Career – ForestX

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

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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.

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 »

ForestX keeps growing in Dalarna: David Rasche part of the team

Career / 15 December 2021

Leksand/Göteborg

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

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ForestX India: A fast-growing one-year-old in tech and forestry

Career, ForestX India, FX India / 28 October 2021

Pune, India/ Gothenburg, Sweden

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.

Read the full story of the work at Pfeifer, Austria

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