Water: Logged Ply the River Company Secret - Finning Canada

Loaded for ServiceHEAVY LIFTING: The loader is a permanent fixturealong the Fraser River.Coast cab,” meaning the design is bigger on the inside and the cab isaccessed from the deck of the machine, rather than the side.“They are a long way off of the ground,” Robinson says of hisoperators.The more significant change isthe high-tech filtration system thatwas installed to keep the machine’soil as clean as possible. Six largecans that measure approximately24 inches tall by 12 inches in diameterare mounted on the log loader’swalkway, close to the fuel tanks. Three of the cans are associated withthe engine, while the other three are for the hydraulic system.Richply changes the oil and filters with every 2,000 hours of use.This means that the Cat was ready for maintenance after its first fourmonths of heavy work. Because of the modified filtration system,he expects the oil, which is tested in Edmonton, will come backextremely clean.All of Richply’s loaders are fitted with this unique filtration system.Robinson says the work environment on the Fraser River is actuallyvery clean but, back in the mid 1980s, the company encountered aproblem with contamination in the mill. He contacted a companycalled Harvard Filtration to assist in addressing theissues.Robinson ultimately dealt directly with anotherorganization – one that had literally sent people to themoon.“We installed a bunch of their (Harvard’s) equipmentto try and clean up some of the hydraulic reservoirs onthe big equipment,” says Robinson. “We had some problemsand Harvard hooked me up with a fella in NASA.”Yes, that NASA.“It was extremely cool. The guy would call me up atnine in the morning and B.S. with me on the phone foran hour.” Through the course of these conversations,Robinson figured out what the problems were.“Nobody else really understood how the filtrationsystem worked, but the space program people understood.They know exactly how to get their oil down towhere it’s so damn clean there are just no wear particlesin it at all, and still not touch the additive package.”Robinson jokes that the oil is probably cleaner whenOF THE ALMOST HALF A MILLION CUBICMETRES OF WOOD PROCESSED BY RICHPLYYEARLY, EVERY LAST PIECE OF FIBRE THATCOMES INTO THE MILL WILL GET HANDLED BYTHE MACHINE, SO RELIABILITY IS CRITICAL.it comes out of the machine than when they put it in brandnew. To put it into the machine, the oil is charged through asophisticated system of couplings so that it’s never actuallyexposed to the air. He jokes, but the results are serious stuff.Because of the decrease in wear, the life of the machine isextended. Dramatically.The typical life expectancy of the 345CLL would be in theneighbourhood of 50,000 hours in any standard application.But Richply’s augmented machine could possibly double thatoutput. “I assume it will do at least 100,000,” says Robinson.“There is no contamination in the oil so there’s no wear. If itdoesn’t wear out, it seems to run forever.”Of the almost half a million cubic metres of woodprocessed by Richply each year, every last piece of fibrethat comes into the mill will get handled by the machineso reliability is critical to the entire operation. Switchingfrom their old brand of choice has worked out with the veryvisible Caterpillar, tucked under the Knight Street Bridge,proving its worth daily.“With the expertise of forestry manager Dave Aldridge and partsperson Ken Brew, we were able to show them why the Cat was better,”Sigsworth says. “And John signed off on it. It’s a purpose-built log loader.”Robinson says that the plywood industryas a whole has been sufferingfor a variety of reasons. There is theworld economy and falling housingstarts in the United States. The strongCanadian dollar has also impactedforest companies negatively. Withso many of Richply’s customers abroad, exports take a big hit and thecompany receives less for its product.Despite facing some difficult challenges in its unique market,Richmond Plywood Corporation Limited continues to chug along.With a new addition to its fleet of equipment and an innovativemodification that will help that loader live a longer life, the 55-year-oldcompany is poised to remain a heavyweight.“We actually produced more this year than last year,” saysRobinson.That’s as good a sign as any. As for the potential to add more yellowiron in the future, Robinson’s response is succinct: “Yes!”LOGGING HOURS: The loader runs threeshifts a day, seven days a week.22tracks & treadsSpring 2011www.finning.ca