Hilmer Andersson Goes With Valutec

Swedish family-owned sawmill company Hilmer Andersson has invested 4 million Euros in wood dryers from Valutec, including a FB continuous kiln and three batch kilns.

“Over the years we have developed more and more from a traditional sawmill to a further processing industry. This has meant increased quality requirements and with this investment we will increase the quality output on every piece,” says Nils Andersson, production manager Hilmer Andersson.

Hilmer Andersson, which today saws 220,000 m3 (94MMBF) annually, will have a drying capacity of almost 300,000 m3 (128MMBF) once the installations are complete. An excess drying capacity means that Hilmer Andersson becomes more flexible and can saw what the market demands.

“The current market situation has meant that less went to the construction trade and more towards dried timber exports. Thanks to excess capacity in the dryers, we can now quickly adjust and cut exactly what the sales department wants to sell,” Andersson says.

This is the fourth investment in wood dryers from Valutec that Hilmer Andersson has carried out since 2015. When the new dryers are in place, Hilmer Andersson will have one of Europe’s most modern drying parks consisting of a TC continuous kiln, an FB continuous kiln and 11 stainless batch kilns.

“We only have positive experiences from previous projects with Valutec. They drive the development in wood drying and have good service and support, which is important,” Andersson adds.

“Hilmer Andersson is a sawmill with a long history that has done a good job over time. It feels fantastic that we are trusted to deliver to them again and be part of their continued journey,” comments Joakim Berglund, sales manager, Valutec.

Hilmer Andersson, located in Lässerud in western Värmland, Sweden, is a family-owned sawmill in its fourth generation. In addition to Nils, sister Kari is CEO of the sawmill, and brother Karl, who runs the part-owned builders’ shop XL Bygg Hilmer, is also active within the company.

The delivery also includes the control system Valmatics 4.0 and the integrated simulator Valusim. The patented systems give the user the opportunity to optimize the drying process based on the central parameters of quality, capacity and energy consumption.

Assembly of the wood dryers will begin in the fall of 2024 and they are planned to be put into operation in the spring of 2025.