After several years and a pandemic, we finally have a real office for our employees in Dalarna!
ForestX’s team in Dalarna consists of five experienced solution architects and project managers. From here, much of our development work on future sustainable and digital solutions for the forest and sawmill industry in Sweden and Europe is led.
Do you want to be part of our gang in Falun? We are now looking for experienced solution architects, developers and business consultants to Dalarna. We have the office at Engelbrektsgatan 16.
On the first of December, ForestX will open an office in Videum, Växjö.
Together with the office in Gothenburg, the office will be the base for ForestX projects in southern Sweden. Among other things, they are currently working on the implementation of CFHarvest from Trimble at Sydved.
– It will be very exciting to open an office in Växjö and that our second employee will soon start in Växjö. Videum feels like a very creative environment with many interesting companies in the area that allow our ideas to grow. We also see the proximity to the university as a strength both for future recruitment but also with inspiration from research, says Patrik Anderchen, business developer at ForestX in Växjö.
ForestX currently has around fifty employees in Sweden and India. In Sweden, we have offices in Gothenburg, Växjö, Dalarna, Stockholm/Uppsala and Umeå. In the Indian IT city of Pune, the company has 14 developers.
At ForestX, getting to know your new colleagues is a key part of your first time with us. Regardless of what you will actually be working on, it’s all about people. Together with your mentor, we’ll make sure you meet a hand-picked selection of your colleagues to get a picture of their daily lives and who they are. Your mentor will be the person who takes care of you during your first period, to whom you can always turn in small and big matters.
You will then follow your personal induction programme so that you can systematically settle into your job. A common approach is that you are introduced to one of the system solutions we deliver to our customers, where you initially learn the system from a few colleagues. As you get warmed up, the tasks and customer contacts grow. At first you may be involved in a meeting with a customer that a more experienced colleague is holding, but eventually you will be holding them yourself or playing an active role.
Together with your consultant manager, we will then put together an individual development plan once you have had the opportunity to squeeze and feel our different types of assignments.
In order to be constantly relevant and create value for our clients, we are constantly working on the development of our business. Of course, you’ll be directly involved in that work because everyone can contribute in different ways. It’s also an appreciated way to get to know colleagues who you might not otherwise work with on a daily basis.
If you want to know more, contact Johan Bergström.
Växjö is both the center of southern Sweden’s forest industry and the base for Patrik Anderchen of ForestX. With new colleagues on the way and projects with well-known forestry companies, he does what he enjoys most about his job: enabling the use of the best digital solutions to forestry.
During autumn 2022, business developer and project manager Patrik Anderchen will be involved in several of the ForestX projects regarding some of the large forestry and sawmill companies based in southern Sweden.
It was the opportunity to work directly with the latest technology and to be at the forefront of digital developments in forestry that attracted Patrik Anderchen to ForestX.
– I sometimes feel that there is a gap between the latest research and getting it out in a user-friendly way in forestry companies. Now I get to be part of enabling the move towards the most modern technology. I see ForestX as having that role to play.
– ForestX also shares my vision of where Swedish forestry should go. We see the whole chain through all processes. It is also a creative environment to work and develop in. Everyone wants to move forward, it feels stimulating. We’re already working on the solutions of the future.
At the moment, many forestry and sawmill companies are on a journey from self-developed systems to industry systems or standard systems.
– In that work we can be the partner that overcomes the obstacles by knowing IT and forestry. I also see that customers are asking for it, says Patrik Anderchen and continues:
– We have both the vision to connect all parts of the forestry chain and the tools to do it.
When Patrik Anderchen joined ForestX, it was the beginning of a larger focus on Växjö. Recruitment processes are underway and office space is being sought.
– It is only natural that we are here, as Växjö is the center of the forest industry in southern Sweden.
Growing up on a forest farm in Halland, Sweden, created an early interest in Patrik Anderchen to work in the industry. This led to studies to become forester, and then many years at Södra in a variety of roles.
– I have worked a lot with the use of harvest data, yield calculations and production planning.
– I have also worked with aptation simulations. There have been both large and small projects, and rollouts of various digital solutions.
From your position in the industry, what should not be missed in the forestry sector in 2022?
1. The use of harvest data. It will be at the core of managing optimization and improvement of the whole chain going forward.
2. The work on sustainability issues. Everyone needs to keep up with everything from regulatory changes from the EU to knowing how forest products are used and knowing the climate benefits of their operations. This will be extremely important in the coming years.
3. AI and optimization. The data is there now, but what do you do with it?
Name: Patrik Anderchen Role: project manager and business developer. ICF coach.
Favourite tree:
Wood maple.
“There are five big maples on the farm where I grew up. Our family has lived there for generations. It’s beautiful to see the seasons change in the trees.”
Best nature experience:
Hiking at Grövelsjön in Dalarna.
