2024 – Kallfass

Weichen für die Zukunft erfolgreich gestellt EN Successfully setting the course for the future

The core values of Eurolegnami di Debortoli Fabrizio were established when the company was founded, more than 30 years ago. More than 2.5 million pallets leave the plant in Novaledo near Trento in northern Italy every year, destined for industrial customers in the surrounding regions and beyond. Fabrizio Debortoli, Managing Director, emphasizes the need for diversification beyond pallet production to ensure long-term competitiveness. Ultimately, the company's sawn timber supply is crucial to its overall success.

A fresh start

A few years ago, the next generation finally joined the family business. At the same time, the band sawmill's outdated systems were causing production delays, making significant investment in upgrades a necessity. Instead of a costly renovation, however, the decision was made to build a new building on a neighbouring industrial site. Eurolegnami was able to launch production at the new facility at the middle of the year. The company's 100,000 cubic meter annual capacity ensures they can fully supply their own pallet production while also being flexible to respond to market fluctuations in the sawn timber market.

Wood quality, a continuous challenge

Eurolegnami, as a pallet manufacturer, must buy all sawable roundwood assortments. Aside from the cut itself, fluctuating log quality poses a major problem for the sorting process and for handling the sawn timber as a whole. “We needed top-notch professionals in this area and Kallfass quickly stood out. Right from the start, they understood our situation, the requests and objectives of the new plant, and consequently came up with a suitable concept for us that more than met our expectations,” says Nadia Longhi, Administrative Manager at Eurolegnami, pleased to have made the right decision in selecting the perfect supplier for the new sawmill.

“Systems like those of Eurolegnami are part of our proven standard repertoire. This order is particularly satisfying because it establishes another significant reference point for us in the Trentino-Alto Adige region after several years.” says Kallfass Managing Director Hans Haist, speaking at a meeting in Novaledo.

Established concept

Kallfass takes responsibility for delivering both primary and side products from the sawing line onwards. After appropriate buffer solutions, the boards are separated at the first evaluation station. The operator can highlight the quality of wood parts by using a chalk line, and by pulling the wood forward any defective areas can be cut off subsequently using the zero saw. Next, six lasers scan the board, measuring its dimensions. Based on these measurements, each piece of wood is sorted into one of 25 designated boxes. Due to space limitations, Eurolegnami chose a vertical design of these boxes. “In the case of slanted boxes, we could have created a maximum of 20 boxes. However, using smaller pallet dimensions, there is no need to worry about damage, even if using a vertical design,” emphasises Haist during the guided tour.

Once a box is full, it is emptied and the boards are automatically separated using a step conveyor. An operator monitors the layer creation before each board is cut to the desired length on the multiple cross-cut saw from Kallfass. To maximize raw material efficiency in pallet production, Kallfass has integrated seven movable saw aggregates into the system. Haist points out that “In the pallet business, the yield of the raw material is crucial”. “Our focus is on precise, millimeter-accurate cutting to ensure the downstream pallet line receives exactly what it needs.” The boards vary in length, measuring between 600 mm and 5.2 m.

Once cut to size, the timber can either be stacked on the stacking system in an offset position or prepared for transport ready strapped, depending on the application. “Our stacking system has been reliable for years and, like the rest of the system, is remarkably user-friendly, making maintenance and operation straightforward. Depending on the workload, only two to three employees are needed on the line - the rest runs itself,” explains Haist.

Great customer confidence

The order situation at Kallfass remains good. “Some of our books are already well filled until 2026. The orders vary in scope, from minor modifications and updates to complete systems and large-scale projects. We are particularly pleased to have been able to once again demonstrate our pallet expertise in this project, enhancing Eurolegnami's preparedness for the future,” stated Haist with satisfaction.

Eurolegnami is pleased with the results of the project. “We were able to visit several sawmills in Germany at the beginning of the decision-making process. Today, we understand the reasons behind the significant customer loyalty to Kallfass,” explains Michele Debortoli, successor and junior manager.

