Enhancing Data Sharing and Collaborative Asset Lifecycle Solutions in the Forest Industry
Bhuchar, Ishaan (2025)
2025
Automaatiotekniikan DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Automation Engineering
Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-05-06
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202505014565
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202505014565
Tiivistelmä
The simultaneous digital and green transition, commonly referred to as the twin transition, offers a pathway for businesses to implement more sustainable processes while also creating new business opportunities and avenues for growth. One business looking for a way to improve their practices is the target organization of this thesis: a forest industry company seeking more effective digital practices for data sharing across its production processes with different stakeholders. With a vast number of production-related assets, the business requires better practices for sharing asset-related data.
Firstly, this thesis aimed to understand the challenges, capabilities and motivational factors of different industrial businesses in joining a collaborative data sharing ecosystem. This was explored through interviews, which included the target organization of this thesis along with other businesses in the production asset lifecycle ecosystem. The second part of the research, focused on finding a concrete solution for the target organization to share data with external stakeholders. This was done by analyzing an existing data transmission platform, SAP’s Business Network Asset Collaboration.
The results indicate that businesses increasingly recognize the impact that digitalization can play in moving towards sustainability-related goals. The value of data and data sharing is acknowledged across the industry, with interviewed companies expressing a willingness to move towards collaborative data-sharing practices. Sharing data throughout the production process was identified as a key enabler for the enhanced management of production-related assets. Nevertheless, organizational and technical concerns related to data-sharing were also identified, posing barriers that must be overcome for businesses to join a data sharing ecosystem.
Furthermore, the research finds that SAP’s Business Network Asset Collaboration solution provides a structured and standardized environment for collaborative data sharing. The solution presents numerous benefits in terms of production efficiency and sustainability, addressing the needs and expectations of capital-intensive businesses desire.
Firstly, this thesis aimed to understand the challenges, capabilities and motivational factors of different industrial businesses in joining a collaborative data sharing ecosystem. This was explored through interviews, which included the target organization of this thesis along with other businesses in the production asset lifecycle ecosystem. The second part of the research, focused on finding a concrete solution for the target organization to share data with external stakeholders. This was done by analyzing an existing data transmission platform, SAP’s Business Network Asset Collaboration.
The results indicate that businesses increasingly recognize the impact that digitalization can play in moving towards sustainability-related goals. The value of data and data sharing is acknowledged across the industry, with interviewed companies expressing a willingness to move towards collaborative data-sharing practices. Sharing data throughout the production process was identified as a key enabler for the enhanced management of production-related assets. Nevertheless, organizational and technical concerns related to data-sharing were also identified, posing barriers that must be overcome for businesses to join a data sharing ecosystem.
Furthermore, the research finds that SAP’s Business Network Asset Collaboration solution provides a structured and standardized environment for collaborative data sharing. The solution presents numerous benefits in terms of production efficiency and sustainability, addressing the needs and expectations of capital-intensive businesses desire.