Practical progress is being made towards the formation of a new e-business forum aimed at streamlining costs and improving collaboration and communication within the forestry supply chain.
The forum is also seeking to promote awareness of e-business across the forestry industry as well as the adoption of data exchange standards.
Led by Scottish Forest Industries Cluster and the Forest Industries Development Council, the initiative is supported by a number of leading industry bodies and forestry companies including Nexfor, BSW Timber, James Jones and Finnforest.
The forum project has emerged amid fears that “forestry is in danger of slipping behind other sectors in terms of e-business”.
Three working groups have been established to look at trading data standards, security/traceability and geographic data standards.
Activity to date has included a pilot project between Forest Enterprise and BSW to develop commercial trading standards allowing invoice and despatch data to be transferred in a new XML standard, regarded as “the language for Internet trading”. Also, the Security and Traceability working group has begun work on agreeing its scope and “deliverables”.
Zach Watt of project facilitator Parallel 56 Ltd said: “The aim is to get forestry companies both small and large involved in e-business and to reduce costs in the supply chain by streamlining and improving collaboration.”
A forum website has been established at: www.forestryscotland.com/ebusiness_forum
