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ForestX awarded for being fast-growing and successful

Career, Partners /

Since the start in 2018, ForestX has grown both fast and stable. ForestX is now appointed Gasell 2023 by leading Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri.

– This is an award for all our employees! Without their competence and commitment, we would not have received the award. We are a fantastic team, says CEO Carl Barck.

 

ForestX offers digital solutions and business knowledge for the entire forest value chain, from forest to finished product. Customers and users are located in Sweden, Denmark and Central Europe.

VD Carl Barck och marknadschef Christer Lindqvist

– An important part of why we have grown in this way is that we have innovative and forward-thinking customers. Our customers can see every day how our solutions help them make good and profitable decisions, says Carl Barck and continues:

– I dare to say that our combination of deep understanding of the complex requirements of the forestry and wood industries and top competence in IT development, AI and digitalization is unique. You won’t find it anywhere else.

 

The solutions and know-how ForestX offers provide information and decision support from everything from planning harvesting to how a sawmill best optimizes its use of the timber.

 

– The award also shows that our offer with solutions that support sustainable forestry and wise use of resources is the right way to go, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist.

 

ForestX was founded and is headquartered in Gothenburg. The company also has offices in Falun, Växjö and Uppsala. In Europe, ForestX has employees in Germany and in Austria/Italy. A subsidiary with developers is located in Pune, India.

More on the Gasell award:

The Gasell award from Dagens industri, a leading Swedish business newspaper, is an annual recognition that is given to the fastest-growing and most successful companies in Sweden.

 

The award is named after the concept of a gazelle, which in this context symbolizes businesses that are agile, nimble, and able to achieve rapid growth.

 

The Gasell award is highly prestigious and is seen as a mark of excellence and success in the Swedish business community. It acknowledges companies that contribute to economic growth and job creation in Sweden.

How ForestX meets the criteria of Gasell:

Gaselle requirement 1:

A net turnover exceeding SEK 10 million, according to the latest annual report.

ForestX turnover 2022 – 44 million SEK

 

Gazelle requirement 2:

At least ten employees, according to the latest annual report.

ForestX 2022 – 15 average number of employees (in Sweden).

 

Gazelle requirement 3:

At least doubled its turnover, comparing the first and last financial year of the four-year study period.

From SEK 16.6 million to SEK 44 million.

 

Gazelle requirement 4:

Increased their turnover every year for the last three years.

2018/19 (18 months) – SEK 16.6 million

2020 – 19.9 million SEK

2021 – 30.2 million SEK

2022 – 44 million SEK

 

Gazelle requirement 5:

A positive overall operating result for the last four financial years.

2022 +

2021 +

2020 +

2018/19 +

 

Gazelle requirement 6:

Essentially grown organically, not through acquisitions or mergers.

Yes

 

Gazelle requirement 7:

Sound finances.

Yes

More about ForestX

ForestX was founded in 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The founders and employees have extensive experience from the forestry and sawmill industry. In the fall of 2023, the company has around 50 employees.

 

CEO Carl Barck is a trained forester and has extensive experience from both the Swedish and international forest industry.

 

Marketing manager Christer Lindqvist has previously received three Gazelle awards between 2006 and 2008 and has extensive experience of building profitable companies from scratch.

 

One third of ForestX’s employees have a forestry education. Together with experienced solution architects and developers, there is a great knowledge of the needs of the forestry industry and digital solutions.

 

ForestX collaborates with several world-leading product suppliers such as Trimble Forestry and Remsoft. ForestX also develops its own product Optinex, which is a planning and optimization tool for sawmills.

 

Optinex is currently used at sawmills and in the production of glulam and CLT in Sweden and Europe.

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

Partners /

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

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

Partners /

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.

 

Read more about Setra at setragroup.com

New partner to ForestX: Johan Bergström strengthens with expertise in change management

Partners /

Gothenburg / Uppsala

 

As Johan Bergström now joins ForestX, the company strengthens their expertise in change management in forestry. 

 

Since his studies as a forester and onwards, Johan Bergström has moved in the field between forestry and IT. The areas of work have been geographical information systems, forestry planning systems and timber flow systems. After 18 years at Sveaskog, he has now joined ForestX as a partner. With extensive experience of various projects and always with various development issues, he strengthens ForestX’s competence in the work of digitizing Europe’s forest and wood industries.

 

Leadership and working methods through change processes is something Johan is passionate about.

 

– Change is difficult and everyone reacts differently, says Johan Bergström, and sees some concrete methods to work according to:

 

  1. Invest in giving employees the support they need.

  2. Give time to implement changes.

  3. See the value of the soft perspectives.

  4. Make sure there are people who understand and can explain to those who are going through the change.

  5. See the whole; development and change are always connected.

  6. There is not just one perspective. Learning a new system is one thing. But are we properly organized, for example? Do we talk to each other about the right things at the right time? Do our key figures measure correctly based on what we are trying to achieve? Is it possible to understand what I as an individual gain from the change?

  7. The effect that we achieve is most important, let the road there be crooked if necessary.

– If you get many of these points to be connected, it is possible to achieve large effects with relatively small, Johan Bergström says.