“It’s a beautiful mountain setting and a great place to hike by yourself and for shorter hikes with children.”
In this year’s summer interview with CEO Carl Barck and Marketing Manager Christer Lindqvist, you’ll get the background to ForestX’s large increase in turnover, how digitalisation is the only way forward in the future of forestry and why you should always turn to ForestX first!
Growth every year
ForestX has increased growth by 50% every year for the past three years! There are many explanations behind these large increases:
– We have a broader customer base, we simply have more customers in more segments, says Christer Lindqvist. Nowadays, we can be found in various companies in forestry, the wood processing industry, the paper industry, and the construction trade.
– We are on track with our growth and we are now well on our way to becoming the “app store of forestry”. If you are in the industry and looking for smart digital solutions, then you should look at us first. We are a platform for great digital solutions, there is simply always a solution for you and your business with us and our partners.
– It is worth pointing out that we are not just a service company, we are also a product company with the latest and most modern technical solutions, says Christer Lindqvist.
During the year, ForestX together with Trimble Forestry, has invested in the development of Trimble Forestry’s Connected Forest product suite. Together with Trimble, a Swedish version of Connected Forest has been developed. The work has been done by ForestX’s teams in both Sweden and India.
– It is the first and perhaps the only modern business system for the forest industry to be developed in the last 20 years. It is based on modern technology and is easily accessible through web and cloud services. Users get full control of their information for forestry operations, says Christer Lindqvist and continues:
– The great benefit also lies in the fact that it is mobile, scalable and fully adaptable to customers’ own operations. Now we are ready to seriously roll out the systems on a broad front, which feels incredibly good after several years of work together with Trimble, says Christer Lindqvist.
15 employees in India
In Pune, India, a team of 15 people has been built up during the pandemic years. From being seen only on screens, Carl Barck and Johan Eriksson were able to visit the team in June 2022.
– Now it’s time for us to establish an office in Pune, that was part of the purpose of the trip, says Carl Barck.
– But of course the most important thing was to finally meet. We have the best development team available for the technology we use. The team in Pune has extensive experience of working with the forestry industry and the specific requirements that the forestry industry places on its IT solutions. The team in Pune is fundamental to our success in delivering to customers.
The rate of recruitment in India has been high, and Carl Barck sees that the company in India will continue to grow at the same pace.
– Over the years, we have also worked out good forms of cooperation between Sweden and India. We operate as a seamless company. We really are one company, even if our staff operate from different parts of the world, says Carl Barck.
Great interest on LinkedIn
During the year, ForestX has invested in marketing communications and has a strong presence on LinkedIn.
– Things are happening all the time in our company and we want to tell people about it. We also see that it is appreciated and that there is great curiosity about what we do, says Christer Lindqvist.
Other marketing activities planned for the autumn include breakfast meetings all around Sweden.
– We want to meet our customers in person and tell them about everything we do together with our partners. Keep an eye out in our channels this autumn, says Christer Lindqvist.
Ongoing recruitment
– Our people are the foundation of everything, and we have an incredibly dedicated team both in Sweden and in India, says Carl Barck.
– We continue to recruit, we have a constant need to get more people into our teams, both on the forestry and technical side, and in Sweden and in India.
The growth on the personnel side also means that ForestX is present in more locations in Sweden, the latest addition to the ForestX map is Umeå. Since last summer seven people joined the company in Sweden, five in India.
– We are simply always looking for people! We are looking for the best people who want to change this industry. We see great success in bringing different skills together to make real change. Here there is room and opportunity for both those who are new to the industry and those with long experience, says Carl Barck.
Extended management team with Johan Bergström
As the company has grown, so has the need for an expanded management team. In the spring of 2022, Johan Bergström took his place in ForestX’s management team. Read more about it here.
Optinex in operation in several countries
Optinex is ForestX’s unique end-to-end solution for optimizing planning in the woodworking industry. Optinex is in operation at many companies in several European countries.
– We can truly say that the product is established. We now know that it is a complete solution for planning and optimization. We will be presenting Optinex in more detail at the Wood & Technology Exhibition at the end of August in Gothenburg, says Carl Barck.
What can be perceived as complex becomes simple with our solutions, says Carl Barck.
Digitalisation a prerequisite for sustainable forestry
Everyone agrees that we will see increasingly selective forestry in the future. ForestX’s digital solutions will be a prerequisite for coping with the demands of the new era.
– It is obvious that the amount of available timber will decrease. We must conserve resources and be extremely efficient in the use of raw materials and energy. Our solutions help our customers do just that, says Carl Barck.
– Forestry will need to work on a smaller scale. Maintaining productivity and profitability requires more digitalisation and the right tools. What can be perceived as complex becomes simple with our solutions, says Carl Barck.
