Thursday, October 30, 2025
The adoption of the new, contemporary timber flow system, Viol 3, represents an exciting achievement in the Scandinavian forestry industry’s ongoing digital revolution. The forest owner association Norra Skog is leading this industry-wide shift by successfully becoming the first organisation in Sweden to fully integrate the contemporary platform, establishing a crucial standard for supply chain transparency and operational efficiency throughout the whole industry.
The successful rollout, which commenced in May 2025, is a victory for meticulous planning, strong employee commitment, and collaborative spirit. This crucial systems change ensures that Norra Skog—an association representing over 27,000 private forest owners primarily in northern Sweden—can continue to deliver stable, high-quality services to its timber suppliers while future-proofing its operations.
“We are extremely satisfied with the project’s progression. While it represented a massive operational change, the dedication and teamwork across our organisation made it a genuinely positive journey,” stated Sofie Dahlén Sjöbergh, Project Manager for the Viol 3 implementation at Norra Skog.
The introduction of Viol 3 is not just an update; it is a complete reinvention of the digital backbone for the Swedish timber industry. For decades, the sector relied on the Viol 2 system to manage the entire timber flow—from forest harvesting and wood measurement to transportation and industrial processing. However, the legacy system had reached its technical limits, constraining the modern demands of global, sustainable forestry.
Viol 3 is the purpose-built, next-generation solution. Engineered with entirely new technology, it promises superior timber traceability, significantly higher data security, and streamlined information exchange between every stakeholder in the complex wood value chain. The ultimate vision driving this national project is to enable the tracking of every single log from its origin in the forest to the final product delivered to the end customer. This granular level of data is becoming indispensable for meeting stringent international regulations, such as the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), which demands verifiable proof of wood legality and sustainability.
Norra Skog’s internal preparation for the May 2, 2025, launch began well in advance. The implementation required a concerted effort, uniting employees from diverse departments—including logistics, production, marketing, and administration—to adapt core routines, auxiliary systems, and daily working methods.
“This truly has been teamwork in the purest sense. We embraced new ways of thinking, celebrated our milestones, worked within clear organizational frameworks, and, importantly, maintained an element of enjoyment throughout the process,” Dahlén Sjöbergh remarked.
A guiding principle for the entire undertaking was ensuring that the transition would not impose any disruption on Norra Skog’s valued timber suppliers. The organization has successfully achieved this aim. “The measurement and administration workflows have continued as usual. It was an absolute requirement for us that our suppliers feel secure and confident that their business operations would run smoothly,” she added.
Norra Skog leads the nation
The enormous scope of the Viol 3 project cannot be overstated. It is a fundamental overhaul of how timber measurement and accounting are conducted nationwide, designed to ensure a more efficient and equitable accounting process for all wood volumes moving from forest to industry. Biometria, the member-owned company responsible for the development and operation of the Viol 3 system, has been central to managing this national transition. According to Ingela Ekebro, CEO of Biometria, the commitment from the forest companies themselves was vital.
“Changing systems on an entire industry level is a monumental challenge,” Ekebro noted. “But fortunately, Norra Skog’s adoption has gone entirely according to plan. They were the first to integrate all new aspects into Viol 3. We experienced exceptional cooperation from both their project management and their timber department. They have truly served as an example for the rest of the industry.”
The complexity involved moving thousands of users and hundreds of measurement locations simultaneously while managing colossal amounts of sensitive data. Ekebro reflected on the challenge: “Anyone who has lived through a systems change knows how tough it can be. We are doing it simultaneously across the entire industry. It demands that everyone is constructive and laser-focused on solutions, which I believe we have been.”
A critical deadline for the transition was July 1, 2025, when Biometria began the phased deactivation of the old Viol 2 system. The final decommissioning of the legacy platform is scheduled for the end of October 2025.
“The board has been unequivocal: it will take an incredible amount of work to justify not closing Viol 2 as planned. Companies must finalise all outstanding measurements and empty the old system before the deadline, or they risk significant duplication of effort out in the field,” Ekebro warned.
With the old system closure imminent, a new phase of development for the sector begins. Biometria will shift its focus to system stabilisation, addressing any residual bugs, and initiating the phased, continuous development of Viol 3. This next chapter will be guided by the practical feedback and operational experience gained by pioneers like Norra Skog.
“It was necessary to rigidly define the system development during the initial project phase. Now, we are eager to further enhance Viol 3 based on real-world needs and innovations that deliver tangible benefits for the entire forestry industry,” Ekebro concluded.
Norra Skog’s exemplary success with the Viol 3 rollout demonstrates the potential for seamless digital transformation even within deeply established, resource-intensive industries. Their achievement provides a powerful case study in maximising efficiency, ensuring compliance, and setting a robust foundation for sustainable timber flow in the modern era.
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Tags: digital supply chain, Forest Technology, forestry news, timber flow system, timber traceability, Viol 3 implementation
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