Mantsinen Group Involved in Developing Automated Truck for Customer Needs

Mantsinen Group Involved in Developing Automated Truck for Customer Needs

Mantsinen is participating in the development project of its client Stora Enso, in which a self-driving truck will be tested in a factory area in Uimaharju, Joensuu, Finland.

The vehicle that moves without a driver is used to find out how much automated transports could reduce emissions and improve safety.

Stora Enso and Mantsinen’s cooperation in the factory area began in 1974. The continuous development of functions has been the foundation stone of the cooperation. The first versions of Mantsinen’s material-handling machines and modern terminal logistics solutions, which have later on been utilised globally in the forest industry, have also grown from the solutions for the factory area’s challenges. The streamlining, intensification and electrification of functions have been a part of the trajectory, in which the next stage is the partial automation of functions.

“The maximization of safety and minimization of emissions have long been the most important goals of our operations, alongside with the development of productivity. We are excited that we could help our client with the development of the next solution and in that way influence the evolution of the industry”

Mikko Mantsinen, Fleet Manager and Board Member at Mantsinen Group

The testing of an automated truck is a joint project between Stora Enso and the wood chip transport operator Mantsinen Group. The vehicle’s smart control system and equipment is supplied by Hiab, who has developed the system together with VTT. The safety work also involves InnoTrafik and VTT. In addition, Nokian Tyres is participating in the project, testing smart tyres equipped with Intuitu sensors.

Antti Suvinen, Director, Supply and Logistics at Stora Enso Wood Supply Finland, tells about the project: “We at Stora Enso strive to make extensive use of the opportunities offered by digitalization and test new technological solutions that will help boost operations and improve safety. The test use of an automated truck will give us more insight into the environmental and safety benefits and cost savings the new kind of vehicle can bring to our mill transports.”

A self-driving truck improves the occupational safety, especially when operating near wood chip piles and warehouses. In the future, the driver, who will operate from a remote control room, will also benefit from better ergonomics. The traffic safety along the vehicle’s route will improve thanks to new safety equipment, such as sensors and smart traffic lights. The automated truck is expected to decrease emissions as the automatic mechanism optimises the engine’s operation and the route planning. The decreasing fuel consumption will also bring in economic savings.

In the Stora Enso factory area in Uimaharju, the top speed of the automatic vehicle that operates between the sawmill and the pulp mill is 20 kilometres per hour. The truck transports wood chips from the sawmill to the pulp mill, traveling the distance of some 1.4 kilometers about 15 times a day. The wood chips, which are a by-product of sawmilling, are used as raw material in pulp production. The testing of the vehicle will continue until the end of 2020.

The tests will also examine the effects the North Karelian weather conditions have on the automated truck and the traffic control system that supports it. In the initial stage of the test use, there is a Mantsinen personnel representative in the truck to make sure that all goes well, and only later will the operation of the truck be controlled remotely.

For further information, please contact:
Mikko Mantsinen
Fleet Manager
tel. +358 400 176 266

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Mantsinen Group is a family business established in 1974. The Group specializes in material handling machines and logistic services. The company manufactures material handling machines and associated accessories at Ylämylly, Liperi and Rauma in Finland, and exports them globally through their partnership network. The logistic services are available in Finland and Russia. Mantsinen Group has over 500 employees.

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