THE MONTHLY WOODFLOW

Volume 29 – May 2023

Red Dogs Workshop Wrapup

May Birthdays

2nd – Steve Groen

3rd – Richard Symons

4th – John Taylor

5th – Jamie Marlow

6th – Craig Shaw

7th – Gerard Merrett

11th – Chris Yeates

14th – Hugh Crauford

14th – Matthew Pitt

15th – Adrian Dekoning

15th – Tom King

17th – Graham Moore

21st – Chris Chapman

24th – Henry WIlliams

25th – Dale Bunnik

29th – Beau Bell

30th – Ash Wigg

31st – Ray Castleman

Generally speaking, and a good rule of thumb over my time is that Anzac day is when we have our break in the weather and you don’t want to be in the wet areas. This has proven to be the case over most operations so far with some tricky terrain in Inverell T3, Browning bluegum and a few other jobs.

Speaking of Anzac Day what a great day it was and a great day to pay respects to those that can no longer enjoy it and have given so much for us as a country. The result in the footy wasn’t awesome but was a great clash and played in good spirit.

Once again, the workshop has been extremely busy with general repairs and service along with the usual challenges that unexpectedly present themselves. Just last week we had an engine failure, a pump failure, and another engine change out due to the coolant system pressurizing after a rebuild done by another company. Along with a boom failure that happened in March that is still going through a long winded process, this puts us back considerably from where we want to be in regard to on time repairs and refurbishment of harvesting equipment.

With a few of the bluegum operations moving further away from our main depot it is important that we have clear communication regarding failures and repairs in field. We don’t expect the operators to be mechanics, but it is really helpful we get the correct information and photos if possible, to assist us in having the right components when repair is needed. The travel time is a real killer on productivity when we have nearly a 2 hour trip from the workshop.

We had young Damos’s machine in with a tricky repair to the head chassis which Nate was able to resuscitate after obtaining some drawings through John Deere. A new engine harness was fitted to the ZX160 after removing the counterweight to gain better access, this had been an ongoing issue which took some figuring out.

On the truck side we have a new face in Zac Black, Zac is sharing the float driving job with some work in the workshop and has proven to be a great team member with a sound background in both truck driving and float work along with general truck maintenance. Welcome to the team Zac!!

We are steadily punching through the big list of trucks with 31 units now in the fleet, this means we have a truck or trailer in for annual maintenance at all times of the year to get through them all. Harley and the boys have a great system worked out which always sees the fleet in top nick.

On the new equipment front we have finally received our latest 1910E after a seven month delay. Josh Jennings will be the proud new owner of this unit which should be in the field at the Timberlands clear fall in early May after the final touches are completed.

Bunnzy has also received his new machine after a delay as well, the new 1270G has hit the ground running after a few initial teething issues with the GPS and callipers. This machine has bolstered up the OFO T1 to see us hitting our targets regarding production. This unit has the new H425 harvesting attachment, which is a first for us. Hopefully this has the same longevity we have enjoyed with the previous 4 roller heads in the H480C which is no longer produced.

Dale with his new 1270G smiling as per usual!! The new H425 harvesting head, proving to be a good performer so far.

As we continue further into winter and the wet months, we have a few things to consider in the field, check lights in the morning and at night for proper operation. Clean down track frames to prevent any trips or slips, including the loading machine. Consider using 4wd in high range in the field on operations that are getting muddy, it helps navigate and steering in slippery conditions just remember to take it back out before heading home on the road.

As the days continue to get shorter, please be careful on the roads and keep a good eye on your work vehicle, check tyres and lights as part of your start up and keep the eyes peeled for our native friends.

Log on,

Reddog

Hoggys Haulage Headlines

Winter is finally here…well did we actually get a summer? Was not the normal summer period we would expect but it is what it is. The trickiest part we are managing across our operations is the summer and winter blocks, the moisture in the ground is still there and has caused many roading issues for our trucking fleet. This all being before May!

This week we have rolled out truck driver toolbox meetings with one to go but so far, they have been successful meetings, very positive and with great driver interaction. Our main focus topics have been driver distraction, change in weather conditions, LOGR app, bolster pin failures, overloads and tablet use.

Through the systems we use in cab, we monitor fatigue and driver distractions daily to ensure truck drivers and bush operators arrive at work safely and make it home in the same manner. Driving while being distracted in a heavy vehicle can not only be dangerous for the driver, but also to any oncoming traffic.

May Work Anniversaries

14 Years – Mark Merrett

9 Years – James Baugh

9 Years – Mitch Baugh

8 Years – Robert Preece

6 Years – Cameron Barker

5 Years – Josh Jennings

2 Years – Gus Eckermann

2 Years – Darcy Chapman

Change in weather has seen many roading issues plus foggy conditions at times, we just ask all drivers to drive to the conditions and safety overpowers an “extra” load. We don’t want anyone driving when they are not comfortable behind the wheel. The LOGR app for Timberlands and ABP can be trying times here and there, mainly dockets disappearing and the geofences not being in the right spot. We ask that drivers give feedback on all the issues to Kate, Nikki or Will as they are consistently working with the timber managers to iron out the bugs.

