Ida Linstedt, författare på ForestX

Sveaskog and ForestX launch KingPin – a new AI tool that increases the value of the forest

AI / 4 July 2022

Gothenburg

KingPin is a tool that uses AI technology to help Sveaskog take care of the forest raw material in the best possible way! KingPin has been developed in collaboration with ForestX’s partner Tenfifty.

– Production is optimized both according to each customer’s unique needs and based on the appearance of our forests in the customer’s delivery area. Timber share is increased, and transport is made more efficient, to the benefit of customers and the environment. So the benefits are great – from several perspectives, says Mattias Forsberg, Production Manager Market Area South, Sveaskog.

– It is a long and successful project that is now coming together! It’s been great to implement an AI project with a well-known customer like Sveaskog. Our ambition is to always be at the forefront of digitalisation. Now we look forward to new challenges together, says Christer Lindqvist, Marketing Manager and co-founder of ForestX.

Sveaskog and ForestX launch KingPin – a new AI tool that increases the value of the forest Read More »

ForestX and Dianthus in cooperation agreement: Unique forestry GIS and remote sensing expertise broadens ForestX’s offering

Dianthus / 1 July 2022

Gothenburg/Boden

ForestX and Dianthus enter into a joint collaboration.

– Dianthus has a unique expertise in the analysis of maps and images as well as GIS. We are entering into this cooperation to develop our expertise and to reach more forestry operations, says Johan Bergström, ForestX.

Dianthus AB, based in the north of Sweden in the city of Boden, is run by Fredrik Walter, CEO, and Daniel Nilede. Dianthus’ technology is largely based on the research and development that Fredrik Walter has carried out both now and in the past within image and remote sensing.

– We may be very small, but we are also very sharp and work together with most of the major Swedish forestry companies, says Fredrik Walter, CEO of Dianthus.

Dianthus specializes in systems development, geographic information systems and remote sensing in the forest industry. The combination of a very large industry knowledge with excellence in the mentioned areas has given Dianthus great competitive advantages and is a well-known name in forest Sweden. The company has customers such as SCA and Stora Enso. Dianthus was founded in 2000.

Unique technical competence

– The cooperation will strengthen the competitive position of both of our customers. Dianthus has a unique technical competence in maps and analysis of map material, says Christer Lindqvist, Marketing Manager of ForestX.

– The market for remote sensing data is accelerating. Together with Dianthus, we are ready when the industry takes the next step, says Johan Bergström, ForestX.

ForestX digitizes and creates value for the forest industry by combining new technology, process knowledge, business knowledge together with a portfolio of unique industry solutions. The company was founded in 2018 and today has close to 45 employees in Sweden and India.

Product development

Both parties see the collaboration as deep and far-reaching. The companies will be jointly involved in product development and will share resources and expertise with each other.

– We will develop and disseminate the expertise that Dianthus brings to the collaboration in order to reach more forestry operations. This is a long-term strategic investment to develop the latest technology for the digitalisation of the forest industry, says Johan Bergström.

Some examples of Dianthus products and services:

Dianthus road package

Based on the existing road network and known obstacles in the terrain, the off-road transport needs are then calculated. Based on this, it is finally possible to calculate where it is more profitable to build a road instead of driving the timber in the forest. Stora Enso is one of the customers.

Automated forest inventory services

National laser scanning and its freely available forest variables, together with a wealth of other readily available and useful data, have created a whole new set of conditions and opportunities to dare to think in new and different ways about traditional forest estimation. Dianthus has for a long time developed and marketed services for the automatic assessment of the forest in homogeneous stands and the estimation of forest parameters. The methodology is based on combining different data sources to create a reliable and practical forest overview in a structured and logical way. Over the past year, Dianthus has implemented AI/Deep Learning to take their forest overviews to new heights.

Samplanering.se

Collaboration portal for the reindeer husbandry and forestry industries. Forest owners and reindeer owners can plan and agree on actions in the forest in the same portal.

