Veljekset Kellola serves important clients in the forest industry supply chain. They adopted the Forest by Pinja system at the end of 2020. The acquisition decision resulted from good business growth and positive future prospects – the previous method of managing business data would not have been sustainable in the long term. In the company, the key advantages of the acquired solution have been time savings in data management, efficient information flow between personnel and contractual partners, and the reliable flow of wood origin data throughout the entire supply chain.
Veljekset Kellola, who specialize in timber harvesting, standing timber sales, and earthmoving services, made the decision to acquire Forest by Pinja solution in 2020, when their business was growing well, and had recently expanded into standing timber sales. The Raahe-based company had a true need for an efficient tool for planning harvesting and long-distance transports, as well as financial management. Forest by Pinja has proved its suitability for use by growing companies in addition to large operators.
– In timber trade, it is essential that all the planning and harvesting information is verifiable. Previously, the post-calculation was very laborious and transport logistics were managed with inflexible Excel sheets. Now, making post-calculations is easier, and we are able to compare our offer estimates with the true figures. Accounting and invoicing with our contractual partners have also become easier, says Tuomo Hanhisuanto, project manager at Veljekset Kellola.
The increasing wood volumes and personnel meant more data to be managed, and the data flow between employees and contractors had become difficult. An important goal in the implementation was also the reliable management and flow of wood origin data throughout the entire supply chain.
– Tracing the origin of the wood is essential, and it would not have been possible anymore with our previous Excel-based data management system, Hanhisuanto states.
Forest by Pinja is now in use at Veljekset Kellola, and the solution’s planning functionality is especially useful for the company’s purchasing managers. During the implementation, Log modules were installed to Veljekset Kellola’s every forestry machine to transmit information from the field to the office. Forest proved its strength in information flow when another purchasing manager was hired by the company in the spring of 2022. For example, chaining harvests would have been much more difficult with an Excel-based solution, and planning around holiday seasons is also easier now that all users have access to the data entered by each of them.
The implementation schedule of the modular Forest solution, developed for managing wood procurement, harvesting, and logistics, is affected by many things, such as the scope and diversity of the client company’s business, and the size and resources of the project team. With Veljekset Kellola, the transition from Excel to digital data management was accomplished exceptionally quickly.
– Things fell well into place with Veljekset Kellola. We were able to accurately map the client’s needs in advance, our solution suited their process, and crucial factors were also the expertise and work input of Veljekset Kellola. The implementation was carried out in record time, says Ilmari Mäkeläinen, project manager at Pinja.
Fast implementation was also a conscious choice of the client company.
– We decided to make the transition in one go, without intermediate steps, which turned out to be the right choice. This way, learning was fast, and the transition was easier to implement before the amount of information grew any bigger, Hanhisuanto states.
The business direction of Veljekset Kellola continues to look positive. Rapidly grown standing timber sales were transferred to a new Kellola Metsä company in the summer of 2022, and the growth of both companies continues to be supported with system solutions in the future. The next step in the collaboration between Veljekset Kellola and Pinja is the integration of Procountor financial management software with Forest by Pinja during 2022.