Perfekt gekappt und gestapelt für Palettenfertigung EN Perfectly cut and stacked for pallet production

Bottleneck eliminated

Until now, Rückerl has used two cross-cut saws to cut the wood for pallet production. "That was very time-consuming and no longer in keeping with the times. In addition, cutting to size became a bottleneck due to the increasing quantities. Furthermore, high dimensional accuracy was no longer guaranteed due to the automation of pallet production. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy fixed lengths on the market,” explains Marc Rückerl, who manages the company together with his brother Roman. Thus, a new cutting solution had to be found. "We looked at various providers. We liked the quality of the Kallfass solutions right from the start,” reports Roman Rückerl.

In addition, the proximity to Kallfass in Baiersbronn-Klosterreichenbach spoke in favour of the Baden-Württemberg supplier. Moreover, communication with Kallfass project manager Matthias Link was very good right from the start, as the two confirm. Kallfass supplied Holzwerke Rückerl with a cutting and stacking system, which has been in operation since March.

Flexible system for high performance

Rückerl's typical approach is to purchase sawn timber directly from local sawmills. The new Kallfass line is designed for lengths from 2.5 to 5.1 metres. The wood dimensions for pallet production range from 17 to 22 mm thick and 75 to 150 mm wide. "We usually use the system to cut the raw materials for the Euro pallets. However, its design is very flexible and allows us to process squared timber up to 80 x 80 mm as well," reports Roman Rückerl. The system's target output is around 400 m³ per shift. The sawn timber is separated in layers using a tilt destacking system for double wood packages with automatic stick removal. The boards are fed onto a chain conveyor and then to the operator station using an unscrambler and an alignment roller conveyor. "We deliberately decided against a step separator here because it slows down the system,” says Marc Rückerl. Kallfass installed a thickness monitoring system immediately after the operating station. "If two boards are lying on top of each other, the system stops automatically and the employee can separate the timbers manually," explains the Kallfass project manager.

After the layers are created, the boards are cut to the finished size using the Kallfass multiple cross-cut saw. "This saw is equipped with five saw aggregates; four of which can be positioned automatically," explains Link. The next step is the stacker, which is designed for an output of at least 13 layers per minute and is equipped with ten stick magazines. What makes it unique: To facilitate internal logistics, the boards, which are cut to the exact length required, are stacked directly onto pallets. To achieve this, Kallfass implemented an automatic pallet feed from a magazine. An employee uses a forklift truck to place the required pallets on a roller conveyor. The stacks are precisely aligned and fed to the empty pallet magazine. Subsequently, the magazine feeds the hoisting unit of the stacking system with the pallets and positions them so that the boards are stacked exactly in the centre depending on the length of the parts. To ensure adequate time for collecting the wood packages, there is a generously sized buffer roller aisle at the outlet. Apart from the forklift operator, only one employee is responsible for the entire cutting process.

Flexible Sortierlösung für KMU-Sägewerk EN Flexible sorting solution for SME sawmill

With a cutting capacity of around 25,000 cubic metres per year, the Wolf sawmill is a classic small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The company's history dates back to 1870. Today, Christian Wolf runs the firm in cooperation with his mother, Gabriele Wolf, and represents the fifth generation of the family-run company. When using a gang saw and a small profiling system, and a downstream circular edger saw, the production of solid structural timber (KVH® for short), glued-laminated timber (GLT) lamellas, packaging squared timber, side products or raw goods from sawn timber (rough planer) is relatively easy. The classification and stacking of the diverse assortments were previously carried out using a simple length sorting system. In this case, employees subsequently stacked the sawn timber manually. “It was too labour-intensive and we find it very difficult to recruit staff. In addition, this sorting has significantly limited our performance,” explains Wolf. In order to become faster and more flexible, a new solution was needed.

