- development - network - innovation - meeting places - marketing - project Annual Report 2016 paper province 44 PAGES with the latest in forest bioeconomy We like MANY ADVANTAGES Maria Hollander talks about the advantages THE FOREST of joining Paper Province. Read about our 2016 projects PAGE4 2 3 Development requires yin and yang selected contents ”We hold all Paper Province Annual Report 2016 the trump cards” n the last few years, I have travelled a great deal, most of all in China. A person cannot avoid 06 being amazed at the pace of change in this enormous country. In just a couple of decades, the country has gone from being an underdeveloped agricultural country to becoming Ia world-leading industrial nation, often with respect to technology or at least in volume. Major Rocket-fast liftoff for company investment decisions are taken more or less in a moment. The network of fast trains and BioExpress takes an innovation from idea to staffed project and start-up motorways is expanding at furious speed. In almost every city, residential areas are rising for company in the course of a few months. In cooperation with Inova, thousands of new inhabitants which are soaking up the ground. China produces 70 million we helped companies to commercialize forest-based innovations. metric tonnes of cardboard per year. This is four times as much as just fifteen years ago. It is > Paper Province project expected that within a short time, more than half of the new soft tissue machines in the world will be installed in China. This means opportunities for those of us who export goods and services. But the opportunities come with a number of challenges, such as how we in Sweden and Värmland can be attractive business partners from our side of the planet and be able to compete with China and other countries. 12 I am convinced that the key is to dig where we are and utilize our more than a century of knowledge of how the forest can be improved. The paper and pulp industry is running at high pressure in the region. Assuming that a positive decision will be made on investing in new Idea workshop for a greener Grums locks at Trollhättan, Valmet is investing in the foundry in order to ensure production of Yankee Grums Municipality was the first participant in a project based on finding dryers. Rottneros will install a new biofuel boiler and is aiming at increased production, and innovative, practicable and visionary ideas that promote the work towards the icing on the cake is BillerudKorsnäs's investment in a new cardboard machine, which a fossil-free future. Individuals, the municipal government, companies and ensures the future of the operation in Värmland for a long time into the future. 22 At the same time, we are seeing new opportunities being realized based on the traditional the academic community participated. > Paper Province project forest industry. Re:newcell chose Kristinehamn for its recycling facility for cotton fibre from jeans, for example. Lignocity in Bäckhammar provides opportunities for developing products based on lignin Digital technology in the forest which are attracting international interest. And the Wood Region in Sysslebäck is developing products A renowned panel discussed the question ”New in which wood fibre replaces fossil materials, to name just a few examples. industrialisation – can digitalisation renew the Swedish forest industry” during the Almedalen It is being debated whether the future for Värmland is the traditional forest industry or the new Week political festival. Maria Hollander was a forest-based bioeconomy, the contours of which we have only begun to imagine. I believe the answer member of the panel. 18 is both. Even though we have seen major transformations through the years, the traditional > Paper Province at Almedalen forest-based basic industry is perhaps stronger than ever, and it constitutes a large part of the Lignin becomes fuel and chemicals backbone of the industry in Värmland. At the same time, it is a basis for other industries springing up. Much of the knowledge required to develop new products and businesses exists in the traditional Read about the BioLi2.0 project which started during the year. Twenty-eight industry, and it is also perhaps by-product flows from paper and pulp mills which provide the greatest partners, including Paper Province, are collaborating on developing processes Environmentally- for manufacturing fuel and chemicals based on the by-product lignin. opportunities. On the other hand, it is not certain that only the companies that are currently dominant will lead the development of the bioeconomy. classified paper > Paper Province in collaboration The annual report you are holding in your In addition to the basic industry, a strong commitment from society, good collaboration with the hands has been printed at Munken Kristall, academic community and funds for conducting development projects are required. All of this is in place on environmentally-friendly, uncoated paper and has an opportunity to converge in Paper Province, and it provides a strong platform for the region's produced at Arctic Paper Munkedals AB. development. In the international assessment which was made of the cluster within the framework The mill is located on the western shore of for the Vinnväxt 2016 funding competition, we received confirmation that Paper Province is both Örekilsälven River. They work actively to 27 COMMITMENT & internationally known and has the right forms of collaboration to be able to succeed. minimise environmental effect and have several It is easy to be impressed by the Chinese miracle and for the goal to be obscured by COLLABORATION environmental certifications. The printer we have chosen is also certified: Strokirk Landströms, a Paper Province received a doubt about our own development opportunities. China may be growing rapidly, but Paper Province Chairman Nordic Swan Ecolabel printer in Karlstad. development requires balance – both its yin and its yang. We possess knowledge, of the Board Erik Kornfeld bronze medal competence and innovation, and that is our trump card. If we look at utilizing the sees Paper Province as a strong platform for Paper Province Paper Province was proud to announce during the year that we have been fantastic capacity we have on the home ground, we can also be competitive Innovation Park, Sommargatan 101 A the region's awarded the Bronze Label of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative. in the future. development. 656 37 Karlstad It also meant that the first stage in the two-year European project Towards +46 (0) 54 24 04 60 Cluster Excellency was out of the way. [email protected] Erik Kornfeld www.paperprovince.com > Paper Province certified 5 BENEFICIAL COLLABORATION Every living soul needs to help. “If everyone pulls in the same direction, it will be beneficial for Paper Province has approximately a hundred member the region,” says CEO Maria Hollander. companies, everything from small one-person firms to Someone has to be the large paper mills. CEO Maria Hollander talks about the Three new advantages of the cluster. engine in the innovation system. What benefit does one get from joining Paper Province? members are “You can benefit from our involvement in an innovation project, for example. Perhaps you need help with obtaining funds from Vinnova or some other source in order to develop your innovation. And we can help you there. But for most people, the major benefit is more an indirect benefit. We contribute to a high degree to welcomed strengthening the innovation system for the forest-based bioeconomy in the region.” What is meant by the innovation system? “It is everyone – companies, the academic community, education providers and the public sector – which together constitute a system in which development, innova- motala “WE ARE tion, education and providing competence take place. Large and small companies verkstad ... if all of them can pull in the same direction, it will be very beneficial and someone Motala Verkstad is an industrial group must be an engine in order for it to occur – we have that role. of companies involved in engineering One more time: So why should a person become a member? and maintenance. The business began “To contribute to the region continuing to be successful with a strong innovation operations back in 1822. The company has system. To get access to our meeting places and services. Because we need factories in Motala, Malmö and Kristinehamn committed companies that want to do a little more. And to provide the association (two) and works in many different segments THAT legitimacy nationally and internationally.” such as process manufacturing, medical Is it important to have many members? technology, marine and bridges. "Having many provides us a form of legitimacy and weight. But it does not necessarily mean that issues and things get better. We need to be many, but we also need to have a number of members who will get involved. That is the only way we can move www.mvg.se ourselves forward. Many are part of the cluster in order to be connected. And that [email protected] is just fine. But we as an organisation must also have companies who will work on 0141-22 99 00 innovation and development, who will participate in workshops, who will give of ENGINE” their time to work on issues concerning competence development and participate in projects on internationalisation. Without them we will get nowhere. We need more such members.” What does it cost to become a member? “The fee is based on how many employees the company has. Each krona we receive ecostrate becomes perhaps two, three or four kronor in order to leverage them in projects. Ecostrate provides environmental It's like outsourcing, you might say. If you cannot find the time to get involved in consulting for companies and regional development, for example, then Paper Province gets it done for you.