Feature

Continuing our series on forestry in South America, this month former New Zealand forester Simon Adamson looks at a logging operation in Chile.

Intercontinental Contracting Corp. (ICC) is not your run of the mill logging contractor. It was born in mid 2008 out of a desire to show best practice in logging by three shareholders in their different, but related, roles.

In Chile it is normal for the forestry company to approve a harvesting system before allowing contractors to buy. While Tigercat dealer Latin Equipment had a lot of success selling equipment into Eucalyptus harvesting, it couldn’t match that success in the Radiata sector. Tigercat’s CEO Ken MacDonald from Canada shared the frustration and together, manufacturer and distributor decided to put their money where their mouths were. They formed ICC; a contracting company that would show potential customers hands-on, the technical, operational and commercial success the equipment maker and local dealer claimed.

Ken MacDonald points out that this is a personal investment: “Why did I and my family invest in a forest harvesting company in Chile? It was to prove a point and to help reduce costs for the entire harvesting community.