Spinnova
Challenges
Spinnova's story begins in 2009 when Janne Poranen and Juha Salmela studied nanocellulose at VTT (one of Europe’s leading research institutions owned by the Finnish state) and considered whether wood fibers could be spun into textile fibers in the same way that a spider weaves a spider’s web out of protein. After coming to the conclusion that it really was a possibility, they founded Spinnova in 2014 and refined and patented the manufacturing process into a validated technology platform.
The production technology of the new, revolutionary SPINNOVA® fiber allows the fiber to be produced from a variety of raw materials without dissolution or other harmful chemicals. The patent-protected SPINNOVA® fiber does not produce any waste, by-products, or microplastics.
“The carbon dioxide emissions of the fiber production we develop are about 65 percent lower than in the production of cotton from its cultivation to the production of fiber, and significantly lower than in the production of polyester and viscose,” says Sanna Haavisto, Information Solutions Manager at Spinnova. The materials developed by the company are also rapidly biodegradable and fully recyclable.
Now that the technology platform has been successfully proven to operate at the company's industrial-scale pilot production facility in Jyväskylä, Finland, Spinnova is about to begin its global commercialization phase. To this end, the company is currently building its first commercial plant in Finland, which it expects to complete at the end of 2022. "Our goal is for our fiber's annual capacity to scale globally to one million tons in 10-12 years," Sanna Haavisto notes regarding the scale of future production.
In order to enable Spinnova employees to monitor and control their growing operations in real-time and based on the right information, we, in cooperation with the company, built a complete ERP solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Azure technologies.
See the highlights of the project in the video below.
Approach
In Spinnova's case, scalability was an absolute prerequisite for building ERP, as with rapid growth, an ERP must continue to adapt flexibly to Spinnova's needs in the future.
Of all the system vendors we met, only Fellowmind was able to introduce the new ERP as quickly as we needed. By working together in efficient workshops, we were able to clarify the minimum level of requirements and the key processes that got us started. Since then, the development has been easy to continue, and we are constantly introducing new features as needed.
In the first phase, the total solution includes financial management control, sales, purchasing, inventory management, and project management. “Currently, we use ERP mainly for the technology delivery needs of the factory under construction. It was great that we were able to quickly deploy the project functionalities of the solution for precisely this project. We have many subcontractors and an extensive cooperation network. With Azure tools, we can easily grant our partners access to the system. We get all the necessary data, even the technical drawings, linked to the ERP system, and this way we are able to lead this important project with the right information,” says Sanna Haavisto.
The solution provides Spinnova employees with information in real-time, which enables, among other things, better and more proactive customer service in the future. The same information doesn’t have to be entered in many places; instead, once is enough and the information is then available to all Spinnova employees and partners in the right place, in real-time, on any device.
“Dynamics 365 Business Central has the necessary interfaces and connections ready to go, and no customization or construction of separate interfaces is required. Next, we’re going to make integrations with the 3D design system. Our ambitious goal is to have a direct link to a 3D drawing of an item in the ERP system, such as a factory tank, that shows where the tank is located in the factory. And vice versa: In the 3D design program, by clicking on the tank, you can check from the ERP system whether the tank has already been ordered and when the delivery will be,” says Sanna Haavisto.
At the same time, the solution enables Spinnova, which has recently been listed on the stock exchange, to build more efficient reporting, brings the necessary transparency to its processes, and facilitates the planning and monitoring of the business as a whole. Thanks to the solution, Spinnova employees have the opportunity to manage their operations with the right information at all stages of any process, react quickly to deviations if necessary, and automate many steps that were previously done manually.
Spinnova's solution is based on the Microsoft Azure cloud service, which provides the company with a secure and reliable foundation for ERP. Reporting with Spinnova employees is being developed with Power BI tools. At the same time, we also digitalized the company’s sales and purchase invoices.
“We have previously implemented our product development solutions with Power BI and Power Apps, and now we’re still able to conveniently utilize the same solutions. It is efficient and straightforward when both product development data and technology delivery data are on the same platform,” says Sanna Haavisto.
Results
The ERP solution, built-in collaboration with Fellowmind, unified the information systems that support Spinnova's operations into one seamless entity. The solution now enables Spinnova employees to monitor and control operations in real-time based on the right information. The solution also streamlined internal operational and control processes, such as project management for the technical delivery of the completed plant.
Spinnova collaborates extensively with leading textile brands such as Adidas, Marimekko, and its industrial partners to commercialize SPINNOVA® textiles globally. Keeping tabs on the future of the company, the ERP solution provides an excellent foundation that is flexible and scalable to meet the requirements of future business and that works seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 tools.
The most valuable thing in working with Fellowmind was the experts’ excellent understanding of our situation and key needs. We didn't have to wade through hundreds of rows of tables for different requirements. Instead, we were able to exchange thoughts about our needs with Fellowmind's experts, who in turn found the right approach for this project and made it happen.
Spinnova - Sustainable textile materials, naturally
Spinnova transforms the way textiles are manufactured globally. Based in Finland, Spinnova has developed breakthrough technology for making textile fibre out of wood or waste, such as leather, textile or food waste, without harmful chemicals.
The patented SPINNOVA® fibre creates zero waste and side streams or microplastics, and its CO2 emissions and water use are minimal. SPINNOVA® materials are quickly biodegradable and circular. Spinnova is committed to using only sustainable raw materials such as FSC certified wood and waste.
Spinnova has received awards from e.g. the Fast Company, ISPO, Scandinavian Outdoor, ANDAM, Monocle and Marie Claire UK.
Spinnova’s shares (SPINN) are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki First North Growth Market.
SPINNOVA® home: www.spinnova.com
Corporate & IR site: www.spinnovagroup.com
