Career – ForestX

ForestX grows in Europe: Torben Hansen on site for projects in Germany

Career, ForestX Europe / 20 September 2023

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.

Extensive forestry experience

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.

Work smart and data-driven

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.

Based in Hamburg, Torben Hansen is close to the teams and colleagues in Gothenburg.

Markus Mueller, HessenForst and Torben Hansen, ForestX.

Based in Hamburg, Torben Hansen is close to the teams and colleagues in Gothenburg.

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!

Solutions for the whole value chain

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.

More about ForestX

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 »

Focus on the product offering: Magnus Lundblad joins ForestX’s management team

Career / 28 June 2023

Gothenburg

Magnus Lundblad joins ForestX’s management team. He comes with extensive experience of running and developing consulting companies in combination with the development of software products.

Magnus Lundblad, forestry and IT have met many times during his career.

He was previously Chairman of the Board of Imano, the company in which several of ForestX’s founders and employees previously worked. Imano also worked with IT solutions for the forest industry, but exclusively for the Swedish market.

He has also been responsible for Evry Systeam’s industry focus on forestry and sawmills and the company’s development of software products for that segment.

Why did you choose to join ForestX?

– There is great potential in digitizing the forest industry, it is an exciting niche to be in. It is also fun to be part of businesses that are growing! So when this opportunity arose, I jumped at it, says Magnus Lundblad.

The colleagues and corporate culture were also attractive.

– I worked closely with many of the team before. I know there are fun people and a good culture. In a consulting company, it is important that people enjoy themselves. I perceive ForestX as an open company. We dare to highlight both what works well and what needs to be improved. This makes employees feel seen and noticed. It creates a good atmosphere, there are no big secrets but everyone is involved in the company’s development, says Magnus Lundblad.

Magnus Lundblad’s assignment at ForestX includes working with and running the company’s various product offerings. Among other things, ForestX develops its own optimization and planning tool Optinex. Optinex is currently used at sawmills and in the production of CLT in Sweden and Europe. The assignment also includes developing the collaborations ForestX has with various product partners. This includes, for example, Trimble Forestry and the work with the various products in the Connected Forest suite.

Today, ForestX has partners, customers and commitments all over the world. From collaborations with global Trimble, via customers in Europe to its own company with developers in India. Nor is international work unfamiliar to Magnus Lundblad.

– I have previously worked a lot internationally and have been involved in setting up operations in India, actually in Pune, where ForestX is also located.

Magnus Lundblad

Responsible for products and partners at ForestX

Favorite tree:

Birch, mostly because it is a beautiful tree and is good at drinking a lot of water from our otherwise too wet lawn.

Best nature experience:

Definitely a boat trip in the fall when it’s lobster premiere, an early morning on the way out to put lobster pots in the sea with good friends. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Most used app:

I do not know if you can call it an app, but I am curious and “google” a lot.

Three bookmarks in my browser:

Had to look, right now it’s Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the buy and sell site Blocket (always looking for something) and the weather website SMHI (it’s almost vacation time).

Focus on the product offering: Magnus Lundblad joins ForestX’s management team Read More »

New employee in Europe: Florian Peterlunger

Career, ForestX Europe, FX Europe / 27 April 2023

Tirol Europe/Gothenburg

As the number of customers and projects in Europe increased, so did the need of employees. Florian Peterlunger is ForestX’s first employee in mainland Europe.

In recent years, ForestX has had several projects in Austria. As the assignments became more numerous and larger, the need to have someone on site increased.

Close to the customers

Florian Peterlunger lives South Tirol, in the Italian Alps, with Austria as his closest neighbor. From here he can easily get to ForestX’s customers in Austria. He’s working as a project manager for Optinex with the customers. In Florian Peterlunger, customers also have someone to speak German with.

– The customers are satisfied, there is always terminology that can be difficult to get right in English. I am close by and can be on site, says Florian Peterlunger.

With a technical/mechanical background, Florian Peterlunger previously worked for a company supplying equipment to the saw and wood industry. There he supported developing the after-sales department.

In parallel with his work at ForestX, Florian Peterlunger is studying industrial engineering and management, and is now aiming to complete his master’s degree in a year and a half.

Motivated team

Taking the step to a Swedish company and becoming the first person on-site for the company in the region can be seen as a bold decision.

– I was impressed by the motivation of the ForestX team. Here I can be part of the development, I can be involved from the beginning and can influence the work and be involved in building the team.

