Ponsse helps machines stay productive

Ponsse came to Elmia Wood with its entire range of forest machines, several world firsts plus customers from around the world.

“Two of three visitors to our stand come from countries other than Sweden,” says Urban Folkesson, After Sales Manager at Ponsse.

On the machinery side, one major new product was presented: Active Frame for harvesters. This function already exists on Ponsse’s forwarders: Elephant, Elephant King and Buffalo. Put simply, the cab sits on a frame within the frame, which compensates for sideways movements by up to ± 7 degrees.

“Today 95 percent of our forwarders are supplied with Active Frame,” Folkesson says.

The function is very popular and operators say it is an important improvement to their work environment. Forward and back movements are part of off-road driving but sideways tilts are harder to deal with for an entire workday.

Now harvester operators can also benefit from Active Frame. The first machine equipped with it is the Ponsse Ergo, which made its debut in this version at Elmia Wood.

Ponsse also launched a new harvester head, the Ponsse H7 HD. This heavy-duty version has stronger construction to last the whole lifespan of the machine even under very demanding conditions.

Ponsse focuses heavily on its after-sales market so that its machines can keep operating with as little downtime as possible. As demands for high productivity increase, and regulations become more stringent, operating margins are shrinking. Contractors must have control of every detail so they can get the maximum return from their machines.

That is why Ponsse also launched its own range of oils at Elmia Wood: for the engine, transmission and hydraulics. The oils are made by specialists and meet all the specifications in every way.

“Before, customers could mix oils but with today’s tight tolerances that can lead to disaster,” Folkesson says.

Another new offering along the same lines is a service called Parts On Line, which gives customers their own dedicated private web page with Ponsse. The page lists all the machines registered with the customer plus up-to-date lists of spare parts. This prevents any wrong orders and customers automatically receive the latest updates.

Ponsse also presented a service app for ordering supplies and handling service agreements, and also an extended factory warranty, which is actually an insurance policy with the same function as a warranty on all major components. The policy covers 6,000 hours.