900 tonnes of steel from snowy Finland to warm Brazil…

In early March, 29 trailer trucks, ten of which with wide loads, over weight or super tall, hit the roads in Finland. That is the number of vehicles needed to transport four Mantsinen 160 machines, of a total weight of ca. 900 tonnes, from the production plant to their destination. This time, the machines travelled from the midst of snow and ice to their destination in Port of Portocel in Brazil.

The planning of massive logistics solutions begins long before the actual delivery. The machines were ordered to Brazil in the summer of 2016, and transport planning started four months before delivery, i.e. in December.

“That is when we start asking for preliminary offers and examining potential partners. After deciding on the partner, we start planning the delivery in more detail: loads are designed per each truck, and the trucks must be as full as possible. Meanwhile, we also make the shipping plan. Both operations require information on the specific dimensions, weights and centres of gravity of each piece. The transport must be safe and economical,” says project logistics coordinator Elena Mantsinen.

In delivery, investigating the circumstances at the destination is the most challenging element. The characteristics of the port, the unloading possibilities of the ship and possible further transport largely determine how the machine is dismantled for delivery.

In logistics solutions, the most important factor is having partners with the required knowhow. The forwarding agent is also in a a major role in transporting the machine safely from door to door. Exotic destinations add their own challenge. Brazil has its own legislation, customs and documentation requirements which are different from Europe, for example.

Currently, four Mantsinen 160 machines are sailing the seas. They will sail from Finland to Brazil in about 4-5 weeks. Elena Mantsinen monitors their progress daily on her computer. In mid-April, the material handling machines should have arrived; two of them remain in the port and two will continue their journey to Caravelas, for wood processing work.

Once the machines have arrived, two technicians from the plant in Ylämylly fly to Brazil to mount and install the machinery. They make sure that everything works as agreed and the customer is satisfied with the delivery. That is when the Mantsinen team can sigh in relief.