Develops Optinex

Florian Peterlunger’s work at ForestX is very much about the development of the planning and optimization tool Optinex.

We have weekly meetings with customers where we get feedback and discuss additions and changes. Internally, we also discuss what we can do and what would be interesting and valuable for customers.

The sawmill and forestry industries are large in Austria and the surrounding regions. Half of Austria’s surface is covered by forest, which corresponds to about four million hectares. The Austrian wood industry has an annual production value of EUR 10.4 billion. Together with tourism, the wood industry accounts for the country’s largest foreign exchange earnings. The industry is diversified, ranging from sawmill industry, construction industry, furniture industry, wood and wood composite industry to ski industry.

ForestX expands in Europe: “Our growth demands a local presence.”

New employee in Europe: Florian Peterlunger Read More »

ForestX expands in Europe: “Our growth demands a local presence.”

Career, ForestX Europe, FX Europe / 20 April 2023

Gothenburg/Tirol

ForestX has been working with Austrian customers for a long time. Now the company is deepening its involvement in Europe with its first employee in the region.

For several years, ForestX has carried out various projects and collaborated with major forestry and sawmill companies in Europe. Now the involvement in Europe continues with an employee on site.

– It was time for us to take this step. Now our continued expansion and development requires a local presence, says Carl Barck, CEO of ForestX.

Growth in every market

Florian Peterlunger is located in South Tirol, in the Italian Alps, with Austria as the closest neighbor. He will work on ForestX’s ongoing projects in Austria.

– We are very pleased that Florian has chosen to join us. We see strong growth in all our markets and this is just the beginning of a larger establishment in Europe, says Carl Barck.

The establishment means that ForestX’s expertise comes closer to both new and old customers in Europe with the same solutions as in Scandinavia. In the business areas of forest and saw, ForestX can offer products together with an industry-specific business knowledge. One third of ForestX’s employees have a forestry background and education and the company cooperates with several well-known product suppliers.

Digitalization of forestry

The establishment is a first step in ForestX’s larger investment in Europe.

– We see great opportunities in Europe. We see that digitalization in forestry and sawmills are priority areas for everyone. We have a lot to contribute there; we have extensive experience, and we combine our solutions with deep forestry business expertise.

– Above all, we can also help with how to work and organize around the new tools. This is crucial to the success and profitability of a project, says Carl Barck.

Leading planning tool integrated with SAP S/4HANA for glulam industry in operation at Pfeifer in Austria

ForestX in new major European project: Tactical operational planning at Rubner

ForestX expands in Europe: “Our growth demands a local presence.” Read More »

New office in Pune

Career, ForestX India / 4 April 2023

In March 2023 we could finally have an inauguration of the ForestX office in Pune!

We now have a spacious office for our team in Pune. Here we have modern work desks, small rooms for meetings and a big conference room. In the kitchen we have a coffee machine so we always can have a Swedish “fika”.

You’ll find our office at:
E-4030, Solitaire Business Hub,
Opp. NECO Garden Society,
Clover Park, Viman Nagar, Pune

New office in Pune Read More »

Office in Falun!

Career, Falun, Sweden / 23 February 2023

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.

Contact Stefan Jönis to find out more!

Office in Falun! Read More »

New office: ForestX moves into Videum in Växjö

Career, Växjö, Sweden / 14 November 2022

Växjö

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.

Photo: Videum

New office: ForestX moves into Videum in Växjö Read More »

New to ForestX: This is how your first time with us will be

Career, FX Europe / 31 October 2022

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.

New to ForestX: This is how your first time with us will be Read More »

Patrik Anderchen: “We already have the solutions for the future”

Career, CF Harvest, Trimble forestry, Växjö, Sweden / 3 October 2022

Växjö

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.

Together with Johan Hedlund, ForestX, he is working on Sydved and the implementation of Trimble Forestry’s CFHarvest, which we have previously reported on. He is also working on an ongoing app development project with Vida. Together with ForestX’s product partner Remsoft, he’s investigating where Remsoft’s products are best suited for the Swedish market.

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?

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.”

Favourite apps:

Instagram

Spotify

SVTPlay

Frequently visited pages online:

Sportbladet

Lucidchart – drawing flowcharts

Patrik Anderchen: “We already have the solutions for the future” Read More »

Carl Barck and Christer Lindqvist: “The goal is for ForestX to be the app store of forestry”

AI, Career, ForestX India, FX Europe, FX India, Optinex / 6 July 2022

Gothenburg

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.