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From the 1960s to the present day. The forest machine of yesteryear was a ’fardier’, today it’s a Valmet 941. Jean Pierre Dubuis, who founded the company, is seen here together with his son Didier, who runs operations today. The Dubuis family choose Valmet An investment in the market’s most powerful harvester, the Valmet 941, has given Didier Dubuis’ company Dubuis new possibilities in thick deciduous stands. The company is one of France’s oldest forest machine companies and has been partially mechanized since the 1960s. 10 JUST FOREST NO 4 • 2007
We met Didier Dubuis in the middle of a poplar plantation west of Brives where the company’s Valmet is effectively harvesting the huge trees. At the edge of the stand, just by chance, is an old ’fardier’, a type of winched lifting truck. Such devices were coupled to farm tractors and used to load and transport logs. Didier’s father Jean Pierre had such a machine when he founded the company in 1962. Today his father is retired, but still helps out on occasion and turned up when Just <strong>Forest</strong> visited. “I started working for the company in 1987,” Didier told us. “We bought out first Valmet machine in 1998, a Valmet 860, and since then we’ve stuck with Valmet.” Today the company harvests 60,000 cubic meters and forwards 75,000 cubic meters of timber a year, some of this on assignment for other contrac- A Valmet 941 is a very effective machine on poplar plantations. tors. In total, Didier has nine employees operating three Valmet harvesters - a 911, a 921.1, and a 941. Dubuis also has four Valmet forwarders, two 840.2s, an 860.1, and an 860.3.A very pleased Didier has another Valmet 860.3 on order. When we discussed the lineup, Didier couldn’t help but mention the advantages of the Valmet 941, a powerhouse than can harvest effectively even in steep terrain. The machine is used to harvest hardwood too, even if such harvesting pays less and places great demands on the machine. In the poplar stand being harvested when we visited, the trees had diameters of 16-18 inches (40-45 cm), though this posed no problems. “In a poplar stand like this, the thick branches are always tough, but the machine does a good job,” commented operator Laurent Plaisse. “It’s a truly powerful machine that copes with all types of tree. I like to use the machine on slopes and the way the rotating cab always keeps the head in front is a real advantage.” Didier is a strong supporter of the Valmet machines with which his personnel are so happy. He said that service has been excellent since the company invested in the first Valmet 860 machine. “I bought it because it read so good on paper,” Didier explained. “And the Valmet 941 proved to be just in good in reality, and so it’s continued. The Valmet 941 is a good example of a machine that really lives up to its specifications.” r Laurent Plaisse appreciates the Valmet 941 for its power and efficiency even in steep terrain. JUST FOREST NO 4 • 2007 11
Page 1 and 2: INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE 18 READ MORE
Page 3 and 4: A Great Year The year 2007 has been
Page 5 and 6: New feed roller hose routing New, s
Page 7 and 8: New proactive organization On July
Page 9: tivity that the new Valmet 911.3 de
Page 13 and 14: The new tracks are designed and dev
Page 15 and 16: Key customers choose Valmet THIRTY
Page 17 and 18: much value the harvester manages to
Page 19 and 20: Y TRENDS Y Return of confiscated fo
Page 21 and 22: New forwarder control system integr
Page 23 and 24: If a forest machine operator is to
Page 25 and 26: ProSelect - new saw bars and saw ch
Page 27 and 28: Interest in thinning is increasing
Page 29 and 30: Customers are the key She has worke
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Page 33 and 34: ANECDOTAL Under this heading, Just
Page 35 and 36: More information about the product

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