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E D ITOR IAL

The year will soon be at end; 2012 brought with it surprises and put us to the test. Among other things we succeeded in delivering bunks for a very large rail transport project during the autumn, proving that ExTe is able to deliver products and services of the highest quality right on time.

continues as normal on Swedish roads. We have talked to many hauliers and the unanimous picture is one where trucks are still working at full capacity. Faith in the future remains strong, which things such as investments in new trucks, trailers and timber bunks bear witness to. Our guiding principle in R&D is that every new product must make timber transportation easier and contribute to haulier profitability. Next year will see more new, exciting ExTe products presented at exhibitions over the summer.

Make a note in your calendar right away: Elmia Wood June 05–08 and Mittias Forestry Transport Exhibition August 16–17.

All of my colleagues and I would like to thank our customers, suppliers and other partners for their invaluable cooperation during the past year. Have a really good, relaxing Christmas and New Year. See you in 2013!

Mats Karlsson, MD

New products were launched and well received by customers, especially the D Series, which will be available for order in January. D Series bunks are the strongest, lightest combination bunks ever. D bunks are 15 per cent lighter than their E Series predecessors that up until now were the market’s lightest combination bunks. In addition to the weight reductions in the steel frames and light aluminium stakes we have developed an entirely new combination attachment with unique components which means drilling is no longer necessary when installing the frames on a chassis. Yet another way we’ve made life easier for hauliers and bodybuilders. As you can read in this edition of the magazine we’ve boosted our efforts in Norway in collaboration with MoRek A/S. While ExTe is a global operator, Norway is our closest export market. This will be extremely important for us in the years ahead as we can foresee a weakening in the European market. So it’s a thing good we’re not only well established in Asia and Australia, but also in North and South America. In some markets a haulage recession is reality, but timber transportation

Contacts: Contact us via tel. no. +46 (0)6511 7500 or fax no. +46 (0)6511 7503 and tell us what you need.Sales department direct: If you wish to speak to a sales person, call +46 (0)6511 7501.Internet: You’ll find everything you need to know about the world’s leading manufacturer of timber bunks at exte.se.

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Canada

A solution for British Columbia.

“It feels really good,” says Per Jonasson, salesman at ExTe. “The situation in Canada is not the best. Many sawmills and pulp mills too have simply shut up shop. But in the west of British Columbia things are going well. The S12 bunks are attracting attention and we’re doing quite a bit of business there.”

Daniel Karlberg, who is a designer at ExTe, was there together with Per. “It’s really good that those of us who work with design get to tag along and see and hear for ourselves what hauliers in different parts of the world need,” thinks Daniel. In British Columbia the S12 bunk is what counts above all. It’s a robust design with both frames and stakes of steel with a special feature to meet haulier requirements. “The upper section of the bunks installed on the trailer can be folded down, the reason being that they pull the trailer up onto the truck on empty trips by way of saving both fuel and tyres. It also means better accessibility as it’s easier to turn around,” explains Daniel. “Based on their needs we’ve come up with a solution that is both practical and saves weight. What’s more they get a bunk that lasts longer for the same price.”

ExTe’s Daniel Karlberg works with the design of the folding stake for S12 bunks. A simple, practical solution.

A brand new rig with ExTe’s S12 bunk adapted for timber trucks in British Columbia.

Discussion concerning rigs with the S12. From left to right: ExTe representative Kevin Hodgins, Transport Manager Dwayne from Lobar haulage company (4 ExTe rigs), Mel Wubs, Senior Engineer at Magnum trailer manufacturers, and haulier Lloyd Inwood from Quesnel.

Haulier Lloyd Inwood tests the S12’s folding stake. Later he placed an order for bunks for one rig for delivery in January.

