Innovation is one of SCA’s main focus areas. The new nine minutes long film with examples from all business areas is presented by SCA’s own innovation experts. They answer questions about what “innovation” stands for at SCA, what it takes to work with innovation, what drives the company’s innovation work and which are the prerequisites for innovation.
“Knowledge is the easy part. To make innovation happen we have to find out what is the next practice. We are open. Really open. To be open isn’t being foolish. We only hire intelligent people here”, are the introducing words of Bengt Järrehult, Director innovation and knowledge for SCA’s hygiene products.
Innovation at SCA Forest Products
The first case presented comes from SCA Forest Products, where the company’s innovation experts e.g. try to reduce the impact of the pulp mills on the environment.
“We are a pulp mill and we can’t deny that we are making impact. But our drive is to really reduce this impact everyday and to earn our place in the society,” explains Ingela Ekebro, Manager for the Östrand pulp mill in Timrå, Sweden.
Jens Olsson, M.Sc. specialized in recovery energy, talks about 40 energy optimisation projects to reduce the mill’s energy consumption. Today the mill is self-sufficient on electricity.
Working with innovation at SCA: Bengt Järrehult, Birgitta Engberg, Charlotta Hanson and Ellen Riise. |
At the same time Birgitta Engberg, Ph.D. and award winning researcher, presents her lab with a device to simulate a mechanical pulp refiner of the Ortviken paper mill following the same target: finding a solution to reduce energy consumption.
Innovation at SCA Hygiene Products
The second case comes from SCA’s hygiene business, where the primary function of our products, whether it is kitchen tissue, toilet paper, baby diapers or tampons, is to take care of liquids or fluids.
“One part of our work is to take a look at how our products interact with the human skin and the person”, says Maria Sköld, Associate scientist at the Hygiene R&D Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“For me it’s important to work with things good for other human beings, being humanitarian in some way”, explains Charlotta Hanson, Senior scientist, absorption.
Senior scientist Ellen Riise takes up the product’s lifecycle assessment, which is “a way to calculate everything around the product. We connect data like a book-keeping. Then we see the impact on the environment and are ready to make the right steps”.
Innovation at SCA Packaging
Finally the video focuses on SCA’s packaging business, where our innovation work includes everything from printing quality to how to attract the eye of the consumers in the shops.
“It’s based on the customer needs”, summarises Pierre Bruce, Division general manager, the innovation process. Sales manager Niklas Rönnäng clarifies how important it is to communicate internally in order to be innovative. “Innovation is also sharing experience and knowledge,” adds Barbro Berggren, Head of marketing.
“Innovation in our company is the insurance for our future”, concludes Alf Jonasson, Manager environmental affairs.
Text Konstantin C Irina