Pontrilas Sawmills
20 per cent boost in production capacity
The UK firm Pontrilas Sawmills has managed to increase both its production and quality. LUJA has been made responsible for ensuring that all the saws run smoothly, while also providing support for the sawmill’s own team.
A 20 per cent increase in production is a marked improvement – especially when quality also improves and there are fewer production stops.
- LUJA has finished upgrading all our saws, and regularly conducts inspections of the machinery, says Brian Pugh, operations director at Pontrilas Sawmills in the UK.
- What LUJA has done has been a great success, and we are very satisfied.
Pontrilas was LUJA’s first UK customer, and the two companies have now been working together for a couple of years.
Even after only a few months the results were clear to Brian Pugh, and LUJA is now responsible for ensuring that the saws perform optimally all the time. LUJA carries out a major annual service, with ongoing checks being conducted several times a year. In addition, LUJA pays a visit to Pontrilas if there is the slightest suspicion that something is not running as it should.
The focus is on reducing production stops, using the raw materials as efficiently as possible, good product quality – and saw blade performance.
Personnel support
- We were introduced to LUJA by one of our suppliers in early 2012. We met with the owner Søren Luja Hansen, who told us how he could help.
- He invited us to come to Sweden to visit one of his other customers. Here, we were able to see what LUJA had actually done, and we decided to enlist their services, says Brian Pugh.
Pontrilas Sawmills has three saw groups, and LUJA has, among other things, assisted with the lubrication system and saw alignment.
- After LUJA’s first visit in 2012, the feed speed increased by 20 per cent, while saw blade consumption was halved. The saw blades now last for an impressive 14-40 hours, says Brian Pugh.
Massive investments have been made in the sawmill in recent years, including the agreement with LUJA.
Here, the Danish company has been given a relatively free hand.
- They work hard when they’re here, so my employees are also able to see the improvements.
The sawmill’s employees are an important element, as LUJA supports Pontrilas’s own maintenance team and blade suppliers. This guarantees the best results and ensures consistently high productivity.
- LUJA is training some of our engineering team. They have seen what the company is able to do, so they pay close attention.
Focus on the details
The numerous investments and the excellent cooperation with LUJA have meant increased production and enhanced quality. There are fewer production stops, and saw blade consumption has been minimised. Pontrilas is now even able to cut larch, which is often tricky, without it negatively impacting production.
- The saw blades can withstand the pressure, even though we have a higher cut per tooth than many of our colleagues.
When asked what LUJA’s strengths are, Brian Pugh is quick to answer.
- It is their “attention to the detail” which sets them apart in the industry. This is LUJA’s real forte, together with their desire to do the best possible job.
- We obviously run into problems now and then, but when they crop up LUJA is quick to respond, which ensures a high standard.
- They look after the saws, allowing us to concentrate on everything else.
Facts
Pontrilas Sawmills is a family-owned business, founded in the village of Pontrilas near Hereford in 1947. Since then, the company has built up considerable expertise in timber manufacturing and trading.
The sawmill has continued to invest in state-of-the-art systems and machines, which enables it to manufacture high-quality products while ensuring highly efficient deliveries.
Pontrilas Sawmills comprises two sawmills located at a 24-acre site.
The company produces up to 200,000 cubic metres of wood a year.
A solid infrastructure ensures stable deliveries to customers in England and Wales.
For further information, visit www.pontrilassawmills.co.uk
The work that Luja A/S performed:
Pontrilas sawmill's main line has 8 AKE 245 saws and 5 Stenner saws. Luja has entered into an ongoing contract to service these saws with a settlement per produced m³.
This means that we are responsible for keeping the saws in a dependable and productive condition, which includes alignment, re-crowning, lubrication, inspection of wear parts, surveillance of tools and many other tasks.
Before starting this contract, Luja has performed a major reconstruction of the saws and mounted quite a bit of new equipment such as lubrication/scraping system, oil dosing system, new feeding system and electrical control on the Stenner saw and rebuilt the blade guides on all saws.
Luja has had a great and very important teamwork with the onsite staff and together, we have been able to introduce new routines and work methods.
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