How to create and implement scalable digital solutions for Smart Factory

We are continuously collecting digital solution ideas from all corners of the company – anyone in Stora Enso can be an innovator. After reviewing the ideas, corporate funding is granted for the best ones. In this way, individual mills or functions don’t need to bear the high risk of failure in an early development phase. We prefer moving on with small steps – test your idea fast on a small scale. If the idea is successful, you will be encouraged to take the next step. There are four steps in our development methodology, namely Proof-of-Concept, Pilot, Implementation and Scale-out. The scalability of a digital solution is considered very early in the process – if the scalability is high, corporate funding and resources are available for further development of the solution.

Digital solutions need to deliver clear business value, as well as help improve operational efficiency and safety. Sometimes the value is evident right from the beginning, but sometimes the ideas need to be tested first – not just technically but also from a value point of view. In Stora Enso, we allow idea testing in a PoC project without a business case, to try the most modern technologies out. The PoC project is for verifying not just technical but also business benefit feasibility of an idea. For scalable solutions, the value differs from one mill or production line to another. This needs to be considered when scale-out plans are created, and the scale-out schedule should be designed so that both short- and long-term value are maximized.

At Stora Enso, we are creating problem-focused digital solutions for our operations. We use strong anchor technologies to enable scalability across heterogenous mills in our fleet. The solutions are solving individual known problems and mills can mix and match the solutions as is best for their case – mills have different challenges, and they need a diverse mix of digital solutions for maximum value. Because of the stepwise problem-focused approach, we need a clear digital vision for our operations. This ensures we are always on the right track on our digital journey. We have created a Digital Mill 2030 Vision towards we are moving with every new digital solution.

Many companies are struggling to break out from the vicious circle of digital piloting. At Stora Enso, we have managed to move digital development focus from piloting to scaling digital solutions out in operations. We have done many things right and learned from the mistakes along the journey. The things explained above have helped us greatly, and we are committed to continue.