Digital Fiber Initiative

Does your company have a great product, service or technology that can radically transform the forest industry? Would you like to work with a global technology powerhouse and a leading European research and technology organization to create solutions that become new industry standards?

Lue Digital Fiberista suomeksi
Initiative

New digital business from data and wood fiber process innovations

Today, the global industrial landscape is in full transformation, while giving companies unusual latitude to influence future industry structure. The industrial renewal can only be possible if industries are prepared to unleash global opportunities for value creation through digitalization, advances in automation, big data and the Internet of Things. From supply chains to customer experience, digitalization is changing the way industry functions, particularly in processing and manufacturing sectors, yet enormous untapped potential remains.

 

The key enabler for harnessing the benefits of digitalization is a lifecycle plant management from engineering to operations. With COMOS software, Siemens can carry out integrated plant asset management projects over the entire industrial lifecycle. Whereas, the open cloud-based Internet of Things platform – MindSphere - connects machines and physical infrastructure to the digital world and provides powerful industrial apps and digital services.

 

The companies in the forest industry (including pulp & paper) are facing a dramatic upheaval. The demand for traditional paper – for example, for newspapers or office use – is declining about five percent annually worldwide, while the demand for fiber products continues to grow. What’s needed is methods and process innovations by which new materials could be produced from wood fibers.

What are we looking for?

With the aim to build a cross-industrial innovation ecosystem of technology companies, solution providers, engineering and consulting companies, as well as end customers and OEMs, the Digital Fiber Initiative is looking for solutions that increase productivity in the forest industry throughout the value chain from engineering to business operations within the New Digital business from data and New wood fiber process innovations.

 

Companies of all sizes with a capability to address these categories are invited to join the Digital Fiber Initiative and become a part of an innovative ecosystem, paving the way for new forest industry solutions. The proposals can be related to but not limited to for example:

  • Back-end data gathering infrastructure such as sensors and actuators
  • Connectivity and data aggregation, measurement, control and upfront processing
  • Front-end data analytics, uptime optimization, real-time informatics, predictive maintenance
  • Enabled virtual concepts leveraging the capabilities of existing digital infrastructures
  • New wood fiber process innovations for end customers, e.g. cellulose fiber wet-spinning
  • New business or service concepts
  • Industrial apps or digital services
Digitalize forest industry with Siemens

Why Join

Siemens invites partners to build an open innovation ecosystem for forest industry digitalization. With the aim to achieve the next level of industrial productivity, partners are encouraged to utilize Siemens’ Digital Enterprise platform solutions and VTT’s Bioruukki Pilot Centre to innovate across the entire forest industry value chain. Siemens’ Digital Enterprise platform solutions include MindSphere, an open cloud-based IoT platform and COMOS, Siemens’ plant engineering software.

 

For more information:

Pekko Luumi, Head of Vertical Sales

+358 50 469 7699, pekko.luumi@siemens.com

 

Lars Maura, Head of Business Development

+358 50 567 1677, lars.maura@siemens.com

Innovation Challenge

Digital Fiber Ecosystem launched a bio-based Industry IoT Innovation Challenge

Industrial Internet has become an essential part of innovation in process industries, but utilization of digital twins across the whole process life cycle has been lagging. The Digital Fiber Ecosystem, initiated by Siemens and other key players in process automation and digitalization, is changing this landscape in the bioprocess industry.

 

In this Innovation Challenge, we are looking for new opportunities to gain significant competitiveness improvements in the bio-based industry based on digital twins.

 

Has your company or organization identified a challenging problem that could be solved utilizing digital twins? What value could digital twins bring in the bio-based industry? Which business models are needed to capitalize their benefits?

 

Digital Fiber Initiative welcomes companies and teams to join this Innovation Challenge. The Challenge participants can come from any organizations dealing with process industry digitalization, including process plants, engineering, consulting and systems integration service providers as well as research organizations and academia. Joint teams representing different backgrounds are also welcome.

