Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is participating in a joint project called SEED, led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, in which forest companies are developing new digital solutions together with companies in the ICT industry.
In the two-year project, forest industry mills will serve as innovation platforms for app developers and research institutions focused on solving production challenges. The cooperation aims to find new digital solutions that increase production efficiency.
Metsä Board’s pilot project focuses on the management of spare parts’ data content, the goal being to unify and expand the master data of spare part names with the help of automation and artificial intelligence. If successful, the project would reduce maintenance costs significantly and the technology could also be applied to the needs of other business areas.
“We’re looking forward to the experimental concept development for increasing the productivity of mills. When we combine a mill’s systems, the data online and the know-how of our experts, we can expect new and so far unforeseen opportunities,” says Maintenance Director Perttu Vikman from Metsä Board.
The total volume of SEED project is approximately EUR 7 million. Its main sponsor is Business Finland. When the project kicked off, there were a total of 20 companies involved.