Visit Dianthus for more to read

ForestX and Dianthus in cooperation agreement: Unique forestry GIS and remote sensing expertise broadens ForestX’s offering Read More »

ForestX expands management team: Forestry focus for Johan Bergström

Career / 15 June 2022

Gothenburg

ForestX expands and strengthens its management team with Johan Bergström.

– Considering the pace of our growth and the complex assignments we have, we are pleased that Johan Bergström wants to contribute with his leadership skills and solid expertise in forestry, says Carl Barck, CEO and co-founder of ForestX.

Johan Bergström will start work immediately and will be responsible for the forestry aspects of ForestX’s operations

– It’s about developing the forest products and services and focusing on those issues in our management work, says Johan Bergström.

The assignment also includes being available to ForestX’s forestry project managers.

– I have worked a lot with team building. I want to find good individual solutions and ways of working for everyone. ForestX is and will continue to be the best place to work for those who want to be part of the most exciting digitalization projects in Swedish and European forestry.

Johan Bergström has a solid forestry background. He has worked as a GIS specialist, then as a researcher at Skogforsk. He has also worked for many years at Sveaskog, for example as head of business-related IT and business development. The last six years at Sveaskog, Johan was also the program manager for a change program in timber flow where both a completely new timber flow planning system and working methods were developed and introduced.

A year ago he joined ForestX as a partner, and is now taking the step into the company.

Since the start in 2018, ForestX has grown to nearly 45 coworkers.

– We are in an expansive phase, and with Johan in the management team, we are keeping our focus on the foundation of our entire business; the forestry products and services, says Carl Barck.

Johan Bergström on LinkedIn

ForestX expands management team: Forestry focus for Johan Bergström Read More »

Time to meet again!

After work / 2 June 2022

Göteborg

Now we can finally meet as usual again! One Friday in May 2022 we met up for a snack and a drink at our main office in Göteborg, Sweden. Enjoy!

Time to meet again! Read More »

CollectiveCrunch visits Gothenburg

AI, Collective Crunch / 2 June 2022

Gothenburg

ForestX and Finnish CollectiveCrunch have been collaborating for several years. Together, we are developing the future possibilities of using AI in the forest. In May 2022 we could meet in Gothenburg.

CollectiveCrunch’s product LindaForest collects public and general data such as climate and satellite information, and combines it with customer-specific data on, for example, stands and harvesting. Together, this provides improved estimates of planned management and outcomes.

Mika Korvenranta, director of product and business management at CollectiveCrunch and Lauri Tamminen, director customer success at CollectiveCrunch were met in Gothenburg by Johan Hedlund, Oskar Selmeryd and Patrik Anderchen from ForestX.

– The goal of our collaboration is to improve the quality of forest data in Sweden while reducing the number of field visits we need to make. CollectiveCrunch’s solutions use AI to provide access to accurate and always up-to-date data. This enables transparent monitoring of both timber and carbon stocks. The data also enables better informed decisions and introduces efficiencies along the supply chain, says Oskar Selmeryd, Project Manager at ForestX.

CollectiveCrunch visits Gothenburg Read More »

Lars Lundh, partner of ForestX: You must dare to think freely and see the bigger picture

Partners / 14 April 2022

Gothenburg / Karlstad

Through a network of independent partners, ForestX can offer cutting-edge expertise in all parts of forestry.

When the assignments include advanced logistics and administration – Lars Lundh is on the project.

The CV of Lars Lundh includes previous employers such as Sydved, Sveaskog and Derome. Most of the professional titles that can be found in the world of forestry and sawmill are also there; purchaser, felling manager, timber manager and district manager. Everything from timber and biofuel to special timber has been in focus during his career.

With those experiences, Lars Lundh now works in his own company and addresses issues as logistics, administration and leadership. He is also available to ForestX’s customers when his cutting-edge expertise is needed in various projects.

Look for new ways to develop technology

When asked what attracts and challenges with logistics and administration, Lars Lundh answers: “The possibilities”.

