Nordautomation is supplying conveyor solutions for the modernization of the small log line at Keitele Wood Oy’s Keitele sawmill. Scheduled for implementation in autumn 2027, the project will replace the small log line commissioned in 2002 with a new log feeder and conveyor systems.
The modernization of the Keitele sawmill will significantly improve the performance of the production line, the quality of log debarking, as well as the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the plant. The delivery will be carried out with a high domestic content in cooperation with Valon Kone Oy, the supplier of the debarking machine.
“Keitele Group is a long-standing and extremely important partner for us, with whom we have carried out several major investment projects over the years. The new contract is a great vote of confidence in our expertise and our ability to deliver demanding, high-capacity solutions to the Finnish sawmill industry,” says Timo Kuusisto, CEO of Nordautomation.
The upcoming project is a key part of Keitele sawmill’s approximately EUR 40 million investment program, which aims to increase the sawmill’s annual production capacity from the current 420,000 cubic meters to 600,000 cubic meters in a two-shift operation. The equipment enables small logs to be sawn at speeds of over 200 meters per minute, increasing the line’s capacity by nearly 50 percent.
The investment will also have significant regional impacts. The increased use of roundwood will boost stumpage earnings for local forest owners, while the knock-on effects of increased harvesting and transport will strengthen employment within the contractor network and bolster the regional economy.
“The Finnish forest industry succeeds in global competition by relying on a high degree of automation, operational reliability, and advanced technology. We are proud to be part of strengthening the competitiveness and regional vitality of domestic sawn timber production well into the future,” Kuusisto concludes.
Photo: Keitele Timber Oy, Alajärvi – log sorter