Lesbats optimises material logistics with Toploader systems
Waste wood and bark provide valuable energy for the plant while sawdust forms the basis for pellet production. The French wood processing company Lesbats Scieries d’Aquitaine combines both of these processes in a well thought out material logistics system.
The company uses four Vecoplan Toploader systems – an automated storage and conveying system specially designed for bulk materials. The system not only functions as a storage box, but it also includes 24/7 material receiption as well as automated unloading.
Lesbats Scieries d’Aquitaine is one of the leading wood processing companies in France. At its headquarters in Léon and in several of its plants in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the company processes wood into construction products, offers services such as sawing, drying and planing and produces glued components used for supporting structures and façades. In 2024, the sawmill in Saint-Perdon expanded its capacity with a new pellet production plant.
The focus was not only on the reliable extraction of the raw materials, a sustainable energy supply for the plant was also a top priority. The newly installed system from the mechanical engineering company Vecoplan does it all. It includes a conveyor belt, several closed drag chain conveyors for the best possible dust-free material transport and a vibrating separator for an effective screening of the material to the desired fraction size. The Vecoplan system also includes four upstream VTL Toploader systems, which ensure the consistent and reliable storage of wood chips, bark and sawdust.
Precise control of two material cycles
At Lesbats, the four Toploaders play a central role in production: controlling two material cycles that are essential for the smooth operation of the plant. Part of the material stored in the Toploaders consists of shredded bark, which is transported directly into a combustion chamber. Through the combustion hot air is generated, which dries the sawdust from 50% down to 10% moisture content.
At the same time, the Toploaders transport the sawdust and wood chips. The material is first fed into a screen, which passes on fine wood particles immediately, while larger pieces of wood are shredded first. Then, the processed material is fed into a drying drum, where it’s optimally prepared for pellet production. This precisely controlled conveying system enables Lesbats to optimise the energy consumption and maintain production with no interruptions.
Why use Toploaders? The advantages of the 3-in-1 technology
Companies often face challenges when processing waste wood. First of all, the material must be received and stored efficiently. Then it must be transported onwards evenly with the lowest possible energy consumption. In the worst-case scenario, however, malfunctions can cause production downtimes. This is where the VTL Toploader from Vecoplan comes into play.
The fully automated bulk material storage solution is particularly suitable for handling wood chips, sawdust and bark, as its intelligent design enables the material to be discharged evenly. Thanks to its robust design and unique functionality the Vecoplan Toploader technology stands out from conventional systems. A shovel moves continuously over the bulk material’s surface, discharging it onto the conveyor belt in precisely metered quantities.
This ensures a fully automated, continuous flow of material with neither blockages nor material accumulations. That’s a decisive advantage for the processes at Lesbats: “Above all, the Vecoplan Toploader impressed us with its user-friendliness and reliability. The controls are intuitive, operation is fully automatic and we hardly ever need to intervene manually. This not only saves time, it also keeps our production running smoothly,” explains Florence Zarfdjian, Head of Development at Lesbats Scieries d’Aquitaine.
Conventional discharge systems often require complex silos or deeply recessed hoppers. The Toploader, on the other hand, works on flat surfaces, so it can be integrated into existing systems flexibly. There is no need of complicated foundation works. This reduces the space required and simplifies maintenance.
Maximum flexibility instead of rigid solutions
The integration of new systems into an existing production environment often comes with challenges – especially at the interfaces to already installed machines. In the Lesbats plant, the Vecoplan technology had to be smoothly connected with the existing storage containers, the hammer mill and the boiler. “The integration into the existing system went smoothly,” says Florence Zarfdjian. “However, one additional challenge did arise during commissioning: we wanted to produce a mixture of sawdust and wood chips in one Toploader and operate the plant in parallel with another Toploader. But working closely with Vecoplan, we soon found a practicable solution.”
Joel Talla, Project Manager at Vecoplan, explains: “Complex projects in particular show how important an adaptable solution is. The flexible design of our technology allowed us to adapt quickly to the changing conditions at Lesbats.” Besides the smooth integration, Lesbats also placed particular importance on a constant flow of material into the drying drum. Thanks to the Toploader’s precise dosing, the raw material flow remained stable, with neither interruptions nor bottlenecks.
The conclusion: sustainable efficiency in wood processing
By investing in the Toploader VTL from Vecoplan, Lesbats has installed a state-of-the-art and sustainable solution for its material logistics. Thanks to the efficient storage and conveyor technology waste wood is used optimally throughout,energy generation and pellet production run smoothly, enabling the company to make even more efficient use of its resources. This example shows clearly that with the right conveyor and storage technology, processes can not only be optimised but also be made more economical and sustainable.
Source: Vecoplan AG
