Hylte Bruk, SWEDEN -- Stora Enso's transport managers use Cascade Tower Clamps with Adaptive Force Control (AFC) to ensure the exceptional quality their customers have come to expect.

As part of Stora Enso's sophisticated BasePort transport system, which integrates the Swedish rail system with the North Sea traffic, Stora Enso's lift trucks use Cascade Tower Clamps with AFC to load Stora Enso Cargo Units (SECUs)-standardized containers suitable for both trains and ships. The BasePort system, developed at Stora Enso, is designed to reduce direct handling to a minimum and improve efficiency while halving energy consumption and emissions. The system is responsible for delivering millions of tonnes of perfect product to customers all over the globe.

The effort to reduce handling presented the Hylte Bruk Mill with a serious challenge: to ensure damage-free handling during the few instances the roll must be handled. Cascade Corporation worked closely with Stora Enso to find the solution, and AFC was born. AFC is an automated system that integrates a Cascade roll clamp and force control technology with the lift truck's hydraulic system. AFC automatically controls the clamp force in proportion to the roll weight. This innovative technology prevents over- and under-clamping, the most common causes of paper roll damage.

Hakan Gustavsson, Vehicle Manager at Stora Enso Hylte Bruk, is pleased with the results. "Cascade's AFC system and paper damage reduction solutions help us save our paper from damage," Gustavsson says.

"Hylte Bruk's crucial need for damage-free handling played a key role in outlining and developing the working elements of our AFC system," says Tommy Abrahamsson, Paper Industry Manager at Cascade Europe.

A major feature of Cascade's Smartclamp Technology, AFC is the product of a close working relationship with the paper industry. "Finding solutions for Stora Enso has helped Cascade improve its products," Abrahamsson says.

Cascade's relationship with Stora Enso reflects the attachment manufacturer's commitment to find solutions for their customers. Says Gustavsson, "We choose to work with Cascade Corporation because they listen to our needs, help us develop for our future, and give us a level of support that is very important in our chain of paper suppliers."
Stora Enso's Hylte Bruk facility is one of the largest newsprint mills in the world, its paper is highly sought by customers as distant as Singapore for its superior quality.