Description of the Digital Fiber ecosystem

Digital Fiber Initiative (DFI) is an industry-driven innovation ecosystem for forest industry digitalization with the aim to achieve the next level of industrial productivity. In DFI, Siemens technology solutions include COMOS process lifecycle management software and the open cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform MindSphere. With COMOS, integrated plant asset management projects over the entire industrial lifecycle can be carried out.

 

Design engineers, plant operating personnel, company management and solution partners are provided with a continuous flow of data that meets their specific needs across all project phases. MindSphere connects machines and physical infrastructure to the digital world and provides powerful industrial apps and digital services that can unleash productivity gains and efficiency across the entire business.

Existing application examples

The consumption of textile fibers has increased from 50 million tons to more than 70 million tons during the last decade. Textile industry needs new sustainable solutions to meet this increasing demand. Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) is piloting new man-made cellulose fiber technology that has huge global business potential. With IFC technology, which development is supported by Siemens’ tools, you can turn textile, cardboard and agricultural waste to new natural fiber and thus reduce the usage of new virgin materials.

We search for new radical innovations

This Innovation Challenge aims to find out potential digital twin application areas with specific problems to be solved that will significantly improve the competitiveness of existing or future bio-based plants. The problem areas can relate to: Design, productivity, quality, maintenance, environmental, safety and health factors, flexibility etc., including new business models enabled by innovative IoT applications.

 

In terms of technologies, the solution concepts can leverage the tools and results of the Digital Fiber Ecosystem, including COMOS and MindSphere, in new application areas with significant commercial potential.

 

We are looking for ideas that can be implemented commercially in 2019–2022.

An opportunity to join a mutually beneficial innovation process

The winner(s) will have a chance to pilot their solutions with Siemens in a real-life environment, supported by world-class industry expertise. Depending on the winning solutions, Siemens MindSphere developer tools may be accessible to the winner(s). We are seeking innovative ideas that make it possible to develop successful collaboration with Siemens into a long-term partnership. Siemens can also act as an international sales channel for solutions developed in the project.

 

Depending of the background of the winning team, other benefits may vary. For example, a process industry company may develop a new competitive edge over their rivals, while an engineering company could open a new, lucrative market segment to be exploited in partnership with Siemens. An academic organization can leverage the participation in the research and education activities and raise their profile to attract high quality industrial partners and offer new career opportunities for the students.

How to succeed in the Innovation Challenge?

Applicants must clearly describe their problem area, including its potential innovative features, feasibility and the business value it could provide for Siemens and the end-users, if the problem is solved.

In particular, the Challenge Jury will evaluate the following factors related to the proposed applications:

  • How well does the problem/concept match to the challenge?

  • Feasibility and attractiveness of the concept

  • Novelty of the concept

     

We will first evaluate the Challenge entries and choose the finalists to the second phase for further development through coaching and collaboration with a team of experts. In the third and final phase, the finalist teams present their ideas for the Digital Fiber Initiative jury, who will select the winner(s), with whom Siemens will pursue mutually beneficial long-term partnership.

 

The Innovation Challenge is being held in collaboration with the leading Nordic innovation management consultancy Spinverse. Besides the overall organization, Spinverse provides coaching and advice to the participants and acts as the link between them and Siemens to ensure efficient and agile collaboration during the process.

Top Data Science won the Digital Fiber Ecosystem Innovation Challenge! 

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning company Top Data Science won the Bio-Based Industry IoT Innovation Challenge with an AI solution for product quality prediction and process optimization. The winner receives an opportunity to collaborate with Siemens in IoT industrial solution development.

 

"All three finalists, Top Data Science, Altum and FiberLaboratory of XAMK, offered different valuable perspectives to the challenge. We will be happy to have them in our ecosystem", says Lars Maura, Head of Business Development at Siemens.

