Johan Eriksson, COO at ForestX visited Pune, India in the spring of 2024. Together with colleagues at ForestX’s office in Pune, they developed ForestX’s collaboration between the teams in Sweden and India.
In addition to work, the team also visited the Bhuleshwar temple and looked at the beautiful carvings there.
Johan Eriksson, COO, visits Pune Read More »
Gothenburg
ForestX is everywhere, as you may have noticed! Meet the team behind ForestX’s communication.
Ida Linstedt , Emma Nordenstedt and Christer Lindqvist are the team responsible for ForestX’s communication.
– As a relatively new and initially small company, it is important to be seen and noticed. We have invested in being transparent and showing who we are and what we do, says marketing director and co-founder Christer Lindqvist.
– I often get comments that I understand come from the person seeing something on LinkedIn. Someone might say; “Oh, you’re hiring” or ” You have so many things going on”. Then I know we’ve reached out.
Ida Linstedt makes sure that everything works with the web design, the technology, updates on the website and e-mails. In addition, she works with the UI design of ForestX’s own products with a focus on user-friendliness.
– I am both involved in the work with our products and then involved in the marketing work. It gives me a deeper understanding of what ForestX does and is.
Emma Nordenstedt has the role of market communicator and writes, among other things, texts and updates for ForestX . She has a background as a reporter and editor in the daily press.
– What I take with me from journalism and the newspaper world is that people like to read about other people. By telling about who works here, the reader also gets a good picture of the company, what we can do and what we can achieve with our knowledge.
Emma alternates the task at ForestX with other things, in a slightly scattered mix.
– I am also editor-in-chief of the Swedish Association for Premature Births newspaper and debate editor for a local morning newspaper. During one day, I can interview a parent of a premature child and then talk about the latest digital solutions for the forest with someone from ForestX . It’s a mix that keeps me alert!
ForestX often hires the Gothenburg-based photographer Carina Gran for photo assignments. Over the years, there have been more and more for her to kneel into the group photos.
– When I’m away on a mission, I often have people in front of the camera, that’s one of the best things I know! At ForestX, there can also be people from all over the world, the office then becomes like a familiar meeting place with several nationalities and the atmosphere is warm and lively. On one occasion it is an employee from India, on another it is someone from the office in Växjö and on the third occasion I get a former hockey professional from Canada in front of the camera when a collaboration partner is visiting. It’s really fun! says Carina.
Besides ForestX, Carina Gran’s clients include various real estate companies, NCC, the Gothenburg School of Economics and various newspapers.
In the slideshow below, you can see some of Carina’s photos from ForestX .
Name: Ida Linstedt
Age: 43 years
Lives: Kungsladugård, Gothenburg
Title: UI Designer
Favorite tree: Magnolia
Best nature experience: Hike in Bruksvallarna
Favorite apps :
GöteborgsPosten, local news from Gothenburg,
Booli / Hemnet
Apple Podcasts
Frequently visited web pages:
Dagens Nyheter
IMDB
ForestX.se
Age: 44 years
Lives: Ulricehamn
Title: Marketing communicator
Favorite tree: I have high hopes for the pear tree “Göteborgs diamant” which I planted in the garden a few years ago. Maybe it will bear fruit this year.
Best nature experience: The cliffs in Bohuslän.
Favorite Apps :
SR Play
SMHI
Frequently visited web pages:
Svenska Dagbladet
Dagens Nyheter
Various Swedish seed shops
Name: Christer Lindqvist
Age: 63 years
Lives: Gothenburg
Title: Marketing manager
Favorite trees: Oak and Beech
Best nature experience: The Vasalopp tracks in summer
Favorite apps :
GP
IReversi (like to play a little Othello when I need to clear my head)
Frequently visited web pages:
ForestX.se
Moraik.se
Behind the scenes: Meet the ForestX marketing team Read More »
Gothenburg, Sweden
ForestX returns to Trä & Teknik, the Wood & Technology exhibition, the largest meeting place for the wood industry in the Nordic region. The fair takes place between September 3 and 6 this year at Svenska mässan in Gothenburg.
