Thursday marked the official launch of the Conference on Digitalisation in the Wood Value Chain, hosted by Vytautas Magnus University together with the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence. The event brought together representatives from academia, industry, and innovation organisations to explore how digital technologies are reshaping the forest-based value chain and what is needed to support its further development.
Opening the conference, Tomas Krilavičius, lead partner of the Forest 4.0 project, introduced the vision behind the newly established Centre of Excellence. He emphasised that the aim is not to compete with existing institutions, but to create a collaborative platform that connects stakeholders across the entire value chain.
“With Forest 4.0, we are building a Centre of Excellence to create a network of stakeholders from across the forest-based value chain. We do not want to compete with universities or associations, but rather provide a new platform for collaboration, merging digitalisation and innovation. Conferences like this help us receive direct feedback from the industry and better understand how we can support this transition,” he explained.
One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation by Ingrida Grikpėdienė from Vakarų Medienos Grupė, who shared insights into the company’s latest projects and its long-term strategy. She highlighted the key competencies required for a competitive and future-ready wood industry, underlining a strong and consistent focus on sustainability, innovation, and leadership skills. Her presentation concluded with a thought-provoking quote by Eliyahu Goldratt: “Automation is good, so long as you know exactly where to do it.”
The topic of digitalisation continued with Paulius Darvidas, Head of the IT and Digital Solutions Department at Lintera Group, who addressed some of the most common myths surrounding digital transformation in the furniture ecosystem. His talk offered a realistic view of what digitalisation truly means for manufacturers and where its real value lies.
The conference then moved into thematic workshops, where participants engaged in open discussions on current industry challenges and explored practical, applicable solutions. These group sessions provided valuable perspectives on the real needs of the sector today, bridging the gap between theory, innovation, and practice.
The event confirmed that digitalisation is no longer a distant vision for the wood value chain — it is an ongoing process that requires collaboration, shared knowledge, and a clear understanding of industry needs. Initiatives such as the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence play a vital role in bringing these stakeholders together and shaping a smarter, more sustainable future for the sector.
