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E XTEMAGAZ I N E N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D ’ S L E A D I N G M A N U FA C T U R E R O F T I M B E R B U N K S A N D A U TO -T E N S I O N E R S
THEWHICH120 YEAR OLD STAYED THE COURSE
ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS ...
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KJ E LL JON SSON CE O E XT E
WE WILL SOON BE 120 YEARS OLD AND ARE IN THE FORM OF OUR LIVES ExTe will be 120 years old next year. Even though I am anything but objective, I would nevertheless hazard to suggest that it is a highly vigorous 120 year old. We haven’t put our feet up. Right now we are putting the final touches to our investment programme. New machinery, new robots, a completely new surface treatment plant and the same competent and committed personnel. We now have an ultramodern production plant and can supply what customers want with short delivery times. However, don’t think that we are now satisfied and simply sitting back waiting for Christmas. In order to make room for more production staff, we have just got started on converting the first building you come to in the factory area. We believe strongly in the future and are working intensively on both development of safe new products and collaborations with our customers and retailers throughout Sweden and the rest of the world. As is commonly known, we occupy a strong position in both the Nordic region and Central Europe. We can now note a highly gratifying development in the rest of the world as well. Demand for our products is steadily increasing. This is largely due to the fact that we are aware of the needs that exist in the different markets. We have both knowledge and resources to adapt our products to local needs. But what is perhaps of equal
importance is that the issue of safety in relation to transportation is increasingly on the agenda in a large number of countries. And this doesn’t just apply to transporting timber. Many of our newer customers transport general freight, and they have discovered our solutions for securing cargo both safely and rationally. And that development is probably just in its infancy. A new year will soon be here. One promise is that we will be presenting interesting new product solutions. Another promise, which we have already made, is that our unique Security Warranty will start to apply for products that we supply in Sweden after the turn of the year. The continued development of both our services and products naturally has the aim of making hauliers more efficient, and ensuring that they feel even more secure with our products. Winter has now arrived in much of our country. Take care in the traffic so that each and every one of us can celebrate Christmas together with our nearest and dearest. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And that reminds me. A New Year’s resolution from me to you is that our 120th birthday will be marked in some way. Kjell Jonsson CEO ExTe
LATEST NEWS FROM EXTE OW FI GU RE S SH RE GI STER ED PEOPLE ARE RE MO D AN US THAT MORE ITALLY. VISITING US DIG 2 | EXTE MAGAZINE
If you want to find out quickly what’s happening in ExTe’s (and your) world, you always find the latest news on Facebook or at www.exte.se. You can always find the current ExTe Magazine on our website.
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WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE FOR THE AFTERMARKET ...
FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT OCH CUSTOMER SERVICE
ExTe’s unique Security Warranty will come into force at the turn of the year. Our objective is to shorten downtime for hauliers if something was to happen with products supplied by ExTe. We therefore want to increase our resources in the aftermarket with an additional employee in technical support. Our philosophy is that technical support should principally function out on site at both hauliers and equipment installers in order to prevent potential breakdowns. It also includes training of equipment installers and retailers. Urgent call-outs are also an intrinsic part of the job. We place major importance on your personal qualities and are looking for someone who has both technical and social skills as well as a solid interest in business. You enjoy practically resolving technical problems. At the same time, you must also be able to talk to people and establish easy-going and reassuring relationships both with our customers and other colleagues in the company. You must be able to work both independently and in a team. We would like you to have some form of technical training and a few years’ practical experience. Experience of the industry is a bonus. The ability to understand the hauliers’, drivers’ and equipment installers’ working conditions and situation is essential. You must have a genuine desire to make things easier for the hauliers. Experience of transporting timber is a merit. The job will include driving some heavy vehicles, a HGV licence is therefore a must. Working with technical support and sales means that the Nordic region is your area. The job involves travel. You must be able to accommodate prolonged customer visits, Roadshows and trade fairs. Last but not least important. You must have a fundamentally positive outlook and see opportunities.
