To support the country’s growing forestry industry, ATS Logging Limited is using Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) excavators at three plantation forests across New Zealand. Together, the six excavators are helping the industry to meet its target of $12 billion in forest and wood product exports by 2022, set by the Wood Council of New Zealand.

By 2025, Forest Owners Association in New Zealand is expecting forestry to be the country’s leading export industry, making New Zealand among the top five global suppliers. Currently, most of the timber is harvested from natural forests. As supplies diminish, New Zealand is turning to plantation forests, which occupies about 7 per cent of the land, according to the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association.

The six Volvo excavators – EC240BL, FC2924CL, EC250DL, EC300DL, EC380DL, EC290CL – work between nine and 11 hours daily at Bayview, Glenview and Eskdale forests, which are all situated within 30 km from Napier, a coastal city on the North Island. The excavators are expected to remain on site for at least five more years.

Equipped with a smart electro-hydraulic system, the EC300DL provides increased power, digging force, faster cycle times and greater control. It is equipped with a Volvo D7 diesel engine that delivers up to 170 kW of power and 11 per cent more fuel efficiency compared with previous models.