Prima Timber

The Forklift application streamlines and improves the efficiency of parcel handling

The year 2018 was a turning point for the family-owned company Prima Timber that belongs to the Iivari Mononen Oy group. The company, which specializes in pressure impregnation, was then expanded to include planing through an acquisition, and a decision was made to increase digitalization to streamline the business. It was decided to move the company’s entire ERP to a single system.

– At the outset, we had two production plants with a total of three different ERP systems. We knew that we needed to bring all operations and the entire order book together. We compared different options, and were convinced by Pinja’s solution. Our planing shop was already using Timber by Pinja at the time, and the experience we had there supported our decision, says Joni Nousiainen, CEO of Prima Timber.

After the decision, the harmonization project and the digitalization expansion progressed in phases, and in October 2020 the entire company switched to Timber by Pinja. In the second wave, in spring 2021, a Forklift application was added to the system to improve inventory management, which has since proven to be a key tool. The easy-to-use graphical user interface is designed specifically for use in a forklift truck.

The GPS-based application used in the forklift cab on tablets allows Prima Timber, among other things, to mark the physical location of the parcels for later inspection. This means that the location information of parcels is not reliant on drivers’ memory, and the dependency of warehouse management on people is reduced. Moving parcels is easier and faster when drivers don’t have to drive around looking for them. At the same time, the operating costs of forklifts is reduced due to lesser use.

– The introduction of the Forklift application was certainly a challenge for us, as there are a lot of work steps, especially on the impregnation side. However, we accepted this challenge, and also worked on it internally. Our ERP team worked with Pinja, and provided feedback at various stages of the implementation. Now we have a system that works, says Nousiainen.

Streamlined inventory management requires streamlined information flow

Prima Timber uses the system solution provided by Pinja throughout its entire logistics chain. Wood for Prima Timber’s production plants comes from sustainable forest owners from forests grown in the northern climate, and the raw materials are managed in the system from the moment they are received.

In production, the system manages the movement of raw materials and finished products to and from the production line, in both the planer mill and the impregnation plant. The solution has also enabled real-time inventory management and convenient internal package transfers between sites. In addition, the system supports the dispatch of finished products so that the necessary packages can be conveniently collected for each order, loaded onto a forklift truck, and marked as delivered directly at the forklift terminal.

-Pinja’s systems have streamlined operations between our facilities, and significantly reduced the amount of manual work. The transition to digitalization and automation has fundamentally changed the way we do business. At the same time, the number of typos has been reduced, as, for example, batch numbers no longer need to be entered by hand at different stages of the process. Especially at the busiest times of the day, such automation has a noticeable impact on working time; I would say that this change alone saves us about 30-60 minutes of work each day, Nousiainen sums up.

The flow of information between different activities is also an important aspect. For example, the company can now easily direct individual timber packages to specific sales. The system also allows you to search using a wide range of criteria, for example for specific timber types. This gives an immediate indication of where the goods of a specific size are located in the warehouse.

As Prima Timber uses Pinja’s software solution extensively and comprehensively, the cooperation between the companies has been close, and the partnership has also been rewarding for Pinja.

– Prima Timber has been a real pleasure to work with, as we have come together around a real need, and positive development comments and feedback have been given by both parties. I really appreciate the fact that Prima Timber is also an active participant, and they are brave enough to introduce new features. They clearly want to develop their business further, says Ilkka Suhonen, Pinja’s Client Manager.

Prima Timber also recognizes the company’s forward-looking and development-oriented approach. Another advantage of the system acquisition is that Pinja’s system can be replicated for additional sites if needed.

– Over the years, many things have happened, and we have faced some serious hurdles both at Prima Timber and at Group level. We need courage and big changes. We had two crazy years with the Coronavirus, while 2022 was a challenging year. It is built into our DNA that we will never just lie down in the fire. We always look ahead, Nousiainen says.

Images: Salla Seeslahti