Further information If this sounds like a job for you, please contact our Head of Product Development, Roger Larsson by phone on +46 (0)651–175 43 or Head of Marketing and Personnel, Lina Bylund by phone on +46 (0)651–175 09. You can read more about us and our products on our website www.exte.se Application Please submit an application in which you describe yourself and your formal qualifications and practical experience. Send an email to lina.bylund@exte.se no later than 2018-01-15
EXTE MAGAZINE | 3
WE HAVE NOW CREATED MORE RATIONAL PROCESSES “Everything has proceeded entirely according to plan. I am extremely pleased with the whole investment,” says ExTe’s Production Manager Magnus Johansen after just over a year of changes to the production process. Considering the size of the investment, I am almost surprised that nothing has gone wrong. Now basically all that remains is a bit of tidying up. Just about the entire production apparatus has been affected. New machinery and robots are in place, and units situated in a logical production line are now directly linked to each other. “It means that we are increasing efficiency in the processes and avoiding some ”internal transports” between different stations,” Magnus explains. The major change involves surface treatment of the products. We have now assembled blasting, washing, powder coating and wet painting in the same part of the factory. All that remains to do there is to start up the robots for wet painting. When customers want to paint their frames themselves, we perform what is called wet painting with protective primer before we deliver. Capacity in the paint shop has increased substantially. “Our new ”painting window”, which Magnus calls it, now enables 4 | EXTE MAGAZINE
us to paint products that are 3.6 m long and 1.8 m high, compared with previously when the dimensions were 2.6 m and 1.3 m respectively. A considerable difference, which means that we are now able to deal with all of our own products. In addition, the increased capacity means that we can both continue to guarantee high quality and have resources for treatment of Trux products. Trux, which is a sister company to ExTe, is gradually moving its production to premises directly connected to ExTe. Up to now, a proportion of Trux’s products have been surface treated outside the company. But we are now able to bring this inhouse as well,” Magnus explains. “As things stand, I think that we can manage the production with the existing personnel. But that might change with increased sales.”
All we have to do now is move crates out of the way and clean up. Then it’ll be full speed ahead in the new painting plant.
Bunk en route into ExTe’s ultramodern plant where all products are painted.
EXTE MAGAZINE | 5
THE 120 YEAR OLD WHICH STAYED THE COURSE
Time passes. Sometimes very quickly. Once you are one hundred years old you might as well jump out of the window and have new adventures. Or you can also stay where you are and build on a history full of innovations, new thinking and not least the capacity to listen. And a genuine feeling for the district.
E
xTe will be 120 years old next year. The forge which manufactured harrows for agriculture has become a world leader in its sector. Production was gradually switched to equipment for forest transport. To start with there were different types of sledges and carts that were hitched to horses. The major breakthrough came when log driving came to an end in the 1950s and 60s. All timber was now to be transported by lorry. There were many ideas about what a modern and functional timber bunk should look like, and how to simply secure the timber with chains. Then came the ExenTerbanken, a real innovation, which is probably most well known today for giving the company a new name – ExTe – and which was the start of a modern industrial development. Today there are customers all over the world. “We have had a fantastic development and I have had, and have, the privilege of surrounding myself with competent and highly committed employees,” says ExTe’s CEO and owner Kjell Jonsson. As we are situated in the backwoods, timber transport is a part of everyday life for a lot of people here. They know what it involves, have friends who drive timber trucks, or come from haulier families themselves. It is no coincidence that actors in this industry are usually to be found in the countryside. In 2018 we will naturally be drawing attention to the fact that we have been here for 120 years. We will be celebrating together with our customers in an appropriate way. How will have to remain a secret until after the turn of the year.
6 | EXTE MAGAZINE
SNOW, COLD, SLUSHY, SLIPPERY AND DARK. MAKES NO DIFFERENCE ”It could have been worse. At least the road has been cleared, even though they’ve taken a bit of a shortcut in the turning area. Having snow on top is not nice. But the tractor probably took most of it away. Though one or two branches hit the mirrors. Quite unnecessary actually. If they’d moved a few more trees it would have been simple. And no smashed mirrors. But it has to be admitted that it has got much better after most roads. Though if it goes above zero on this it really will be fun. Slushy and slippery. And dark as well. It’s nice and warm in the cab at any rate. You do sometimes wonder what people who started driving timber in the 1950s and 60s would say if they could see what conditions are like for drivers today. They probably wouldn’t believe what they are seeing. Let’s see, it’ll have to be that pile of logs. All I have to do is stop and start loading. But first I have to change sides. From the driver's seat to the passenger side. I have already raised the stanchions and folded down the cover that is keeping the stanchions together. So simple. Just press a couple of buttons in the cab before I have even arrived at the log pile. And turn on the floodlights and put on the goggles. Say what you like, but loading tonnes of timber with a joystick actually feels pretty cool. And to be honest, it’s nice not to have to get out of the cab into snow, cold and darkness”. The future of timber rigs is already here. The remote-controlled Com 90-bunks have been successively developed. Simpler, more flexible and lower weights have increased interest in the bunks. The benefits Com 90 provides in the form of increased efficiency and fantastic working environment for the driver have been noted both in the Swedish market and internationally. “We are receiving lots of inquires and have submitted quite a few quotations,” says Bosse Hjelm at ExTe. A Com 90 rig equipped with HiVision is currently the most advanced timber rig available in the market.
