Optimisation de la production de la scierie CUF d’Ebolowa à travers l’étude du rendement matière de trois essences (padouk, okan, moabi).

Abstract

Wood processing is an industry that generates huge amounts of waste throughout the production process. This waste production results in lower yields. Thus, the wood processing industries have difficulty in obtaining a significant yield. It is within this framework that a study was conducted within the Cameroon United Forest (CUF) with the aim of contributing to the improvement of wood production in the primary processing units. To achieve this, the study aimed to: (1) evaluate the material yield of the selected species, (2) identify the parameters that cause material loss, (3) compare the thickness of the pieces coming out of the head saw and that of the control, and analyze the frequencies of appearance of defects for different diameter intervals of the samples. The data necessary for the study were collected through reading documents and publications related to wood processing. Then, interviews and direct observations were conducted to identify the different parameters that cause the material loss. The Ishikawa 5M cause and effect diagram was used to present, by family, all the possible causes of material loss observed; the Pareto diagram was used to classify the causes of loss in order of importance. The qualitative and quantitative analyses were made using Excel 2010 and the statistical software Graph-Pad. The study showed that defects and inaccuracy of the head saw are the main causes of material losses in sawmills. Although the difference between the thicknesses of the pieces of wood leaving the head saw and those of the order is not significant, it can lead to important losses for high volumes of cuttings. The frequency of defect occurrence differs significantly with increasing log diameter in Moabi and Padouk, as opposed to Okan. Recommendations for reasonable decision making were formulated to reduce material losses.