SLTdec24pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 11/27/24 11:58 AM Page 6
SOUTHERN STUMPIN’ By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com
End Quotes have only a few quotes for you this year, because space is limited but we have so much good stuff to bring you. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see you in the woods in 2025! “These are high quality machines harvesting high quality timber, so you have to reach the high quality markets, wherever they are. It’s still better than fooling around with pulpwood, or as I like to call them, poverty sticks. Alabama is the pulpwood capital of the United States but paper mills Remote operator’s Autopilot screen view have the market cornered, and a lot of loggers are starving to death.” —Kirk Sanders talking about CTL machines working hardwood stands in businesses to increase productivity, lower harvest Alabama, February issue, p. 20 costs, and give machine operators the flexibility to “Just recently a guy called and was asking about work remotely,” says Jenkins, Kodama’s CEO. getting into the logging business. I told him “Autopilot lets you control machines from hunstraight up, as I’ve told numerous others: if you’re dreds of miles away.” doing it for the love of money, go rob a bank. If you Kodama first integrated Autopilot onto a 2012 don’t love it, don’t do this, because it’s not about Caterpillar 525C skidder, testing and refining the the money; it’s about doing what’s right for the for- system on the steep, rocky slopes of the Stanislaus est. My worst days, whether we had a hose bust National Forest for two operating seasons. As the and I had to crawl up under loader and be covered Kodama team worked on this prototype system, in hydraulic oil, or bust a tire, in the mud and got they learned that integration on a modern skidder something broken in the pouring down rain, when I would accelerate product development. They congo home, I think I’ve had the best day of my life nected with Weiler Forestry about collaborating. and I can’t wait to get back to it the next day. Other In partnership with Weiler, Kodama publicly than when it’s very cold, I have never dreaded demonstrated Autopilot at the American Logger leaving home to come to the woods.”—Maryland’s Council meeting in Sonora, Cali., this past October. Frankie Eure, August issue, p. 11 Since then, the company has been remotely operat“Back then everyone was poor, but we were so ing a 2024 Weiler S340 skidder on a salvage logpoor that we didn’t know we were poor. When ging operation at the site of the Park Fire, the largyou’re raised poor, you’ll want something in life est wildfire in California this year. The S340 is and you’ll hold on to what you get. You have to considered a versatile mid-size skidder, well suited work for it to appreciate it. We have too many peo- for variable terrain. Pat Weiler, owner and founder ple being given too much by the government. The of Weiler Forestry, had this to say: “We’re excited government can’t give anybody anything they to see Kodama’s Autopilot technology integrated didn’t take from a working man.” —West Virwith our S340 skidder. This collaboration repreginia’s Jack Griffin, September issue, pp. 11-12 sents a meaningful step forward in leveraging technology to enhance safety and efficiency in the forestry industry.” Skidders On Autopilot Kodama is addressing critical challenges in the We saw Kodama System’s Autopilot demonlogging industry. One of the most pressing issues is strated live at the ALC annual meeting in Califorworkforce availability. With Autopilot, operators nia this fall, and I bet many of our readers would can run their machines from an office or home, like to learn more about the company and its prodimproving quality-of-life and enabling business uct. We asked Kodama to share their story, and owners to access a wider pool of prospective here is what they sent: machine operators. Additionally, removing maKodama Systems was founded in 2021 by two chine operators from worksites reduces workers’ engineers, Merritt Jenkins and Matt Verminski. compensation costs and helps lower overall harvest Jenkins and Verminski were drawn to logging costs. Machines can be run during hours previously because they cared about active forest managelost to commuting, and machine uptime can be ment. After founding Kodama, they spent nine maximized with extended or double shifts. Autopimonths visiting loggers to better understand the lot offers a backup option if someone calls out sick industry. After meeting with dozens of industry or needs to stay home to care for a family member. professionals, they concluded that remote conKodama Autopilot consists of an after-market trolled machinery had the potential to attract a computer system and suite of sensors integrated broader workforce, reduce operating costs, and into the machine. This hardware enables operators increase production. to control the skidder over satellite internet through “With Autopilot, we want to enable logging a secure computer interface, similar to a video
I
game. Operators have full control of the machine, including key features like locking differential and auto-tongue. Camera views automatically adjust on the computer screen when the direction of machine travel changes, and throttle control is managed using the controller’s trigger buttons. Two joysticks allow the operator to control the skidders’ steering while also using the boom and blade. There are also buttons on the interface to track production metrics. All of this is made possible by a combination of cameras, sensors, and wireless communication technology that send live data from the skidder to the operator in real-time. The operator can see the trail, tires, grapple, and blade through high-definition video feeds. They can also hear the machine through an external microphone. The system is supported by satellite internet, which streams everything to the operator anywhere in the world. Importantly, the skidder has a toggle switch in its cab that enables a manual operator to take over control at any time. “We understand that certain skidder movements are best performed with an operator in the cab, such as driving onto a low bed or crossing a stream. Our goal is to enable remote control of 98% of operations on the site, and the remaining 2% can be handled by the on-the-ground crew,” Jenkins says. Daily refueling and greasing is also to be performed by the on-the-ground crew. Despite its advantages, Autopilot has some areas of additional development. Kodama is actively working on how to replicate the “butt feel” operators experience when driving in a cab, adapting it for remote operation. This added feedback from sensors and other machine data will help operators drive more safely and efficiently on job sites. Remote operators may also experience a “re-learning” curve when using Autopilot; however, Kodama has seen experienced operators pick up teleoperation with ease. Since the start, Kodama has grown to a team of 15 engineers, logging advisors, and field personnel that support the machine deployed on projects. Kodama is currently running Autopilot on the Park Fire burn scar in Lassen National Forest, Cali. The company is skidding logs alongside other machines on the project site. Other operators have noted it’s strange seeing a machine driving with no operator in the cab but that they are interested to see how the technology works out. Kodama plans to expand its operation to the southeastern U.S. in 2025 to offer skidding-as-a-service for loggers. Kodama’s team will work with prospective customers to assess their needs and discuss how skidding-as-a-service will integrate into their existing operation. Kodama will provide its own Weiler S340 teleoperated skidder, a trained remote skidder operator, and field support. Anyone interested can call or email the Kodama team to learn more about SLT what a pilot looks like for their operation.
6 l DECEMBER 2024 l Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!