Fiberwood’s Production and Logistics Director, Jari Varjotie, believes that the company’s bold and visionary approach will drive it to international success. With 40 years of leadership experience in the industries of technology and renewable energy, he brings a valuable perspective. In our Fossile Free series, we have progressed from innovations to building production.
“We are riding on a path of winners. Everyone wants Fiberwood to succeed—not just us and the owners, but also our customers and partners. Our work is valuable for their success and for the future of the planet.”
Jari Varjotie, Fiberwood’s Production and Logistics Director, had decided after a 40-year career that in the future he would only work as a consultant. That was until, after a round of golf, CEO Tage Johansson asked Jari to join him for a cold drink.
Jari had already experienced many highlights, as well as setbacks and opportunities for growth. His leadership experience began to accumulate immediately after graduating as an engineer. One of his most significant roles was a 12-year period as CEO of the technology startup Savosolar, overseeing its listing on Nasdaq and its merger with Meriaura.
“My roles have spanned from procurement to sales, running large factories, company acquisitions, and stock market listings. I’ve seen industries ranging from paper machines and mobile phone subcontracting to wind power and solar energy systems, and now the construction industry. I’ve spent a lot of time in China, India, and Central Europe working for international project companies,” Jari explains.
From a Pilot Machine to Establishing Production Lines
Fiberwood’s product and process have been validated in laboratory tests. The development work has been carried out in collaboration with both internal and external top experts in foam forming technology and processes. Over the past two years, a pilot machine has been built at the Järvenpää facility, which can already produce 600 x 900 mm fiberboards for customers.
Tage asked Jari to take on the responsibility of building Fiberwood’s future production organisation.
“The next step is to build a demo line that will allow us to produce large, full-sized boards for customers’ various pilot projects, such as test buildings. During the demo line project, we will recruit employees and train them to become experts in foam forming technology and our manufacturing process, preparing them to implement and operate future production machines.”
The demo line is already a fully functional production line, but its capacity is relatively small. In this machine, the production process is optimized so that the full-scale mass production line can start operating efficiently from day one. In the future, it will serve as a development machine to explore various solutions, conduct product tests, and optimise new production machines.
“When we will build new factories in Germany, Poland, or Chile in the future, the process parameters must first be run on the pilot machine. They cannot be transferred directly from one factory to another because raw materials and other influencing factors are at least somewhat different.”
Machines alone are not sufficient—people are equally essential. According to Jari, the greatest lesson learned in his career as a leader is that all issues are people issues. He considers this his guiding principle in building company culture and in interacting with customers, partners, stakeholders, and society alike.
“You have to trust people, value them, and give them responsibility. That’s when they show their best. Of course, it’s nice to achieve personal successes, but what I enjoy most is to see my teams succeed. Problems arise in all businesses, and leaders are there to solve them. No matter how overwhelming it may seem, there is always a solution. Now we are among like-minded people, among solvers.”
Sustainable Energy Production—The Era of Burning Wood is Over
Jari says he has been an advocate for renewable energy since 2007. For the second year he is the chairman of the board of the Finnish Clean Energy Association, which was founded ten years ago to promote the adoption of renewable and local energy in Finland. Jari has been a strong proponent of producing energy by means other than burning and using wood more wisely.
“I’ve spoken to politicians and stakeholders about how producing energy by burning wood and biomass is irrational and unnecessary. Wood chips and by-products of the forest industry should be used more beneficially. More than half of the world’s energy goes to heating and cooling. This is discussed far too little. At Fiberwood, I get to continue working for change.”
Also inspiring is the courage and strong vision of the Fiberwood team. The company is moving in its own direction, unafraid to take leaps. Jari believes that Fiberwood will grow into an internationally recognised company.
“Fiberwood is an exceptional startup in many ways. It already has two solid venture capital firms as owners. It’s not often you come across a company that raises such interest already in the product development phase, that customers are practically lining up for our products. Fiberwood rides on the biggest wave, namely reducing carbon dioxide emissions and driving change in the construction industry. The potential is enormous.”
It’s nice to stand among the winners, but in the end, other things are more important:
“A few years from now, we will succeed as part of a change that is inevitable. Personally, I’ve never sought any titles, honours, or status. I just want to do interesting work and help people and companies succeed. This is the path I have followed.”
