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Swedish sawmill group invests in six batch kilns from Valutec

In order to increase its drying capacity while maintaining a high level of quality, the privately-owned sawmill group AB Karl Hedin is investing in six batch kilns for its Swedish sawmills in Säter and Krylbo. The investment increases the group’s drying capacity by approximately 77,000 cubic metres (32,630 MBF).

“We have had good experiences working with Valutec on previous deliveries. They offer a well thought-out design and an excellent control system. By continuing with Valutec as our main kiln supplier, the total solution is the most cost-effective,” says Michael Forsberg, project manager at AB Karl Hedin.

AB Karl Hedin is one of Sweden’s largest privately-owned sawmill groups with three sawmills in Bergslagen and two in Estonia.

The group’s sawmill in Krylbo is Sweden’s largest producer of small diameter logs. The refined range is called “Krylbokubb” and is a small diameter range with a standard length of 3.05 metres. Säters Ångsåg saws pine lumber of the highest quality. The raw materials are thick pine lumber, Säter blocks, and veneer pine for the production of furniture and paneling of high quality

“Our cooperation with Hedin goes a long way back. They are renowned for their quality and the way they take care of their timber. It’s both an honor and a pleasure to accompany them on their journey,” says Jon Lindberg, sales manager for Valutec.

With this investment, the annual total capacity in Krylbo is increased by approximately 36,000 cubic metres (15,255 MBF), and in Säter by approximately 41,000 cubic metres (17,375 MBF). The increased capacity ensures a high drying quality also in the event of a future increase in saw production.
The lumber kilns are built of stainless steel with pressure frames, for minimal deformation of the uppermost lumber layer. They are delivered with Valutec’s control system Valmatics 4.0.

To facilitate handling for the kiln operators, AB Karl Hedin is upgrading its control systems to Valmatics 4.0 on 10 existing kilns in connection with the investment. Valmatics 4.0 is the only control system for lumber drying that combines simulator technology with adaptive control, and enables optimization of the capacity, quality and energy consumption simultaneously.

The assembly of the new kilns and the upgrading of the control systems will start in March 2022.