EXTE MAGAZINE | 7
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
8 | EXTE MAGAZINE
A GENUINE BANDY FESTIVAL WITH EXTE
Photo: Hans Göran Eriksson
ExTe ensured that the local bandy teams had their festival. The ExTe Cup was held over a few days in October. Not entirely unexpectedly, the winners came from the large country to the east. But that is of minor importance. Most important for everybody was the feeling and atmosphere that a genuine bandy festival creates. Together with sister company Trux, ExTe had invited a number of hauliers to attend. They were Fermgruppen, Sundsvall, Yngve Larssons åkeri, Bastuträsk and Folke Mohlins åkeri, Sollefteå. Besides the bandy of course, visits were made to both ExTe and Trux. Furthermore, a couple of participants had the ride of their lives. At Mittia forest transport trade fair, the visitors were able to take part in ExTe’s competition, which entailed guessing the number of links in a stainless chain. The winners, Ing-Britt Dahlman from Vika and Cecilia Löfgren from Ljusdal got to experience rallycross with Robin Larsson. To get a sense of how fast they went, it can be mentioned that Robin’s father Lasse Larsson also accompanied Robin. “You simply shouldn’t be able to drive this fast,” Lasse said, as he stepped out of the car. And he should know. Check out the ride on ExTe’s youtube and Facebook pages.
EXTE MAGAZINE | 9
A-SERIES
D-SERIES
COM 90
S-SERIES
144-SERIES
T-SERIES TL TENSIONERS TU TENSIONERS
HOOKS
CHAIN HANGER
HOOKS AND LOOPS
CRANE GUARD
WHAT DOES THE CHAFFINCH HAVE TO DO WITH EXTE? 10 | EXTE MAGAZINE
SUPPORT- & PROTECTIVE BUNKS
AIR CONTROLLED RELEASE
EXTE LINK
Probably everybody has heard the story of the boy who kept asking his grandfather; grandpa, grandpa, what sort of bird is that? A chaffinch, grandpa said – every time. But grandpa, can chaffinches have any appearance, the boy finally asked. And you are probably asking what does this have to do with ExTe. The answer is clear enough. Because ExTe’s bunks and stanchions can also have pretty much any appearance. The fact is simply that the customers’ and the different markets’ requirements govern the development of new products. And as requirements vary, ExTe’s bunks also look very different. We have products which meet the needs of most timber hauliers. Or in other words. ExTe has the market’s widest range.
Trux supplies front protectors for most models of truck. The company is now part of the Extendo group, which includes ExTe.
SAFETY THAT PAYS HIGHWAY Trux Highway was developed to provide you with increased safety and protect exposed parts of the vehicle. The low profile of the bottom part of the frame also functions as an effective front underride protection.
OFFROAD
Trux Offroad has high ground clearance and is therefore perfect for vehicles that are used for contract haulage or in other contexts where the surface is uneven.
X-LIGHT
Trux X-light has space for four extra lights, elegantly fitted with built-in electric cables. The footstep is an extra bonus. Step up onto the frame and you can easily reach up to the windscreen to clean it.
TOP-BAR Experience shows that trucks with Trux front protectors have lower damage expenses and no, or relatively short, downtime in connection with collisions or other accidents. Accidents with wild animals are very common at this time of year. The darkness makes it more difficult to detect them in time. The animals move towards the roads when there is a lot of snow, and if it is slippery, it is difficult to stop the rig in time before colliding. And the risks are increasing, primarily where wild boar are spreading. Moreover, these animals are most active at night. Hitting a wild boar is like ramming an antitank obstacle. Besides the animal’s suffering, extensive damage to the vehicle is more the rule than the exception. One way to reduce the extent of the damage and in the best case avoid too long periods out of action, is to fit front protectors on the vehicle. Additionally, most insurance companies offer a reduced excess if you have front protectors. Trux has been supplying front protectors and light bars to hauliers for over 30 years. The firm was first in the European market to design and manufacture front protection for lorries. Today Trux offers a wide range of safety and styling equipment to be fitted on heavy lorries of most European makes
A whole range of different light sources can be attached on Top-Bar. There Is room here for extra lights, flashing lights, warning lights and an illuminated roof sign. Trux Top-Bar gives you almost unlimited options.
LIGHT-BAR
Trux Light-Bar is perfect for vehicles fitted with snowploughs or other equipment mounted at the front. The light bar is installed at sufficient height to allow plough spotlights to be mounted.
