Ponsse North America Inc, Ponsse's US subsidiary, celebrates its 20th anniversary. The anniversary was celebrated with 500 guests at the Great Lakes Logging Expo in Escabana (MI). Established in 1995, the company has sold more than 600 machines in the US, most of which operate in the traditional Great Lakes forest region.

The past few years have been good ones for Ponsse in the United States as the construction industry and, as a result, harvesting have turned to an increase. The harvesting method has also gained a foothold. The cut-to-length method has increased its popularity as productivity, ergonomics and eco-friendliness are emphasised. The model series has also been developed for the local conditions. In the Great Lakes region, hardwood accounts for 70% of all harvested wood. Ponsse North America Inc expects that the anniversary year will be one of the best ever, both for customers and Ponsse.

Market growth boosts investments In 2014/2015, the Rhinelander spare parts warehouse and Minnesota maintenance services were expanded. This year, new facilities will be built in Lower Michigan and a new facility was opened in Oregon in February. “The west coast is a new territory for Ponsse but we have done well there. In Oregon, trees may be more than a metre in diameter and up to 40–50 metres in length. We are selling Ponsse's largest harvesters in the area to first and secondary thinning sites,” says Pekka Ruuskanen, CEO of Ponsse North America Inc. “In addition, our harvester and processing heads are a good sell on the west coast.”

Long-term customer relationships form the cornerstone

The first PONSSE machine came to the United States in 1991 and was delivered to Earl St. John in Spalding, Michigan. Earl St. John has a highly active forest entrepreneur until the very end. The pioneer of the cut-to-length method died after a long illness on 14 September 2015, only a few days after he had visited the Great Lakes Logging Expo in September. During Ponsse's 40th anniversary in 2010, Earl St. John sent a letter to Ponsse's founder Einari Vidgrén. “I have believed in your honesty, saying we would be taken care of with first class parts and service. Einari, you were a man of your word during this transition. ”have always believed in your honesty after you said that Ponsse's spare part and maintenance services will always be there for us. I are truly a man of your word. Today, the first machine still runs with over 36,000 hours,” he wrote.

Ponsse North America employs 59 people. “Strengths of Ponsse North America are its long-term and productive customer relationships and its connections to the local forest industry. Ponsse's customer-oriented and down-to-earth values are a significant asset here in the US where openness and continuity are valued when it comes to customer relationships. Quoting the words of the company's founder: This is teamwork – nobody can succeed on their own. We have a good team and good customers here. We take things easy and relaxed, yet we work hard. After all, I have never met anyone wearing a suit and tie at forest sites,” Ruuskanen laughs. “We keep our feet firmly on the ground and have strong faith in the future – these are good tools to move forward!”

Currently, Ponsse North America is operating in all strategically important harvesting regions. It has facilities in Rhinelander (WI), Gladstone (MI), Gaylord (MI), Grand Rapids (MN) and Coburg (OR) on the west coast. In addition, Ponsse North America has four contractual service partners: Al's Mechanic Service in Glidden (Wisconsin), Berg's Service in Tigerton (Wisconsin), Arnie's Repair in Hayward (Wisconsin) and, the most recent addition, 906 Truck Service in L'Anse, Upper Michigan. On the east coast, full-line dealer Chadwick-BaRoss is responsible for machine sales, maintenance and spare parts.

Vieremä, 25 September 2015

PONSSE PLC

Further information:
Pekka Ruuskanen, managing director, Ponsse North America Inc, tel.:  +1 715-360-0064
Jarmo Vidgrén, sales and marketing director, Ponsse Plc, +358 40 519 1486
 

Photos from Great Lakes Logging Expo, Excanaba (MI):
http://www.ponsse.com/media-archive/images/events/2015/logging-congress-2015-escanaba-michigan-usa
Photos from the 20th anniversary celebration of Ponsse North America and the Rhinelander facility:
http://www.ponsse.com/media-archive/images/events/2015/ponsse-north-america-inc-s-20th-anniversary-celebration
Ponsse North America's Gladstone facility in a 1990s atmosphere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiIxPT5M_7k