Ponsse marks 55 years in business with its 21,000th machine
Finland's Ponsse is celebrating two significant milestones – 55 years in business and the production of its 21,000th machine.
In January 2025, the 21,000th Ponsse-manufactured machine, a Buffalo forwarder, left the production line at the Vieremä factory en route to the American company Scheff Logging & Trucking.
This year marks five and a half decades since Ponsse founder Einari Vidgren opened the Finnish plant, with the brand now well-established in most plantation forestry countries. The company employs over 2,000 people.
Jarmo Vidgren, chair of Ponsse's board of directors, commented, "Since the earliest days, Ponsse's driving force has been the belief that only the best people, in cooperation with customers and stakeholders, can develop and manufacture the best forest machines in the world".
Vidgren said, "As a result of long-term cooperation, Ponsse has grown over the years to become the world's leading manufacturer of cut-to-length forest machines."
Since 2020, Ponsse's partnership with its South African dealer, MTS, has increased the brand's presence in the region.
MTS is based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. This province, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Southern Cape are the country's forestry centres. MTS appointed a network of sub-dealers to assist Ponsse and it in providing state-of-the-art equipment and service.
The sub-dealers are in Mkhondo in Mpumalanga, Empangeni and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal, and George in the southern Cape. Ponsse, MTS and the sub-dealers believe the future of South Africa's forestry industry is promising. They reiterate their commitment to maintaining strong customer relationships and providing exceptional support.
