ANDRITZ Feed and Biofuel A/S-Denmark
Glentevej 5-7
6705 Esbjerg
Denmark
ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel first partnered with Forssjö Pellets AB in 1994 to help the company to produce high-quality wood pellets for the industrial and consumer markets.
The company, which is part of the Sandåsa Timber AB group, has a long-term environmental vision where the surplus from forest and wood industry production is used for wood pellet production to supply locally sourced, climate-neutral energy, where the raw material can be traced 100% to source.
From the very beginning Forssjö Pellets was looking to ensure that all of the byproduct from its sawmill operations could be utilised in a responsible manner, and wood pellets was the chosen solution.
The business of pellet production was completely new to the company at the time, so a partner was needed that could help implement a complete solution and also provide the life-time support, upgrades and experience to make sure the project was successful. ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel was that partner.
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Challange
In addition to daily output levels and day-to-day operational quality levels and efficiencies, Forssjö Pellets needed to ensure that the lifetime capabilities of the chosen solution could be maintained to contemporary operational levels in order to generate maximum overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and optimise total cost of ownership (TCO).
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Solution
Lars Bloch, Plant Solutions Manager at ANDRITZ explains: “We delivered a full line of 2 x 3.5 t/h capacity, comprising two pellet presses, a hammer mill and a range of auxiliary equipment. Everything that was implemented at Forssjö Pellets was carried out in partnership with ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel, and the company would go on to become one of the most well-respected pellet producers in Europe.”
“We have been able to reduce energy consumption by 15 to 20% and this is coupled to a production increase from 3.5 tons per press to more than five tons per press”
“The original capacity that we agreed upon was 3 to 3.5 tons per hour per press unit,” explains Per Stenegard, Sales Manager (Pellets), at Forssjö Pellets. “The first die we tried produced 12 mm pellets, and then after a few months it was 10 mm pellets. Following that, over two years we progressed to 8 mm pellets and were able to operate two shifts across 24 hours, with ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel supporting us at every stage.
“We learned a great deal from ANDRITZ. When we started the factory, sawdust was sawdust. Today we have the difference between spruce and pine, different storage requirements, a wide range of different factors to consider. It was learning by doing in what has become a very big project.”
An essential element of the relationship has been the ongoing support and enhancement programme offers by ANDRITZ. “Now, nearly three decades later we are still in partnership,” Lars Bloch adds, “helping Forssjö Pellets to increase capacity, streamline processes, and to leverage improvements and innovations that have been a part of the evolution of ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel’s offer over the years.”
The two pellet presses that produced the first products were in operation for 18 and 20 years before they were replaced with newer and more efficient pellet presses. This is a testament to their durability. Upgrades and retrofits have occurred where opportunities for strategic improvements have been identified.
Today, with material and energy costs rising considerably, production efficiency is paramount, and ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel recently overhauled both pellet presses in order to enable greater capacity at lower levels of energy consumption. This greatly enhances total cost of ownership (TCO), and leaves room for further increases if required in the future.
Bloch explains: “We rebuilt the pellet presses and added larger motors in order to increase capacity – which increased by 10% in the first instance. Following this, through the work of the ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel R&D team in partnership with Forssjö Pellets, capacity further increased through the identification and implementation of process changes on the lines.”
Results
Erik Gyllengahm, Site Manager at Forssjö Pellets adds: “The ongoing changes have been incredibly successful. We’ve optimized the speed of the die, which has really improved production, and we have been able to reduce energy consumption by some margin – 15 to 20%, and this is coupled to a production increase from 3.5 tons per press to more than five tonnes per press. With ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel we are always learning. It is stimulating to work with a company that has this level of knowledge and experience.
As a result of this close collaboration and upgrade programme, Forssjö Pellets has not only grown its market share in the commercial pellet industry, but has, over the years, been able to enter the burgeoning consumer market. In addition, the company also identified an opportunity to supply pellets for use in the equine market – for horse’s stabling, for example.
Lars Bloch concludes: “Our frank and honest dialogue with Per and Erik and the on-site team has been key. Their trust in our ability to deliver what is best for Forssjö Pellets has seen capacity double since 1994, through a combination of fine-tuning of processes and equipment upgrades. There are also discussion underway for continued capacity expansion. With other companies looking at this example and realizing the potential revenue streams from what are often considered waste products.”
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