Recently there has been some round bolster pin failures in the region so some additional measures will be put in place to our maintenance program to check for fractures or stressed areas before they potentially cause an on-road incident. We currently turn our round bolster pins upside down at 5 years and replace them at 10 years.

Back in late November we updated our overload procedure and added target ranges for each separate weigh system we use. Basically, we have dropped our target range to minimize the chance of an overload and to aim to achieve 0% overloads per month across our fleet. We have had a massive improvement in the last 6 months to go from .8% per month to .3% per month. Plus, we have had some months with zero overloads. We can’t stop the mechanical failure issues that create an overload but we have an overload procedure that is filled out on time as it happens and actioned immediately.

The tablets that we use for documents, pre-start’s and the EWD were updated last week by Teletrac and boy did it cause some issues. Any driver that logged out for the day lost their credentials and all the pre-start info had changed, plus the size of the font was nearly unreadable. Will had calls coming thick and fast and he managed to get everyone sorted during the day and Teletrac have issued an apology Australia

39 – Sandy Thomson

The other minor thing we touched on was radio use in general.

- Handheld UHF’s to be on you at all times out of the cab.

- VHF communication to each job 20 to 30 mins prior to arrival so forwarders can help load out if required.

- General respect to each other and positive attitudes to internal staff, forest managers and roading crews etc.

38 – Gus Ploenges

37 – Nate Smith

37 – Damien Wenhem

37 – Paul Harris

37 – Fuzzy Mansell

These are not major issues but can raise the eyebrows time to time and it’s all about respect and working as a team.

The first quarter of this year has been very busy with March shifting 98,000t for the month. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

Log On

Wills Word

The months keep rolling bye and we’re already into the 2nd quarter of 2023! I must say April is one of my favourite months – Footy firing up, the sun is still poking through the clouds and easter holidays. A lot to love!

I want to start with a few shout-outs. In my role, some guys probably dread seeing my name appear on their phone – But I do my best to always stay friendly and I’d like to think I’m easy enough to deal with if a tough conversation needs to be had!

I encourage drivers to be proactive, and lately there have been a couple of drivers inparticular that I wanted to mention.

• Lachy Crow – Lachy suggested that we make mill opening & closing times more readily available to save making phone-calls etc. We’ll be working on up-loading something onto the tablets ASAP to make this easier. Great suggestion mate!

• Adrian Dekoning – I must admit, Adrian is a bit of a favourite of mine. Always friendly and easy to get along with and just gets the job done with little to no fuss. Adrian happily assisted in showing a new driver the ropes recently, appreciate the helping hand mate!

Those are just two examples, there are more that I could include – But it certainly makes my job easier when guys are communicating effectively and positively.

There have been a few technical issues with Teletrac-Navman lately in regards to the EWD and the updated “Inspections” checklist. Stay vigilant with any potential changes and software updates in the system. We have no bearing over these changes and will always give notice if making any updates ourselves. At the time of print Teletrac-Navman have sent notice that a fix/resolve to this issues should be taking effect over the next couple of days.

A quick reminder to ensure you’re reporting any LOGR issues back to Kate & Nicky in the front office either via the LOGR hotline (0439 384 496) or the office line (8737 2343)

I understand it can be frustrating sometimes having to tick all the boxes day-in-day-out, but it’s just part of the job nowadays. We all play a vital role in ensuring that accreditations are maintained and we’re meeting customer requirements.

Keep up the good work across the board, we’re busier than ever so make sure you take your time when loading and driving to your destination to ensure you are arriving safely. Log on.

The success of the recent “Gather-Round” in the AFL was plain to see and reminded us all of how good live sport is!

Test Cricket would be one of my personal favourites, along with a day at the races. Even just going to watch some local footy and getting amongst the atmosphere and drinking a few refreshments is most enjoyable. Live sport – Widsy recommends!

I feel like every time I tackle the newsletter, I talk about how busy it has been! Well this is going to be no different!! We are cutting, forwarding, and trucking as much, if not more wood than we ever have, this can’t be done without a committed workforce of about 100 people all doing their bit to make it happen. As I reflect on the first few months of the year, I can’t help but think we have a strong team that is driven to get the job done day in day out. Looking after the woodflow side of the business I often talk about the great job our operators do but on other side of that I would like to recognise the support they are given by the workshop crew that maintain/repair all of our equipment, these guys go above and beyond to ensure that no stone is left unturned in repairing a machine for an operator to get back to work. Further to this I would also like to acknowledge the truck mechanics and the work they do in the shed and roadside to keep our fleet moving and ensure that we are always striving to hit quota! Many thanks to the Workshop Team for your ongoing efforts!