 

In the Innovation Challenge, Top Data Science proposed an AI solution that reads the data from sensors in the production lines to predict the product quality in advance, to simulate multiple outcomes and to optimize the production process. The system operators can easily control the production processes via smart devices and have more time to focus on their professional work

 

The solution can run on an open IoT platform such as MindSphere as a microservice, which uses MindSphere’s components for data storage, computing resource, data connectivity, use authentication and authorization and APIs. The proposed solution has been validated and deployed in a real production line in a forest industry mill.

 

The winner will give the presentation in the Digital Fiber Day on October 23, 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News

Top Data Science won the Digital Fiber Ecosystem Innovation Challenge

June 7, 2019

The Digital Fiber Ecosystem, jointly organized by Siemens and Spinverse, has finalized its Bio-Based Industry IoT Innovation Challenge. Top Data Science won the competition with an AI solution for product quality prediction and process optimization. The winner receives an opportunity to collaborate with Siemens in IoT industrial solution development.

 

- All three finalists, Top Data Science, Altum and FiberLaboratory of XAMK, offered different valuable perspectives to the challenge. We will be happy to have them in our ecosystem, says Lars Maura, Head of Business Development at Siemens.

 

- Competition between the finalists was tough. In the selection criteria, the jury emphasized digital twin and IoT aspects, customer applicability, effects on business, and suitability to the forest industry vertical and the Siemens SIPAPER product family, explains jury member Timo Ropponen from Spinverse.

 

In forest industry, many plants are facing challenges to control product quality efficiently. The quality of the end products relies on how the production lines are operated. The challenge is how to help operators run the production lines in an optimal setup to produce the best quality products. By solving the problem, plants can minimize financial losses and increase customer satisfaction. Plants become more environmentally friendly by reducing the usage of unnecessary chemicals and materials.

 

In the Innovation Challenge, Top Data Science proposed an Artificial Intelligence solution that reads the data from sensors in the production lines to predict the product quality in advance, to simulate multiple outcomes and to optimize the production process. The system operators can easily control the production processes via smart devices and have more time to focus on their professional work. The solution can run on an open IoT platform such as MindSphere as a microservice, which uses MindSphere’s components for data storage, computing resource, data connectivity, use authentication and authorization and APIs. The proposed solution has been validated and deployed in a real production line in a forest industry mill.

 

All the three finalists will be invited later to the Digital Fiber Day on October 23, 2019.

 

Tiina Witikkala
Siemens Osakeyhtiö
Digital Fiber Ecosystem Lead, Project Manager
+358 50 3166 279, tiina.witikkala@siemens.com

 

Timo Ropponen
Spinverse
Director, Manufacturing and Energy
+358 50 588 0440, timo.ropponen@spinverse.com

Siemens & VTT joint webinar on 28.2: Digitalization of Forest Industries - case Digital Fiber Ecosystem

February 4, 2019

28.2.2019 16:00 - 17:00

 

Today, the global industrial landscape is in full transformation, which gives front-runner companies unusual latitude to influence future industry structure. Forest industries have been experiencing a dramatic change. The demand for traditional paper – for example, for newspapers or office use – is declining worldwide, while the total demand for fiber products continues to grow. In the future, a part of the growth is expected to come from new fiber-based materials and especially cellulose, such as textile fiber. Digitally assisted business ecosystems between industries will develop value-added cellulose products, their production processes and revolutionise bio-based material markets. The new ecosystems will be highly virtualised, enabling holistic optimisation and automation of processes throughout product life cycles.

 

The main themes of this webinar are new fiber-based materials, digitalization and business ecosystems. The webinar is hosted by EVP Jussi Manninen (VTT) and CEO Janne Öhman (Siemens Osakeyhtiö). Webinar will provide current insights on how digitalization can radically transform the forest industry with a help of e.g. IoT platforms and help to create solutions that become new industry standards.

