomics provide a pleasantwork environment for even the most demandingof users.ENErGy frOm ThE fOrESTVeljekset Knuutinen Oy is also involved in energywood harvesting and stump pulling."Our oldest harvester, PONSSE Cobra,which is still serving us faithfully, is a 1999model and has a PONSSE H53 harvester head,which we equipped with our own collectinggrapples back in the day to permit multi-stemmingof energy wood. The harvester head iswell suited for both thinning and energy wood.We transport energy wood to the roadside withthe Wisent forwarder equipped with a scale.We use an excavator to pull up stumps andthey are transported to the roadside with thePONSSE Elk forwarder. The box constructionis easy to lift between the forwarder bunkswith the crane," Knuutinen says.OulaiSTEN kONEhuOlTO maiNTaiNSmachiNEPErfOrmaNcEIn maintenance-related issues, Veljekset KnuutinenOy relies on the professionalism andeffective service of Oulaisten Konehuolto, anauthorised PONSSE service in the area."We perform oil changes, hose maintenanceand other small jobs ourselves, but otherthan that we focus on the forest contracts.Oulaisten Konehuolto maintains the performanceof the machines and provides assistancewhenever needed. They also providespare parts, and the Iisalmi Service Centreis really close to us if a spare part cannot befound at Oulainen," Knuutinen adds.hiGh-QualiTy cONTracTiNG By SkillEdPrOfESSiONalSVeljekset Knuutinen Oy has received a PKY-LAATU quality certificate for small and medium-sizedcompanies granted by Finlog AuditOy. The operating system meets all requirementsof the SFS-EN ISO 9001:2000 qualityassurance standard.The system covers certain requirements ofthe SFS-EN ISO 14001 environmental managementstandard selected on the basis of thefield-specific criteria. It also takes into accountcertain aspects of the SFS-EN ISO 9004-2 servicesector quality standard."Our certification applies to mechanisedfelling, short-distance hauling of timber,mechanised tilling and stump pulling," Knuutinenexplains.The professional skills of machine operatorsare highly valued at Veljekset KnuutinenOy."Things are easy when you have skilledmen working for you. And skilled workersrequire good machines. Finding new forestmachine operators is not easy, which is whywe have also trained operators ourselves. Ourentire team is pulling together and we havea good spirit. When the operators are happywith their work, employment periods are usuallyvery long," Knuutinen says, gratefully.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 43

logging HeroesGENEraTiONS chaNGE –PONSSE rEmaiNSMetsä- ja Maansiirto Kastinen Oy from Ilomantsi, Finlandhas been in the business of machine contracting for over 30years. This great tradition will continue also in the future,as the the company is currently undergoing a change ofgeneration.Brothers Pertti and Eero Kastinen startedthe business in 1979 with one excavator.Three years later, Pertti's son, Harri Kastinen,who has been working for his father'scompany since 1992, joined in with a 26%holding. At the moment, a generationalchange is taking place, enabling the necessarytime to be taken to transfer the businessexpertise to the next generation."I have been growing into this job sinceI was a young boy, I never even consideredother alternatives. It's good that I can learnthings little by little," says Kastinen, 35.Growing into the job applies also toPertti Kastinen, the founder of the company."I loved working in the forest alreadyas a little boy alongside my father and hishorse. Then for seven years I was operatinga farm tractor to transport logs and Ialso worked as an excavator driver for fiveyears before I founded this company," PerttiKastinen says.In addition to Harri, Pertti has two otherchildren, Laura (33) and Henri (29), whois a graduate engineer in wood processingtechnology and is currently working at theStora Enso Imatra mill.iN ThE EaSTErN BOrdEr fOrESTS WiThElEVEN PONSSE machiNESToday Metsä- ja Maansiirto Kastinen Oy isworking in the forests on the eastern borderwith seven PONSSE harvesters (two Ergos,three Beavers, a Fox and a HS10) andfive PONSSE forwarders (three Elks, a Bisonand a Wisent 10w), which are transportedwith the company's own platform truck.Furthermore, the company performs jobswith various types of excavation machines."In addition to the five PONSSE harvestingchains, one of our excavators is44Ponsse News 1 • 2011

