Our Customers

When Ståle Reistad decided to replace his five-year-old Komatsu 911.4, he simply wanted the newer model. But he still needed some time behind the controls to get used to all the improvements in the new 911. Ever since 2010, Ståle Reistad has harvested about 700-850 thousand cubic feet (20-24 thousand cubic meters) each year with his 911.4 and a 350 head. Split roughly fifty-fifty between thinning and final logging. With his new 911 with a C93 head, he needed a couple of weeks to break old habits and for all the new functions to fall into place. “Everything goes much faster now. The speed of the machine is much better, and the engine doesn’t labor when the going gets tough. Of course, the new hydraulic system benefits all functions,” he says.

Elliot Henderson of Selkirk in Scottish Borders Region, bought the first Komatsu 951 harvester in the UK. The new machine was fitted with bandtracks on the bogie and also tracks on the single wheels. It was also fitted with widest option wheels and tyres, the new 750 section rear tyre, a first for the 951, provides welcomed additional floatation in the peaty ground. This 951 is the latest addition to a fleet of nearly 40 machines, the majority of which are red. This machine replaces a 2009 941.1 with 370.2 head which was one of a number of 941 in the fleet. Fact is that Elliot could be regarded as an expert on them, he has owned 10 of the 941 model since he took delivery of his first in 2003. The experience he has of the 941s he has run gives him confidence that he has made a good investment. “Care for that slewing mechanism and lubricate it regularly and your Komatsu harvester will work the hours,” commented Elliot.

Mika Vekkeli runs forest machine company Metsä-Veke Oy in Kuortti, located about 120 miles northeast of Helsinki, in southern Finland. Mika’s principal client is a forest management company with customer plots throughout southern Finland. This means that his harvester, a Komatsu 911.5, and the C93 head have to cope with everything from initial thinning to final logging. The size of the trees varies a great deal, from very small up to 25 cu ft (0.7 m3). ”I only have praise for this head. I find the saw unit very fast, the large tilt angle makes work easier, and the new frame roller placement really helps feed crooked trees. Some of the production figures have been surprisingly high,” says Mika

As an apprentice, Ingvild Skeie was very keen on a 840.3 machine. Now, she every day operates a brand new Komatsu 855.1 for Holmgren AS in the forests of Norway’s Romerike. "I’ve now got a brand new Komatsu 855.1 forwarder, which is just what I wanted. I’ve been good at telling my colleagues just how great my old machine was,” she says. Ingvild feels very much at home in this male-dominated profession and hasn’t regretted for a single day her decision to enter the forestry industry and her career as a machine operator. "Traditionally, my family has strong ties to the forestry professions, so for me the choice was easy. I like the variation when operating a forwarder. The 855.1 is the perfect size for several different applications, is extremely stable and navigates and follows the terrain very well. My work day was already comfortable before, but with the new 855.1 it’s now first class,” says Ingvild.

Forest machine contractor Ove Nygård changed the color of his machine and became the owner of Norway’s very first new Komatsu 901. His choice of machine soon proved an advantage in more ways than one. ”After test driving a Komatsu 931, which has the same technical solutions and the same cab as the 901, I decided to switch brands. I counted on seeing improvements, but things went quicker than expected and I’m impressed with what my Komatsu 901 can achieve in the forest,” says Ove. The company’s three harvesting groups produce about 4.25 million cubic feet (120,000 cubic meters) a year. Most of it through thinning, with the Komatsu 901 as the preferred choice. Daniel Volden is sitting at the controls of the new machine. He’s very pleased that his boss has switched to Komatsu, and points out the good all-round visibility, the cab environment, and the crane’s rapid response. “The new hydraulic system with three pumps and increased oil flow shows what it can do,” he says.

"If I had to describe the C144 with one word, it would be smooth. The C144 runs smoothly. Reliably with no hitches. It also easily delimbs difficult trees, even birch. It cuts fast, holds the tree well and fells it smoothly."

Haakon Slätten and his son Knut are both independent contractors working with final logging. After visiting the Komatsu Forest AB plant in Umeå, Sweden in the 2014, they both quickly decided to buy new harvesters, a Komatsu 951 and a Komatsu 931. Just two weeks of working with their brand new harvesters was enough for them to conclude that the promises of more power, increased production, improved mobility, and reduced fuel consumption were true. Haakon Slätten is impressed with how nimble, fast, and easy the new Komatsu 951 is to work with, even at low engine speeds. “I often work in steep, difficult terrain scattered with large rocks. The machine covers such terrain easily and nimbly. The balanced bogie and large rear wheels face up to the challenge better than ever. I can operate the crane and the head at the same time without compromise” he explains. Both Haakon and Knut say that they soon saw a 15-percent reduction in fuel consumption compared to the 941 and the 911.5 that they previously used.

The French company Sylvasphère was founded in February 2012 after Aurélie and Thibault Delesalle acquired the company James Desaivres, a well-known business in Tarn. When they bought a Komatsu 931 with a C144 head, they immediately decided to supplement the machine with the MaxiFleet feature.  “With MaxiFleet, we can immediately resolve the slightest problem, which means that after a little more than 3,000 engine hours we’ve achieved efficiency in excess of 90 percent. Production costs are also analyzed daily and corrective measures can be taken in real time,” says Thibault. Invoicing will be integrated directly with the machine’s production which frees up time for other tasks. Worksite planning with the aid of a handheld GPS unit connected to the machine’s Maxi N system will enable operators to focus more on production than was previously possible.