Since 2006, Hector Rail has collaborated with SCA Skog to transport roundwood from their inland terminals to industries along the northern Swedish coast. Today, we are the company’s main supplier of rail transport and in 2025 SCA Skog reached record levels with over 3.1 million cubic meters of roundwood transported by rail.
SCA Skog conducts extensive operations within the forest industry in northern Sweden and supplies raw materials to both sawmills and biomass production. As the business has grown, through investments in increased production capacity and expanded facilities, the need for efficient transport solutions has also increased. The company has a need for their transport to both be cost-effective and have a low climate impact. “Transporting timber by rail is beneficial for both the environment and profitability” (Viktor Wasell, 2026). In this context, Hector Rail plays a crucial role: a single train corresponds to approximately 55 timber trucks, making a significant difference in both emissions and efficiency.
Maintaining a high and stable volume on rail is crucial for us. It creates the right conditions for cost-efficient timber flows while reducing our climate impact.
Like many of our customers, SCA Skog has a strong need for efficient and flexible solutions. A clear example of this occurred in late winter 2025, when the Storm Johannes hit. Hector Rail’s Contract Manager, Monica Sjöström, describes how the customer’s transport volumes increased significantly as large amounts of storm-damaged timber needed to be handled. In a short period of time, demand increased from 6 to 30 trains per month from a single terminal, a shift that required both flexibility and rapid mobilization.
Through close collaboration, we work together with SCA in a dedicated customer team. When requirements change, we can quickly scale up capacity, deploy additional locomotives and wagons, and ensure the right resources are in place. Our flat organization and short decision-making paths enable us to act quickly and efficiently, even in demanding situations.