Valutec's success in launching TC continuous kilns in North America has clearly reverberated around the industry. That is one of the key takeaways from the world's largest sawmill fair, Ligna in Hanover, Germany, where Valutec featured as one of the exhibitors.

Thomas Wamming, Valutec’s R&D Manager and Automation Manager John Karbin recently visited Maine in the USA, where TC continuous kilns recently has been commissioned at JD Irving’s sawmill in Ashland and Pleasant River’s sawmill in Enfield. The aim was to carry out quality- and capacity tests at the installations, both to ensure drying quality and to identify opportunities for improvement. This type of visit forms part of Valutec’s commitment in every project.

Sawmills that choose Valutec kilns can reduce their carbon footprint from the building phase by 65 percent. This is shown in calculations in which the Valutec method of building kilns in stainless steel is compared to aluminium alternatives.
“The main reasons are the longevity  of stainless steel and our use of a large proportion of recycled steel in our kiln structures,” says Eric Johansson, sustainability manager at Valutec.

Valutec now offers motors with greatly improved efficiency for its lumber kilns. An extensive long-term test has shown that the new motors provide annual savings of just over 7,000 kWh in normal operations, compared to the motors previously fitted in lumber kilns. Also, the service life of the new motors is expected to be more than twice as long.
“They save both money and the climate. The new motors usually pay for themselves in around two years, and when we use less energy, we also decrease our climate impact,” says Joakim Berglund, sales manager at Valutec.