James Jones & Sons are leaders in the sector in every sense. Owners of the most technically advanced sawmills in Europe, the company walks the talk, with innovative products, a growing presence worldwide and a commitment to environmental governance that focuses on improving its carbon credentials.
Along with Scotlog Haulage, the company is partnering with Volvo Group and Cleaner EV in a three-year trial of electric timber trucks, monitored by Creel Maritime consultants and funded to the tune of £452,000 by Scottish Forestry. The project is the first of its kind in the UK and will test the use and practicality of electric wagons across the James Jones Group. A second wagon and drag truck will transport timber shipped in from the west coast to be hauled from the Port of Inverness to the West Fraser site at Dalcross.
Each of the partners have emphasised the importance of sharing their experiences of running the kit with each other. A type of experience that James Jones are already somewhat familiar with. Their extensive fleet of equipment includes Baumann electric sideloaders.
These 120-volt machines are an effective and safe way to transport long loads across large sites, having been originally developed with the timber sector in mind. At Lockerbie sawmill, group fleet advisor, David Bewley, takes an open-minded approach, helped by a working lifetime in the forestry industry and a knowledge of all manner of machines:
“We have opportunities to improve efficiencies through scale, but we also have challenges local to each individual site. Every decision we make has be to be commercially viable, but we are 180 years in the making! The Jones family and the governance team are extremely focussed on our long term environmental, social and performance strategy. Exploring new technology and the boundaries of what is possible is crucial to that strategy.”
29 окт 2023