logging Heroesequipped with the PONSSE H53 harvesterhead during the winter months, and the oldveteran, the eight-wheel PONSSE HS10 isperforming harvesting in the swamps. Otherwiseour forest machines are quite new,old machines simply don't cut it in thisbusiness. And professional drivers deserveproper equipment. Our employees form agreat team, and some of the people havebeen working for us for up to 25 years," saysKastinen.STOra ENSO'S larGE-ScalEENTrEPrENEurMetsä- ja Maansiirto Kastinen Oy performscontracts for StoraEnso, which has beentheir key employer throughout their entirehistory. They also do, for instance, forestpreparation for Tornator."We started the large-scale entrepreneurshipwith Stora Enso in the Ilomantsi area.This means that we are, in cooperationwith our subcontractors, responsible for allof Stora Enso's harvesting within our area.This requires a total of ten machine chains,"Kastinen explains.The company used to harvest more than150,000 cubic metres of wood per year, butalong with the large-scale entrepreneurship,this increased to over 250,000 cubic metres."Last winter was a really good period forus at harvesting sites. There also seems to bea high number of summer stands this summer.We believe strongly in the future. Therewill be harvesting in Finland also in the future,"Kastinen says.Due to the large-scale entrepreneurship,the company will concentrate more on harvestingenergy wood."Until now we have done it on a smallscale, and have mainly been transportinglogging waste. Ponsse's new H6 harvesterhead also makes multi-stemming possible,so I'm guessing that the importance of energywood will increase in our company inthe future," Kastinen says.ONly PONSSE machiNES ThrOuGhOuT ThEyEarSKastinen Oy purchased their first actualforest machines from Ponsse in 1991, andsince then their entire fleet has consistedof PONSSE machines."We bought a new PONSSE HS15 harvesterand an S15 forwarder through directselling. At the time it was a huge investment,I can still clearly remember the price– 1,980,000 Finnmarks. But the investmentenabled us pick up the pace and our machinefleet started to increase steadily," Kastinenrecalls.Many machine deals have been concludedwith Ponsse over the past twenty years."As a Finnish manufacturer, Ponsse is extremelyeasy to deal with and over the courseof our history we have not regretted a singledeal. In addition to the good machines,the spare part and maintenance services arefunctioning well at Ponsse's Ilomantsi ServiceCentre. These are the things we valuegreatly," Kastinen says.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 45

logging HeroesEarl St. JOhN – ThE rOad frOmMany are sure to know the story of Einari Vidgrén, thefounder of Ponsse, who through his own hard work clearedhis way from humble beginnings through the thickestforests to become a successful entrepreneur. We will nowrecount the tale of another man quite like Einari – thefounder of St. John Forest Products, Earl St. John.Earl St. From his very first steps, Earl St.John has wandered the woods of Spalding,Michigan. Throughout his childhood, helived in cramped and modest conditions, asdid Einari. The home of four had no runningwater or electricity. In fact, it didn’teven have a bathroom. In addition to thekitchen, the house had one room, furnishedonly with a wood stove and a bed. In lateryears, Earl moved his childhood home tothe grounds of his present residence to remindhimself of what he has achieved withhis work.SaWiNG ThE BuckSAn enthusiastic young logger, Earl followedin his father's footsteps to become a forestworker and bought his own handsawas early as during his junior high-schoolyears. One winter, the industrious 17 yearold used the $25 he had earned to buy foodand supplies for the winter months and torent his very first forest machine – a horse,which pulled the logs through the winteryforest trails. His industriousness and in-46Ponsse News 1 • 2011

