2021-04-19
Last updated: 2021-04-20 08:37
The story of Woodbe started in 2016, when John and Filip began their engineering studies at Karlstad University. They became friends and during their studies developed a desire to contribute to a more sustainable construction industry. When Lars Atterfors, wood construction expert and member of Tillverka i Trä, held a lecture on CLT at the university, John and Filip decided to take a closer look at CLT fasteners in their degree project.
- "We saw that a lot of nails and screws were used for fastenings and started thinking about how we could streamline that process," says John. "We asked ourselves how it was done in the past - there are log cabins and churches that have stood firm for hundreds of years. Why not use that technology?
They started thinking about how to create a modern finger joint, and when they noticed how much interest there was in the market, the idea of Woodbe was born.
- "When we talked to people in the industry, we noticed how much interest and drive there was, which was very inspiring for us," says John. Thus, the idea of starting the company came naturally after the thesis.
During our conversation, John and Filip return to Tillverka i Trä several times. In addition to Lars Atterfors, Jonas Fred Hell, CEO of Fridh & Hell's Bygg and an active member of the Tillverka i Trä network, has acted as an advisor and sounding board for Woodbe since the start. Last fall, they advised John and Filip to participate in a workshop on CLT organized by Tillverka i Trä at Innovatum Science Park, where Woodbe made even more important contacts.
- It was a very interesting workshop where we met P-O Jansson from POJI. P-O has been very valuable to us, as we have had the opportunity to work from his office in Karlstad and we recently started a collaboration to investigate how to join industrially manufactured wooden modules using BiteLock.
During the workshop at Innovatum Science Park, Woodbe also got in touch with Lars Blomqvist from RISE, and together they have applied for financial support to further verify and investigate the BiteLock system. After keeping in touch with Tommy Christensen, project manager at Innovatum Science Park and Tillverka i trä, and attending the webinar A Future Built in Wood held in January 2021, they made the decision to join the network.
- We realized that several of our most important contacts are in Tillverka i Trä and that it is thanks to the network that we got these contacts. The drive and desire to develop in the network makes it something we really want to be a part of," says Filip. "It's impressive to see so many companies helping each other to move the industry forward and that we all have a common goal.
Woodbe has now filed a patent application for the BiteLock system, which is used to construct high-precision building frames and create a good load-bearing capacity, while avoiding mechanical connections in metal. A CNC machine is used to cut grooves in the ends of the KLT elements, which can then be joined together like a self-locking puzzle.
- "If we can build like Lego instead of screwing, we save a lot of time," explains Filip. In addition, work environment is a major issue for the construction industry today, where, for example, carpenters often get back problems as they get older. Our vision is to be able to save time, improve ergonomics and the work environment for construction workers while developing industrial construction and contributing to increased sustainability.
- "A lot of this goes hand in hand," John continues. "If we can remove large amounts of metal from the building, it becomes more sustainable. BiteLock also allows the frame to be disassembled and moved, which contributes to increased reuse.
The next step for Woodbe is to test its product on a larger scale by making a reference building.
- "So far, we have developed our systems on a smaller scale," says Filip. "Now we want to try it on a larger scale and build a reference building. Together with the actors in Tillverka i Trä , we want to learn from each other and try new methods, and we would love to have one of the companies join us in the construction of the reference building.
Tillverka i Trä is a joint effort by the timber construction industry and the wood-based interior design industry. The project takes advantage of the expertise that exists in production, automation and digital systems so that companies working with timber house construction, interior design and design can develop, with new solutions and smarter processes.
