It is far from every day that we get the opportunity to visit our customers in their home and get an insight into their everyday life outside of working with the machines in the forest. We get a warm welcome as we knock on the door at Anders Öhman in Lillpite, and as he gives us a tour in his house it is obvious that Lillpite is the place to be for Anders and also where he grew up.
Anders has a great commitment to the forest and as the vice president of Skogsentreprenörerna (Swedish trade association) he is continuously working with areas related to the Swedish forestry and it´s development. Soon, we start talking about the competence supply within the industry, a topic that is often on the agenda and also a bit of a challenge today.
-Yes, we talk a lot about the competence supply. I have the benefit of having employees who have worked for me for a long time. It is very important to have good employees, and I have been lucky. I think they are amazing, says Anders.
Anders has been working in forestry for a long time, both as an employer and as a forest machine operator. We ask him to tell us about what he believes is the best thing about working in the forest and why he thinks more people should try the profession.
-It is really awesome to operate a forest machine. That is something that everyone should get the chance to try. And the environment where we operate is amazing. With all the different nuances. Like today, when it is snowy and a bit cold but incredibly beautiful. To nice summer evenings and amazing sunrises. And to be able to make a difference in the forest with what we do, says Anders.
Their working team consists of four members, plus Anders, and he describes them as a tight team. With some of them, he also socializes in his sparetime, as they share a common interest outside of work.
-Yes, we like American cars. We have bought one each and also, we have arranged a mancave, a place where we can take care of our cars, spend time and play our pinball game that we bought, says Anders.
Of course, we take the opportunity to visit the mancave before we head of to the forest to look at the machines. Our first stop is at the company’s latest addition, an Eco Log 584F. At the time of our visit, they have had the machine for almost a year and so far it has worked well.
-Yes, it has worked well and done its job. One size bigger than the 574 that we replaced with this one. It is equipped with the new crane from Epsilon with crane tip control. We have experienced some child-toothing problems, but when it works, it works incredibly nicely. A harmonic and strong crane, Anders explains.
The new 584 is the latest member of the family, and not far from the location we are at, the company’s oldest machine is working, an Eco Log 594D from 2016 that has run for 19 000 – 20 000 hours.
-It just keeps running. It is probably the most economical machine that I have ever had. And will have, since Peter who operates it has said he will quit if I sell the machine. And I do not want that to happen. He will probably retire with the machine sometime in the future, says Anders.
When we talk about how many machines from Eco Log that they have had during the years, Anders needs to think for a while as the number of machines is starting to get big.
-It started in 2003 with a Cat and after that, more have followed. So, it is probably about 16-17 machines now, both harvesters and forwarders, says Anders.
For us at Eco Log, that is music to our ears, and with those words, we leave Anders Öhman and Lillpite for this time. Thank you for a really nice visit.
See the movie from our visit here:
