The first lumber packages were loaded in Spruce Product Limited’s (SPL) new continuous kiln from Swedish Valutecwith that has eight drying zones and a yearly capacity of approximately 60 MMBF. Source: Timberbiz
“We enjoyed a truly great collaboration where we were able to work together with extremely capable employees on site,” says Andreas Lövgren, Production Manager at Valutec in charge of commissioning along with commissioning technician William Marklund.
Canadian SPL, located near Swan River, Manitoba, is a manufacturer of premium lumber and wood products for the construction industry and the integrated wood products industry. Using the latest technology available, every aspect of the log is used in the product lines. SPL has been supplying products for Canadian and International markets since 1942.
“Actually, there’s no difference between commissioning a kiln in Canada from one an hour away from our head office in the north of Sweden. We staff projects to provide the customer with the best solution possible and to make sure we deliver on everything we’ve agreed upon,” says Lövgren.
Since introduced Valutec’s TC continuous kiln has achieved great success on the world’s sawmiling markets. It is a kiln type that comes with distinguishing features such as low energy consumption, high flexibility and superior capacity. It gives the operator the possibility to create the ultimate drying process with unlimited freedom to mix dimensions, minimal moisture content variation and reduced risk of checking. Annual capacity can reach 125 MMBF with target moisture contents down to around 12-18%.
The installation of the dryer, which has a capacity of close to 60 MMBF, began last spring and was led by Valutec’s assembly manager Mattias Henriksson together with a Canadian assembly team.
“Delivering to other countries and working with local assembly teams is part of our everyday lives. We have built up a great deal of experience in projects in other countries and know what it takes, from design to planning of logistics and on-site work. As long as we have capable, committed people to do the work, we achieve good results. And this was no exception to that rule,” said Henriksson.
The differences that exist concern optimization issues and new opportunities created by Valutec’s drying process.
“Our TC model continuous kilns represent an entirely different product compared to the existing lumber kilns on the North American market,” Henriksson said. “What’s more, we also offer world-leading process control with our Valmatics 4.0 control system. It invites discussions on issues such as drying schedules for specific types of lumber, or managing situations where we need to optimize the energy load as other parts of the sawmill are also operating near capacity.”
The TC kiln is probably the market’s most sustainable timber kiln. Constructed in stainless steel, resistant to thermal expansion and fatigue, the kiln has superior longevity and requires minimal maintenance. Studies shows that Valutec’s stainless steel TC continuous kiln emits 23 tons less CO2 per year than the correspondent kiln built in aluminum. 23 tons of CO2 is about as much as three hectares of coniferous forest absorb in a year.