The Wood & Techlology exhibition takes place just a few steps away from ForestX’s headquarters on Sofierogatan in the heart of Gothenburg.
During the exhibition, ForestX will focus on Optinex, our optimization and planning system for the sawmill industry. The system is already in use with several of our well-known customers in Sweden and Europe.
Of course, we are happy to talk about everything that has to do with the digitalization of the forest. Keep an eye out here on the website and in our LinkedIn feed for more news about our participation at the fair.
ForestX also participated at the 2022 exhibition.
Read more on the Trä & Teknik website.
ForestX returns to Trä & Teknik in September 2024 Read More »
Gothenburg
From a handful of people in an office hotel on the outskirts of Gothenburg in 2018 to over 50 coworkers in several countries today. Founders Christer Lindqvist and Carl Barck summarize ForestX’s first five years – and look ahead.
In autumn 2023, ForestX was named Gasell 2023 by leading Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri for its rapid and stable growth. It coincided with the company’s fifth anniversary and is a good starting point to sum up the years that have passed.
“We simply created the company that was missing in the industry; an IT consulting company with products that work towards the forest industry's core processes."
How was the idea for ForestX born? How did you see the needs of the forestry industry five years ago?
Christer Lindqvist: Carl and I have always had the same vision since we got to know each other in the 1990s. We want to develop processes and technology in the forest industry through smart and good solutions.
Carl Barck: We simply created the company that was missing in the industry; an IT consulting company with products that work against the forest industry’s core processes. All industries need this kind of company, which works with digitization for a specific industry.
Christer Lindqvist: With ForestX we have added a number of dimensions. It is about:
Through this, our customers get better control of their information, more efficient processes, increased profitability, faster and simpler decisions and the opportunity to adapt their systems to new technological possibilities.
Carl Barck: IT and digitization are general tools, but when it is to be used and applied, one must understand the business. We do it because we have so much forestry expertise in the company, a third of our employees have a forestry background. Honestly, there is no equivalent to us in all of Europe, maybe not even globally.
How has ForestX grown?
Christer Lindqvist: We have grown entirely organically with a well-thought-out method based on an open and flexible model to be able to collaborate in various forms of ecosystems with our customers and partners. Within the framework of our business concept, we want to operate in the entire forest value chain from seed to finished product, but in practice we have so far mostly worked in forestry and the wood industry.
Carl Barck: Geographically, we have gone from having been focused on Sweden and Scandinavia to now, after five years, seeing the whole of Europe as our main market. In practical terms, we have established offices in several Swedish cities and in two locations in Europe. In addition, we have our team in India.
"Honestly, there is no equivalent to us in the whole of Europe, perhaps not even globally."
Any milestones to mention?
Christer Lindqvist: They are many! From our first office in Gothenburg until we were able to inaugurate our office in India in the spring of 2023. Then I remember things like the first license deal for Optinex at Pfeifer in Austria and when we implemented CFHarvest at HedeDanmark . The Gaselle award we received in autumn 2023 from Dagens Industri confirms and summarizes how steady our growth journey has been.
Carl Barck: I would especially like to mention our deals in Europe with Pfeifer, Mayr-Melnhof and Rubner that has been significant steps. At home, I want to highlight the work with Trimble Forestry CFHarvest at Sydved. The latest big thing is our project with Holmen. It is an important deal for us, it is the first Connected Forest deal in Sweden. We have felt stability and security in our collaboration with Trimble in working on this deal and others as well.
"During the pandemic years, we actually had our strongest growth to date."
Pandemic, war in Europe and a troubled outside world – what has it been like to start a company under those circumstances?
Christer Lindqvist: Of course, the unrest in Europe and the world has shaped us and nothing can be taken for granted anymore, we are enormously humbled by this. The pandemic years did not stop us. Through the model we had, we were able to expand and deliver our projects in a more efficient way when we had to take away offices, physical meetings and other activities from the workplan. On several occasions, it was striking to us how empty the office could be despite the workshop being in full swing. During the pandemic years, we actually had our strongest growth to date.
Carl Barck: We can see how the economic crisis has affected our customers in 2023 – many have had poor profitability. But for that reason, they have worked even more with us to strengthen their competitiveness. Our solutions also become our customers’ solutions to their problems.