Perfect handling

Wolf Jr. looked at several suppliers. Ultimately, he liked the concept of Kallfass, Baiersbronn-Klosterreichenbach, Germany, the best: “Kallfass has always built very reliable sorting systems and was able to complete the project in a very short time. I particularly liked the agility in the planning – all of our requests and ideas were implemented promptly and the new sorting system is specially adapted to the size of our sawmill,” explains Wolf. The renovation work was carried out last year, and the new Kallfass sorting and stacking system has been in operation at the Wolf sawmill since March. “The entire commissioning process went absolutely smoothly. The Kallfass technicians were excellent, as were the programmers," says Wolf, full of praise for the mechanisation specialist's handling. “We now have countless possibilities to deal with our qualities and dimensions.

Kallfass supplied the complete sorting and stacking system, from the transfer downstream of the trimming and circular resaw. The latter is designed for lengths of 1 to 5.1 m and a maximum cross-section of 140 x 180 mm. A conveyor belt transports the squared timber or the main product and boards to two separate buffer decks, which are positioned directly underneath the boxes. “The buffers are dimensioned in such a way that an entire sawmill production output of three to four hours of, for example squared timber, will find space,” explains Kallfass project manager Matthias Link.

After separation, the goods go to the assessment station. The employee can set a back cut of up to 50 cm at the zero line by dragging. If a cross cut is to be made on the opposite side of the wood, the wood is marked with a luminescent chalk. The cross-cut is done later, immediately before stacking. There is also a turning device in the area of the assessment station so that even heavy pieces of wood can be qualified on all four sides. Any unsuitable pieces of wood can be separated into planks and squared timber and ejected into two stanchions immediately after cutting.

“Only one assortment goes directly into the stacking system at a time,” reports Wolf. After the cross-cut station, the remainder is fed upwards to the box sorting system via a level changer. After several discussions, Wolf finally decided on 30 boxes. This means that the space has been used in the best possible way. The boxes are emptied downwards onto a chain conveyor above the buffer decks. The wood then takes the same route as the unsorted goods towards the stacking system.

In order to be able to produce short lengths with millimetre precision, Kallfass installed the proven multiple cross-cut saw. The latter is equipped with four saw aggregates, three of which can be positioned automatically. In order to be able to respond to even more flexible to customer requirements, Wolf is already considering retrofitting a fifth saw aggregate. After layer creation, stacking forks transfer the lumber to the stacking system, which is equipped with four double magazines for drying and dispatch sticks. Finally, a conveyor unit supplies the sawn wood packages. While still in the planning process, Kallfass has already anticipated the possibility of conveniently retrofitting a strapping system.

In order to be able to re-sort dry packages, there is an external infeed. Here, the wood is separated layer by layer using a chain conveyor, which then transports the timber towards the assessment station. The sticks are carried via a conveyor belt into stanchions and removed.

Gebündelter Erfolg EN Bundled success

"It's impossible to put specific figures to the breadth of our product range. We produce what the customer orders", explains Carlo Brever, Managing Director at Bois Brever, in an interview with Holzkurier. "The diversity of products also increases the demands on the machine manufacturer, as their system needs to be able to handle all dimensions. Kallfass convinced us that they were the right people for the job and looking back, we can confirm that they were right."

The Bois Brever sawmill is located not far from the Belgian border, in the north of Luxembourg. With an annual cutting capacity of 50,000 cubic metres, this is already the country's largest sawmill by far. "To be able to survive alongside the large timber industries from Germany, Belgium and France, you have to find your niche and define yourself through quality", reports Brever, who runs the family business together with his daughter, Corinne.

Focus on making work easier

The firm has been a Kallfass customer in Luxembourg for over 20 years. "The partnership and relationship with Brever have always been excellent over the many years we have been working together. As a machine manufacturer, we value these types of customers particularly highly", reflects Enrico Goldhahn, Operations Manager at Kallfass in Wernigerode, Germany, referring to their positive and long-standing relationship with Brever.

