Romania

With two newly developed forwarder prototypes, five new and different modules were implemented and tested in the fields under varying production conditions within Europe. These modules are developed towards raising the productivity of the machine, improving the working conditions and lowering the ecological impact of the forwarding process. The modules contain a hydrostatic-mechanical transmission system (HVT, M1), a suspended cabin (M2), an energy regenerating and recuperating hydraulic crane (M3), a triple bogie axle for wet terrain, that can be used with or without tracks (M4) and a monitoring system to surveil and document the machine status to derive further information of production and environment (M5).

With the tests of prototype machines, the aims of development could be proven by the field tests, that were executed within the study. Especially the effect on the soils on sensitive areas, also without the use of bogie tracks, as it was tested on distributed bark beetle infested stands in Saxony, was one field of application where the advantages of tire-based working, longer bogie axle and high contact surface were positively assessed. With more experiences, the revelation of further advantages or limitations are expected.

Within the field tests, all modules of the “Triple Bogie Prototype” (M3, M4, M5) were assessed with a positive effect. For wetland (Saxony) or even peatland working conditions (Scotland, Lithuania), the triple bogie showed advantages in technical accessibility but also the lower environmental impact on sensitive areas. Without the use of tracks, especially under varying, partly sensitive soil conditions the system has advantages towards other systems as the machine was able to relocate itself on own axle for long distances and provide the protection effect. The protection of ditches while entering forest stands was a positive additional effect of the system that could be observed as it acts like a built- in bridge. Due to potential high load capacity of both base machines, also a high productivity was recorded that fit or exceeded literature findings. The crane system (M3) which has also a high positive influence on the fuel consumption could withstand a fuel consumption reduction effect on its own, at is was proven under laboratory conditions.

• With higher productivity, now due to higher driving speeds and in course of a lowered fuel consumption, the second, “HVT- Prototype” (M1, M2, M5) setup presented its advantages especially under longer hauling distances with high possible driving speeds. This machine can be especially be efficiently used in regions with low road densities.
• With the monitoring system (M5), the environmental impact and the machine behavior was actively observed and evaluated. As the here implemented iFOS system is freely configurable, it was successfully implemented in the project and could for instance be further introduced as modular environmental documentation system by forest enterprises or in public services. The separately developed data-based crane scale as stand-alone or industry 4.0 service, makes it possible to use the forwarding information in logistic applications like the energy wood supply in the wood chip logistic (Geiger et al. 2019).

Egger Romania invested in resource saving technology and included recycling in the process. Up to 18% of the wood used in Romanian factories are recycling material. They process waste wood from furniture, pallets, wooden packaging materials, construction and demolition, that meets the requirements of the applicable directives and inspection systems. The material is also inspected visually and contaminated wood is separated for thermal use. In Romania, the EGGER Group runs its own recycling enterprises under the name Timberpak.

Suitable recycled wood is processed there and used for chipboard production. Large volumes of by-products and recyclable wood are generated by the plants. The company upgrades them into materials or uses them to generate environmentally friendly heat and electricity. With EGGER wood-based materials, the company established good environmental performance of the urban wood material. The objective of a closed loop material cycle is, on the one hand, to reuse all waste and by products as efficiently as possible, and on the other hand, to make substances used in the product available again for production at the end of the product life cycle, by implementing optimal recycling. The possibility of a closed material cycle should be taken into account even during the preliminary stage of product planning in conjunction with product design. Re-use of materials that were already used in products and have passed through a usage phase. The great challenge is to separate materials so that they become again source materials for new products. The collection division of recycled wood and the recycling installation of wood from Romania are the EGGER’s solution for a secondary, sustainable life cycle of materials based on wood.

The recycling wood quantities which were elaborated and recycled in 2016 by EGGER Romania replaced the potential of usage of 35,000 hectares of forests. The company has a unique wood recycling installation in Romania, dedicated and used exclusively for this purpose. At Romanian level, EGGER uses in average 17 % recycled wood for the production of panels based on wood in 2018. Last year, EGGER Romania reached a level of approximately 8 % and in the half of 2017, while in 2017 reach 15 % of recycled wood, and it was estimated a share of 17 % for the second half of 2017. The objective for 2020 is to recycle more than 150,000 tonnes of materials based on wood, annually, equivalent to more than 30 % of the volume of wood from forest works, according to Ioan Banciu, technical director of EGGER Eastern Europe division.

IDWOOD aims to promote and foster innovation and competitiveness of SMEs in the wood sector in the SEE area by sharing and transferring technical and organizational know-how to enable local support organizations to address structural deficits of SMEs and enhance innovation potentials.

Inclusion of both, stakeholders and policy makers, is of great importance and beneficial for both. Stakeholders are given the opportunity to strengthen their organizational and technical capacities, to develop new functions, to participate to working groups and to be actively involved in networking activities. Policy makers receive guidelines and advice on support policies to foster sector’s development.

Results of the project are improved capacities of support organisations; transnational cooperation between support organisations, knowledge poles and productive sector; increased information flow towards SMEs; innovation, design and knowledge transferred to SMEs; sustainability of the transnational network/support system and SMEs cooperation after project end; increased knowledge of market opportunities.