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Most of the wood construction -related companies in the region have operated for several
decades and employ typically around ten people. The companies are specialized in different
customized products and services. Commodity products are produced in sawmills, veneer
factories and planing mills. Most companies in the region are well aware of the ongoing
bioeconomy transition and feel that the general trend is a driver for biobusiness. According
to the survey, the companies examined market development typically through informal
networks and industry-specific magazines and publications. One third of the companies
utilized customer feedback, 38.9% utilized sales situations to determine market conditions,
some companies (33.3%) read industry reports, and 22.2% attended seminars. Several
companies reported having unutilized product and co-operation ideas, mostly generated
through their own R&D or customer feedback.
The most important strengths of wood construction-related companies in South-East
Finland include flexibility and agility, good raw material supply, experience, co-operation,
cost-effectiveness, location, and logistics. The weaknesses include limited resources for
R&D, the focus of the forest cluster in pulp and paper industry, the networks being mostly
informal and unorganized, resistance to change, many entrepreneurs being aging and
retiring, and lack of knowledge in e.g. internationalization and marketing. Significant
opportunities in the industry are related to bioeconomy transition. There are also
opportunities in services like design, digital services and life-cycle modeling, to name a few.
Environmental values and health-promoting properties can be used as marketing edge, and
material development provides a basis for new product innovations (Maunula and
Naukkarinen, 2014).
Conclusions
The environmental impacts of construction industry have raised concerns, and using more
renewable raw materials like wood can help to decrease the harmful effects of the industry.
The companies in South-East Finland are well positioned with regard to availability of raw
material and expertise in wood construction. Bioeconomy transition is promoted with
international and national strategies and supported by regional politics. A systemic change,
however, requires collaboration and emergence of new innovation ecosystems.
Small companies linked to wood construction industry in South-East Finland involve
customers in their innovation practices already. SMEs also rely on their networks in the
commercialization phase of the innovation process, as the adoption of innovations is often
dependent on other organizations. In wood construction industry, the adoption requires
that architects and / or engineers include the innovative product in the design or site, and
developers and constructors know how to implement it. The solution also has to be
compatible with other parts of the design and execution. The current co-operation practices
in the companies are mostly informal and unstructured, and depend on personal
connections. As the industry is going through bioeconomy transition and new innovation
ecosystems are created, companies must seek for new partners and review their roles in
networks. New business models and revenue streams can add growth and prosperity to
existing business, but the emergence of new innovation ecosystems is needed, as the
companies pointed out that the existing bioeconomy-cluster did not support their goals well
enough.
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