Fenix – Ups and downs on our journey are warmly welcome. We will survive.
The ups and downs are part of any business. We have faced them as well. However, the most important thing is to look ahead and act. That is what we have done after the setbacks: we have acted with great determination and started investing for the future. These investments have always contained significant improvements in safety.
For instance our latest investments: An automatic fire extinguishing system covering all production departments will be installed at both Lunawood mills in Iisalmi and Kaskinen during the spring of 2021. A new sticking and stacking plant in Kaskinen, on the other hand, is a very modern and energy-efficient plant with a strong focus on job satisfaction. The kilns destroyed in fires have been replaced with new ones or repaired in accordance with sustainable development.
The combined value of the mill’s extinguishing systems and sticking and stacking plant investments is over EUR 4 million and they have a significant impact on both the fire safety of the Lunawood mills and the increase of thermal modification capacity. Now we are ready to meet the increased demand of Lunawood Thermowood.
New sticking and stacking plant at Kaskinen Mill.
From tunnel kiln to deliveries of blocks
Lunawood’s first tunnel kiln, acquired at the beginning of the 2000’s, is the company’s only kiln of this type. Jartek has continuously developed its technology in the areas of mechanics and automation. And this work continues. Collaboration with Lunawood has enabled it to realize development projects as part of customer deliveries to an expanding company located within a close distance.
“Our technology is in global demand. These days, kilns are produced as large segments that can be loaded onto trailers or in sea containers for transportation. The design also speeds up installation onsite. Lunawood’s chamber kilns are also manufactured in this manner,” shares Tetri.
With the development of thermal modification technology, Jartek’s business has grown increasingly more international. Thermowood solutions have been delivered to roughly 20 countries. “It could be said that today Jartek is a very different company than the one I came to work for, an evolution which began with the changing of its name. One thing that has not changed at all is the way we carry out projects meticulously while listening carefully to our customers’ needs,” Tetri stresses.
We have a strong partner in kiln investments
Long-term partnerships and shared development have been at the heart of our operations right from the start. One of our oldest partners is Jartek Invest Oy, which operated under the name TekmaHeat Oy at the beginning of our journey together. The first order on a tunnel kiln used for the multi-stage thermal modification process was signed on October 18, 2000. Back then, Timo Tetri worked as a project manager for TekmaHeat. “It was all new to everyone and neither party had been involved in anything like this before, but the facility was completed and started producing high-quality Thermowood,” explains Tetri
The increasing demand for Thermowood and the development of Lunawood into a major player in the field have enabled ever-closer collaboration between the companies. As demand for its products has grown, Lunawood has invested in new thermal modification kilns. Around 10 years ago, Jartek supplied the Iisalmi mill with a thermal oil boiler, which currently serves as the main heat source for the thermal modification process.
Iisalmi kiln investments under construction. Two kilns destroyed by fires have been replaced with new one or repaired in accordance with sustainable development for restart.
According to Tetri, the Thermowood sector, and machine manufacture in general, takes steps forward when customers require new solutions. “We discuss ongoing projects almost weekly with Lunawood or provide user support. The threshold for getting in touch is extremely low in both directions and the collaboration is extensive and seamless,” explains Tetri, who is currently responsible for the Thermowood business operations at Jartek.