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Tomorrow

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Anders Andersson, who runs Ulf Andersson’s Haulage in Segersta in Hälsingland.“There’s no denying we have an exciting year ahead of us,” says Anders, who runs Ulf Anderssons Haulage in Segersta in Hälsingland. “The winters have always been a busy time, no matter how the economy looks. We’ve been a bit short of resources for a while, so even if there were to be a decline it would mean back to normal for us. Things are going well for us right now,” declares Anders. Anders has 16 rigs in his firm, and 30–40 per cent of the business consists of pole haulage. “Poles have a life all of their very own separate from market ups and downs. Most of them go abroad for power line installations, above all to Africa. Actually, things look more favourable now than the past year,” Anders tells us. “I’m not particularly worried about the future; there’s nothing unusual about recessions. There’s hardly a soul that remembers the last downturn, but we’re still aware that our customers are having a hard time right now.” “Even though we’re counting every penny, we’ve invested in seven new trucks and three trailers over the past year. And that’s as good a sign as any that we have a lot of faith in the future and in this industry,” says Anders.

The immediate future.

We can only wonder how hauliers feel the immediate future will be. The media feed us a daily diet of financial problems and production limits in industry like everything was coming to the end of the road. But if you take a down-to-earth view with both feet firmly on the ground you get a different picture – one of commons sense and moderation. You see a world where exaggeration has no merit; a world that reflects a confident, firm belief in a continued future for our line of business and the industry. Here are some opinions.

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Tomorrow

Juntti Bros Trucking is located in Övertorneå.“We currently run 17 of our own timber trucks and 8 we lease,” Patrick Mäkitaavola tells us. Patrik is responsible for round timber haulage, which forms part of the company’s operations. We also do contract work with diggers and gravel trucks. Juntii Bros hauls timber for Sveaskog. “And we have plenty of work,” declares Patrick. “So far we haven’t been affected by any downturn in the economy. Looking ahead it’s actually now during a recession we should be investing as we can probably get the best deals. But right now the downturn seems a bit distant as we have more than enough work.”

Kenneth Johansson from Månkarbo Freight in Uppland.“I’m biding my time, just watching and waiting, and I’m not alone in doing that,” says Kenneth Johansson from Månkarbo Frakt in Uppland. So far things are pretty good, but of course it’s a bit of a worry when you don’t know which way things will go.” Kenneth has four timber trucks and six gravel trucks in his firm. “Even though we’re not driving flat out all the time we have enough work for all the trucks. Timber transportation depends of course on how well exports are going, and that can change pretty fast.” “We didn’t really notice the downturn in ’08 – there was a bit of a drop but we still had plenty to do. I feel we have smaller margins today, and maybe that makes us a little bit more cautious than we ought to be, but if we look ahead a little it doesn’t affect our confidence in the industry,” says Kenneth. “There will always be timber to haul.”

Staffan Aldegren at Aldegren’s Trucking in Munkedal.“Mustn’t grumble. Even if the loads are a bit erratic we’re running all seven trucks and all of them are busy,” says Staffan Aldegren at Aldegren’s Trucking in Munkedal.The economy has had its ups and downs many times before and even though it can be tough it’s usually always for the best.” “Sure, things were a bit quieter in November, but that’s mostly due to the bad weather. All this rain means many tracks have poor carrying capacity. But of course we have to plan for different economic trends when it comes to e.g. investments. But as we said, we’ve been down this road before so naturally we must understand that timber will still need hauling in the future,” says Staffan.

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Safety

Safety is part of the company’s DNA.An important principle in ExTe’s operations is never to compromise with safety. The demands for product safety grew all the more as the company’s qualified R&D activities expanded.

time and means that we can focus the practical development work to a limited number of possible solutions,” says Daniel. “What differentiates us from many others is that we perform dynamic tests. For example, when we develop a bunk we fix the frame in a test bench and let a piston push and pull the stake back and forth thousands of times. Sooner or later something’s got to give. Depending on how many cycles a product withstands we draw different conclusions. The number of cycles is either too low and we find the weak points that must be remedied, or we can verify that the number of cycles is high enough for us to have achieved the right product lifetime. For normal use that’s around 8–10 years,” Daniel tells us. “We also carry out static tests, i.e. the frame and stake as

