Press release -
Who’s the world’s best forwarder operator?
For anyone who wants to experience steel nerves, quick decisions and powerful machines, one hot tip is the stand of the Swedish Association of Forestry Contractors at Elmia Wood.
“During the fair we’re holding the Swedish School Forwarder Championships, the Swedish Forwarder Championships and the Forwarder World Cup. There’s going to be a lot of action!” promises Karl-Magnus Hembjer of the association.
Entrants from eleven countries are currently registered for the world championship, the Forwarder World Cup.
“It’s a high-speed competition with the entrants competing against each other simultaneously on two parallel courses,” Hembjer explains. “First they have to load logs – some fairly easy and others placed under various types of obstacles. If they miss any, they have to load extra penalty logs.”
The competitors then have to build a freestanding tower out of blocks of wood.
“The blocks have to be stacked as quickly and sturdily as possible,” Hembjer says. “This element usually involves great action when the operator who is lagging behind must try to catch up by taking extra risks.”
Prestige plus 1,500 Euro
Before reaching the finish line, operators face yet another challenge, when the first person to pick up a specially marked log wins.
“The competitions demonstrate speed, precision and safety thinking and are a good way to create interest in the job of a forwarder operator,” Hembjer says. “We want to present the forest as an attractive workplace. The broad range of visitors who come to Elmia Wood means that we come into contact with the forwarder operators of the future.”
Is there a favourite to become world champion?
“One name to watch is Sweden’s Martin Svensson, who’s won the World Cup before, but it’s always very close-run and exciting so there should be many possible winners,” Hembjer says.
As well as the honour of being the world’s number one, the winner of the Forwarder World Cup also receives 1,500 Euro.
The Swedish Forwarder Championships and the Swedish School Forwarder Championships
As well as the Forwarder World Cup, the Swedish Forwarder Championships and the Swedish School Forwarder Championships will also be held during Elmia Wood. The competitions are run on two parallel courses and two different types of machine are used. The qualifying heats are held first, followed by the semi-finals and then the decisive final heat.
See the list of participants in all forwarder competitions here
Forwarder World Cup 2017
Thursday 8 June:
Qualifying heats 10.30-16.00
Friday 9 June:
Quarter-finals 10.15
Semi-finals 12.45 and 13.15
Final (followed by award ceremony) 14.30
Swedish Forwarder Championships
Saturday 10 June:
Qualifying heats 10.00
Semi-finals 12.30 and 13.00
Final (followed by award ceremony) 14.00
Swedish School Forwarder Championships
Wednesday 7 June:
Qualifying heats 10.00-12.00
Semi-finals 13.00 and 13.30
Final (followed by award ceremony) 14.30
Contact
Torsten Kinnefors, Swedish Association of Forestry Contractors (Skogsentreprenörerna), tel.+46 70 333 84 08, torsten.kinnefors@skogsentreprenorerna.se
Elmia Wood exhibition manager Jakob Hirsmark, tel. +46 36 15 22 14, jakob.hirsmark@elmia.se
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Elmia Wood 7-10 June
Elmia Wood is the world’s leading forestry fair and is held every four years outdoors in the forest south of Jönköping, Sweden. The last Elmia Wood (2013) had over 500 exhibitors and 50,000 visitors from around the world and was monitored by the international trade press. On 7–10 June 2017 the global forest industry will gather once more.
