The Actros with three axles: Silvano Ronzani delivering chestnut wood

Economics & Logistics

Back to the roots.

The Ronzani brothers from Grantola are one of the main suppliers of chestnut-wood products in Italy and Switzerland. Silvano Ronzani drives one of the company's two Actros.

Independence: a crane is mounted to the Actros so that Silvano can load the wood directly in the yards.
Independence: a crane is mounted to the Actros so that Silvano can load the wood directly in the yards.
Demand increased significantly in 2002 and the company then bought its own truck. Silvano has been driving the truck himself ever since.
Demand increased significantly in 2002 and the company then bought its own truck. Silvano has been driving the truck himself ever since.

Moisture resistance: the decisive factor for farmers and wineries when it comes to the manufacture of posts and fences made from chestnut wood – until this wood was replaced by concrete around 50 years ago.
His production slowed down, but in recent years the chestnut-wood post has made a revival in the wineries and is now also being used for fences in woods and stables. Brothers Ilario and Silvano Ronzani are backing this wood to make a real comeback.

The company, which is based in Grantola in the Italian province of Varese, is currently one of the main suppliers of chestnut-wood products not only in Italy but above all in neighbouring Switzerland.



And the boss sits literally at the wheel.

At least one of the company's two Actros vehicles crosses the border every day to deliver the end products and to collect more tree trunks for processing. Silvano Ronzani takes it on himself to drive, load and unload the three-axle Actros 2553, which is fitted with an unloading crane and two-axle trailer. “I always had a passion for trucks and I got my truck driving licence when I was 18, even though when we started the business we didn't have our own vehicles and the haulage was done by third-party carriers,” Silvano explains. The increase in sales in 2002 led to the company buying its own vehicle and Silvano adopting the role of driver. The model he drives today was bought by the Ronzani company in November 2016, but it is fitted with the reconditioned crane from the first truck: “It's perfect for lifting the tree trunks and is still working well. So we had no reason to replace it.”


The day begins on the seat of the crane.

Silvano's day begins on the seat of the crane as he loads the posts to be delivered to customers in Switzerland. “The crane allows me to load and unload completely independently in the yards and woods.” Once loading has been completed, sometimes with a little help from Ilario in the forklift, Silvano then secures everything with the straps, a task which has to be performed very carefully due to the strict inspections. Then he sets off towards the Swiss border, which is only a few kilometres from the company's location.

Crossing the border.

“There are two border points very close by, Ponte Tresa and Gaggiolo. The first is quicker to reach, but it has a weight limit of 34 tonnes. So if the truck weighs more, I have to cross the border at Gaggiolo.” Before entering Switzerland, Silvano has to stop at the customs agent in order to complete the customs formalities: “The documents have to be ready when we arrive at the border, but sometimes we have to wait for the inspections by the customs officials. Waiting too long can lead to delayed deliveries, though. When returning to Italy, we have to cross the border by 6.00 p.m. at the latest, as that is when the customs offices close and we would have wait in Switzerland until the next morning.”



The turbo retarder clutch is a big help.

After delivering the end products and collecting more wood, Silvano has to drive on challenging mountain roads and thereby calls on the full 390 kW of his Actros: “The engine does a great job. What's more, the braking effect of the engine, together with that of the turbo retarder clutch, allows me to drive long downhill stretches, like the one on the San Bernardino and Mont Blanc routes, without having to use the brake.”



Photos: Michele Latorre

9 comments