“You could actually say that many of the safety requirements stem from the company culture here at ExTe,” says Daniel Karlberg, a designer in the R&D department. “I haven’t worked at ExTe long but on the very first day I noticed how priority was given to safety aspects. Over time the company has built up a solid fund of knowledge and experience. When we develop a new product, nothing is left to chance.” “We follow a procedure for strength calculations and testing of new products that in principle starts at the drawing board. We’re able to weed out ideas that don’t measure up in practice thanks to our CAD models. For example, with the aid of computers we’re able to make changes to different components and the way materials and welds must be located. This naturally saves a lot of

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Safety

a single unit are exposed to loads until something breaks. We also do vibration tests to see if any cracks occur or if any unions vibrate loose.” “But things can go wrong despite all the tests. In order to avoid this as far as possible all of our products undergo long field tests before they are released on the market. Selected hauliers test the products for an extended period. That way we get a good picture of how they are used and how they cope with loading and unloading timber in the real world.” “There are few clear, formal regulations and standards for our types of products, which is why ExTe has framed its own requirements that far exceed the norms specified in legislation and regulations. Sweden has very advanced regulations for load security,” Daniel informs us.

Daniel Karlberg demonstrates the test bench and piston that pushes and pulls components back and forth for thousands of cycles. Strength requirements are exceptionally high.

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Boosting collaboration between MoRek and ExTe.“ExTe has worked together with MoRek on the Norwegian market for many years, and now we’re taking our collaboration further. The advantages for us are that we increase sales activities and penetration in the Norwegian market,” says ExTe’s MD Mats Karlsson.

“The agreement provides us with a more clearly defined responsibility for distribution, while we provide better access for ExTe’s products to Norwegian timber hauliers through our facilities,” declares Torgeir Stensli, MD for MoRek. “We have a strong market position in Norway and great distribution. And now we will have the main responsibility for ExTe’s products in Norway.” “No matter what channels they used in the past we naturally welcome every customer.” “The distribution of timber bunks and tensioners to haulage companies will be more clearly defined. In addition to our being able to offer them a stable, full-range stock we have a strong technical department that can provide support for both hauliers and bodybuilders,” says Torgeir Stensli. “ExTe is very good, in fact among the very best. They distinguish themselves as suppliers and we greatly appreciate our collaboration with ExTe. We chose to boost our cooperation for other reasons, too. They are the leading operators in the industry and are innovative; they know how to develop the technology for securing timber loads and they are constantly coming up with new, interesting products,” states Torgeir Stensli. “This encourages us to go the extra mile for them.”

Taking the decision to boost collaboration between ExTe and MoRek. From left to right: Lena Holmqvist, Purchasing Manager at MoRek and responsible for liaison with ExTe; Mats Karlsson, ExTe MD, Anja Ökeland, Marketing Coordinator at MoRek and Torgeir Stensli, MoRek MD. Behind the camera, Jörgen Spring, ExTe.

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MoRek

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From left to right: Kalle Mårtensson, LBK, Mats Karlsson, ExTe MD, Tobias Björklund, LBK and Lennart Bennermo, ExTe Finance Director.

MoRek is part of the Hoff Group.MoRek AS is a successful supplier to bodybuilders, an truck and automotive industry workshops. It is part of the Hoff Group which has a presence throughout Scandinavia with e.g. Wilfa and Tamek in addition to MoRek. There are a total of ten companies in the group, which has sales of NOK 450 million. One of MoRek’s subsidiaries is in Hässleholm. MoRek has its head office in Oslo and facilities in Larvik, Trondheim and Sandnes.

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The world is our workplace, but we’re local folk at heart.If you’re part of a company with strong local roots it’s natural to support your home turf and local businesses. ExTe has succeeded in combining its role as a major local employer with an operation that is becoming ever more global. Bandy has always been big in Hälsingland, not least in Ljusdal. This year the elite series is all that matters for LBK. ExTe is LBK’s main sponsor and has provided the LBK A Team with smart, new winter jackets in time for this winter’s season. In return ExTe’s MD Mats Karlsson and Finance Director Lennart Bennermo were each given a team jersey, which actually fitted to a tee.