Digital Fiber Ecosystem is an open innovation ecosystem for forest industry digitalization, created in cooperation with Siemens and VTT. With the aim to achieve the next level of industrial productivity, partners are encouraged to utilize Siemens' Digital Enterprise platform solutions and VTT's Bioruukki Pilot Centre to innovate across the entire forest industry value chain.

 

An Innovation Challenge is also introduced in this webinar.

 

The webinar is moderated by Sami Kazi (VTT). Duration is 60 minutes, including 15 minutes of Q+A session in the end.

 

For more information about the webinar and the speakers: https://www.vtt.fi/medialle/tapahtumat/digitalization-of-forest-industries-webinar-case-digital-fiber-ecosystem

 

You can view the webinar recording via the link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/2471402369714840844

What an active year - Summary of 2018

December 20, 2018

Year 2018 was very active for the Digital Fiber Initiative. In addition to numerous technical advancements and growth in ecocystem itself, we also uplifted our profile with fairs, events and other marketing activities.

 

Here's a summary of the major achievements this year:

  • improving the level of automation at Bioruukki, Espoo
  • active networking and new partners at ecosystem with more to come: negotiations with a large forest company started recently
  • three Comos and MindSphere trainings organized
  • Bioruukki started to cooperate with a new international customer with a help of the ecosystem
  • participating in domestic fairs and events such as Pulpaper (May) and Slush (December), and internationally at Hannover Messe in Germany (April)

Next year we will introduce our series of webinars starting in winter. Follow our news feed and find out more about these webinars and other upcoming events or activities.

Meet us at Slush on Tuesday and Wednesday!

December 3, 2018

Slush, the world's leading startup event and exciting adventure to the world of digitalization, marketing and technology in the middle of the darkest of December, is here. Slush will be held on the 4th and 5th of December. Location is Helsigin Messukeskus.

 

This year Digital Fiber Initiative is ranked among the five top themes at the Siemens booth. So if you visit Slush, please come and meet us there!

New visual layout for Digital Fiber Initiative

November 1, 2018

New visual layout has been rolled out for Digital Fiber Initiative. Fresh, modern appearance was created by Danish graphic designer, Susanne Apel.

Keyvisual image will be used in Digital Fiber's marketing and it will help to popularise the goals of the initiative.

See new keyvisual here.

SAT tests at Bioruukki fiber spinning line

October 22, 2018

SAT tests (Site Acceptance Tests) are carried out this week at VTT’s Bioruukki Pilot Centre’s fiber spinning line. According to Project Manager Marko Loisa of Siemens, the core of this phase will be, among other things, to test the utilities of distributed control system Simatic PCS 7 at Bioruukki. During a couple of days of testing and attendance of experts from both Siemens and VTT, regular procedures of SAT testing will be carried out. SAT takes place after the complete installation and final configuration of production line.

Join in: VTT Webinar on piloting in technology transfer

October 22, 2018

Would you like to hear more about novel pilots for regenerated cellulose fiber production? Are you interested in new man-made cellulosic fibers or wood-based textile fibers?

 

If the answer’s yes, you would probably enjoy attending the upcoming VTT webinar, which is a part of VTT’s Making of tomorrow programme. Webinar is free of charge and it will be held on the 1st of November 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

 

The consumption of textile fibers has increased from 50 million tons to more than 70 million tons during the last decade. The trend is expected to continue due to demographic and economic development. Textile industry needs new sustainable solutions to meet this increasing demand.

 

Novel man-made cellulose fibers have a huge global business potential, and a lot of technology development is on-going around this topic. Piloting is an important step in the transferring of the new technologies towards industrialization.

 

In this webinar, VTT will introduce the brand-new textile pilot facilities at Bioruukki. In addition, you will hear about the latest developments in the sustainable textile fiber production technologies. Presentations will be presented by Research Professor Ali Harlin (VTT), Senior Scientist Marianne Vehviläinen (VTT) and Doctoral Candidate Jari Laine(Aalto University).

 

For more information and registration, please click here.