A COST BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE ANALYSIS ON THE GRINDING OF LOGGING RESIDUES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF JAPANESE AND AMERICAN OPERATIONS

Abstract

Operations of grinding logging residues and transporting wood chips were investigated in Japan and the U.S. The total cost of the U.S. grinding and transporting operations was calculated as 69.4 US$/BDT, resulting in the equivalent level with the Japanese operation (71.2 US$/BDT), although the productivity of the U.S. grinder was higher than that of the Japanese grinder as well as the capacity of chip van in the U.S. was larger than that of truck in Japan. This study discusses the detail of cost calculation by comparing the cost breakdown structure between Japanese and American operations.