In this series of articles we will be sharing snippets from the Swedish Forestry Expo. 

JOHN Deere chose to put the focus on services, recruitment and operator training. 

It brought a total of 11 machines to show off, choosing to showcase its G-series and the latest harvester head models.

The latest Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) innovations, Intelligent Harvester Head Control (IHHC), and the new TimberMatic Maps were promoted, all designed to make working easier for operators.

But the highlight was perhaps a display of IBC 3.0, which brings more automated functions to forwarders.

Many forwarder drivers will be familiar with IBC technology, but this latest incarnation promises to be the most helpful and effortless yet.

With the new version, IBC 3.0, at the push of a button the boom automatically moves to the position from which the previous grapple load was taken – both when loading and unloading logs. The boom can also be automatically moved into transporting position at the push of a button.

Visitors had the chance to see the G-series forwarders’ IBC 3.0 functionality in action.

Henrik Johansson, John Deere’s country manager for Sweden, said: “The existing IBC automated crane operation, but now we’re taking it to the next step.

READ MORE: Getting the lowdown on Ponsse's EV1 electric forwarder concept

“All the moves when the grapple is empty will be conducted automatically at the push of a button. We hope that will be a big thing for the operator, to have some space to relax – even if it’s short. We think it will make it easier for our customers to hire new operators as it will be simpler to operate, so we think it will be very much appreciated.”    

Commenting on the show itself, he said: “It’s been very good. We’ve had a lot of visitors – more than expected. We think it’s a very good concept and will get better and better.”

Keep an eye across our channels for much more content from the first Swedish Forestry Expo.