logging HeroesTimE fOr a BuSiNESS Of hiS OWNIn 1959, Earl married his girlfriend of manyyears, Rosemary. The next year, following apowerful earthquake, they moved back toSpalding for good. At the same time, Earldecided to venture into a new business andleased a restaurant, which came to be calledWildwood. The restaurateur’s career onlylasted for eighteen months, as Earl heardthe call of the woods again. Meanwhile,Earl’s brother took over the restaurant businessand still owns Wildwood. After hisstint as a restaurant owner, Earl returnedto his life’s work, working in forest managementfor a while for Badger Paper Millsand Northern Paper Company.In 1962, Earl, having tasted entrepreneurship,established the St. John ForestCompany, which grew as fast as the mostvigourous saplings ever did. During its bestyears, the company employed up to 120 loggers.But, in addition to men, the companyneeded machines. In 1974, St. John hadeighteen feller-bunchers in use. In thosedays, a full load of logs was trucked fromthe woods every fifteen minutes.PONSSE cONQuErS amEricaThe two experienced and indefatigableforest veterans – Earl and Einari – met in1990, when Earl St. John invited Einari Vidgrénto visit him for discussions on possiblebusiness deals. The meeting betweenthe two kindred spirits at St. John’s huntinglodge made it clear that the cooperationand friendship would be of a lasting nature.In 1991, St. John Forest Companybecame the first American enterprise tostart using Ponsse’s machinery. In 1997,the machines were switched to more currentmodels.According to Earl, Ponsse has developedsignificantly during the past twenty years.He thanks Ponsse for its customer-orientedapproach – customers and their machineryare genuinely cared for. With regard tothe current PONSSE machines, St. Johnemployees value their user-friendly designand minimal service disruptions over allelse. Currently, St. John Forest Productsuses eight PONSSE harvesters and ninePONSSE forwarders alongside other machinery.ThE family BuSiNESS GOES ONThE WOOdS TO SuccESSvestment were worth it since, at 18, Earlwas earning even more than his teachers.After finishing school, it was time toleave for work in Montana where, duringthe years 1954 to 1960, Earl worked in thesummer months, because the snowy wintersmade a logger’s work a seasonal profession.For the winter months, the enterprisingman returned to work in his homedistrict. In Montana, Earl purchased hisfirst real piece of machinery – a chain sawwith which he could fell 2.5-metre logs. Thediligent saw user sometimes held as manyas three jobs simultaneously, meaning heearned much more than the average wagesat the time.Earl is still actively involved in the operationsof St. John Forest Products, eventhough the man in charge nowadays isEarl’s son, Tom, who has headed the companysince 2000 and owns half of it.Some time ago, Earl and Tom were traversinga part of the forest with particularlydifficult terrain. Tom became worriedabout his father’s puffing and asked him tohave a rest and take it easy. Earl answeredby inquiring whether his son was worriedabout his old man’s stamina, to which theson replied that it wasn’t yet time to startknocking on heaven’s doors. Grandpa isstill needed – Earl has yet to figure out howto cut down the 350,000 acres of forest theyown. Apart from that, though, he can restassured that the company is in good hands;Tom’s 21-year-old son Jordan represents thefifth generation of skilled loggers.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 47

