Heli’s tough trucks perform at Hutt sawmill
Eurocell Sawmilling has been operating for 25 years at its Upper Hutt site, processing sawn timber for shipment overseas via CentrePort Wellington. The site was Eurocell International’s first New Zealand sawmill.
Eurocell’s engineering manager, Steve Johnson, says the sawmill has undergone considerable upgrades, including a new, state-of-the-art, fully automated boron treatment plant, plus an extensive head-rig upgrade. A new Windsor kiln and gas-fired heat plant were added to the existing kilns to boost drying capacity so the mill could cut more volume for export business, this being mainly to Australia, USA and Asia.
The mill cuts in excess of 34,000 cubic metres of lumber per annum, and has a staff of approximately 70. This includes skilled operators, engineers, saw doctors, timber-graders, and forklift and truck drivers.
Eurocell produces mainly treated framing timber for the New Zealand and Australian markets. Mr Johnson says their main New Zealand customers include the large merchant brands as well as smaller independents throughout the North Island.
The logs come in a mix of ‘saw log’ and ‘pruned’ and are sourced from the local forests and from the Wairarapa and Wanganui regions. With Eurocell International’s prime business being pulp and paper, the mill continues to produce woodchip which is railed to pulp mills in the central North Island.
Special heavy-duty machines
Currently there are three 8 tonne Heli brand diesel forklifts on site at Eurocell’s Upper Hutt sawmill. All are fitted with factory cabs, independent fork positioners and tapered lumber forks.
Eurocell had previously had a successful run with the TCM brand, so found the Heli forklifts an easy choice – Heli uses similar components and running gear. Additionally, they wanted to take advantage of the excellent cost savings over the lifetime of the machine – Heli NZ says their 8 tonne forklift offers the best value in its class on the New Zealand market.
Mr Johnson says that Eurocell has found the Heli to be a very reliable forklift that suits the needs of their business. “Performance so far has been excellent, with the forklifts performing extremely well in our tough environment. Productivity has increased, and our operators are performing to a higher standard. They love the fact that they can stay warm and dry during bad weather, and of course they think it’s great having the new gear.”
Understanding the client’s needs
Because Heli Forklifts NZ has a successful history with selling large timber forklifts, their staff understand the materials handling needs of sawmills. They have also provided Eurocell with additional forklifts during peak times. “Not many forklift companies in the Wellington region stock 7 and 8 tonne forklifts for casual hire, but we’ve always been able to hire these forklifts at short notice,” Mr Johnson says.
“Heli’s service staff have worked with us to provide excellent service. They send a technician on Saturday mornings when the sawmill is not as busy and we have the ability to free up machines.”
Heli NZ is determined to be the leading forklift service provider when it comes to value for money. To achieve this they understand that quality forklift sales must be backed up by outstanding customer service and support, and this means going the extra mile. Heli also stocks all the spare parts required to fix the machines when there is a breakdown.
“Prior to the new forklifts, breakdowns were a regular hassle for us, and caused maintenance cost blowouts,” Mr Johnson says. “Heli NZ was able to supply the new equipment at a similar rental price to our old gear which had been kept on site too long and had become unreliable.”
Heli NZ has also implemented a planned maintenance programme tailored to Eurocell’s specific needs to keep all their equipment safe and productive.
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