Rauma sawmill
All mill operations on screen – the central control room is the sawmill’s brain
The Rauma sawmill uses the latest technology in the industry and applies a single control room model that is completely new to sawmilling. From the personnel’s perspective, the greatest change is that there are no workstations on the sawmill lines. Operations are controlled from the central control room. 65 new operators hired and trained at the sawmill have undergone a rigorous induction programme.
Instead of conventional workstations, Rauma sawmill operators work to- gether in a central control room, where the entire production process is managed. All operators will be able to view the sawmill’s shared operat- ing system on their screens. “In addition to its technology, the sawmill is also the most modern in the industry in its working methods. Operators now work in a completely new way,” says Liisa-Maija Perävainio , Mill Manager of Rauma sawmill. Ten operators at a time work in the control room, in teams of two to three. There are four teams, each responsible for a specific stage of the process: sawing, grading, kiln drying and outbound logistics. “The operators work in various tasks during each shift: in the control room, field rounds and operator maintenance. They need multiple skills to be able to manage and carry out a wide range of tasks. In this new way of working, teamwork skills, responsibility and decision-making skills are particularly important.” Maintenance is part of the operators’ work The Rauma sawmill will be run according to the 24/7 principle every day of the year. The work is in three shifts, so most operators are in contin- uous shift work. Given that the sawmill’s operation will only be interrupted for brief main- tenance breaks, the operators must be able to anticipate fault situations and deal with them independently when necessary. “Workers will need to go to the line every now and then anyway for mi- nor repairs and maintenance, so maintenance skills remain essential for every operator. Thus, manual work remains relevant alongside state-of- the-art technology,” says Perävainio. Data for proactive operations Anticipating maintenance and repairs is made easier by the huge amount of information available to operators throughout the process. All the saw-
“Maintenance skills are an essential part of every operator’s job.”
mill’s operations and control systems appear on the screens of the cen- tral control room. This information shows the condition of process equipment down to the smallest detail. For example, if some part loses its effectiveness, the need for repair can quickly be identified from the data arriving in the cen- tral control room. In addition, machine vision can anticipate impending congestion situations. Automation and robotics are used to resolve sit- uations without stopping the production line. Precision training makes experts The training programme for Rauma sawmill operators gave new employ- ees time to become a good team before the work started. Common goals and responsibilities guide the activities of all personnel. “Cooperation among skilled co-workers extends beyond each team. Multi-skilled employees and experts work together during every shift to ensure our processes remain operational in all situations,” says Perävainio. The Rauma sawmill employs around a hundred people directly, includ- ing partners. “In addition to the new operators, the sawmill will employ several oth- er professionals in the sawmill industry. Technology alone is not enough; we also need skilled people.”
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