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Jaime Ramírez Uribe, the Innovative Entrepreneur Who Invented a More Efficient Logging Tower System

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Innovation is not a foreign concept in the national—and why not, global—forestry sector. The adversities faced in the field compel modifications to production methods, especially when most of the work is carried out in forests.

Worldwide, many machinery manufacturers are daily designing and creating new tools, vehicles, and systems to facilitate the task, while also meticulously tracking operations.

This is something that, in Chile—and particularly from San Pedro de la Paz in the Biobío Region—Jaime Ramírez also pursues. As manager and founder of Metalmecánica Formatic Ltda., his company focuses on the maintenance, assembly, and manufacturing of logging towers, equipment for steep slopes used to transport trees, logs, or timber from the forest to wood storage yards.

Ramírez, originally from Lota, is a mechanical technician. Since the early 90s, he has worked in various companies as Head of Production and Technical and After-Sales Service, overseeing the assembly and installation of logging towers, as well as operational commissioning and field training.

Thanks to these beginnings and over the years, he specialized in the forestry sector. He spoke with contractors to offer services, even though they wanted to hire him directly. "I wanted to start my own business, and since I was involved with logging towers, I specialized in them," he recalled.

Equipped to Move Forward

The first years were solely about learning to deepen their capabilities, which bore fruit with the manufacturing of a mobile winch for advancing a line for Forestal Millalemu. "This made us realize we were capable of producing high-level work with good results," he said.

In 2021, they began analyzing the production of a logging tower, a product he had seen in 1998 in South Africa. Back then, he proposed the idea to his boss, but it went unheard. Undeterred, he conducted a study with contractors who owned towers, identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

Earlier, in 2009, while serving as production manager at Urus, he decided to propose that the company design and install a 360° rotating bearing (turntable) on an Urus III tower. It became the first tower of its brand worldwide with this mechanism, showcased at Expocorma the following year, earning strong approval from forestry sector stakeholders and boosting sales.

Thus, in 2012, Metalmecánica Formatic Ltda. was founded to offer forestry contractors a new national alternative for updated technical services for logging towers of various brands.

Today, the company has a team of 14 professionals and technicians dedicated to research and development (R&D). After a year of exploration, they proposed manufacturing a logging tower to be mounted on a 30-ton or larger excavator.

Ramírez emphasized that the support of SK Comercial was crucial in this challenge, as they provided an excavator free of charge for hydraulic power calculations, structural assembly, and field testing. "By reducing the excavator's tonnage, the entire setup weighs 42 tons, making it more compact, easier to transport—even to storage yards—with cutting-edge technology," he explained.

Improving the Process

But that’s not all. The executive noted that after months of researching steep-slope logging equipment, they set out to improve the data process by integrating a control, monitoring, and telemetry system to enhance productivity and operational safety.

"Essentially, it tracks hourly cycles and real daily logging distances, enabling monthly work projections. This data can be reviewed via telemetry, optimizing client processes and increasing productivity. Unlike current logging towers, which rely on estimates, our system provides real-time values, ensuring total accuracy and better decision-making—whether projecting operations or assessing potential downtime impacts," Ramírez stated.

Additionally, the operational system includes a monitor with a camera for winch visibility, real-time carriage tracking along the line, an aerial load cell, adjustable ascent/descent speeds to control carriage movement across intermediate supports, and base machine engine acceleration adjustments to reduce fuel consumption—enhancing efficiency and environmental care, among other features.

Initial tests of this prototype, unprecedented worldwide, were conducted on a Forestal Mininco property. Later, Jorge Jiménez, manager of Forestal San Agustín, hosted production trials in their Arauco operations in Valdivia.

"In its first month, the Andes600—as it was named—extracted 6,000 cubic meters despite operating in yards not designed for such machinery. By the second month, it reached nearly 9,000, which remains the average today. The results were excellent, prompting Forestal San Agustín to purchase the prototype," he said.

As a result, the company ordered a second unit, currently in production, and another contractor has also requested a tower—proving that the ingenuity, work, and effort of this Chilean entrepreneur bear fruit in an innovation-driven industry like forestry.