Why is it important that the forest and wood industries continues to be digitized?
Christer Lindqvist: Today, the industry is under stronger pressure than ever to change in order to meet new climate goals and other EU regulations. Today’s forestry is also strongly questioned in its current form. New forest owners place new demands on forest companies but also see new areas of use for their forest, from the investor side we also see a greater interest in forest ownership.
The increased rate of digitization affects and has affected all industries. The forest industry is both behind and ahead of other industries, but what is most affected is increased availability of information, the ability to process large amounts of data, new technology that can facilitate time-consuming manual work and the great demands on environmental effects and sustainability.
"New forest owners make new demands on forest companies, but also see new areas of use for their forest."
Carl Barck: On the wood side, it is about maintaining competitiveness. It is about becoming more efficient in resource utilization and how to use your staff. The forest has a challenge in the changes that will take place where we move towards more control and knowledge about the forest and the forest land. Felling will be less. IT solutions and digitization are the key to maintaining production.
What needs do you see the forest industry having going forward?
Christer Lindqvist: Regardless of which areas are changed and/or made more efficient, new digital systems and tools will be central. We see that companies like ForestX will be perfectly positioned in this change.
Carl Barck: We see an increased need for better decision support. You get that with the help of optimization and AI in planning and control.
What lessons have you learned as entrepreneurs from the years with ForestX?
Carl Barck: It is a challenge to go from the small startup company where you have to manage everything yourself to the large established company where you have to work in a different way. During 2022 and 2023, we have actually created a new company in terms of structure. We had to make that shift, we are now approaching 60 coworkers.
Christer Lindqvist: Some of the most central lessons as entrepreneurs and specifically the forest industry that we have worked in are:
Where will ForestX be in another five years?
Carl Barck: We do what we do now, but in more places, more customers and in more branches of the forest industry.
Christer Lindqvist: We are simply present in more industries within the forestry value chain. Our collaborations with our partners are even stronger. Our team in India has further developed and has a stronger presence in all our deliveries.
ForestX celebrates five years: “There is no company like us in all of Europe” Read More »
Umeå/Gothenburg
Forest studies + sauna = true. Of course, ForestX sponsored the students in Umeå with a new sauna unit when their old “reactor” stopped working.
Finska föreningen (The Finnish association) at the University of Forestry’s student union in Umeå ensures that the sauna culture is kept alive among the students. An open and warm sauna is offered at least once a week.
– It exists for those who are interested in taking a sauna and having a good time, says the president of Finska föreningen, Petter Tillberg.
Since last autumn, a new sauna unit with a new chimney insert has been installed in the association’s sauna, sponsored by ForestX.
The students got in touch with representatives from ForestX during a meeting between the industry and the students in 2022. When the old reactor, as the unit is called by the students, gave up after ten years, they contacted some companies. Patrik Anderchen, a forester trained in Umeå and now business developer at ForestX, picked up on the idea. It was also not difficult to get CEO Carl Barck on board. He too has a past at the university in Umeå.
– I have had a lot of fun as a student in Umeå. Of course we wanted to help the students, he says.
The sauna is well managed by the Finska föreningen and its board. President Petter Tillberg explains how the board is formed:
– We have a defense minister whose task is to protect the sauna from the Russians, there is a metsä minister who makes sure there is firewood and a makkari minister who makes sure there is something edible. Two people are ministers of culture, their job is to make bad Finnish jokes. The propaganda minister is responsible for various events, the reaktorii minister is responsible for the reactor itself (ie the unit). As the president, I rule and make decisions. We are an association for everyone’s well-being and our goal is just for everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves!
Before formal sittings, the sauna is of a slightly more specific character. Then you have to speak with a Finnish accent, regardless of which language you speak.
– The sauna is popular among the exchange students too, says Petter Tillberg.
The association’s sauna has attracted at most 40 people into the humid heat. The sauna has reached an impressive 110 degrees Celsius.
The association cuts the wood themselves. The school owns a forest outside Umeå where the students can clear and thin. When Akademiska hus, which owns the land around the school buildings, recently cleared, the Finnish association also had to take care of the wood.