 

Digital solutions for the transition

 

It was also ForestX’s focus on the importance of the effect of change that attracted Johan Bergström to a collaboration.

 

– We have the same focus on the effects customers want to achieve. Forestry is currently undergoing a major change where digitalisation is seen as a crucial tool. The digital capabilities are simply a prerequisite for continuing to run a sustainable forestry that is understood by everyone. ForestX is there, working with the industry, IT and digitization and I want to help.

 

The part of the Swedish forestry that works with IT and digitization is no greater than the fact that Johan Bergström has often worked with people who are now at ForestX. 

 

– It is a good bunch of partners and employees that I’ve followed for a long time. ForestX is modern and has repeatedly delivered over the years in various projects and is now showing the way in a traditional industry in recasting.

 

Agile approach to successful change work

 

To succeed in change work, Johan Bergström advocates an agile way of working.

 

– By working transparently, communicating a lot, being prepared to rethink, seek and try out and constantly reflect on what happened and why, you will take advantage of the opportunities that you did not even first know existed, or capture things that we did not know before were important.

 

– This way of working requires that you get involved. It is a chimera to believe that if you spend time on a feasibility study and a requirements specification, you as an organization can then breathe a sigh of relief. A change affects so much more, such as working methods and more people than the obvious ones. Taking care of the things you did not think of will be new costs afterwards or the desired effect will simply not be there.

 

It all boils down to trust between the parties. A good foundation is often to start with a small project and work outwards, so to speak. It is only when you really get to work that everything finds its place, is Johan Bergström’s experience.

 

From your position in the forest industry, what does people in forestry need to be aware of?

 

– The realization that a system does not solve everything. There are many more perspectives you must take into account. How we measure, how we have given the conditions and that we have reviewed the processes. A system is only a part of the solution. One cannot turn a blind eye to difficult leadership issues and the change work that needs to be done.

 

– In a change, it is a prerequisite that we use the technology correctly for us to succeed. Computers should do what they are good at, we humans do what we are good at. It is when we try the opposite that it goes wrong…

Name: Johan Bergström

 

Title: Project Manager

 

Favourite tree: Pine. It has to do with my northern origin. My parents come from Västerbotten in the northern parts of Sweden, and we still have my father’s childhood home just south of Sorsele where the family gathers. Pine dominates there. Plus everything it provides in the form of timber, wood, firewood, coal, tar and dry acorns for insects and birds.

 

Best nature experience: When I did a ten day winter tent trip in Sarek with my friend John. It was a revenge for an earlier attempt when we were not properly prepared. We got to experience everything from sunshine to a full snowstorm.

 

Most used app:  Wehunt, a hunting app that has done a lot for safety and the hunting experience.

 

Three bookmarks in my browser: I do not use bookmarks but am good at searching. But three pages that I check / use at regular intervals:

Wikipedia

Excellent starting point for us curious. I think it is important to have independent facts and am a donor.

Sketchup

Trimbles Sketchup for us who like carpentry and building. Always good to start with a drawing / sketch and why not a digital in 3D!

idg.se

Large portal for everything possible in IT. It is important to keep up, both at work and at home.

Carl Barck and Christer Lindqvist, ForestX: ”Our journey has just begun”

ForestX India, FX Europe, FX India, Partners /

Gothenburg, Sweden

 

ForestX was founded three years ago. With 35 co-workers, a broad network of partners and a joint long experience of the combination of forest and IT, ForestX sticks to its goal; to digitize the forest industry.

 

In this interview with CEO Carl Barck and marketing manager Christer Lindqvist, we go to India, on to the digitization of forestry in pandemic times and future recruitment needs. And much more. 

 

ForestX India has ten employees in Pune. Pune is today a hub for the tech world in India

 

India

 

ForestX India was founded one year ago. There are already ten employees in ForestX India, all based in the city of Pune. Pune has over six million inhabitants and is the place where cutting-edge expertise in the Indian tech world gathers.


– Everyone at ForestX India are hand-picked specialists. We are proud and happy that we have managed to create this together during this pandemic year, says Carl Barck, CEO of ForestX.

 

– We chose to make our own establishment in India after reviewing various alternatives. We are confident with the team in India and we have a really good collaboration. We have such good experience that we now want to continue to grow and expand the business there. At the moment we’re looking for Lead Developer, Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer in .NET / Azure Stack and/or Angular in Pune, says Carl Barck.

 

During the early summer of 2021, ForestX India provided vaccination against Covid-19 to employees and their families.

This is Team India:


https://forestx.se/en/team-india/

 

Examples of projects where ForestX India and ForestX in Sweden collaborated:


https://forestx.se/en/leading-planning-tool-integrated-with-sap-s-4hana-for-glulam-industry-in-operation-at-pfeifer-in-austria/

 

Partners

 

ForestX has a wide partner network. These include Mentormate, Euvic, Tenfifty, Remsoft and Metapraxis.

 

– Many of our partners complement each other. Since we know our partners well, we will always find the best combinations when we create unique offers for our customers, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist.

 

The partnership with Trimble Forestry

 

One of ForestX’s deeper collaborations is the one with Trimble Forestry. ForestX is Trimble Forestry’s Nordic partner and delivers the CFForest product suite to Nordic customers.