After more than 20 years of continuous use, it was finally time to replace the stacking and bundling system in 2023. The aim was not to significantly increase output, however. For Brever, it was important to reduce labour costs and at the same time make the day-to-day work of what would now be the sole machine operator much easier.

"Automation is also a very important issue for small and medium-sized enterprises, and one that should not be ignored under any circumstances. With the new Kallfass system, we have modernised another key area of production. An investment that also increases our appeal in the labour market", explains Corinne Brever.

A lot of machines in a small space

In addition to timber construction and since 2017, solid structural timber, Brever primarily serves the outdoor sector and produces made-to-order planed timber. Boards, mouldings and profiled timber necessitate one thing above all: the need to handle small-scale products in production. "I don't know of any system in our company that has been designed for so many products. An exciting challenge for mechanising the individual work processes", explains Goldhahn.

However, product diversity was not the only challenge that the German machine manufacturer had to overcome. All work steps, starting with the downstream separation of the planing system through to the final stacking of the packages, had to be realised over a maximum possible total length of just 18 metres. "We had to economise on space and buffer paths wherever possible without losing continuous production flow", says Goldhahn, referring to the spatial constraints. For this reason, Kallfass also installed a vertical ascending conveyor at the start of the line: "We need the height to be able to re-stack the timber later on. Due to the specified hall width, we had to use an ascending conveyor based on the paternoster principle", reports Goldhahn.

The next step is for a worker to visually check the quality of the timber. Damaged goods, or broken items in the case of thin mouldings, drop directly into a disposal chute.

Fully automatic bundling

This is followed by the centrepiece of the system, in which, according to Kallfass, "a great deal of experience and expertise has been gained over many years". Boards and mouldings are stacked fully automatically into small packages by the bundler, then strapped with precision to form compact timber packages. The system's capacity is designed for up to ten bundles of wood per minute. "Without bundling, it would not be possible to handle these large quantities of small goods", explains Brever. The advantages of bundling are also immediately apparent on the multiple cross-cut saw, as the ends of several pieces of timber can be cut at the same time. Immediately following the saw, Kallfass came up with a very special feature that absolutely had to be integrated into the system at the customer's request, and that represents Brever's high level of product diversity and individuality. "We have had a major customer for face-profiled planed products for many years", explains Brever, and Goldhahn adds: "To support this, we installed two milling heads after the multiple cross-cut saw, which also permit machining on the face side. The challenge here clearly lies in the degree of precision. The timber must be guided to the milling head with an accuracy of one tenth". After custom processing, the individual boards and mouldings are lastly stacked and transported to a strapping station via a cross conveyor before being transported to the warehouse ready for dispatch.

Ein BSP-Werk für Profis EN A CLT plant for professionals

Exceptional overall concept sets new standards

Log in, finished CLT element out - and all without a forklift. This is how you could describe best wood Schneider's extremely ambitious Greenfield project in just a few words. At the newly founded site in Meßkirch, Germany, the company is implementing a trend-setting, end-to-end production line. Currently the CLT plant is being commissioned. The planned output in the sawmill is 350,000 cubic meters/year. After the final expansion, the CLT production will reach an output of 100,000 m³/year. As in the sawmill, Kallfass also plays a leading role in further processing.

Actually, best wood Schneider “only” wanted to build a cross laminated timber plant at the new Meßkirch site. “Large-format CLT was the only product that we still lacked as a complete supplier for our approximately 5,000 active timber construction customers”, reports Managing Director Ferdinand Schneider during the Holzkurier visit. In addition to solid structural timber (KVH), glulam, glued laminated timber and box girder elements, the family-owned company offers its customers numerous wood fibre insulation systems as well as comprehensive planning and consulting services.