The Finnish association has existed in Umeå since 2006. The sauna is available for rent for those who want to see the world’s only reactor with the ForestX logo on it!
Top rating for Finska föreningen on Google:
The association’s facility is consistently rated five when the visitors have their say. Here are some of the reviews:
Fantastic place. Took a swim in the Gulf of Finland, stepped up as a new person.
Nice atmosphere, nice sauna, nice relaxation area. A high-quality spa facility suitable for all ages.
Very nice and genuine sauna, large selection of drinks and friendly staff! Highly recommended to anyone who wants to try the real Finnish culture here in Sweden!
Very pleasant and pleasant experience in the rustic and genuine establishment. The staff are service-oriented and accommodating in everything from refreshing health drinks by the pool to tasty snacks in the steam sauna. The relaxation area with its own fireplace and open floor plan invites you to convivial discussions in the company of good friends as relaxation after strengthening exercise in the adjacent ecological wooden outdoor gym.
A warm and pleasant sauna that opens up possibilities for a truly unique community.
Should the sauna still feel a bit too hot, you can always cool off in the luxurious “Gulf of Finland” hot tub!
Sponsored sauna warms the students in Umeå Read More »
The forestry company Holmen has chosen Connected Forest from Trimble Forestry as the new forestry management system for Holmen Skog. ForestX will implement the system at Holmen.
Holmen is one of Sweden’s largest forest owners. The Holmen Skog business area is responsible for the management and development of the group’s land holdings, which amount to approximately 1.3 million hectares.
Holmen Skog will be the first in Sweden and Scandinavia to choose the Connected Forest suite from Trimble Forestry as a comprehensive forest management system. The background to choosing the Connected Forest suite is a strategic decision within Holmen to work more data-driven.
– Connected Forest gives us a platform where we can add more solutions and systems in the future. We have a lot of data. Now we have a platform that makes it possible to work data-driven in the long term, says Clas Engström, Head of Development at Holmen Skog.
– In Trimble, we have an active counterpart who continues to develop their software. We get impulses from Trimble for our own development.
At the same time, the change of business system represents a major change within Holmen Skog.
– It is not only an IT project. We are also looking at changing our own working methods. We have involved large parts of the business to find some new approaches and to work in new ways.
In summary, Clas Engström sees two main objectives in the project:
– The first is that we acquire a new operational system and improve and change our working methods. The second is that we get a platform that technically enables us to work more data-driven in an extension and enables us to take further steps in the future. It gives us the opportunity to manage data in a flexible way in the long term, to have control and to know in what format the data will come.
ForestX is Trimble Forestry’s partner in the Scandinavian market. This is the first Connected Forest project in Scandinavia. Clas Engström sees great value in having ForestX involved in the work.
– ForestX is close to us and knows forestry in Sweden and Scandinavia. For example, it will be a great advantage to be able to speak Swedish in these major development steps.
– This is our business system, which is obviously a central part of the company. It is our single biggest project right now. It’s an ambitious project, and we’re putting a lot into it, he says.
The project involves implementing LRM and CFHarvest from the Connected Forest suite.
CFHarvest is currently used by Sydved, another large Swedish forest company. ForestX was responsible for the implementation at Sydved, so there is experience of the system in Swedish conditions. However, Holmen will be the first in Scandinavia to use LRM, a service for managing basic forestry data and GIS information.
We are working to understand how LRM works. At the same time, we want to look at new ways of working and what is theoretically possible in relation to the program. That thinking is going on right now. We are looking at adaptations together with ForestX, says Clas Engström
For ForestX, the project with Holmen means that the company can now offer the entire Swedish forest industry a modern and powerful system that supports all business processes.
– We see this as the start of our customers getting a modern solution and a long-term partnership that supports the companies in the change that is on the doorstep in a number of areas. For example, it is about external requirements for modern forestry and the opportunity to use new technologies such as AI, says ForestX’s marketing manager Christer Lindqvist.
All parties see the project as the start of a far-reaching and long-term partnership. At the turn of the year 2024/2025, the part with LRM and CFHarvest will be ready to be put into operation.
