Stora Enso and TRÄ Group join forces to develop innovative digital services for wooden buildings

Green Solutions

Stora Enso and TRÄ Group have signed a joint development agreement. The aim is to improve the construction efficiency and increase the digitalisation in the industry value chain with services for healthy and affordable living. The target is to make the design and specification of wooden buildings easier, attaining smarter manufacturing and construction. In the future, designers, builders, owners and residents in wooden buildings will have better tools for lifecycle management, based on facts received through sensors and data analytics.

The two companies have extensive experience of providing wood construction and promote its positive impact on the environment and on people’s healthy living. Together they will establish a digital platform and toolbox that connects wood construction industry professionals throughout the value chain. The focus is on combining new digital technology innovations with Stora Enso’s wooden building components and experience to create new services. First services are planned to be launched in 2019. Stora Enso and TRÄ Group already have several different projects on-going, starting from digital design tools, virtual reality and augmented reality visualisation of building data as well as different sensor data analytics applications to mention but a few.

‘We see great potential in making the end to end process – from design, via production all the way to the facility management of a building – more transparent and visible. Together with TRÄ Group’s experienced digitalisation professionals, we want to promote wood and its benefits as a renewable construction material,’ said Jari Suominen, head of the Wood Products division at Stora Enso. ‘We believe everyone has the right to live in a healthy and safe environment. We want to change the way people design, build, buy and maintain houses. Co-operation with Stora Enso combines the best of both worlds: the agile start up mentality and the resources of a leading global provider of renewable solutions,’ commented Micke Paqvalén, executive chairman and co-founder, TRÄ Group. The co-operation between the companies began in 2017 in Stora Enso’s Accelerator programme.