“But then we decided to do it right from the logs and to realise a continuous line from the logs to the finished timber construction products”, says Schneider, describing the process that began seven years ago with the planning phase and continues to this day. According to Kallfass Project Manager Stefan Günther, this constant development and improvement of ongoing projects, both large and small, is characteristic of the company: “Schneider projects are organic and continue to grow. However, these further developments are always constructive, with the best solution coming out on top, regardless of who it comes from”.

The basic idea for Meßkirch was as follows: to implement a continuously automated material flow–from the log feed to the finished and glazed CLT and box elements for walls and ceilings–completely without forklift traffic and almost without manual intervention.

Well-established team

While the sawmill is already rapidly approaching full-load operation, the first expansion stage of the CLT plant is in the middle of the commissioning process. As in the sawmill, Kallfass is responsible for the majority of the mechanisation, the cross laminated timber press and numerous detailed solutions. “In addition, Kallfass, as our vendor of choice, had the planning authority”, adds Schneider, who has already successfully completed numerous projects with the Black Forest system specialists.

Conveyor belts provide the transfer between the sawmill and processing steps down the line. Subsequently, the dried and sorted goods are transported to a Microtec Optiside cup scanner, where the timber is turned to the correct side, if required. In the next processing step, the planer infeed, also from Kallfass, accelerates the goods up to 250 m/min before they are levelled and scanned, and defects are marked. The timber is then packaged in a crosswise offset, strapped if necessary, and fed on roller conveyors to a high-bay warehouse with 1,450 storage locations.

Precise production

For cross-laminated timber production, the pre-planed raw material from the high-bay warehouse is transferred to a finger-jointing line and then to a longitudinal press. Here, white glue or hot melt is used to create an assembly joint. A vacuum lifter removes the assembly joints and transfers them to another part of the Kallfass system.

Whilst the longitudinal layers are directly used to lay a dry press cake in reverse order, cross-layer segments are produced from some of the single-layer boards. “As the longitudinal layer press always produces exactly a multiple of the desired cross-layer length plus kerf, our cross-layer saw does not produce any waste”, emphasises Günther, adding that particular attention is paid to precision when formatting the individual layers and when subsequently arranging the cross-layers and laying the boards. “This means that the panel no longer has to be formatted with a saw after pressing, which saves us time and, above all, material," emphasises Schneider, who runs his panels through a sanding system, a cross-cut saw and a multi-spindle processing machine for the production of any profiles between the press and the joinery systems.

Ingenious details

When laying the dry cake in reverse order, the single-layer boards are sprayed with water on both sides for the upcoming glue application before they are placed in the actual laying station. Apart from the adhesive application system from Oest, Kallfass is also responsible for the entire plant construction, including the subsequent cross laminated timber press. The latter can hold elements measuring up to 3.6 x 16 m and a maximum thickness of 360 mm.

Once the boards have been pressed, sanded and profiled, they move on to one of Technowood's joinery lines, where Kallfass also carries out the mechanisation upstream and downstream of the machines. This includes a specially developed panel turner for CLT, which enables the elements–which may weigh several tonnes–to be turned quickly and safely.

“This means that Kallfass is responsible for the end-to-end material flow–from sorting in the sawmill to the finished panel–and I have to say that all the parts they have implemented run flawlessly”. Schneider praises the installation and the Kallfass team.

Still a lot to do

While the existing line at Schneider is designed for the production of large-format wall and ceiling elements in non-visible quality, the second line will eject elements in visible quality including glaze. Commissioning is scheduled for the coming winter. As a third expansion stage, the Managing Director mentions a production facility for hollow box and rib elements, as used in roof and ceiling constructions, which Schneider summarises under the “Box” product line. This means that the company will have numerous other essential products in its portfolio for its customers.

Schneider describes the planning and implementation of a cross-laminated timber line as extremely complex, whereby he believes there is no ideal solution: “Depending on the objectives and framework conditions, each new CLT plant is always a path of the best compromises, which we realise together with Kallfass in the best possible way”.

