OREANDA-NEWS. A meeting between Ilim Pulp corporation top management and representatives of John Deere, its exclusive supplier of harvesting complexes, took place at Ilim Pulp’s central office, on April, 26, 2007, reported the press-centre of  Ilim Pulp. Ilim Pulp’s top management was represented by Sergey Kostylev, its General Director, and Alexander Emdin, the corporation’s Chief Financial Officer. Also present at the meeting were Oleg Kosolapov, General Director of Baltles, and Sergey Anshukov, General Director of IlimSeverLes. John Deere was represented by Richard Linn, Financial Director of John Deere Forestry Oy, Jeffrey Bloom, consumer goods department financial director, Timu Kutala, Marketing Director of John Deere Forestry Oy, and other staff.


One of the central issues on the agenda was the need to provide Ilim Pulp with higher quality equipment, as well as to improve performance of John Deere’s Siberia-based dealer. Ilim Pulp representatives stated basic points that required attention from John Deere in the course of future deliveries to the corporation’s plants. Taking these remarks into account John Deere experts carried out a special meeting with the company’s dealers afterwards in order to provide a higher quality of maintenance for John Deere equipment. Apart from that, there has been appointed a special task group that is to visit Siberia in three weeks and work out a detailed plan on how to address these issues. During the discussion, John Deere representatives agreed with Ilim Pulp’s suggestion that John Deere should provide additional training to several Ilim Pulp’s employees so that they may work as licensed mechanics. The list of trainees has been approved.


Another point of discussion was construction of a consignment storehouse in Bratsk with a capacity high enough to house John Deere machines working in the region. The construction is aimed at raising maintenance efficiency, as well as lowering operating costs. The programme addressing this issue is to be worked out in May. The participants also discussed financial terms for future contracts of delivery by John Deere taking into account the changes in current international economic situation. Ilim Pulp and John Deere signed a general agreement in 2004 in order to reequip technically the corporation’s logging companies and put into operation modern multifunctional equipment. Today, there are 99 John Deere machines in Ilim Pulp’s fleet, including 40 harvesters, 48 forwarders, 3 felling machines, 4 skidders, 1 chopper and 3 loaders. Around 30% of corporation’s logging is produced with the help of imported equipment.