Dianthus new partner
This year, ForestX’s partner network has been expanded with Dianthus, a GIS specialist based in Boden in the north of Sweden.
– We bring together the best and the brightest expertise through our network of partners. We see that there is mutual value in this type of collaboration, says Christer Lindqvist.
ForestX is a Sweden-based IT consultancy and product company that works exclusively with the digitalization of Scandinavian and European forestry.
We’re now looking for a German speaking Business Developer in Europe with knowledge of wood industry and/or technical educated.
The forest industry is rapidly digitizing, and we are there to help our customers with the right tools to make the most of it. We see a great interest in our services and products in Austria, Germany and Italy.
We are looking for a Business Developer with an understanding of wood industry processes to realize these values for our customers.
As a Business Developer at ForestX, you will be responsible for project implementation and training of Optinex, the world’s most advanced planning and optimization tool for wood industry.
OptiNex is a business support tool for the timber industry for planning, posting and financial calculations.
At ForestX, you will be involved in cutting-edge digitalization projects at some of the largest companies in the forest industry, in Europe and in Sweden.
We work in teams where different skills are combined to achieve the highest customer value in operations, technology, and process.
About you:
► Experience from wood industry and/or technical educated.
► You are able to communicate easily in German and English.
► You have the ability to effectively prioritise and complete tasks in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
► You have the analytical ability to see connections in large data sets and draw conclusions from them.
About the work:
► Participate in the development of project plans, defining business objectives and measurable results with our clients.
► Model and analyze scenarios for wood industries in our advanced optimization tool OptiNex.
► Be responsible for requirements gathering and anchoring of customer needs.
► Responsible for an efficient communication between us, customer and other stakeholders.
► Create and develop a long-term and value-adding relationship with our customers.
► Travel is part of the job.
We are currently about 45 coworkers in Gothenburg, Dalarna, Stockholm and Pune, India.
This is ForestX
We are currently about 45 coworkers in Gothenburg, Dalarna, Stockholm and Pune, India. Through collaborations, partnerships, and various networks, we attract unique expertise. Our mission also includes being proactive and helping our partners to develop their products for the European forest market. Together with our competent consultants, we will ensure that the forest industries have the best possible decision support as we face the green transition.
Working at ForestX
We have both generalist and specialist wood industry skills, so there is a natural exchange of knowledge and support in our work. We work in teams where different skills are combined to achieve the highest customer value in operations, technology, and process.
We offer challenging and varied work with great opportunities to influence solutions and work arrangements.
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.
Since this last autumn, project manager and solution architect David Rasche has been part of ForestX’s ever-growing team in Dalarna.
ForestX is about forestry and IT, and that is exactly the combination we find in David Rasche. With a technical background, American born David Rasche ended up in Dalarna in 1990 and started working at Stora. Since then, working life has been about IT in combination with paper, newsprintpaper and cardboard, and the clients have been well-known companies such as Billerud and Holmen.
Merger of Stora Enso
The assignment now for David Rasche is to act as stream lead in the ongoing merger of Stora Enso. Over the years, the company has divided parts of Stora Enso that will now once again gather under the same umbrella.
– The assignment is about getting the company together systemwise. It is about integration and merging of processes, explains David Rasche.
The merger began early in 2021 and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2022.
Agile approach in project management
Although the project is extensive and involves everything from technology to economics and law, which provides packed meeting days, it is a noticeably easy-going project manager who talks about his assignment.
– It may come with age, you learn to focus on what is important, in all projects there is so much noise around.
– I have worked in IT, but I don’t want to sit alone and program. I like to push things forward.
An agile approach also helps. Breaking down the project into smaller components and constantly evaluating what to achieve and what resources are required is ForestX’s and David Rasche’s way of working.
New ways of working in ForestX
There were many reasons why David Rasche chose ForestX.
– I already knew some of the coworkers. It is a good energy in the company, many new ideas about new ways of working. It is really needed in the industry.
– ForestX is also trying new ways to reach customers, for example with the webinars on AI in the forest. We are good at testing new ideas quickly and easily.
More people joining the Dalarna team
ForestX team in Dalarna has proven to be a bike-saved gang.
– I mostly ride country roads, and the others are on mountain bikes. But I may as well get a mountain bike and keep up with them, says David Rasche.
And more people enjoying life on two wheels are on their way to the team in Dalarna after the turn of the year.
Facts:
David Rasche: Project manager / Project management, Solution architect
Favorite tree: Maple
Best nature experience: Diving in Mauritius
Most used app: Sky guide and NY Times
Three favorite bookmarks in my browser: Astrobin.com, Astronet.se, Youtube.com
ForestX India started up last fall. Today it’s a thriving one-year-old. It’s the small startup with the work culture of a big and mature company. The eleven co-workers in Pune have close to 30 colleagues in Sweden. And they all have the tech-intensive European forest industry to work with.