 

– We realized early on that Trimble Forestry’s products were just right. We are grateful that we have received the trust from Trimble to cooperate in the Nordic region, says CEO Carl Barck.

 

– The market needs this type of product that provides a platform for digitization. The forest industry wants and needs to move towards modern cloud services, and that is where Trimble Forestry’s products fit in with their modular structure.

 

– With the transition to VIOL3, the timing is right to choose the CFForest suite. We work continuously with the establishment and adaptation of the product to the Swedish market, says Carl Barck.

 

Read an interview with Trimble Forestry’s CEO Kevin Toohill about his views on the Nordic forest industry:

 

https://forestx.se/en/kevin-toohill-ceo-of-trimble-forestry-the-large-investments-in-it-and-technology-makes-sweden-interesting/

 

ForestX is now working to establish physical offices in Stockholm and Dalarna as the company grows.

 

Office in Stockholm and Falun

 

– As we have grown, the number of places where the employees are based has increased. Today, in addition to Gothenburg, there are also employees in Stockholm and in Dalarna. We are now working to establish physical offices there, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist.

Read more about ForestX’s first recruitment in Dalarna: https://forestx.se/en/stefan-jonis-joins-forestx/

 

 ForestXChange

 

– ForestXChange is part of our expanded offer for change management, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist. 

 

– Through our partner network and our various product partners, we have the knowledge, experience and solutions to ensure a change process to turn out well. We have cutting-edge expertise in all areas related to change, forestry, digitization and IT. This combined means that we dare to say that we are experts in the forest industry’s digital journey of change, says Christer Lindqvist.

 

Read more about ForestXChange in an interview with Sven Lundmark here:


https://forestx.se/en/sven-lundmark-the-customer-has-to-keep-a-strong-position/

 

Examples of projects and customers

 

  1. Setra. Together with Setra, we are carrying out a major development project aimed at modernizing the business system. It will continue in the autumn of 2021.

  2. Vida Skog. We have developed the production follow-up app WQP together with Vida Skog. The app is now in use.

  3. AI project at Sveaskog. We project manage two AI projects at Sveaskog. Among other things, we are developing a completely new tool, KingPin, for producing pin files with higher quality by using AI.

  4. CFHarvest to HedeDanmark. We helped the Danish forestry company to become fully digital in its work process.

  5. Developed OptiNex Glulam for Pfeifer in Austria. We developed a new module for glulam production for our own planning program OptiNex.

Read more about some of the projects here:

 

Sveaskog:
https://forestx.se/en/innovative-ai-projects-at-sveaskog-linked-together-at-forestx/

 

HedeDanmark:
https://forestx.se/en/hededanmark-cfharvest-made-our-work-flow-completely-digitized/

 

Pfeifer:
https://forestx.se/en/leading-planning-tool-integrated-with-sap-s-4hana-for-glulam-industry-in-operation-at-pfeifer-in-austria/

 

Digitization of the forest industry in pandemic times

 

– We notice that the interest is great and we continuously get inquiries, despite the pandemic. It’s a hot area. We see that the players in the forest industry are interested and well-educated and know that they must take steps towards a completely digital way of working, says CEO Carl Barck.

 

– We also see how our work with Pfeifer in Austria created great interest in the region, and we are working on new inquiries from that part of Europe.

 

Webinars

 

During spring of 2021, ForestX had two webinars on the theme of AI in the forest for real together with Tenfifty, and one where the product suite CFForest from Trimble Forestry was presented.

 

– It has been a successful concept with webinars, says marketing manager Christer Lindqvist. It turned out well and we will continue this autumn.

 

– It is a good format and we have experienced that there has been a great commitment and more participants than we had dared to hope for. It is a great way to share knowledge and information.

 

– But at the same time, of course, we look forward to meeting our customers and colleagues for real again when society can reopen, says Christer Lindqvist.

 

On September 16, ForestX arrange  a webinar together with Metapraxis. It will be about analysis and follow-up of finances, production, sales and market in the woodworking industry.

 

On September 28, part three of our series on AI for real in the woods will be arranged. Then the theme is “Strategic, tactical and operational planning”. Christer Lindqvist, ForestX and David Fendrich, Tenfifty, participate. An even more secret guest is planned!

 

– With our smart digital solutions, we help forest companies to take their responsibility, says ForestX’s CEO Carl Barck.

 

Sustainability

 

– With our smart digital solutions, we help forest companies take their responsibility. By having a solid decision basis and digital opportunities to follow every part of the work process, we jointly save resources at all levels, says CEO Carl Barck.

 

Recruitments

 

In three years, ForestX has grown into a company with around 35 co-workers in Sweden and India. With projects in several European countries, there is a constant need to make new recruits. 

 

– We are always looking for those who have expertise in both forestry and IT. If you have competence and experience in IT, technology, forestry, GIS or VIOL3, you are very interesting to us, says CEO Carl Barck and continues: 

 

– Our journey has just begun, anyone who wants to be part of building something new should come to us. We work with modern technology and the best solutions.

 

– We want our employees to be able to make the best professional development with us.

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