An impeccable outcome!

• A small Finnish sawmill invests in X-ray scanning technology to improve log sorting and ensure end-product quality
• The system has worked impeccably and raw material savings very soon exceeded expectations

The Mustola Timber sawmill in eastern Finland has 11 employees and a yearly production volume of 50 000 m3. Their goal is to steadily increase production. To achieve the full growth potential, they need to maximise the recovery rate of valuable raw material in production.

In a sawmill process, wood drying is a critical stage that can determine the end-product quality. When wood dries, it can suffer from bending, cracking, hardening or discoloration, and if not optimised, the drying stage can result in damaged products. Between 10-12 % of each kiln load can end up as reject wood due to distortion. At this stage, when the wood has already been cut and trimmed into nearly finished products, loss of material is especially costly. This can also cause drying to be a bottleneck in production.

Thinking holistic...

• Production development programme is key to continuous improvement in meat/food company
• It factors in production, materials and sustainability in a holistic approach

Finnish meat and food company Atria's main principle is continuous improvement. Atria's aim is to further improve its use of raw materials and resources like water and energy through a production development programme. The programme has been running for a few years.

Top loading is an effective method to reduce the twisting of timber during drying. Top loading can be applied using weighted blocks, such as concrete, laid on top of the timber stacks loaded in the kiln, or using pneumatic or hydraulic pressure frames, that are pressed into the top layer during the drying process.

Pneumatic pressure frames require greater investment, but the benefit is that they can adjust the pressure during the drying process. Also, in contrast to concrete block loading, pneumatic pressure frames do not reduce the drying capacity.

Clever packing, bigger savings

• Finnish meat processor innovates to save money and cut waste in packaging
• Easy-to-open vaccuum packs improves quality while saving on materials

In 1992, the meat and food company Atria Finland brought packaged minced meat to stores. Now, 25 years later, Atria, in cooperation with packaging company Wipak, re-designed the minced meat packaging to make it more convenient, functional and responsible.

Log scanning and sorting brings significant savings for sawmills

Combined laser and X-ray scanning technology for log measuring helps improve sawmilling material efficiency in multiple ways. Under bark, measuring brings average savings of 1-2 % of raw material. When you add log quality sorting based on the scanning, savings can be as high as 4-6 %.

Better by half...

Textile company's textbook circular economy case

• Textile company looks for ways to cut waste and develop new products
• A solid test case for circular economic thinking, diverting waste from landfill

The textile industry alone produces around 20 million kilogrammes of textile waste annually. Of total municipal waste in Finland, textile waste represents 5-8 %.

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