– And for that you need a mixture of youthful zeal and the experience that comes with age, he says.

Lars Lundh emphasizes the importance of constantly seeking and finding new, innovative solutions and not letting the existing and now available technology limit us.

– You do not always think about what developments new technology can help us with. There are many competent people who can develop the technology. It’s just talking about what we need. If there are large enough cost savings to make, you’ll get great benefit, says Lars Lundh and continues:

– We must dare to think freely and see the bigger picture. It’s easy for you to stay in old boxes. The administration must facilitate the daily work. It’s about how you look at the numbers and how to present them in a good way. The sequel is about how to use them in a good way.

Fewer strenuous emergency solutions

From the combination of a well-functioning administration, new technology and good logistics, Lars Lundh sees great benefits based on fewer costly and tedious emergency solutions. The fact that everyone involved is properly informed and provides important information themselves is also crucial in the logistics chain between forests, to loading bays, perhaps via rail and on to other industries. When everything happens just in time, a good flow of information is required so that the right product is in place and on time.

From your position in forestry; which issues must not be missed in 2022?

You should be aware of what happens with VIOL, where it’s important to be involved from the beginning. What information can we get out, what raw material do we get and how can we use it in a good way?
The biofuel market is also interesting. It is important that we mix the materials in the best way and that the boilers run at the best ability. There will certainly be a greater focus on electricity production.
Do not forget the user when creating new solutions and technical support. What is produced must be user-friendly. We will not produce products that remain on the shelf.
We must be aware of what is happening in the EU and what rules and laws are being drafted there, we must not just sit down and go along. Swedish forestry must be active, we must come up with the proposals ourselves.

Why did you choose to become a partner of ForestX?

– ForestX has the breadth and competence that makes customers raise their eyebrows when they see what potential there is in the company. Here are the opportunities to improve both for the companies that want to be at the forefront of the chain and also for those who are one of the important links.

And the work for Lars Lundh to improve logistics, administration and leadership is constantly ongoing:

– As soon as you feel you’ve got it, it’s time to take new steps, the only way is to continue the improvement work, Lars Lundh says with a laugh.

Fact box:

Name: Lars Lundh

Do: partner to ForestX, focus on logistics, administration and leadership

Favorite tree:

Lind. Linden has a cultural-historical bearing. The linden trees have been a gathering place throughout history, and they have been hauled to feed the animals. They can basically be hollow and continue to live and grow. Easy to carve if you want to do something in carpentry, it is soft and comfortable when you carve.

Best nature experience:

The Swedish mountains in August / September. When it burns in red, green and yellow colors. I am a bird hunter and a trip to the mountains is a good way to recharge my batteries. The mountains are also nice in March/April with the spring sun. You look like a raccoon when you get home!

Most used app:

Klart.se

The weather is so important in the entire logistics chain. You have to take the weather into account when planning all logistics.

Frequently used bookmarks:

Setra
Biometria
LinkedIn

Lars Lundh, partner of ForestX: You must dare to think freely and see the bigger picture Read More »

ForestX to Trä & Teknik!

Exhibition / 14 April 2022

Göteborg

We will participate in Trä & Teknik, the Nordic region’s largest meeting point for the wood industry. The exhibition takes place between 30 August and 2 September this year at the Svenska Mässan in Gothenburg.

For many of ForestX’s employees, it will not be a very long excursion, the Svenska Mässan is just a few steps from our head office on Sofierogatan in the heart of Göteborg.

During the exhibition we will present OptiNex, our system for optimization and planning for the sawmill industry. The system is already in use today by several of our well-known customers in Sweden and Europe.

Of course, we like to talk about everything that has to do with the digitization of forestry. Come and visit us in booth B04: 60. Keep an eye out here and in our LinkedIn feed for more news about our participation in the exhibition.