Further information about us and our products is available on our website www.trux.se. You can also contact us by phone on +46 (0)10483 89 71 or email info@trux.se
EXTE MAGAZINE | 11
NOW THE WORLD HAS DISCOVERED TU
M EXICO
The benefits of making loads both more secure and doing it more quickly are being realised by increasing numbers of hauliers throughout the world. One of the latest examples is from Mexico. GAMI, a Mexican equipment installer located in Monterey has discovered the TU tensioner. Right now they are kitting out four trailers with TU tensioners. The end customer is a steel manufacturer which will be transporting coils (stainless steel on rolls) and steel tubes. Trailers are being constructed here which will be fitted with TU tensioners.
TU IN NEW ZEALAND AS WELL
N EW Z EALAN D
Per Jonasson from ExTe visited New Zealand in early November. The first TU tensioners have been put into operation there. The first rig with TUs is owned by Williams & Wilshier, which have operations in Rotorua and Gisborne. And in this case it is a driver in Gisborne who has had the good fortune to become acquainted with TU’s unique properties. The rig does 8-9 trips per shift, so there are a lot of chains that have to be tensioned. With the TU tensioners installed, the driver saves a lot of time and enjoys a significantly improved working environment. It doesn’t take long before the next rig is proceeding through production, and this one too will be equipped with TU tensioners.
ADMITTEDLY, NOT TU – BUT NEVERTHELESS INTERESTING
This is also a rig in New Zealand. A very mixed range of timber is transported. For example, felling sites are cleared of timber. The timber is often dragged up to the road complete, where it is processed. Lots of short pieces of about 1 metre are left behind. The ExTe stanchions on the rig are about 2 m. That’s quite sufficient as the timber weighs about 1 tonne per cubic metre, i.e. 30-40% more than in Sweden. Stanchions are therefore needed that are not so high in order to achieve the maximum permitted total weight when it is loaded. All timber they haul is chipped in the company’s own plant. 12 | EXTE MAGAZINE
In the picture above you see Jason (transport manager) from Williams & Wilshier, and the driver of the first TU rig in New Zealand.
N EW Z EALAN D
SOONER OR LATER YOU COME BACK TO EXTE AGAIN.
Working at ExTe is actually like coming home, in Mats Westberg’s opinion. The workmates, the easy-going atmosphere, the staffing policy. Everything is right, and we’re actually like a big family. Mats is a painter and has 30 years’ experience of the profession. Over the years he has worked at companies other than ExTe, and can make comparisons. “ExTe is great. That’s why people end up coming back here sooner or later,” Mats says. “I can’t really put my finger on it, but it feels simpler to work here than at other places where I’ve been. And if you make a mistake you aren’t really crucified for it. There is a very positive attitude to each other here, regardless of which role you have,” Mats observes. “I would also like to highlight the fantastic training facility we have in the factory area, and our personal trainer Tony who comes every week. Unfortunately, for various reasons I haven’t utilised the training opportunities in recent years, but now I’m about to.” Mats works in the ultramodern new coating plant together with five colleagues. Mats is responsible for the washing of all products before they proceed to be painted. And before being washed, they are blasted. All the operations have now been brought together in one production line.
“Extremely rational and saves time,” Mats says. “99% of all painting is done by robots.” “There are two us here who are a bit older and we take care of whatever has to be painted manually. The younger employees deal with the robots and the programming. They’ve grown up with computers, so it is more natural for them.” When it comes to the amount of paint that the robots have to spray, Mats and his older colleagues sometimes act as mentors for the younger employees. “A lot of it is about experience and feel, and that comes with the years. We check visually whether it’s the right amount of paint. But the lads are capable, and we rarely have to change anything.” “I must say that I am impressed that ExTe is investing in the way it is up here in the forest. This latest investment means that we have an ultramodern production plant,” Mats observes. “We are now at the end of the running-in period, and it is functioning excellently. Products will soon be shooting out of here,” Mats says with a laugh. EXTE MAGAZINE | 13
OPEN-MINDED AND GOOD WORKMATES. EASY-GOING QUITE SIMPLY.