– We will be the first to reach out to customers with this. We hope that we can meet them a little smarter and more efficiently. It will be more work for us, but we will be the first. It feels good and we are well on our way, says Clas Engström.
Holmen is one of Sweden’s largest forest owners. We manage the forest actively and sustainably to make sure it grows optimally, giving us the best raw material. Adopting a long-term view, we take responsibility for the forest ecocycle from seed to replanting while safeguarding biodiversity. Our employees manage our forests, buy wood and help private forest owners with harvesting and silviculture.
ForestX offers digital solutions and business knowledge for the entire forest value chain, from forest to finished product. ForestX has well-known forestry and sawmill companies in Sweden, Denmark and Central Europe as customers.
In 2023, ForestX was named Gasell 2023 by Dagens Industri for its rapid and healthy growth.
One third of ForestX’s employees have a forestry education. Together with experienced solution architects and developers, there is a great knowledge of the needs of the forestry industry and digital solutions. ForestX has a network of partners and specialists who complement the work of digitizing the forest industry.
ForestX collaborates with world-leading product suppliers. The company currently has about fifty coworkers in Gothenburg, Dalarna, Uppsala, Växjö and Pune, India. ForestX also has employees on site for customers in Germany and Austria.
ForestX is the Scandinavian partner of Trimble Forestry, which provides the Connected Forest suite.
Trimble Forestry has 250 employees worldwide. Trimble Forestry has offices in Canada, USA, Brazil, New Zealand, Finland and Germany. Trimble Forestry is part of Trimble Inc.
Trimble Forestry is a leading provider of technology solutions for the forest industry. The company focuses on providing innovative tools and systems to streamline forest management and increase productivity in the forest industry.
Trimble Forestry provides the Connected Forest suite.
The Connected Forest suite includes, for example, functions for machine GIS, harvesting and forest management planning, logistics, contracts, price calculation, settlement and invoicing.
The Connected Forest modules can be used individually or together to digitize several steps. The services are delivered as SoftWare As A Service (SaaS) and are built with modern technology. For example, there are functions for machine GIS, planning of harvesting and forest management, logistics, contracts, price calculation, settlement and invoicing.
Land Resource Manager (LRM) is an intuitive and simple SAAS service for the management of land data and GIS data for organizations working with real estate and forestry data. LRM handles all the critical functions of land and forest resource planning, and can provide decision support with a fairly wide range of customizability. This allows customers to adapt the tool to their particular business and workflows.
LRM is tightly integrated with the other applications in the Connected Forest product suite, providing an easy way to monitor mission-critical information from all parts of the business.
ForestX in long-term project with Holmen Skog Read More »
Old acquaintances and new faces from our various offices in Sweden gathered in December 2023 at the headquarters in Gothenburg. Throughout the year, ForestX has welcomed several new employees, and the Christmas mingle became a great opportunity for everyone to meet. CEO Carl Barck and Marketing Manager Christer Lindqvist shared insights into the strategy for the upcoming years!
The Christmas dinner was then enjoyed at the classic Hotell Eggers in central Gothenburg!
Christmas Celebration at ForestX 2023 Read More »
Växjö
Theory from studies meets reality at ForestX. Theo Bohlin is ForestX’s first trainee.
Theo Bohlin is studying the program “Digital Business Development” at Linnaeus University.
He is spending the first semester of the third and final year of the program as an intern at ForestX’s office in Växjö.
– I’m grateful ForestX accepted me. It is fun to see how everything works in reality in forestry.
The program has informatics as its main field of study with a focus on digital business development and leads to a bachelor’s degree. Theo Bohlin tells us more about the studies:
– The focus of the program is simply how to use information. What is the benefit of the data? Which data is valuable? It is of course also about how to streamline operations with digital support and various technologies, says Theo.
– During the program, we analyze operations, visualize them and find different work processes. The program is very broad. We study in parallel with those who study systems science, but we also study business administration, leadership, marketing, and information systems, for example.
In the internship, the more theoretical knowledge from the studies meets the reality of the business developers at ForestX’s office in Växjö.
– I get to sit in and listen to meetings with customers. You can read about a lot, but it’s a completely different thing to follow along and see how projects are managed in reality. For example, I get to see what agile project work looks like in different companies, says Theo.