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Pneumatic release

Emil Lindén, Driver:

It’s so practical it’s just superb.More and more haulage companies are installing pneumatic releases on trucks and trailers. An inexpensive investment with major advantages. They make the job safer and much easier, say the hauliers we’ve spoken to.

ExTe ”trailblazer” and one of the hauliers who tests new ExTe products in practical operations. “Now there are some who will think I’m saying this just because ExTe relies on my input, but that’s not the case. The pneumatic release is the best I’ve ever installed on my trucks. It’s just awesome.” Inge has used the pneumatic releases for a couple of years and will definitely not part with them. “I no longer have to stand there cranking a handle to roll up the straps, and nor do I risk a thump on the head when I release the lashings. It happens that a chunk of pulpwood winds up behind just one stake and gets put under tension when the straps are tightened. Not to mention what can fall of the stack like blocks of ice and lumps of bark.” “Some sawmills are sticklers when it comes to unloading procedures. You can’t undo your lashings until you get there and all straps must be undone before the truck arrives.” “You can see that those of us with pneumatic releases have an advantage,” says Inge. Safety is one of the advantages that Inge emphasizes. The accident risk is reduced, simply put. Releasing the tensioners is done with a convenient press of a button in the cab. “You know how it is getting out and putting on a helmet and a hi-viz vest when it’s pelting down with rain. I can’t be the only person who thinks it’s much better to just press a button and maybe pour a cup of coffee instead,” comments Inge. “A number of colleagues have asked if there’s a risk of hitting the button in the cab by mistake and releasing the tensioners. Not at all, I answer. There’s no power to the button unless the truck is stationary and the handbrake is on.” “I’m a haulier and want a good work environment for me and my drivers, which is why pneumatic releases are fitted to my trucks as a matter of course,” asserts Inge.

Mikael Wiberg in Rättvik.Mikael Wiberg’s trucking firm is in Rättvik in the Dalarna hills. “In actual fact I used a different type of pneumatic release until ExTe came up with its own solution, so I know what’s involved. There are three really important advantages for us, the first of which is safety. The driver no longer needs to walk along the sides of the trailer undoing lashings; everyone knows what can happen then. A lump of ice or chunk of pulpwood can come tumbling down from the stack. The other two advantages are speed and convenience. Releasing and rolling up the straps is done at the press of a button in the cab. I think ExTe’s solution is much better than the one I used previously.” Emil Lindén drives for Mikael Wiberg and is perfectly clear about the way he feels. “Nothing else will do.” Emil waxes lyrical about the advantages of pneumatic releases. “They’re so simple; just superb.”

Daniel Pettersson in Hällefors.Daniel Pettersson from Pettersson’s Forest Haulage in Hällefors has just bought pneumatic releases for his rigs.“As far as possible I want to make work easier for my drivers,” he tells us. “And pneumatic releases definitely reduce the risk of accidents, too. We all know that logs can fall off from time to time and no-one likes to experience that,” says Daniel. Daniel’s company also has a Com 90 rig. “Pneumatic releases come close to the same advantages as Com 90, and I’d simply like to take this opportunity to draw a comparison between a conventional rig with pneumatic releases and Com 90.”

Inge Jernberg in Jäderfors.Someone who has experience of the whole evolution of pneumatic releases from the first model to the one on the market today is Inge Jernberg from Jäderfors. Inge is an

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Stefan Andersson in Bergby.“It was my drivers who thought we should get pneumatic releases,” says Stefan Andersson, haulier from Bergby in Gästrikland. “I have a brand new truck that has pneumatic releases. I’ve got good drivers and I take good care of them, which is why we’re making this investment. It’s actually no big deal and a pretty cheap investment when you consider all the advantages. And even if it were to go wrong somewhere you’re not stuck – you can still work it manually.” Robert Olsson is one of Stefan’s truckers and he drives the new rig. It’s fantastic – practical and easy to work with, is how he describes the pneumatic releases. The fact that unloading timber is quicker is a good thing in itself, but the biggest advantages are the simplicity and improved safety. “And it’s great not to look like 101 Dalmatians every time a bunch of grimy straps end up in the dirt,” adds Robert.