Pyrocell and ForestX in collaboration in unique project with bio-oil

Pyrocell / 30 March 2022

Gothenburg / Gävle

The collaboration between Setra and Preem to produce non-fossil oil has attracted worldwide attention. In the joint venture Pyrocell, sawdust from one of Setra’s sawmills becomes bio-oil that is refined into biofuels at Preem’s plant in Lysekil.

ForestX is part of the pioneering project and solves the IT structure for Pyrocell.

Many eyes were turned to Kastet sawmill outside Gävle, Sweden, when the world’s first pyrolysis oil factory was completed in September 2021. There, sawdust from the existing sawmill is processed into pyrolysis oil in an integrated process. The process then continues at Preem’s refinery in Lysekil on the Swedish west coast, where the pyrolysis oil becomes biofuel. In addition, the process at the sawmill is connected to an adjacent thermal power plant.

Reduces carbon dioxide emissions

Pontus Friberg is chairman of Pyrocell and since September 2021 he has been able to see how production and deliveries have gone according to plan.

– We simply mix our non-fossil and renewable product from Swedish forests into the regular process. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transport sector.

Pyrocell is jointly owned by Setra and Preem and was formed in 2018. The sawdust is a residual product from Setra’s sawmill after the sawing process. Previously, sawdust was used for pellets, for example, but makes greater environmental benefits and reduces carbon dioxide emissions when the sawdust can be further processed into biofuels which can then be used as fuel in cars, trucks and buses.

Long-term collaboration with ForestX

One part in Pyrocell, Setra, has a long-term partnership with ForestX, so the task of taking care of important parts of the IT systems for Pyrocell naturally ended up with ForestX.

– Our IT systems are well known to both parties, and I have collaborated with a lot of people within ForestX many times before, says Pontus Friberg.

The assignment for ForestX has included developing and implementing a solution to connect Pyrocell’s production system with the business system. Part of this has been to extract measurement data from the production system and to create an automatic flow of production data to the business system. By connecting the production system with the business system, Pyrocell has an automated flow for handling deliveries and invoicing.

The assignment has also included adaptations of the business system to suit Pyrocell’s unique needs.

For this assignment, ForestX has contributed resources in the form of solution architects, project managers, integration experts and system developers.

Traditional knowledge of the forest

The traditional knowledge of forest and forestry is also important when the forest raw material is used in new ways.

– I usually say: Sawdust is not just sawdust. It’s important to know what sawdust is. We have a lot to learn there. It is about the knowledge of tree species, fractions, and the chemical composition, Pontus Friberg says.

The technology for extracting pyrolysis oil has been developed and patented by a Dutch company. Pyrocell’s facility in Kastet is the largest and most integrated. There is a prototype in the Netherlands and a similar one in Finland. More projects are underway in various stages in Europe and Pontus Friberg believes that we may see more facilities in the future:

– It is in our interest to continue our work. The technology has great potential in Sweden, in Europe and in the world. It can be very big if you look at the forest as a sustainable resource, as we do, Pontus Friberg says.

Possible with more facilities

At the same time, Pontus Friberg is careful to point out that this is not the only solution to the transport sector’s work to reduce carbon dioxide emissions:

– It will not be enough with this plant or other technologies, and it will not be enough with just electrification. All solutions will be needed, everyone has their role, he says and continues:

– Only Setra could build three to four more facilities like this in Sweden and that based on available biomass in the form of sawdust. However, no decisions have been made.

See more!

If you want to see how the process works, watch part three of the series “Slaget om skogen” on Swedish public service. The program is in Swedish.

See the process here

Pontus Friberg appears about 1 minute and 50 seconds into the program.

Long-term management at Setra with knowledge of IT and wood industry

Partners / 21 February 2022

Gothenburg

The long-term perspective is the key phrase in the description of ForestX’s assignment at Setra. Setra was ForestX’s first customer, and the management assignment for some of Setra’s IT systems and integration platform is led by ForestX’s Karin Gröndahl.

Setra is one of Sweden’s largest wood industry companies. ForestX manages some of Setra’s business systems. From ForestX’s side, everything is run by administration leader Karin Gröndahl, who has worked with the administration since 2019.

