ONE of the world’s biggest producers of wood-based panel products has added another Liebherr machine to its UK equipment fleet.

Egger makes high-quality chipboard using a combination of virgin timber and waste wood to keep its plant at Hexham in Northumberland supplied with raw material. Its Timberpak subsidiary, which is responsible for collecting and processing waste timber, feeds the plant from three locations in England and one in Scotland.

A Liebherr L 580 XPower wheeled loader is the latest fleet addition at Timberpak’s north-east plant in Washington, joining a pair of LH 24 material handlers – one wheeled, one tracked – already working on the site.

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The yard takes in a variety of materials from local authorities and private recyclers, usually in bulk tippers and walking-floor trailers. With the two LH 24s sorting the material and loading the shredder and screeners, the new XPower is unloading curtain-sided trailers and moving the incoming material around the yard prior to processing. The 28-tonne machine, which replaced a competitor’s model, was supplied with Liebherr’s industrial arm equipment, hydraulic quick hitch and light-material, high-tip bucket.

Forestry Journal:

Given the dusty environment, the specification included wide-core radiator, reversible fan, engine air pre-cleaner, rear crash protection, drivetrain undercovers, cylinder protection and a mesh screen guard. The machine also has a 360-degree camera system, an array of LED lighting to allow operation in all conditions, and a fire-suppression package.

Mark Hayton, Timberpak’s director, said: “The L 580 is a great product. The operators like it, our supervisors like it because it delivers to production we require, and our accountants like it as it is very good on the fuel. We are very happy with the loader’s performance and the backup we are receiving from the team at Liebherr GB.”