The simple, practical design provides major advantages for drivers.

Robert Olsson shows how easy it is to release the lashings. A simple press of a button when it’s time to unload. The straps are released and rolled up automatically.

“We use a short chain between the strap and the hook; that way it doesn’t get caught when we roll it up. And we usually put the second strap on the hook so we only need to lift once when the stack is tensioned,” says Robert Olsson.

Jenny at ExTe can let you know more.

If you want to know more about how the pneumatic release works get in touch with Jenny at ExTe. She’s able to provide all the answers and explain the advantages with the pneumatic releases.

Contact: Tel +46 651 175 08 or email jenny.eklund@exte.se

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Like clockwork from the very first day.Last summer ExTe received one of its biggest orders in recent years – 200 railway wagons to be equipped with timber bunks, support bunks and end bunks. The customer was AAE, based in Switzerland.

“Without giving away too much we have other interesting projects in the offing with rail operators in other parts of the world,” Roger tells us. “But we’ll get back to that later on. We’re working hard on solutions that will make railway wagons more versatile. One example is wagons we previously fitted with timber bunks that are now having container pedestals added. This provides greater opportunities for versatile haulage, e.g. return loads. The same thing applies to folding bunks, primarily for covered freight cars. Many operators are interested in these solutions to increase the use of their rolling stock. It’s more economical and better from a green standpoint, since the chance of return loads increases.”

They in turn lease the wagons to RushRail AB, which is contracted to haul timber for Trätåg AB. And the task of producing and installing the equipment must be completed in January, 2013 at the latest. “A tough schedule,” declares Roger Larsson at ExTe, “but things have gone extremely well. By the turn of October/November Midwaggon AB had installed equipment on just over half of the wagons, and things are looking good. We’re counting on all 200 being ready by the end of the year. The temporary cutbacks in the forest industry have not affected this project,” explains Roger. “Everything has run like clockwork since the very first day, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that things go on this way to the very end.”

Roger Larsson is a designer and is working on several new ideas.

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Railway

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Production

Bunks waiting for blasting and spraying. In a normal year we use around 1500 tons of steel in production, but we’ve used about 800 tons in just a few months, Magnus Johansen, ExTe’s Production Manager tells us.

Production in top gear.“Although next year might seem uncertain right now, we can still take heart from the way things were throughout the autumn, and still are. Production is running flat out, to put it mildly,” Magnus Johansen, ExTes ExTe’s Production Manager tells us.

The big railway order from last summer combined with brisk sales in Finland and Russia has put production under a lot of pressure. We’ve taken on extra personnel until the end of the year to meet delivery times.” “Even though I say so myself, we did some very good planning at an early stage and it’s been a smooth ride ever since,” declares Magnus. “And I owe our personnel a lot of praise for their fantastic commitment. We usually shut down production for four weeks during the summer, but this year everyone agreed to stagger their vacations so we could keep things moving along. We had a three-week production stop to install our new robot and there were personnel here the whole time installing it and learning how to program and maintain it.” “Immediately after the vacations we started 3-shift production. We’ve had people here round the clock feeding components to the welding robots.” “Without this fabulous effort from our personnel and the investment in the new robot we could not have coped with such big volumes. I’m happy to point out that everything went exactly according to plan,” says Magnus.

Olof Johansson, right, is one of our employees who interrupted his vacation to help install and program the new robot. ”Everything went incredibly well right from the start,” he notes.

“I haven’t had a quiet moment since the day I started at ExTe,” laughs Filip Wermelin. Filip, who is one of the temporary welders, is extremely happy with the high production tempo.

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D

Tomas Ring from Bengtsfors was a star player. His skills with the ball made him the victor in an otherwise tough competition.

Jörgen Spring talks about the advantages of the new D bunks, available for order in January.

