26.06.2009

An up-to-date learning environment for training in timber procurement
TAMK University of Applied Sciences to teach the whole picture of timber procurement

TAMK University of Applied Sciences is developing a unique learning environment which teaches students about the entire complex chain in timber procurement. This is to help forestry students and professionals to achieve a better conception of the significant factors contributing to the chain of timber procurement. The learning environment briefs its user on the various perspectives of forestry actors – the seller, the forestry white-collar worker, the subcontractor and the wood processor.

Jukka Tohu (left), Senior Lecturer at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and Heikki Vuorinen, Purchaising Manager for UPM-Kymmene Corporation Forest, are developing a learning system which supports holistic thinking on complex and sensitive timber procurement. High resolution image (2588 Kb) Photo: Ilkka Vieras

The aim of the learning environment is to increase the understanding of the entire chain of timber procurement and teach users to plan the chain from timber harvesting to factory transportation efficiently. It endeavours to combine only high precision learning material so far. This introduces into studies a novel capability to identify tricky points in the various parts of the procurement chain; a small modification to one’s own agreed actions could spark of a major negative chain reaction in the ongoing timber procurement implementation. Local knowledge brings value added to the learning environment – this helps to illustrate the effects of changes in the substages of timber procurement.

Using the learning environment the teaching personnel can visually plan illustrative presentations, practice assignments and feedback methods as a learning path to the various subfields of wood procurement. The system is effective in calculating and the students can concentrate on comparing their own selected options to the exemplary implementations of the holistic chain of wood procurement. Learning tasks from different perspectives are made for the learning environment for different actors in the timber procurement chain.

The system supports the study of subareas of timber procurement planning in various ways. First the user of the system can get to know the special features of the annual cycle of wood procurement and practise, for example, setting up a deal by checking out the motivations of the seller and the buyer of wood to close a deal. In keeping with the present development trend in the timber market, the environment supports broad-based entrepreneurship in timber procurement; the aim is to learn the basics for long-term, reliable and economic entrepreneurial services in the entire chain of timber procurement.

The learning environment enables users to learn the good management of a large entity in the logistics chain of timber procurement. It illustrates the importance of the various means of control to make the use of mechanical and human resources more efficient in different stands of timber and the significance of information on bucking and performance from the machinery to the entire timber procurement chain. Using predictive information on monitoring the condition of machinery it is possible to practise how individual exceptional situations could impair the efficiency of the entire timber procurement chain.

The development of the timber procurement learning environment is coordinated by TAMK University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), which also produces learning material for it. Tampere University of Technology is in charge of the technical realization and visualization. The project, which is set to run until 2011, is financed by the provincial government of Western Finland and TAMK.

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