– Since we’ve worked with Setra for so long, we can think long-term. We’re doing this together. There will be no quick fixes, there will be sustainability in the way we work, she says.

Takes active responsibility for the administration

An annual plan is made together with the management organization at Setra for the collaboration; what is needed for the ongoing maintenance, what support is needed and what new wishes there are.

– We are an active partner, this is the long-term perspective again, we take active responsibility for the administration, says Karin Gröndahl.

The administration is run through regular meetings with Setra’s administration manager and an expert user group who comes up with proposals. The group prioritizes among ideas on function and improvements. It can be about making improvements in user-friendliness, or adapting systems to new needs, such as new markets, new products, and new processes. ForestX also develops various customer-unique solutions.

Recurring team from ForestX

At ForestX, there is a team that continuously works towards Setra. It consists of administration manager, system architect and developers. The team gets to know the customer, understands the needs, and can come up with their own development proposals. In 2022, in addition to the administration, work will be done on major upgrades for parts of the application. These projects are taken care of by project manager Robin Collins, ForestX.

Extensive experience in administrative management

Karin Gröndahl has a master’s degree in economics and has a background in the medtech industry, where she was active for ten years and worked with system administration and management. The medtech industry is by nature strictly regulated and change work is slow.

– It’s more free and more fast-moving in forestry. At Setra, for example, the decision making is very quick when it comes to implementing changes. But it is useful to have experience from another industry. I have a very controlled way of working, and that can sometimes be an advantage, says Karin Gröndahl.

– Forestry was a completely new industry for me when I started at ForestX. It’s an exciting industry and there are many opportunities to improve system support and increase digitalisation, says head of administration Karin Gröndahl.

The team from ForestX that works with Setra’s management:

Karin Gröndahl, head of administration
Martino Oliboni, solution architect
Oskar Danielsson, solution architect
developers from MentorMate

About Setra:

Setra is one of Sweden’s largest wood industry companies. The company has eight production units around Sweden, seven sawmills and a processing unit where Setra manufactures glulam, components and KL wood. Setra also includes a processing unit in the UK and Pyrocell, which is a joint venture with Preem.

Setra is 50 percent owned by Sveaskog and 49.5 percent by the forest owners’ association Mellanskog. Other shares are owned by smaller shareholders.

Setra has 800 employees and sales of SEK 4 billion. About 65 percent of sales consist of exports to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

New projects in Europe with Pfeifer

FX Europe, Optinex / 26 January 2022

Göteborg

ForestX and Pfeifer continue to work together. After the successful project when ForestX developed Optinex Glulam together with Pfeifer in Austria the two companies look into new ways of digitizing and optimizing timber manufacturing processes.

In December 2021 Stefan Hammerl, director of IT and Andreas Schierle, director of process and project management at Pfeifer, were on a visit to Gothenburg where they discussed upcoming projects. ForestX recently developed a new application within Optinex for tactical planning for Pfeifer’s glulam production.

Andreas Schierle, Stefan Hammerl, Pfeifer and Carl Barck and Johan Eriksson, ForestX, continue to work together after the successful project developing Optinex Glulam.

Furthermore, Pfeifer is planning to implement Optinex in other fields of business as well. Therefore, Pfeifer and ForestX are currently planning to continue their successful cooperation.

– The cooperation with ForestX is very valuable for us as we are not only looking for technical solutions but also for a partner with deep understanding of timber processes who helps us identifying the best fit within our organization and system landscape, says Stefan Hammerl, Director of IT at Pfeifer.

– It’s inspiring to work with customers like Pfeifer who wants to and dare to work with the latest digital work tools in the sawmill industry. It’s in the collaboration with committed customers like Pfeifer we can make Optinex even better. This means we can always meet the requirements and needs of the industry, says Carl Barck, CEO of ForestX.

pfeifergroup.com

New projects in Europe with Pfeifer Read More »

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