Founded in 1982, Somivab specializes in the production of railway sleepers at its huge facility in Essassa, just 24 km from Libreville, the country’s capital and largest city and also a port on the Komo river, serving the onward distribution of products produced.
SDLG handles wood in Gabon
The facility covers a massive 48 hectares where the main sawmill handles 70 000 cubic metres of timber (logs) every year and where these hardwood logs can be up to 180 cm in diameter and weigh up to 10 tons. In addition, the site comprises a unit where the timber can be planed and shaped, a unit for shrinking, milling and drilling the sleepers, a creosote unit for treatment after processing and a further sawing facility for smaller sawing operations.
A lengthy process
Following the sawing process, railway sleepers are subjected to a dimensional and quality control prior to being sorted into different quality groups and then stacked in a special storage area where they are allowed to dry out over a period six months. The aim is to ensure that their atmospheric condition is the same as those already in use. Following this drying period the sleepers are shrunk, carved and drilled according to the characteristics of the rail.
Finally the sleepers undergo a process of impregnation with a creosote mixture; this to ensure better conservation in addition to protection against fungal or insect attack. On completion of this process, the sleepers can be loaded onto rail wagons or trucks for delivery to their end users. The entire process from sawing to ready for delivery can take up to eight months.
Using mainly okan and azobe (ekki), known as ‘ironwood’ due to its very heavy and hard nature, the company’s flexible and dynamic production process can supply 180 000 sleepers per year to meet the global demand. It is thanks to their high resistance to atmospheric agents that the company is able to distribute its tropical wood sleepers worldwide and, especially, to countries with difficult, climatic conditions. The company’s long experience and know-how when it comes to handling such wood enables it to guarantee the quality of its end products and to respect delivery deadlines.
Material re-handling
For re-handling the wood during the different parts of the process, as well as loading finished products, be they pallets of sleepers or cut planks, the company turned to SDLG for a cost-effective solution.
Somivab chose the 17.25 ton LG956L, a machine that has developed a reputation for its high performance, superb traction and leading fuel efficiency. With its 5000 kg load capacity, excellent dump height and reach, it is ideally suited to the task of moving and stacking materials. Equipped with a bucket it can also manage any off-cut waste material, wood chips and sawdust.
Andrea Rigoni, Managing Director of Somivab said, “I was ready to try SDLG and now want another for the start of 2016. The machine is perfectly reliable, and for an interesting price”.
Machine operator, Mamadou, commented, “I am very happy with this machine. Comfort is perfect, I can work quickly and it is very reliable and easy to maintain”.
