Timber FOX, a tool for consistent quality
Metsä Fibre monitors the quality of sawn timber production with its new Timber FOX index. For customers, the quality index guarantees uniform delivery quality that enhances their own production processes.
TIMO SORMUNEN, photo SAMI VALLIUS
Consistent product quality and reliable deliveries are key competitive advantages in forest industry products. Metsä Fibre has invested in them purposefully and with a long- term perspective, as was recognised with the Excellence Finland award for pulp production as early as 2012. One of the award criteria at the time was the pulp quality index, developed for pulp production. Possible quality deviations and production disturbances can be detected quickly with the index’s built-in rating system, which also triggers the appropriate corrective measures. In recent years, this idea has also been implemented gradually in Metsä Fibre’s sawn timber production. It was used to build the Timber FOX quality index, which has been adopted in all Metsä Fibre sawmills.
“To us, Timber FOX is an efficient quality monitoring measure that improves the consistent quality of our products,” Niemi says. ADDED COMPETITIVENESS FOR CUSTOMERS TOO Sawmill production monitors quality data in real time. The quality index is calculated for customers from re- corded data. With the quality index, customers receive high-quality sawn timber more consistently, but also more exact and open information about product qual- ity. The quality index gives processors of sawn timber the opportunity to make their own production more efficient and economical. Indeed, Niemi says the goal is to apply Timber FOX to the production processes of customers. “For window manufacturers, for example, uniform quality and especially the measurement accuracy of sawn timber are very important criteria. If we can keep them within the desired tolerances, we also improve the quality of customers’ end products, make their production more efficient and decrease material losses. For the customer, all this means enhanced competitiveness,” says Niemi. “For example, one window frame manufacturer has already achieved completely new efficiency levels in pro- duction using the Timber FOX index. Material losses were cut by 12 per cent.” The quality index continues to be improved. Metsä Fibre is currently investigating whether new quality indicators could be added to measurement data. These indicators could include visual knot quality, a strength index and annual ring thickness. In packages, the qual- ity index could be presented as a QR code, for example. “In future, Timber FOX could be available in a Web portal open to customers too – as it is in pulp produc- tion,” Niemi predicts. •
AN UNCOMPROMISING AND IMMEDIATE QUALITY MEASURE
The Timber FOX index developed by Metsä Fibre is a value that describes products’ technical quality levels. It consists of data collected during the packaging phase, which is obtained from camera sorting information. Each piece of sawn timber is sorted using camera vi- sion. Humidity, thickness, width, shape and end cracks are some of the measurements made. “Exact threshold values have been defined for all meas- urement subjects. If each of them is fulfilled, the index value is also 100,” says Metsä Fibre’s Product Manage- ment Manager Tuomo Niemi . The index value can be decreased by variations in hu- midity or dimensions, for example. At the same time, the values give production a clear picture of where potential quality deviations can arise in the process. Corrective measures can thus also be targeted at the right produc- tion areas.
Tuomo Niemi Metsä Fibre’s Product Management Manager. Timber FOX improves the consistent quality of Metsä Fibre’s products.
40
41
Powered by FlippingBook