Top of the crops

Last month, Gabor Vince and Frank Kyne, two beneficiaries of the TRA online training programme, visited the Vida Borgstena mill in Sweden as a reward for getting the highest scores on the course.

Both trussed rafter designers, Frank and Gabor began their trip with a visit to a forest in Borgstena, just a few miles away from Vida Wood’s mill. They witnessed the efficiency of the harvesting machines, which Frank described as “a sight to behold.”

Sitting in the cockpit of the harvester, Frank and Gabor observed the skills of the pilot as he manoeuvred through the forest, cutting down trunks. This was Gabor’s highlight of the trip as he enjoyed “taking over the controls!”

The pair headed to the mill to see the logs be turned into precision-cut TR26. Gabor recalls being surprised at the “size of the production lines and sites, the speed of construction and the level of automatization and computerisation.”

Frank added: “It was heartening to see an old stress-grading machine, which used to belong to Wyckham Blackwell, still in use at the mill. The Swedes, I learned, are very much into re-using, recycling, and having a sustainable way of life.”

The trip was a great success and one that Frank and Gabor won’t be forgetting it in a hurry.

Thank you to Vida Wood for its generous prize and continued support of the TRA’s training programme.