FINNOS is renowned for offering greatest scanning solutions with advanced technology. The industry solution provider helps to increase production efficiency with their ultimate innovation. Jyri Smagin, CEO of FINNOS has recently enlightened us on their latest scanning technologies and features. Also, we are overwhelmed to have him on discussing their strengths, offerings, strategies and of course their participation at LIGNA. Excerpts.
As a leading provider of scanning technology, how would you describe your company’s approach and key strengths?
Jyri Smagin : Finnos’ approach has been always customer centric from the very beginning of the company history meaning that everything that we do and develop stems from the actual customer need. The second pillar of our core values is the outstanding customer experience including the usage of our products and services and also customer service.
What are the most recent innovations you are focusing on, and how do they reflect current industry trends?
Jyri Smagin : One of our recent significant innovations is a patent for neuro CT. This means that with stationary 2 direction x-ray scanner we can perform same end result as an traditional CT scanner (Computed tomography) by using AI (Artificial Intelligence). This type of innovation makes cutting edge technology more accessible to all size forest industry companies resulting in significant yield improvements at the mill.
Could you elaborate on the key benefits your log measurement systems offer to customers? Additionally, can you shed light on Finnos’ log X-ray technology and its unique features?
Jyri Smagin : Our x-ray scanner detects over 120 different kind of features from the scanned log. Each customer uses a little bit different set of features in their production based on the needs. Few of the most commonly used x-ray features are under bark diameter, knot detection (size, amount, type) and for instance foreign object detection (metal, stones, plastic etc.). When using these detection features a mill can very accurately allocate the raw material i.e. logs for the specific end products. Typically after installing our x-ray scanner we observe 2-5% increase in the yield which is dramatic! This increase makes the ROI for the scanner way less than 12 months.
How does log measurement technology contribute to optimising the productivity and efficiency of sawmills?
Jyri Smagin : Logs are by far the biggest single source of cost at any mill. If a mill is able to maximize the efficient use of logs due to accurate and precise measurement it has a significant positive effect on the overall performance of the entire mill. Here’s no magic, it’s all based on the modern high tech enabling best possible utilization of the biggest cost source.
With scanning technology gaining prominence globally, what core strategies do you implement to ensure your products stand out in the market?
Jyri Smagin : This is easy to answer: outstanding customer experience. Once you’ve stepped into Finnos’ world, you don’t want to leave anymore. This is our guiding principle of everything that we do on every single level of the whole company.
Beyond Europe, how is your market presence in the U.S.? Do you have plans to expand into other international regions in the near future?
Jyri Smagin : We are constantly increasing the amount of our scanning technology in North America. Our next installation will take place in January 2025 in Washington state. We have partnered with North American company called Carbotech to speed up our expansion strategy in North America.
We are active in all coniferous markets globally and constantly increasing our presence through either our own subsidiaries or local partners.
LIGNA 2025 is approaching quickly. Could you share your upcoming plans for participating in this premier woodworking industry event?
Jyri Smagin : We will present myFinnos concept which covers the entire mill’s scanners and combines these data sources into one User interface. The presentation of the concept will be constructed out of LEGOS and the size of the thing will be about 6 feet by 6 feet.
Finally, how do you envision the future of the wood scanning technology industry over the next five years, and what marketing strategies will you adopt to stay ahead in the evolving market?
Jyri Smagin : The future of the wood scanning technology is all about data.
Generate high quality data (scanners)
Collect this data and connect data points (fingerprint technology, cloud technology)
Process this large data set into easily understandable and usable form (AI, AR, UI)
Our marketing strategy remains the same as what it has been. We want to be mill’s the preferred partner in data handling.
In order to be able to achieve that, we invest heavily constantly in customer experience and R&D of the cutting edge technology.