Fun is habit forming.Four years ago a bunch of hauliers visited ExTe and when people have fun they soon make a habit of it. So when OP Höglunds invited ExTe and others to pay them a visit a lot of familiar faces turned up.

The hauliers came from the south-western regions. “On Thursday they visited Parator,” Jörgen Spring tells us, “and that evening it was time for dinner in the wild – at the zoo in Järvsö.” Friday began with a visit to CargoTech (HIAB) before the group moved on to ExTe and Färila. Even though most of them had been to ExTe’s facilities before, a lot can happen within the space of a year or two, especially when it comes to automation such as new production robots. “They were a pretty cheerful bunch, and they spread a happy, congenial atmosphere all around,” notes Jörgen. “But they took the competition we arranged seriously. The balancing act with a hockey stick and ball required skill and concentration. A dip in the hot tub after a tough match was just what the doctor ordered.”

The entire bunch assembled together with ExTe folk. Those of you who’ve been around a while will recognize one ExTe veteran – number 5 from the left is none other than Rolf Olsson.

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For many of us Brazil is all about football, carnivals and the fabulous Copacabana. But it is also a huge forested nation with an expanding forestry industry.

The plantations cultivated by the major forestry companies are typical for the Brazilian industry. But these days even small landowners have discovered the advantages of planting trees. A Swedish forest owner would naturally be green with envy, as in Brazil growth is often up to 60 cubic metres per hectare per year. And where trees are felled there’s a need for transport. Haulage companies are often huge in Brazil and 100 trucks or more is nothing unusual. Many companies have begun to discover ExTe’s products and high quality. Now ExTe is present on the Brazilian market through Boreal, a company which makes ExTe products under licence. “We have a great collaboration between ExTe, A-tech – which sells our products – and Boreal, which makes them,” explains Pär Olsson, responsible for welding at ExTe and who recently visited Brazil. “I was there to go over our quality requirements. It’s extremely important for ExTe that quality measures up to what we promise.” “But I must say they are extremely able. They understand our instructions and have been really good right from the start. They use high-strength steel just like us; it’s essential if the products are to handle the job.” “While I was there they were working on an order from a big haulage company. They’ve now installed around 400 S12 bunks, 90 on used trailers and the rest on new ones.” “My job was to ensure quality. First and foremost I checked that the welds corresponded exactly with our drawings and that material was where it was supposed to be, of course. Things looked really good,” says Pär. “At present many more Brazilian haulage companies have fitted out their trucks and trailers with ExTe bunks. Quality is what always counts. Brazilian trucking companies want equipment that lasts,” states Pär Olsson.

More than just Copacabana.

Not much beats the IAA.There’s no escaping the fact that the IAA in Hannover is the exhibition par excellence for anyone who works in the haulage industry.

Above all, it’s an extremely important exhibition for truck manufacturers, who get to present their latest products. And naturally you’ll find ExTe bunks on the trucks that haul timber, so the IAA exhibition is important for ExTe, too. “We were one of over 1900 exhibitors this year,” explains Ingemar Larsson, who manned the ExTe booth together with his colleagues Ulf Göransson and Richard Morath. Richard Morath is ExTe’s agent in the German-speaking countries in Europe. By the fourth day the exhibition had already registered 150,000 visitors. Obviously, not everyone visited ExTe, but our strong market position leaves its mark. “Although we were of course pleased with the exhibition, there was still a feeling of unease about economic trends among a number of visitors. And as always following an intense exhibition summer in Europe we took a lot of things back home to Sweden to think about,” notes Ulf Göransson.

Ulf Göransson prepares an exhibition trestle. All of the bits and pieces have arrived so now it’s time to measure up and install the bunks.

Trestle and chassis in place.

Done and dusted!

ExTe also made an impression from the air.

Tovek pays us a visit.

Ginger thins are popular in Germany, too.

Richard Morath in conversation with customers.

ExTe Fabriks AB, SE-820 41 Färila, Sweden. Tel: +46 (0)6511 7500. Fax: +46 (0)6511 7503. Email: info@exte.se www.exte.se

Securing cargo. We invented the Concept.