A leopard can’t change its spots. And the dialect is revealing. There is no doubt about where Anita Fagerback comes from. After 27 years in the district of Ljusdal, you can still hear an authentic Stockholm girl. Her parents were both from the area, but like many others ended up in Stockholm. But we were often up here at our place in the country in the summers, Anita recounts. The work was in Stockholm. “I worked in healthcare, with the mobility service and as a physiotherapist. Good experiences to take with you in life. But then one day I asked the old man if we shouldn’t pack up our stuff and move ”home” to Färila. And that’s what happened,” Anita says. “I was at home for a few years with my children, but in the mid-90s I felt that it was time to get a job. At the employment office they thought I should train to be a welder. Really? I thought. But OK, why not. So I said yes. And that was that. I had a few years at a couple of other local companies before I came to ExTe in 2005. And I have been here ever since, apart from a short period during the worst of the financial crisis. But I’m here now and intend to stay until I retire,” Anita observes. 14 | EXTE MAGAZINE
Right now, Anita is welding together sockets which robots will then weld onto frames. Despite the sockets being quite heavy, it has never bothered Anita. “It never causes me any pain,” she says. “Moreover, we rotate the workplaces. I really do like it here. You have to take personal responsibility, and I can have my say if something’s not right. There’s an open atmosphere here and good workmates. And the managers are just like all my other workmates. Communication is easy. It is quite simply easy-going. For an engineering company there are still quite a few females here. But I would really like to encourage young women not to reject this type of job before they have looked into what it entails. It’s not particularly glamorous, but very satisfying and congenial,” Anita thinks.
ExTe’s Lennart Wallström talks abou t how ExTe is developing the load securing methods of the future .
HAULIER MEETING IN UMEÅ
YOU’LL HAVE TIME TO WEAR OUT A RIG BEFORE WE GET 74 TONNES. 74 tonnes, vehicle stability, the condition of the road network and a new model for measuring timber were keenly discussed. The principal message when it came to the maximum weight of 74 tonnes was clear. Johan Granlund from WSP, who works with analysis and technology in the transport industry, felt that the hauliers didn’t need to have any worries when it comes to investments in new rigs. You will have time to wear out your current rigs before there are any changes. If you have to invest right now, you should do it based on 64 tonnes. There is much too much left unclear about the roads’ durability, not to mention all the bridges. Another important issue was addressed by Lennart Andersson, VMF Nord. At some measuring stations they have started to apply photogrammetry. I.e. the stacks on the rig are photographed and the volumes of timber are calculated based on the pictures. The many questions that were received was evidence that it is a hot topic. The most common was naturally whether the picture really
Some 40 or so hauliers and drivers took part in the timber hauliers gathering in Umeå at the end of October. The Swedish Association of Road Transport Companies was host. Lennart Wallström represented ExTe.
shows reality, that the measurement is correct and the haulier receives the correct remuneration. The technology is nevertheless sufficiently developed that measuring timber using photography is being introduced in more and more places. The benefits are that the measuring stations can remain open for longer and that the process is faster. Lennart Wallström from ExTe presented a number of structural challenges in relation to developing the load securing methods of the future. One challenge has been increasing the load volumes within the framework of a maximum weight of 74 tonnes. Lennart Wallström showed how ExTe resolved part of the problem with its S10-bunks in steel. Despite the bunks’ higher weight compared with A-bunks, it is possible to load almost 2.5 tonnes more timber if you have the S-bunks. Last but not least important. There is currently a shortfall of 4,000 professional drivers. Undeniably a hard nut to crack for the industry. EXTE MAGAZINE | 15
Sweden postage paid
It will soon be Christmas Eve and the real Santa Claus will be coming, or…
Christmas is almost here. The celebration which has given the vast majority of us lots of memories. Often large and noisy Santas who have done the best they could to explain to those 5 and 6 year olds who have started to get a bit sceptical that it is Santa. It’s granddad, insist the children. – But didn’t you see when I came down the chimney? – What do you mean chimney? We’ve got geothermal heating. And how can you be both here and at Stina and Lasse’s, and all my other friends at the same time? How can you do that? – Dear children. Even Santa is digital. Check out the Santa app on your phones then you’ll understand. Santa can be at all the children's houses at the same time. It certainly is ingenious. Wait – there’s the like button. And peace at Christmas breaks out. The children's eyes sparkle at all the Christmas presents. Santa – well, he carefully withdraws and soon returns in a completely different guise, with a newspaper under his arm. – But granddad, why don’t you read the newspaper in the app? Perhaps Christmas doesn’t need to be that perfect. Take care of each other instead. Christmas is a time for fellowship and the message is love and consideration. And enjoy Christmas. It is a whole year until the next one.
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you. THIS YEAR WE ARE SUPPORTING THE SWEDISH CHILDHOOD CANCER FOUNDATION AND GIVING ”HOPE” TO ALL THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE UNIMAGINABLE. WANT TO READ THE MAGAZINE ONLINE? GO TO EXTE.SE
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