Kesla’s forestry equipment harvests better profitability with Strenx® steel

With its roots in agricultural equipment manufacturing, Kesla has been a family-run business for 60 years. The Finnish company manufactures integrated material handling equipment, including mobile and stationary cranes, tractor loaders, and forestry equipment and attachments like forestry cranes, chippers, grapples and harvester heads. The company exports its products to more than 30 countries.

Upgrading to Strenx^® 700MC Plus brings concrete benefits, on the job and in the workshop

Kesla has long used Strenx^® high strength structural steel for its forestry attachments.

“The quality of the steel is a key factor for our clients, who expect our products to withstand significant loads, constant use and extreme weather conditions,” says Miia Tirkkonen, marketing specialist at Kesla.

Basically this means that most of Kesla’s products are today made of Strenx^® 700 MC Plus, which the company switched to from a lower steel grade a few years ago. This Strenx^® steel can potentially replace S690QL, S355 or S700MC steel in highly demanding applications.

According to the company, Strenx^® 700MC Plus has introduced tangible benefits in the workshop. The steel can be processed more accurately in production since the same steel can be used to produce not only crane beams but also several smaller crane components. Thanks to the precise measurements of the Strenx® 700MC Plus, the product can be used more efficiently while eliminating the number of faulty pieces.

Other benefits of Strenx^® 700MC Plus include its tight dimensional tolerances for predictable production and its excellent bending properties. In fact, the same bending tools as for S355 steel can be used. Since it has a smooth surface quality, it is also easy to weld, cut and coat. It delivers high impact toughness and resistance to cracking.

Thanks to the versatility of the Strenx^® 700 MC Plus, the factory was able to halve the amount of sheet products, which facilitates production planning and material management.

Innovative crane design for extreme durability

Crane design often involves a compromise between weight and durability. Strenx^® 700 MC Plus made it possible to design a lighter crane without compromising its durability. The material can withstand temperatures as low as -60°C (-76°F) making the product usable even in challenging locations like Siberia.

These days, Kesla’s customers get to enjoy an even better product even though the old products performed well, too. Such products are still in active use, in some cases logging up thousands of hours of operation, subjecting the crane structures to significant stress over time. Thanks to high-quality materials and craftsmanship, Kesla’s forestry equipment also boasts a good resale value.

Certified My Inner Strenx^® products for undisputed quality and higher resale values

Kesla is a member of the My Inner Strenx^® program for manufacturers that care about quality as well as their bottom line. The program provides an excellent way for companies to highlight quality products that feature premium quality steel, as well as manufacturing processes that meet high quality standards. It thus helps members differentiate their brand, increase their market presence and even get better resale values on their equipment.

“The My Inner Strenx sign signifies quality without any extra explanations needed,” Tirkkonen concludes.

Customer benefits

• Reliable performance, even in extremely low temperatures
• High yield strength enables innovative designs of lighter weight equipment and increased lifting capacity 
• High resale value on used My Inner Strenx^® certified equipment
• Tight dimensional tolerances for predictable, efficient production
• Excellent bending properties, smooth surface quality

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Strenx^® performance steel can make your products stronger, lighter, safer, more competitive and more sustainable. We call it performance steel, because it adds performance beyond ordinary structural steel.

Find out what upgrading to Strenx^® can do for your products and your business