Sawmilling at a Wooden Door Production in Indonesia
Central Java, an island province in Indonesia, is the center of the woodworking industry, whose products are known far beyond the borders of this country.
The company PT Bogowonto Primalaras located in Central Java’s capital, Semarang, was founded in 2000 as a manufacturer of wood components. Step by step, investing in equipment and innovative solutions, the company has grown into a major producer of high-quality engineered wooden doors that supply their products to Europe, USA, Australia, and local markets. Today, Bogowonto Primalaras specializes in solid wood exterior and interior doors and semi-solid and fire-rated doors, with a monthly production capacity of 25,000+ doors.
"We make all the wood processing operations here," says R&D manager Mr. Kawabe Dwi Hatmojo. "We start from harvesting logs, sorting the material at our timber yard, sawing, then kiln drying the lumber, and producing the components. Then we have assembling, coating, and packaging."
In their 20+ years of history, Bogowonto Primalaras has accumulated a wealth of experience in processing tropical timber. The company started processing Bangkirai wood in 2001 and gradually added local woods such as Meranti, Kempas, Merbau, White Oak, Pine, Teak, Walnut, and Alder. These species are popular all over the world for their excellent features including a beautiful dense texture without voids and inclusions, which is essential for the construction of massive doors. The wood is also very durable, resistant to decay and insects, and some types such as Teak, for example, do not burn, which is key in the manufacturing of fire-rated doors.
"All the timber we process comes from legal and sustainable forests," says Mr. Kawabe.
To process tropical species, you need sawmills that provide the required productivity and a high yield of products so that a minimum amount of valuable wood turns into sawdust.
"We first heard about Wood-Mizer on the Internet," says Mr. Kawabe. "Then we found more information on YouTube. And then we turned to the experience of our partners who have already operated Wood-Mizer equipment."
"We realized that Wood-Mizer has a good history. I also feel that the Wood-Mizer machines' quality is better, and the range is wider than the competition," explains Mr. Kawabe.
"Based on our collected information, we decided that the Wood-Mizer LT40 and SVS band sawmills would be the best choice for our production."
Wood-Mizer, established in 1982, is the world leader in band blade sawmill technology. The company's manufacturing centers in the US and Europe have already produced more than 100,000 sawmills that are operating today on six continents. A significant part of these machines is the LT40 sawmill model. What makes the LT40 sawmill so special?
"The thin-kerf technology!" - Wood-Mizer's representatives in Indonesia, Mr. Richard Soegitano and Mr. Kenny Rahardo, answer with one voice.
"Wood-Mizer sawmills use narrow band sawmill blades that produce a kerf in the wood as thin as 2mm. This means that compared to other sawing methods, you can get more finished product and less sawdust from each log," explains Richard Soegitano.
"With increased yield of one more board per log, bearing in mind the high cost of tropical wood, this is a significant saving for Bogowonto Primalaras," adds Kenny Rahardo.
"They chose the LT40 Remote horizontal band sawmill. With this machine, one operator controls all the functions from a separate control panel. The remote control positively impacts the overall sawmill productivity because the operator works with more comfort and is less tired," notes Kenny Rahardo.
"We cut the logs with the LT40, and then we edge the boards with the SVS vertical sawmill," explains Mr. Kawabe. "We see that with Wood-Mizer sawmills, we are getting great timber quality and yield results."
A stock of logs for several hours of work is stored on the log deck near the LT40 sawmill, and with the help of the hydraulic arms of the machine, the logs are loaded one by one onto the sawmill bed. Then the operator, using the controls of the hydraulic system, aligns the log with the help of log leveling toeboards and secures it with a central clamp. The required board thickness is programmed on the control panel using electronic Setworks. The operator turns on the motor, and the sawmill head starts cutting one board off the log. When the head returns, it removes this board from the sawmill bed. The operation continues until the log is completely cut.
After the LT40 sawmill, unedged boards go to the SVS single vertical sawmill, equipped with roller tables for infeed and outfeed of the material. One worker feeds an unedged board into the machine, and the second takes the finished edged board and stores it in a pile. In total, five people are involved in the sawmills' operation.
"Most importantly, from a safety standpoint, using Wood-Mizer machines helps us keep our employees healthy and safe," emphasizes Mr. Kawabe. "Wood-Mizer makes state-of-the-art equipment which is much safer than traditional sawmills. As for after-sales service, there are no problems at all. The local Wood-Mizer office continues to cooperate with us actively."
Wood-Mizer manufactures not only equipment but also sawmill blades and cutting tools. Since both sawmills at Bogowonto use narrow band blades, they operate their own blade maintenance with a Wood-Mizer blade sharpener and tooth setter. For sawing tropical hardwoods, the company offers a special blade with a 4/34 tooth profile and blades with 7/34, 7/39, and 7/47 profiles designed to cut dense hardwoods on sawmills with powerful motors. Generally, when processing hardwoods, the tooth set 'left-right-straight' should be minimal. The right and left teeth are for cutting wood, while the straight tooth removes the sawdust from the kerf.
"At the moment, our sawmill capacity is about 20 cubic meters per day, which is the optimal capacity necessary to produce 25,000 doors per month."
"One of the hallmarks of PT Bogowonto Primalaras is that we always prioritize product quality," says Mr. Kawabe. "Our company is ISO 9001-2015 certified and obtains timber from SLVK and FSC© certified sources. We strive to maintain high-quality standards."
"In the future, PT Bogowonto Primalaras plans to innovate even more in manufacturing. We're going to automate operations and increase our efficiency."
As the world's fourth largest country in terms of population and with an area of 60% forested with valuable tree species, Indonesia has made progress in recent decades in developing long-term sustainable forest management. Woodworking companies that use innovative practices and efficient equipment, like Bogowonto Primalaras, are doing their part to preserve Indonesia's green treasure, which is, in fact, a value for the entire planet.
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