For a company as established as Stora Enso, innovation began over 700 years ago, starting off in the mining industry and now focusing on renewable products as it adapts to where we are today. But managing projects across a range of industries, including packaging, construction, and biomaterials, requires a high level of coordination—something that became increasingly difficult using manual methods. To address this, Stora Enso turned to Planisware, seeking to harmonize its processes and optimize innovation management.
Tuomas Puonti, Vice President of Product & Portfolio Development, and Teemu Salinto, Innovation Specialist share how this historic company took a forward-thinking approach to modernize its project and portfolio management systems.
Stora Enso’s History
Stora Enso may be one of the world’s oldest companies, but it has transformed itself into a player in the circular bioeconomy, producing renewable products from sustainably managed forests. “In Finland, where I’m based, forests are a big part of life, and Stora Enso is a big part of that,” explained Tuomas. With 20,000 employees globally, the company creates sustainable solutions for a wide range of industries, from packaging to construction materials.
Tuomas added, “If you’ve ever poured milk from a carton or sipped coffee from a paper cup, there’s a good chance the packaging material was made by us. We’re a leader in producing liquid packaging board.”
Managing Outdated Methods
Before Planisware, Stora Enso’s project management processes were disjointed. “We were managing over 100 projects, often using Excel and other tools,” Teemu shared. This approach made it hard to maintain visibility and control over the company’s project portfolio. The lack of a centralized system led to inefficiencies, and upper management had limited visibility into project statuses. “That’s why we needed an integrated solution to improve oversight,” Teemu continued.
Stora Enso turned to Planisware in 2022 to centralize its project and portfolio management. The goal was to streamline processes, provide better visibility into projects, and align all teams around a unified tool. The company introduced a Product Lifecycle Operating Model (PLOM), which guides product development from initial ideation through to market exit. “PLOM includes phases like innovation, product management, and market optimization, and uses a phase-gate process to keep everything on track,” Tuomas explained.
“Planisware allowed us to integrate everything into one system—innovation, product management, and resource management,” Tuomas said. “One of the best decisions we made was to stick to Planisware’s ‘out-of-the-box’ functionalities as much as possible. We realized trying to define the perfect processes upfront would be too complex, so we simplified instead.”
Planisware Training and Change Management
Implementing Planisware across Stora Enso’s operations wasn’t without its challenges. With 250 users across multiple teams, ensuring smooth adoption was critical. “At first, we tried virtual training, but it didn’t engage participants enough,” said Manon Valentin, Project Manager from Planisware, who was heavily involved in the rollout at that time. “We switched to on-site training sessions in Finland and Sweden, and the results were much better.”
The training process was comprehensive, with a mix of core team sessions and end-user training. “We set up a ‘train the trainer’ model where key users became system champions within their departments,” Teemu explained. “These super-users helped train others, troubleshoot issues, and provide ongoing support.” This hands-on approach helped ensure the system was embedded into daily workflows.
“Having Stora Enso’s trainers lead the sessions was crucial,” Manon added. “It’s one thing for me to teach the system, but when someone from their own company explains it in familiar terms, using real examples, it resonates much more.”
Transparency, Quality, and Efficiency
After two years of using Planisware, Stora Enso has already seen significant benefits. “The biggest improvement is transparency,” Tuomas stated. “Before, upper management had very little visibility into what was happening across the portfolio. Now, we have real-time access to data, which has opened up better dialogue and alignment on priorities.”
Project quality has also improved thanks to standardized processes within Planisware. “Everything from compliance checks to sustainability considerations is integrated upfront,” Tuomas noted. “For example, with food packaging, we need to ensure compliance with safety regulations. Planisware helps us do that early on, preventing costly mistakes later.”
Teemu added that resource management has also become much easier. “We now have visibility into resource allocation across teams, which helps us forecast capacity and make better decisions about when to start new projects.”
Looking back, Tuomas and Teemu both agree that one of the biggest lessons learned was the importance of starting small and scaling gradually.
“At first, we tried to implement too much at once,” Teemu admitted. “In hindsight, it’s better to start small and grow step by step, addressing issues as they arise.” This phased approach allowed Stora Enso to adapt the system as they learned more about how their teams worked with it.
Flexibility is crucial during implementation, as every company faces unique challenges. Being open to adjusting approaches throughout the process allows for better outcomes. During the configuration phase, it is often necessary to create drafts, gather input, and make adjustments before moving forward, ensuring the solution is tailored to the specific needs of the organization.
Looking ahead, Stora Enso plans to expand its use of Planisware’s features, focusing on making the system more intuitive and integrated into daily operations.
“We want to empower our advanced users to create custom reports and tailor the platform to their specific needs,” Tuomas said. “Our goal is to do more with less and optimize resource management and financial calculations.”
The company also aims to continue refining its training and change management strategies to ensure new practices are reinforced and adopted throughout the organization. As Stora Enso continues to expand its use of Planisware, one thing is clear: the company’s focus on innovation and sustainability is as strong as ever—700 years and counting.
Curious about how Planisware can have an impact on your project management processes? Get in touch with our team.
