Misawa Homes of Finland operates a sawmill in Mikkeli and is part of the Japanese Misawa Homes Group, with its sawmill established in 1994.
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“Misawa builds approximately 5,000 houses and 8,000 apartments annually. Currently, 37 employees work at the Mikkeli facility, operating in two shifts,” says Pasi Lähdelahti, Factory Manager at Misawa Homes of Finland.

Modernization of automation systems

Misawa's automation systems had been in use since the sawmill's establishment and were over 15 years old. The company urgently needed a partner for modernization and had heard of Smartom through recommendations.
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“Keeping the old automation system in production would have been a huge risk. Spare parts availability was already poor at that point, so an automation upgrade was essential. I explained our situation to Smartom, and they were eager to help,” tells Mika Maaranen, Maintenance Leader at Misawa Homes of Finland, who has been part of the collaboration with Smartom from the very start.
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In Misawa's case, automation refers to material handling automation.
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“Automation ensures the entire sawmill process, from logs to the final product—planks—functions automatically,” explains Janne Laari, Founder and Managing Director of Smartom.

The collaboration began by testing the automation of one production line.

“Everything started working well, and we became familiar with Smartom’s team. We decided to continue the collaboration, and in the following years began modernizing our old automation systems, one line at a time,” Maaranen notes.

Safety without compromising efficiency

The goal of the collaboration between Smartom and Misawa was not only to modernize the automation systems but also to improve safety.
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“The idea for a risk assessment came from Smartom. It was particularly important to identify what types of safety solutions were needed,” Maaranen explains.
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Smartom has improved safety using technologies like light curtains and security cameras.
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“If someone places their hand too close to the line, the light curtain immediately stops the system. It also works the other way around—if, for example, a plank bypasses the light curtain, the production line stops. It’s like an invisible fence that stops machine movement. This prevents accidents from happening,” says Olli Karstunen, Shift Leader at Misawa Homes of Finland, describing the safety measures introduced by Smartom.
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Another example of new technology that increases safety is a security camera. The camera detects any changes in the safety zone and stops the line if necessary.

"As far as I know, these types of security cameras are not often used in operational or area monitoring," Karstunen admires.

For the Japanese-owned Misawa, employee safety is a top priority, but at the same time maintaining production efficiency is crucial. Laari emphasizes that Smartom shares the same values: “The cornerstone of modernizing automation systems is ensuring that we don’t make operators’ work harder; instead, they can work just as efficiently, but more safely.”

Peaceful nights guaranteed

“Smartom has carried out the automation work reliably. Now it’s easy for us to continue developing further with Smartom. We can easily make software changes that affect production, safety, and functionality,” Maaranen praises.
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Smartom has also succeeded in providing innovative solutions, such as an intuitive control panel that makes it easy to operate the automation systems.
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“The automation update carried out by Smartom has opened many opportunities to make changes that would not have been possible before. For example, Smartom provided us with a control panel equipped with a user-friendly interface they designed,” Karstunen explains.
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Smartom has brought Misawa the assurance and confidence that everything is under control.
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"As a maintenance leader, I personally think it’s a great reassurance to have someone you can call. It definitely helps me sleep better at night," Maaranen admits.

Why does Misawa choose Smartom again and again?

“It has been really straightforward and easy to work with Smartom. The service operates on a very fast schedule, and commitments are always honored. Flexibility is another important factor. Smartom is ready to help even on weekends if needed. You always get assistance when you need it,” Karstunen praises.
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Misawa’s trust in Smartom’s multidisciplinary expertise remains unshakeable.
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"Who would replace something good? Reliability is the number one thing for me personally. Smartom and Janne are truly natural talents when it comes to automation," Maaranen praises.
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“He's quite a wizard,” Karstunen agrees.
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"Looking forward to what’s next and planning the project for next summer," Maaranen and Karstunen say with a smile.