Tero Hannonen, a transport entrepreneur, answers the phone at the wheel – as you might expect. However, this time he’s not heading to any of Metsä Group’s mills, but a Scania retailer in Joensuu. “I have to pick up a new transport lorry,” says Hannonen.
Run by Tero Hannonen, Veljekset Hannonen has a total of seven wood transport vehicles. Five of them are so-called forest lorries, and two are transport lorries, which differ from the former in that they are not equipped with a crane. No crane is needed, as the vehicles are only used for transports to mills. “This spring, we’re planning to get two new vehicles: one from Scania and one from Volvo,” Hannonen says.
Specialising in road transports
The history of Veljekset Hannonen, based in Kitee in eastern Finland, goes back to the early 1970s, when the brothers Heikki and Martti Hannonen set up a business contracting forest machines. In the 1980s, the younger brothers, Jukka and Arto, joined the business, and the company expanded into wood transport.
Forest machine contracting remained the company’s principal line of business for a long time. In connection with the generational handover in 2015, the company decided to specialise in road transports of wood. “The two oldest brothers withdrew from the operations, and we found it easier to focus on long-distance transports. In hindsight, the decision was a good one. We now cooperate with Metsä-Maijainen Oy, a company specialising in harvesting, and our cooperation has worked very well.”
Participants in a joint study
Since 2016, Veljekset Hannonen has carried out road transports with an 84-tonne HCT vehicle that requires a special permit from the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. “We are participating in a joint study run by Metsäteho and Metsä Group, which explores different tyre options and factors affecting rolling and fuel consumption,” says Hannonen.
A 10-axle combination can carry a larger pay load than a traditional 76-tonne combination. Fuel consumption is much the same in both combinations, which means that HCT combinations offer more energy-efficient transports.
Veljekset Hannonen is Metsä Group’s regional partner in Central Karelia, transporting wood to the mills in Lappeenranta, Joutseno and Simpele, for example. Cooperation began in the company’s early years. “It has continued positively ever since. Metsä Group is a reliable partner and has offered us the freedom to develop and renew ourselves,” says Hannonen.
As an example of renewal, Hannonen mentions Metsä Group’s terminal network. Terminals are interim storage areas for wood used during the forest heave periods in the spring, for example. “There were times when we had to use roadsides for interim storage, but that’s a thing of the past.”
A big help from the update to fuel provisions
According to Finnish Transport and Logistics (SKAL), the roughly 20 per cent increase in fuel prices since the beginning of the Ukraine war has hiked lorry transport expenses by more than 5 per cent. Some companies have taken their fleet off the road because of this.
Tero Hannonen appreciates Metsä Group reacting to the increasing fuel prices by updating its fuel provisions to help entrepreneurs. Despite the current fuel crisis, Hannonen believes his company has a bright future. Wood keeps moving, and plenty of work and labour are available. “You see news about a driver shortage, but we keep getting inquiries about work, which makes me optimistic.”
This article was originally published in issue 2/2022 of Metsä Group’s Viesti magazine.
Text: Maria Latokartano
Photo: Harri Mäenpää