disTriBuTion neTworkwww.ponsse.comNORTHERN EUROPEPonssE abVästsuraLisjövägen 40735 91 surahammarswEdEnTel. +46 220 399 00fax +46 220 399 01PonssE asKlettavegen 7N-2211 KongsvingerNorwAyTel. +47 628 888 70fax +47 628 888 78an masKinTEKniK abföretagsvägen 1095333 haparandaswEdEnTel. +46 922 10390fax. +46 922 10591KonEKEsKo EEsTi asPõrguvälja tee 3aPildiküla, rae Vald75308 HarjumaaEsToniaTel. +372 6059 100fax +372 6059 101www.konekesko.com/eeKonEKEsKo laTViJa siaTiraines iela 15Lv-1058 rigalaTViaTel. +371 6706 4300fax +371 6706 4301www.konekesko.com/lvKonEKEsKo liETuVa uabsavanoriu ave. 191LT-02300 vilniusliThuaniaTel. +370 5 247 7400fax +370 5 247 7420www.konekesko.com/ltCENTRaL aNd SOUTH EUROPEPonssÉ s.a.s.Zac croix saint nicolas14 rue de lorraine - bP 39f-54840 GondrevillefrancETel. +33 3 83 65 12 00fax +33 3 83 65 12 01PonssE uK lTd.unit 3broomhouses 1industrial EstateLockerbie, DG11 2rZuniTEd KinGdomTel. +44 (0)1576 203 000fax. +44 (0)1576 202 202AUTo sUECo (CoIMBrA) LDAAsC Industria EN 10Edifício VolvoApartado 20942696-801 s. João Da TalhaPorTuGalTel. +351 21 9946500fax +351 21 9946553forEsT PowEr KfT.liszt ferenc köz. 3.8314 VonyarcvashegyHUNGAryMobil: +36 (30) 719-8544Tel. +36 (83) 540-279fax. +36 (83) 540-280KrEnEK forEsT sErVicE s.r.oNový Nemojov 122cZ-54461 nemojovchEch rEPublicTel. +420 499 429 677fax +420 499 429 676www.krenekfs.czPml PolandProfesjonalne maszyny lesnesprzedaz i serwis sp. z o.o.ul. bitwy warszawskiej1920r. nr 300-973 warszawaPolandTel. +48 22 572 98 50fax +48 22 823 96 75www.proml.plToimil carcia s.l.36512 Prado LalinPontevedrasPainTel. +34 986 794 044fax. +34 986 794 047www.toimilgruas.comwahlErs forsTTEchniK Gmbhlandwehrstr. 4D-97215 UffenheimGErMANyTel. +49 9848 97 9990fax +49 9848 97 99919www.wahlers-forsttechnik.deNORTH aNd SOUTH aMERICaPonssE laTin amErica lTdarua Joaquim nabuco115 - Vila nancymogi das cruzesCEP 08735-120são PaulobraZilTel. +55 11 4795 4600Tel. +55 11 4795 4605PonssE norTh amErica, inc.4400 International LaneP. o. Box 578rhinelanderwisconsin 54501usaTel. +1 715 369 4833fax +1 715 369 4838PoNssE UrUGUAy s.A.Calle Montecaseros, 785C.P. 60.000PaysandúUrUGUAyTel. +598 72 43 800a.l.P.a. EQuiPmEnT lTd.258 Drapeau stP.o. BoX 2532balmoral, n.b.E8E 2w7canadaTel. +1 506 826 2717fax +1 506 826 2753www.alpaequipment.comchadwicK-baross, inc.188 Perry roadBangor, ME 04401usaTel. +1 (800) 698-4838fax +1 (207) 942-4838www.chadwick-baross.comHyDroMEC INC.2921, boul. wallbergdolbeau-mistassiniQuebec, G8l 1l6canadaTel. +1 418 276-5831fax +1 418 276-8166www.hydromec.carEADyQUIP sALEs AND sErvICElTd.3088 riverside DriveP.o. Box 2140Timmins, oN P4N 7X8canadaTel. +1 705 268 7600fax +1 705 268 7691www.readyquip.comwoodland EQuiPmEnT inc.2015 w. Trans Canada Hwy.Kamloops, BC v1s 1A7canadaTel. 1 250 372 2855fax. 1 250 374 2844www.woodlandequip.comRUSSIa aNd aSIaOOO PONSSEVolkhonskoe Shosse, 2B,bldg. 15Gorelovo Industrial ZoneLeningrad regionRussia , 188508Tel. +7 812 677 65 47Fax. +7 812 677 32 27russia@ponsse.comPONSSE CHINA LTD.Beihai Ponsse Trading Co.Ltd.1 Gangwan RoadHepu Industry Park536100 Hepu, BeihaiGuangxiCHINATel. +86 779 720 1872Fax. +86 779 7200432OOO DORMASHIMPORT129, Voronezhskaya str.680042, KhabarovskRUSSIATel. +7 (4212) 62 90 42Fax +7 (4212) 76 41 84www.dmi-dv.ruOOO LESPROMSERVIS167610 Russia,Republic of KomiSyktyvkar, StrPervomaiskaja 149RUSSIATel. +7 8212 28 84 80fax +7 8212 28 84 16OOO PROMTECHGROUP BLN620030 Ekaterinburg,Karjernaja st. 2, office 801RUSSIATel. +7 343 278 11 41Fax: +7 343 278 11 89Fax +7 812 331 9412OOO REMTECHNICA662549 LesosibirskMichurina 6RUSSIATel. +7 (391) 297 5593Fax +7 (39145) 41975OOO WEST KOM185002, Karelia Republik,Petrozavodsk, Arkhipova st. 3RUSSIATel. +7 (8142) 72-49-27www.west-kom.onego.ruOOO ZEPPELIN RUSSLANDLeningradskoe shosse, 64,build. 2.125565 MoscowRUSSIATel. +7 (812) 335 11 10Fax +7 (812) 268 84 82www.zeppelin.ruSHINGU SHOKO, LTD2-1-1 InahoOtaruJAPANTel. +81 (0134) 24 1315Fax. +81 (0134) 22 6862www.shingu-shoko.co.jpindusTrial oPeraTionsPonsse PlcPonssentie 2274200 vieremäfinlandTel. +358 20 768 800fax + 358 20 768 8690www.ponsse.comEpec OyTiedekatu 660100 seinäjokifinlandTel. +358 20 760 8111fax +358 20 760 8110www.epec.fi48Ponsse News 1 • 2011PONSSE Plc Ponssentie 22, 74200 v IEr EMÄ, puh. 020 768 800, fax 020 768 8690