Forestry businesses future in question – start-ups and young entrants needed

Over the past year, I have spoken to dozens of professionals involved with the forest contracting industry, and there are some very clear messages that are shared by all of them. One of the strongest messages relates to encouraging young operators into the sector: currently, there are not enough, and there is insufficient provision in the current structure to encourage them without significant cost. Currently, there are very few training …

Financial concerns for both small and large harvesting contractors in Sweden

In May, FOBIA newsletter presented an overview of Finnish harvesting contractors’ financial performance which showed that bigger companies were more profitable than smaller ones. Since then, researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have investigated the situation in Sweden by analyzing financial statements for approx. 500 harvesting contractors. The preliminary results show that also in Sweden the smaller companies have the smallest profits. However, there are also concerns …

Combining harvester data and training for profitability and well-being

Meet Jussi Antman, a long-time forest harvesting driver and entrepreneur, who sleeps better these days than before. His sleeping patterns have improved thanks to a conscious change in his working methods which have brought him more free time. Automation specialist Markku Heikkinen from machine manufacturer John Deere and trainers at Valtimo School of Forestry helped bring about this change by testing new methods with Jussi over a period of ten …

A minute a day can save hundreds of euros a year

Päivi Hirvonen from Finnmetko Oy cannot stop smiling. She has recently returned from the FinnMETKO 2018 exhibition, where she demonstrated the Datapankki (Databank) service provided by the Trade Association of Finnish Forestry, Earthmoving and Energy Contractors for its members. The 35,000 exhibition guests produced a steady flow of interested visitors to the stand. More productivity through monitoring Account manager Päivi Hirvonen likes to talk about Datapankki face to face to …

A new data tool for harvesting contractors

There is nothing new about collecting and sending data directly from the harvester’s measuring device to forest companies. However, FOBIA has developed a prototype tool that also serves the needs of harvesting contractors. Seven years ago a working group set up by the The Trade Association of Finnish Forestry, Earthmoving and Energy Contractors (Koneyrittäjien Liitto) came up with the idea of a tailor-made tool for harvesting contractors. Tietohippu Oy has …