In spring 2022, Pinja launched a new project that will result in the Forest by Pinja, a system solution that supports the StanForD 2010 standard of the forestry sector. The project is carried out in close cooperation with Pinja’s forest industry clients. In the first part of our blog post series about the standardization project we reported on the results of the definition phase. The project has now entered the product development phase, and the service supporting the standard is expected to be released in fall 2023.
Modern data transfer
The StanForD 2010 data transfer standard, developed for the forest industry, helps the forestry sector to take advantage of modern data transfer capabilities and update felling instructions for forest machines in real time. The standard also ensures that cost-saving and sustainability objectives are met, as it helps minimize waste in the cutting process. The StanForD 2010, created through Nordic cooperation, is already well established in the production of major forest machine manufacturers.
In Pinja’s StanForD 2010 project, a user-friendly, partially web-based felling management system is created for forest industry clients. It allows up-to-date felling instructions to be passed from sawmills to forest machines and maximize timber recovery.
The model involving client company experts will also be applied extensively in future product development projects in Pinja’s forest industry service area.
The product development phase has progressed as planned. Close meetings with clients make it easier to stay on schedule and testing is made quicker by the test environment available to clients. The development work included processing of deliveries and receipts and converting the data generated by the machine into the format required by the standard. The project follows Pinja’s strategy of moving software onto the web platform.
Project progresses from product development to testing
The project has now reached the stage where the system is being developed and tested – the first joint test day with clients was held in March 2023. Experts from Pinja’s forestry clients were present to test the system in test environments with the aim of identifying potential problems before the release of the service. At the same time, clients were already preparing their own deployment schedules for the service.
The forestry clients involved in the project were pleased that the project enabled testing the product development environment at this early stage. The experience of the first joint test day was positive and the next test day is scheduled for May 2023. Once the findings have been corrected, the software is launched in September-October 2023.
Lessons from client cooperation for wider use
Thanks to careful specifications and close cooperation with clients, the product development project has avoided major changes and it has remained well on schedule. The StanForD 2010 project is an example of a successful participatory development.
The lessons learned from the project are now to be applied more widely at Pinja. The model involving client company experts will also be applied extensively in future product development projects in Pinja’s forest industry service area. The experiences gained from the StanForD 2010 project have also provided valuable lessons for refining the cooperation model. At the same time, they have strengthened the perception of the usefulness of the model in practical product development.
In the next blog post of the standardization project, we will report on the results of the testing phase and the release of the Forest by Pinja version that supports the StanForD 2010 standard.
Read more about Pinja’s work on the StanForD 2010 standard and Pinja’s services to the forest industry
StanForD 2010, a new standard for forest machines, improves logging quality (the definition phase of the standardization work)
Forest by Pinja – ERP system for wood procurement, harvesting and logistics
Guide: Improving profitability of energy wood trading – digital solutions for more efficient supply chain management
Guide: Improve the strategic planning of the forest business
