Russian-based ULK Group, one of the biggest sawmills in the country, is investing more than 400 million euro in one of their largest mills with the aim to modernize and grow the “mega sawmill” even further. The goal is to have the sawmill’s capacity reach more than 1 million cubic meters (425,000 MBF) of sawn timber and 600,000 t pellets annually per year. If all goes according to plan, this will happen by 2013.

Furthermore, in the biggest deal in company history, Valutec is delivering eight continuous kilns to ULK, drastically improving output and efficiency. According to company spokespeople, it was the capacity, optimum quality, and overall flexibility of the Valutec TC kilns that made them an easy choice.

”Few get the chance to take part in the construction of a brand new sawmill,” said Timo Kanerva of Valutec, “and we are honoured that they chose us.”

In the interest of improving safety and logistics, ULK will use a closed traverse system to move timber packages rather than forklifts. The company feels that relying on these proven systems will be much smarter than attempting to put such a huge demand on prototypes.
Among their many features, the TC kilns are equipped with Valutec's Valmatics 4 control system. This includes an integrated simulator that dramatically increases output and energy efficiency.