Effective use of the high capital cost equipment in a central processing yard requires a good understanding of the human component of the system. The aim of this New Zealand study was to determine if time of day impacts machine productivity and value recovery in an off-forest central processing yard.
Poorly designed work schedules have been linked with mental and physical fatigue of the machine operators, low productivity and low value recovery for some operations.
A database, containing over 120,000 records on radiata pine stems processed during 214 work shifts, was analysed in order to determine the impact of time of day on value recovery and productivity of log-handling equipment. This equipment consisted of a scanning optimiser and two mechanised processors operating in an off-forest central processing yard.
Analyses indicate time of day negatively impacted volume productivity and value recovery for the scanning optimiser. There was significant difference between the first shift operating mainly in daylight hours and the second shift operating mainly during night hours. There were no clear trends in productivity for the mechanised processors.
Click here for source (NZ Journal of Forestry Science)
Image credit: Gill Timbers