Pooja Rokade, lead software engineer, and Shalabh Khanzode, senior software engineer, joined ForestX in the start. We had a talk about what it’s like to work at ForestX India.
You have spent more than a year now at ForestX, how is your experience so far?
Pooja Rokade: I have a very good experience! I had a few years of experience from the forestry domain, but with ForestX I’m working on new areas of forestry. So that’s a new learning for me.
Shalabh Khanzode: For me also the experience has been very good. I have never worked with forestry before, so it was a new challenge for me. We are having internal domain knowledge sharing sessions, those were helpful for me to understand the domain. Working directly with the customers was also new and it was fun, thanks to friendly customers!
ForestX is a start-up company, how’s the working culture?
Pooja Rokade: It is a start-up but we already have a work culture and policies like any other big company. I have never felt pressure of work during this time, we have flexi working hours which helps us to maintain work life balance.
Shalabh Khanzode: I have heard stories about stressed working hours and policies in small companies, but Forest X is completely different than that. Our policies are very employee friendly. We have all the policies which should be present in any good company. We have flexi working hours, medical insurance, employee provident funds, training and certification program, fun activities, parties and enjoyment, paid overtime, awards and recognitions.
You mentioned paid overtime. Tell us more about this!
Shalabh Khanzode: Yes, we have fully paid overtime. Generally, we don’t see it in IT companies, but we have that. Sometimes to meet the deadlines we need to work extra hours and in ForestX we have an option to take a leave or get paid for those extra hours.
Tell us about projects and tech stacks you are using in ForestX.
Shalabh Khanzode: Currently I’m working with our partner Trimble, we are helping them to adapt the Connected Forest suite to the Nordic market. Then, we have our own product called OptiNex. We have seen a lot of interest about OptiNex from customers, one of our customers Pfiefer is using it in production in Austria. We are also working with our partner TenFifty to bring AI in forestry, which is something new and we are excited to see how AI will work with the forestry domain. About tech stack, we are using all latest modern technologies, like Angular, Typescript, .net Core, Azure Cloud service, we are using IBM Watson for implementing optimization algorithms.
Tell us about your best moment at ForestX!
Pooja Rokade: There are many but the best of them was when my work for customer Pfeifer along with Prasad was appreciated and shared publicly by ForestX. Very few times I have seen that employer has publicly appreciated the work of employees. It was the best moment for me. I can clearly see, how my work is contributing to the growth of ForestX.
The ForestX office in Dalarna is growing. Solutions architect Mathias Johansson recently joined.
In spring 2021, ForestX established in Dalarna when Stefan Jönis joined the company. He immediately asked for colleagues, and now they are coming.
After a long career as a developer and architect at leading major international companies such as Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard and TietoEvry, Mathias Johansson is now joining ForestX.
– A small company attracted me. At ForestX I get to be involved in a completely different way. I can talk directly to the CEO and owner. I enjoy the spirit of the company and to be able to contribute and build something new, says Mathias Johansson.
– I’ve been working for a long time with system development and I’ve built large systems that have been used by hundreds of thousands of users. These have been in many different types of industries. But the cornerstones are the same in all major industries, such as stocks and orders to be handled. In recent years, I have worked more towards forestry and realized that forest processes are extremely complex.
Mathias Johansson goes directly into the work at ForestX with OptiNex and the development work around pin files.
However, the forest does not just mean work behind the computer screen for Mathias Johansson.
– I thrive in the woods, I like to go mountain biking and run. I usually end the year with the Cykelvasan (a bike race along the same stretch as the traditional ski race Vasaloppet). Physically, I have always worked in the forest during my upbringing, we own some forest and I have sawed and taken care of firewood, he says in the distinct dialect of Dalarna.
From your professional perspective; what should you keep an eye on in the forest industry during 2021/2022?
– I’d say everything about AI and how to use cloud services. Work can be so much more efficient and it is possible to make cost savings.
– It’s also exciting how to scan forests with drones and satellite tools and to then take advantage of the information with AI and machine learning. Forestry is an exciting industry that is not as digitalized as it could be. But we are far ahead in the Nordics, says Mathias Johansson.
Name: Mathias Johansson
Title: Solutions architect
Favourite tree:The mammoth trees in Yosemite National Park.
Best nature experience: ”When I worked in the US, I made several trips there. At one point, I did a month-long drive in California and was in Yosemite National Park, among other places. It is by far the most fun nature experience I have had. There have been trees that could drive through. Everything is so terribly big, the trees are so big, it’s amazing. Death Valley, the California desert, was also an experience. It was around 50 degrees Celsius when you got out of the car.”
Most used app: Strava, a training app. A social platform where you can compare your times and achievements with others who have exercised on the same stretch.
Three bookmarks in my browser:
Feber.se – Tech news on everything from games to cars.