A fresh start

Company succession secured: Kallfass Managing Director Hans Haist (left) together with Michele and Vania Debortoli

Wood quality, a continuous challenge

Focus on self-sufficiency: Eurolegnami's primary objective in establishing the new sawmill is to secure a long-term supply of lumber for its pallet manufacturing operations

Established concept

Everything under control: The worker inspects the wood and by pulling the wood forward any defective areas can be cut off subsequently and with a piece of chalk he indicates the board's quality.

Efficient and economical: Kallfass puts the output of the sorting system at a maximum of 120 cycles/min

Great customer confidence

Minimum cut length: The shortest cutting length of the Kallfass multiple cross-cut saw at Eurolegnami is just 600 mm

Efficient and economical: Kallfass puts the output of the sorting system at a maximum of 120 cycles/min

Stacked and strapped, the sawn timber packages are ready for internal processing on the Eurolegnamis pallet production lines

Bottleneck eliminated

Roman and Marc Rückerl with Kallfass project manager Matthias Link (from left)

Flexible system for high performance

Tilt destacking: The boards are destacked in layers and the stacking sticks are automatically separated and transported away

For a precise cut: Kallfass installed the multiple cross-cut saw with five saw aggregates

Automatic pallet feed: The cut boards are automatically stacked on pallets

Holzwerke Rückerl manufactures around 2 million EPAL pallets per year - plus special pallets

The sawn timber stacks are transported to the new Joutech system for pallet production

Finally, the stacks of sawn timber are prepared for removal on a generously dimensioned roller conveyor

Existing space used as best as possible

Perfect handling

Trusted in Kallfass’s expertise: Christian Wolf (left) with Kallfass project manager Matthias Link

”Kallfass delivered a system that was perfectly tailored to our needs.”

Separation of the boards and squared timbers towards the assessment station

The employee examines the cut material and can determine a cross-cut by pulling it

Kallfass also carried out an external infeed for dry wood packages

The proven multiple cross-cut saw from Kallfass cuts the wood with millimetre precision

Investment has paid off

Feeding to the upper floor to the 30 boxes

The finished wood packages are placed on a roller conveyor – there is also space for a strapping machine

Versatility redefined

Focus on making work easier

Successful partnership: Corinne Brever with Enrico Goldhahn from Kallfass, her father, Carlo Brever, and Raphael Franzen, Technical Manager at Brever (left to right)

"Automation is also a very important issue for small and medium-sized enterprises, and one that should not be ignored under any circumstances."

A lot of machines in a small space

The key requirement is to save space: The timbers of up to 6.3 metres in length are conveyed up to a height of 2400 mm by an ascending conveyor ...

before being transported to the bundling system.

Fully automatic bundling

System based on customer requirements: The mouldings are cut as bundles

Milling tools permit additional profiling of the end faces

Fast and reliable: The bundling process is fully automated – from stacking the individual mouldings to strapping the small packs of wood a total of four times.

System based on customer requirements: The mouldings are cut as bundles

Milling tools permit additional profiling of the end faces

Exceptional overall concept sets new standards

The dried raw material is transported from the sawmill ...

directly to the next hall, using conveyor belts.

There, the timber is assessed, stacked and temporarily stored in a high-bay warehouse. From there it continues to the BSP line or onto the lorry.

Well-established team

Precise production

In the cross-layer production process, the single-layer panels are cut to length using high precision and joined together to form cross-layers.

Ingenious details

Managing Director Ferdinand Schneider (right) together with Kallfass Project Manager Stefan Günther.

Still a lot to do

In the cross-layer production process, the single-layer panels are cut to length using high precision and joined together to form cross-layers.

The cross laminated timber press is just one of many components that Kallfass implemented in best wood Schneider's new CLT plant.

The finished pressed CLT panels are fed to the downstream sanding machine via a travelling roller conveyor.

Automation solutions

Cross-cut saws

Sorter

Pressing

Special solutions

Services

References

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