Around the jobs in recent times there has been a few themes with rain and roading issues headlining things….

Pine Jobs

OFO - Tullich

The crew at Tullich have been going along well in at times some challenging trees. We have found the going much better once the chip became available again and it has allowed us to reduce the waste considerably and hit some productive numbers. We have used a variety of operators throughout but all have worked in and got the job done.

T2 - Beachport

Beachport no doubt provides a challenge for the crew with a combination of ground conditions and a variation in the trees all playing their part in keeping the crew on its toes. The winter coming in early has caused a few issues around the roads but we have managed so far to keep the wheels turning and getting the wood in. We have had a mixed bag of products down that way with posts, sawlog, chip and a 3.7m Maccas cut. We have a fair bit to do down that way, the eye will be on the weather and will control how long we stay.

We have a bit of a super crew happening at the minute with the T3, we have combined the Kerr crew and the Inverell crew together in a holding pattern until next week when we will start the Hetherington job and go back to the two crews. Inverell went really well until the rain came, that is one of the most unforgiving jobs when the rain starts and takes little time to become unworkable, we have left some work there to be done next summer when hopefully we can finish what we have started. The Kerr job went well and we worked our way through it and got a good result in the end. The T3 crew have no doubt had a busy time of it but full credit, they have gone at it hard and kept pushing.

CF – Mingbool

All is moving along well out at Mingbool, being the closest job to the mill at Tarpeena they are no doubt hit that little bit harder at times but have done well and comfortably kept their heads above water. Shout out for the wildling removal work done at the job and the communication around it has worked well and helped clean up some native areas. The crew will spend close to 10 months at the job which is a long stint but there won’t be much left standing once we are done.

CF- Vause

The crew are making there way through bush well and it will only be a couple of weeks and all the trees will be done. Vause is another plantation that is best to be in at this time of year, it can get very wet out that way and cause havoc both with the plantation and the internal roads, right now a nice shower would go a long way towards settling the dust!

CF - Heatherlie

There has been no shortage of harvesting alongside the power lines out that way with crew using power suppression for a week to take down all trees within two tree lengths of the line. Great work done by all the team with good communications and no near misses. There has been some longer extraction at the job which we have tried to help with using a spare forwarder as it became available to help. The next move will most likely be to Clover Hill once the winter sets in.

Blue Gum Jobs Munn

The crew have worked hard out that way in some burnt trees that are being felled and sent to Geelong. It is very flat country out that way with poor drainage so even the hint of rain creates a few nerves and has a close to being on the move. We have done well to get as far as we have and the next hunting ground will be out Callendale way with some more burnt salvage wood to chop.

Browning

Well it is the most challenging job we have had in a while! Any rain at all over that way has really restricted our truck movements with the back section only reachable through a creek crossing in gully which has proved a great challenge. Fantastic communication out of the job has meant that we have been able to attack any issues straight away! Its been greatly appreciated. When conditions have favoured we have been hitting good numbers.

The crew have found themselves in some good timber and we have managed to have a fairly good run on the koala front with fairly minimal numbers throughout the plantation thus far. With holidays and a few breakdowns we have shuffled a few different faces through the job but we have managed to hit some good numbers throughout.

We have moved along well at Read with the odd hiccup along the way that has slowed things down at times but over the whole period we have been there it has been consistant. We are now into the last section of Read which appears likely to be a fairly wet area, we will monitor the conditions and as the issues arise from the rain we will make our way out Callendale way.

Kevs Safety Spill

G'day Crew,

Whew! What a busy couple of months. The year is absolutely flying past and with that comes a change of seasons.

As we transition from summer to autumn, the weather conditions on the roads can become more challenging for drivers. With increased fog, rain, and winds, it's important that we all take extra precautions to ensure our safety and the safety of others.

As a worker who drives to and from work, it's crucial that you are aware of the potential dangers that come with the changing seasons. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Conduct vehicle prestart inspections: Before heading out on the road, make sure that your car is equipped for the season. Check your headlights, taillights, brakes, tires, and windshield wipers to ensure that everything is in good working condition.

2. Slow down: It's important to drive at a safe and appropriate speed for the weather conditions. Wet roads can be treacherous, so take your time and allow for extra stopping distance.

3. Stay alert: Keep your eyes on the road and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles and watch out for pedestrians, cyclists, and wildlife.

4. Use your lights: In low visibility conditions, make sure to turn on your headlights and use your fog lights if necessary. This will help other drivers see you and increase your visibility.

By following these simple tips, you can help reduce your risk of being involved in an accident on the roads this autumn. Stay safe and stay aware!