– Later, I will try to work with the support for CFHarvest. It’s a bit nervous, but it’s also good to throw yourself into it and try it out.
Name: Theo Bohlin
Job: Intern from the “Digital Business Development” program
Favorite tree:
Willow
“A beautiful tree that was in my courtyard as a child. Great memories of all the games played under that tree”.
Best nature experience:
Mountain hiking in Jotunheim, Norway
“A fantastically beautiful environment that I really love and always long to return to”.
Favorite apps:
TikTok
Spotify
Frequently visited pages online:
Aftonbladet
YouTube
ForestX’s first trainee: Theo Bohlin does his internship at ForestX Read More »
Since the start in 2018, ForestX has grown both fast and stable. ForestX is now appointed Gasell 2023 by leading Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri.
– This is an award for all our employees! Without their competence and commitment, we would not have received the award. We are a fantastic team, says CEO Carl Barck.
ForestX offers digital solutions and business knowledge for the entire forest value chain, from forest to finished product. Customers and users are located in Sweden, Denmark and Central Europe.
– An important part of why we have grown in this way is that we have innovative and forward-thinking customers. Our customers can see every day how our solutions help them make good and profitable decisions, says Carl Barck and continues:
– I dare to say that our combination of deep understanding of the complex requirements of the forestry and wood industries and top competence in IT development, AI and digitalization is unique. You won’t find it anywhere else.
The solutions and know-how ForestX offers provide information and decision support from everything from planning harvesting to how a sawmill best optimizes its use of the timber.
– The award also shows that our offer with solutions that support sustainable forestry and wise use of resources is the right way to go, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist.
ForestX was founded and is headquartered in Gothenburg. The company also has offices in Falun, Växjö and Uppsala. In Europe, ForestX has employees in Germany and in Austria/Italy. A subsidiary with developers is located in Pune, India.
The Gasell award from Dagens industri, a leading Swedish business newspaper, is an annual recognition that is given to the fastest-growing and most successful companies in Sweden.
The award is named after the concept of a gazelle, which in this context symbolizes businesses that are agile, nimble, and able to achieve rapid growth.
The Gasell award is highly prestigious and is seen as a mark of excellence and success in the Swedish business community. It acknowledges companies that contribute to economic growth and job creation in Sweden.
Gaselle requirement 1:
A net turnover exceeding SEK 10 million, according to the latest annual report.
ForestX turnover 2022 – 44 million SEK
Gazelle requirement 2:
At least ten employees, according to the latest annual report.
ForestX 2022 – 15 average number of employees (in Sweden).
Gazelle requirement 3:
At least doubled its turnover, comparing the first and last financial year of the four-year study period.
From SEK 16.6 million to SEK 44 million.
Gazelle requirement 4:
Increased their turnover every year for the last three years.
2018/19 (18 months) – SEK 16.6 million
2020 – 19.9 million SEK
2021 – 30.2 million SEK
2022 – 44 million SEK
Gazelle requirement 5:
A positive overall operating result for the last four financial years.
2022 +
2021 +
2020 +
2018/19 +
Gazelle requirement 6:
Essentially grown organically, not through acquisitions or mergers.
Yes
Gazelle requirement 7:
Sound finances.
Yes
ForestX was founded in 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The founders and employees have extensive experience from the forestry and sawmill industry. In the fall of 2023, the company has around 50 employees.
CEO Carl Barck is a trained forester and has extensive experience from both the Swedish and international forest industry.
Marketing manager Christer Lindqvist has previously received three Gazelle awards between 2006 and 2008 and has extensive experience of building profitable companies from scratch.
One third of ForestX’s employees have a forestry education. Together with experienced solution architects and developers, there is a great knowledge of the needs of the forestry industry and digital solutions.
ForestX collaborates with several world-leading product suppliers such as Trimble Forestry and Remsoft. ForestX also develops its own product Optinex, which is a planning and optimization tool for sawmills.
Optinex is currently used at sawmills and in the production of glulam and CLT in Sweden and Europe.
