It is said that he knows more about ANAB's machines than ANAB themselves. The industry calls him the Chain Professor and after a lengthy interview about the history and innovation of the forestry industry, from the perspective of chain sharpening, there is no doubt about the significance of 72-year-old Rolf Gustafsson from Kalix for ANAB's success.
For 40 years he has made his living from chain sharpening. In addition to his own sharpening business, it is the evening phone calls with ANAB manager Anders Nilsson that keep the inexhaustible source of knowledge and Rolf Gustafsson from Kalix in the game.
— I have never sent out a chain that I know has a single bad tooth. It is about concentration and precision. When I have fine-tuned the machine and it is running as it should, it is still, after almost four decades in the industry, a pure pleasure, says 72-year-old Gustafsson when we meet him during one of his many visits to ANAB in Ås.
Since the 1980s, Gustafsson and Nilsson have followed each other via parallel paths in various business ventures.
— At the time I handled 60% of all chain sharpening in Sweden through the companies Skog och Alltjänst in Edsbyn and Himlinge Skogsservice. It involved enormous volumes from Skåne in the south to Åre in the north.
Despite the fact that chain sharpening is one of the most decisive factors for the production of a multi-million-krona harvester, it was not until just before the millennium that the development of grinding machines really took off.
— The forestry industry had a slow development for a long time, but when the automatic grinding machines arrived in the mid-1980s the rules of the game changed. In 1995 the systems went from pneumatic to electronic drive. ANAB then gradually accelerated development from the year 2000. At that time people thought the company had a high pace of innovation, but compared with what has happened here in recent years it was nothing, says Gustafsson, testifying to the fact that a great deal is happening at ANAB right now.
When Gustafsson continues to look towards the future of the industry, it is inevitable to talk about automation. The robust quality that ANAB already delivers, together with automation of today's manual systems, could take the company to new markets.
— The next step in automation at ANAB, which is already under development, is the production of CBN wheels. Instead of purchasing from China and South Africa, that production could take place here in-house and all sold machines could continue to run on ANAB's CBN wheels, which are built for and adapted to ANAB's machines. Today many people buy a grinding machine from ANAB but wheels from other manufacturers. The next step is to automate the operating system. Even today the machines are built from the most durable components, which means they could handle round-the-clock work.
72 years old he has become, the Chain Professor. The passion for the art of sharpening is equally pleasingly tangible.
— In recent times I have "helped out" at a sharpener's. In fact, I am actually in the process of considering starting up on my own again. Much of my time revolves around sharpening, including around three quality calls per week with Anders Nilsson and some visits at regular intervals here at ANAB's premises. From my perspective as a professional, there are few things that can match a perfectly sharpened machine chain, concludes Gustafsson.
