Located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the south-east of France, the family-run French sawmill Blanc is relying almost exclusively on German engineering technology for its ambitious project to triple its output. And Kallfass accounts for a fundamental component of the extensive investment.
The machinery manufacturers from Baden- Württemberg were commissioned to construct a flexible and versatile sorting system that is specially tailored to the needs of the French market and ensures Blanc’s long-term competitiveness.
STRENGTHEN MARKET PRESENCE
In 2023, the sawmill was still cutting approximately 45,000m3 per year. Now, the aim is to break the 100,000m3 mark as early as next year, more than doubling the output.
The wood, mainly spruce, fir and Douglas fir, is sourced from the mountainous region of the Rhônes Alps and bordering with France, Switzerland and Italy. “We deliver products of high quality and compensate for any price disadvantages with short delivery times and the possibility of local value adding,” said Blanc.
Board dimensions of 75-250mm in width and 18-100mm in thickness can be processed on the Kallfass system. “Almost everything that the French timber construction industry needs,” said Blanc.
SUCCESSFUL GENERAL REMODELLING
To meet the objectives, construction of a new long-wood plant at the log yard started in 2022, with updates to the sawing line, edging system and scrap wood removal.
As with the other machines, Blanc relied on Kallfass for the sorting system. “Only Kallfass could supply us with a system that combines flexibility and performance so efficiently,” said senior partner Frédéric Blanc. “This offers the perfect balance of price and performance.”
Despite the comparatively large amount of conversion work required, the new sorting plant was able to go into operation in September. “The existing hall had to be extended in both width and height for the new sorting system,” said Jonathan Bleesz, Kallfass’ sales partner in France. “With 79 boxes, our system at the Blanc sawmill is now the largest of its kind in France. However, it would not have been possible to manage the varied Blancs ranges otherwise.”
FOCUS ON VERSATILITY
The new system is 130m long and has two levels in order to be able to meet the customer’s request for 79 vertical boxes. “The variety of dimensions is typical for French sawmills of this size,” said Mr Bleesz, who has been working with Kallfass for over 15 years. “The market is looking for producers who can offer everything.”
Kallfass receives the sawn softwood from the sawmill via a double unscrambler, which transports the material to the higher assessment level in a first step. A curved chain conveyor moves the building products via the Tongloader to an assessment station for separation. Here, the trained eye of the operator determines the quality of the cut product. Up to six different qualities can be added to the wood at the touch of a button.
“The system currently runs at approximately 80 cycles per minute – more would not be possible with a visual assessment,” said Mr Bleesz. “If a scanner is retrofitted, we can increase this to up to 120 cycles per minute – in terms of mechanical engineering, all precautions have been taken.”
After the quality assessment, the boards are transported one level further down via a level changer. The trimmer installed there has 10 saw aggregates and can therefore react precisely to the quality assessment specifications.
Once the filling volume of a box has been reached, it is emptied onto a chain conveyor and the timber is aligned and separated using a step separator. An operator monitors the layer creation before the sawn timber is sawn to the desired lengths on the multiple cross-cut saw and stacked into finished wood packages on the stacking system.
The stacking system was equipped with automatically positionable double stick magazines in order to be able to flexibly place drying or transport sticks. With up to 14 layers per minute, the stacking system has also already been designed for Blanc’s future increased production.
“The aim was to build a sorting plant that would secure the company’s longterm future. This also includes a significant increase in the current cutting performance,” said Mr Bleesz.
