Swedish steel prize nominee 2012
Forwarder
2012 | Gremo | Sweden 6 min read
Within the forestry industry, the need for forestry thinning equipment is increasing. A forwarder is a vehicle which transports timber from the logging site to the road. Gremo has produced a carefully conceived and optimized new design which efficiently utilizes high strength steel. The 15% reduction in chassis weight leads to lower fuel consumption relative to payload. The forwarder’s chassis has been designed for increased torsional stiffness, thereby improving off-road performance, and the engine’s emission control is in accordance with the most recent EU directives. The manufacturing costs have been reduced significantly.
Gremo manufactures machines for use in the forestry industry from its base in the small town of Ätran in western Sweden. Founded by a Danish entrepreneur in the early Sixties, the company places a strong focus on the environment in everything it does. In addition, its management strongly believes that a sale is never completed until the customer comes back a second time.
Their latest vehicle – the Gremo Forwarder 1450F – used for moving timber from the logging site to the road - has been nominated for the Swedish Steel Prize.
What’s special about this forwarder is that it can carry a weight of 14.5 tons even though the weight of its chassis has been reduced by 15%. A prototype of the new forwarder is currently being tested in the Swedish forest and it will be on the market in Europe and Russia in early 2013.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated for the Swedish Steel Prize,” says Martin Bredenfeldt, plant manager. “Around 15,000 hours went into the development of this new forwarder so we are thrilled to receive international recognition for our efforts. The need for forestry equipment is increasing and we are confident that this vehicle meets our customer’s demands for increased fuel and operational efficiency.”