Germain-Mougenot, France: new portal crane with loading crane OBX-V

Efficient roundwood handling ...
... using rail-guided portal cranes

As part of some far-reaching investments, Germain-Mougenot decided to modernise the timber yard as well. Roundwood handling was still to be done with portal cranes. The best solution for this was again found at Baljer & Zembrod, from Altshausen, Germany.

About five years ago, Germain-Mougenot invested in a new chipper profiling line from Linck, from Oberkirch, Germany. This was not the end of the Mougenot family’s investments, who had taken over the sawmill from Pierre Germain in 1999. In order to properly operate the new saw line, the timber yard also needed to be updated.

Proven solution
A portal crane from Baljer & Zembrod was already handling roundwood at Germain-Mougenot, a company from the French Vosges region. Due to the positive results, a decision was made to again rely on the Baden-Württemberg machine manufacturers for the latest round of investments. "The new plant is much more efficient and brings us back up to date with the latest technology – especially when it comes to the electrical and hydraulic controls," says Managing Director Bernard Mougenot, commenting on the replacement systems.

Technically mature
The OBX-V portal crane has a lifting capacity of 2.9 t at a radius of 13 m, but it is also impressively flexible and has a working width of more than 35 m. "This saves us valuable time and most of all it means we don’t have to buy large roundwood loaders. Investments in fastening points in the timber yard are also reduced significantly as a result. On top of that, the portal crane from Baljer & Zembrod requires very little maintenance," says Mougenot, satisfied with his decision to once again rely on a crane solution. The entire crane portal consists of a stable steel construction and a stepless variable eight-wheel drive with a track width of 10 metres. The total length of the installation extends to over 174 m. "The crane carriage is driven by an electric motor and can also be moved laterally by a whole track width," explains Baljer & Zembrod Managing Director Peter Schaeidt. The reach of the portal crane is thus very high – which is also necessary with a log volume of around 150,000 cubic meters/year. The compact control cabin is an additional highlight of the system. With 360° windows, it provides the best possible overview of the entire yard while simultaneously offering a high level of comfort for the operator. The advantages of rail guidance really come into their own at the Germain-Mougenot sawmill: on the one hand, the space requirement is significantly lower with additional use of the intermediate track area and material handling is also faster. On the other hand, asphalting in the yard is no longer necessary because wheel loaders are eliminated. The plant was commissioned in spring 2022. “The collaboration with Baljer & Zembrod was very smooth. The plants simply run reliably," Mougenot sums it up.

Source: Holzkurier
Text: Raphael Kerschbaumer
Photos: Baljer & Zembrod