ForestX awarded for being fast-growing and successful Read More »
Gothenburg/Hamburg
ForestX expands further in Europe as Torben Hansen joins. He sees great opportunities for German forestry to draw inspiration from Scandinavia to better integrate forestry and wood industry.
During its five years, ForestX has grown both in Sweden and within Central Europe. The company offers digital solutions and business knowledge for the entire forest industry value chain, from forestry to finished product. Torben Hansen believes that the German and Central European market can benefit from the holistic perspective that ForestX represents.
– We need to see forestry and the wood industry as one. In Central Europe the two are not integrated in the same way as in Scandinavia. It becomes inefficient when forestry doesn’t do what the market ultimately requires, just because of lack of information, says Torben Hansen.
– We need to focus more on business in forest management in Germany. We have a strong silvicultural perspective, yet we need to create good business processes as well.
Torben Hansen has extensive experience in forestry, both in Germany and internationally. He has previously worked for a state forestry company. After that, he worked as a consultant to private forest owners with forest valuation and forest management planning, as well as some software development. After that, he worked with acquisitions and assessments of forest properties in North America. The work involved everything from investment strategies to setting up a management team with local actors. He has also worked with a software company for business solutions that had forestry clients, among others.
Already during his studies, Torben Hansen established his first ties to the Swedish forestry industry. He studied his master’s degree in Sweden at SLU.
– Swedish forestry is progressive. There’s a strong international connection through Swedish companies operating all over the world. So they draw on a wide range of experience and expertise. Sweden is also a very nice country, and it is possible there to study in English!
These are experiences that are now being combined in Torben Hansen’s assignment at ForestX.
– Forestry in many regions of the world needs more modern business processes and management practices. Good information flows are key. We will learn from others and from other regions. In Sweden you will find many state of the art practices, the country has strong forest and wood industries with many international connections. We should exchange knowledge, not reinvent the wheel locally all by ourselves.
The basis for improved working methods are technology and digital solutions that help the exchange of information.
– For me, it’s about becoming data smart and to work data-driven. We have to use the latest management methods, says Hansen.
This way of working does not mean that local presence or human skills are unimportant.
– If you have a big organization and you don’t manage information properly, you can’t use the local experience and intuition. If you want to make overall decisions, you have to have the information and the data. It’s not technology versus people, it’s about integrating technology with people. Experience and local knowledge can be enhanced by technology, says Torben Hansen.
– There is not just one answer in forestry, you can do many things. It’s all about the goals and what the stakeholders want to achieve.
Fall of 2023 has begun with an intensive week with many visits to interested forestry companies in Germany. There is great interest in ForestX’s solutions and expertise.
– I am in Germany primarily for the German customers, but I see that the needs also exist in, for example, Poland and the Baltic States. ForestX already has Florian Peterlunger in Tyrol. I am also close to the team in Sweden, so I am by no means alone. I look forward to more people joining us in the future!
Torben Hansen is looking forward to continuing to work with ForestX, both for himself and for the forest industry as a whole.
– I want to improve the sector and do what is right for the industry, and in ForestX I see that I can achieve that. The company has so much knowledge about solutions for the whole value chain, not just individual pieces of it. For those companies that only work in one part, we can help connect them to the other parts. It becomes more efficient, and companies become more business-driven. Everyone can make more money, you take better care of your resources and you know what you’re doing. This makes you a good steward of forest resources.
ForestX was founded in 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The founders and employees have extensive experience from forestry and sawmill industry. In the fall of 2023, the company has around 50 employees.
CEO Carl Barck is a trained forester and has extensive experience from both the Swedish and international forest industry. One third of ForestX’s employees have a forestry education. Together with experienced solution architects and developers, there is extensive knowledge of the needs of the forest industry and digital solutions.
ForestX has completed and has ongoing projects with Rubner and Pfeifer group in Austria, among others.
ForestX collaborates with several world-leading product suppliers such as Trimble Forestry and Remsoft. ForestX also develops its own product Optinex, which is a planning and optimization tool for sawmills.
ForestX has its own team of developers in Pune, India, to ensure high competence and deliveries.
ForestX grows in Europe: Torben Hansen on site for projects in Germany Read More »
