SCA Wood Scandinavia invests in wireless condition monitoring from SPM

Swedish forestry company SCA, through its wood-processing division SCA Wood Scandinavia, has chosen to invest in the wireless sensor Airius LTE-M for vibration monitoring of fans in the planing mill in Tunadal.

The Tunadal sawmill on the northeast coast of Sweden is now investing in Airius LTE-M wireless sensors for vibration and temperature measurement to monitor process-critical fans in the planing mill. Airius LTE-M sends measurement data via Telia’s mobile network directly to SCA’s local server, where the analysis and diagnostics software, Condmaster Ruby 2026, is installed and the data is stored. SPM’s condition monitoring department, SPM Academy & Consulting, is responsible for remote monitoring and analysis of automatic alarms. Via the ServiceNet portal, relevant SCA personnel can access machine condition reports as well as alarm and monthly reports. SPM’s service engineers will install sensors and analysis software during the summer of 2026.

The investment also includes the handheld BearingChecker and VibChecker instruments. BearingChecker measures shock pulse levels to determine mechanical condition and detect potential problems before damage occurs, for example, in motors or fans, while VibChecker is used for early detection of problems such as misalignment or imbalance using vibration measurements. Both instruments provide instant condition evaluation in intuitive green–yellow–red color coding.

Commenting on the investment, SCA Wood’s site manager at the planing mill, Verner Bergman, said: “With this investment, we get early warning and can analyze if we have bearing problems or similar issues with the hard-to-reach fans on the roof. This can help us avoid production stops and, in the worst case, a serious fire. A relatively simple installation, but still good enough to be able to handle any problems in a planned and controlled way. We see the same advantages with the handheld instruments that will be used on the planer, the splitting saw, and the pellet plant in the first place.”

SCA Wood Scandinavia is part of the SCA forest group, one of Sweden’s largest forest and wood industry companies with operations in forest, wood, paper, pulp, and renewable energy.