Oy Keskuslaboratorio Ab (KCL) and Fiber-X Finland Oy have combined their expertise and service offerings to establish the Nordic Pilot Cente a collaboration that enhances our services for the piloting and development of paper, board, and biofiber-based materials.
Transforming the bioeconomy together: the world’s leading biofibre pilot centre is now in Finland.
The Nordic Pilot Center accelerates the development and piloting of bio-based materials for commercial markets. The world’s leading pilot centre for biofibres is a collaborative effort to provide companies and research institutes with
comprehensive solutions for the development of paper, board and biofibre materials.
Oy Keskuslaboratorio Ab (KCL) in Espoo, Finland, together with Fiber-X Finland Oy in Lappeenranta, Finland, will combine their service offerings and expertise. At the heart of the collaboration is a vision to promote sustainable development and provide a competitive advantage in the paper, board and biofibre markets.
The service concept will enable the development and commercialisation of new bioproducts much faster and without costly upfront investments for companies. This will enable Finland to exploit its position as a global player in the paper and pulp industry in a new way.
Bioeconomy is revolutionising manufacturing methods
The Nordic Pilot Center supports companies in the transition from fossilbased plastics to paper, board and biofibre solutions, for example.
“Bio-economic innovations are revolutionising manufacturing methods and creating new uses with another example being, single-use plastics will be replaced by renewable raw materials within a few years,” say Nora Haatainen and Marko Lauraeus, founders of the Nordic Pilot Center.
The bio- and circular economy are an important part of the green transition. An international commitment to the
green transition will mean major leaps forward for climate and environmental work. It also means that there is
demand for innovation and its scaling up to industrial scale.
Finland is a world-renowned land of innovation with world-class pulp and paper expertise. However the systemic
change in the bioeconomy can be difficult because companies do not always have the resources and knowhow
to test and pilot new innovations on an industrial scale themselves. Centralising piloting is therefore part
of a resource-wise way of working. Industrial and research expertise, as well as the development of the
materials and manufacturing processes themselves, can be carried out in an agile and collaborative way, without
the need to build new infrastructure or purchase major equipment.
Exploiting biofibres requires cooperation and expertise
The bio- and circular economy are key solutions for replacing plastic. Usability is not the only factor. New materials and
manufacturing methods are needed that have a minimal impact on the environment. In addition, it should be possible to recycle the material in order to achieve good results. The aim is to produce a product with a long and carefully considered life cycle.
By outsourcing innovation and piloting to professionals, the threshold for companies to get involved in the global green materials transition will be lowered. Exploiting biofibres requires research and expertise. With the help of professionals, different materials and manufacturing methods can be developed to make use of old equipment.
“Our aim is to offer this unique expertise worldwide. We want to bring together those who need it and those who know it. Development is accelerated by agile experimentation in collaboration with different experts. In addition, procurement is made easier when it is not too risky,” says Nora Haatainen, CEO of Fiber-X.
The Nordic Pilot Center is driven by the common goal of accelerating the development and commercialisation of bio-based products to meet market demand and evolving legislation.
Nordic Pilot Center masters the whole chain
The partnership will enable customers to benefit from a comprehensive range of services, from materials development and innovation to industrial piloting and process and plant design.
“It is important that pilot plants can master the whole chain. The value chains start with research and go all the way through to recycling of the final product. This requires skills and expertise in different sectors, from research to manufacturing and life cycle management,” says Marko Lauraeus, CEO of KCL.
The pilot plants of the Nordic Pilot Center will be located in Lemi and, in the future, also in Lohja.
Nordic Pilot Center in brief
The Nordic Pilot Center is the world’s leading biofibre pilot centre, combining the expertise of Fiber-X Finland Oy and Oy Keskuslaboratorio Ab (KCL) into an innovative service concept. We offer comprehensive solutions in material development, industrial piloting, process and plant design, especially for the pulp, paper and biofibre industries. Our aim is to accelerate the development and commercialisation of bio-based products to meet growing market demand. The Nordic Pilot Center is committed to managing the entire value chain from research to piloting and design. www.nordicpilotcenter.com – http://www.fiber-x.fi – https://kcl.fi
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