2018 International Forest Industries IFI Feb March 2018 Digital | Page 33

EDGERS – USNR
LUMBER PROCESSING
A few years ago Kiwi Lumber knew it needed to update its aging
edger optimization system. After careful evaluation it determined
that the BioVision Edger solution from USNR would provide the
return it was looking to achieve. On the heels of that success,
the company came to USNR once again and selected its 4-sided
Transverse High Grader to improve grade accuracy at the sawmill
trimmer. With the synergy created by the edger and trimmer
working in tandem to improve both the accuracy and value of its
output, Kiwi is now keen to expand its grades and its product line.
K
iwi Lumber is a privately owned company
comprised of three sawmill operations, all
on the north island of New Zealand. It was
started in 1996 with the purchase of a sawmill
at Dannevirke, followed by mills at Putaruru
and Masterton. All three mills process Radiata
Pine, and Dannevirke and Putaruru cut pruned
logs to manufacture appearance grade lumber
which is marketed globally. Masterton’s output
is structural and marketed primarily within New
Zealand.
Duncan Oakley, manager for the Masterton
operation, said that the mill produces about
100,000 m3 each year, and added that the mill’s
output has grown a lot recently. It runs a single
shift – five 12-hour days. Besides the sawmill,
it operates a continuous kiln as well as a
conventional kiln, a planer mill, and a treatment
plant.
Edger BioVision
The Masterton site has seen significant
upgrades over the past few years, including
vision scanning on its edger line in 2015, and
followed this past year with a sawmill Transverse
High Grader (THG) on its trimmer line. These
projects brought together teams from Kiwi
Lumber, USNR and Skookum Technology, USNR’s
agent in the region.
Regarding the Edger BioVision upgrade,
Duncan said, “The edger was operating with
a dated V6 Hemco scanner that had been
upgraded with a USNR optimization platform
many years ago, and it was becoming a business
risk. We knew it needed to be replaced. We
thoroughly evaluated whether to go with just
profile scanning or full vision scanning. When
our evaluation was complete, we determined
we would gain additional value with vision
scanning. We knew that in some cases we would
actually sacrifice conversion, but gain greater
value in our output.”
The Edger BioVision project involved
installing a new scanner frame outfitted with
This new scanning technology
opens up other opportunities
for us to consider in terms of
grades or products which we
havent’s produced before, but
may be able to now.
The Edger BioVision
was installed before the
Kiwi team took on the
sawmill THG project
International Forest Industries | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 31