The northern port sets an example with bold digital development

The Finnish city of Oulu is the logistics centre of Northern Europe. The Port of Oulu is a junction for sea, rail and road traffic, enabling efficient transportation to all of northern Scandinavia and to Russia.

A so-called multi-operator environment poses a unique challenge for the port that handles three types of traffic: rail, sea and rubber tyres. Operators vary from stevedores, pilots and icebreakers to waste management and maintenance as well as the Finnish Customs and other authorities. They all need to work seamlessly together. That is why the Port of Oulu is investing in its digital infrastructure.

Lead partner Solita has helped the port in creating a roadmap to guide all digital development. Among other ventures, the partners are currently working on a mobile application that will become a daily tool for port operators along with a data platform to house data on port operations and real-time snapshots. These initiatives pay into the goal of making the port more reliable, safer and more efficient.

“We want to be the most valued logistics partner in Northern Europe, and digitalisation plays a significant role in that,” says Mira Juola who leads the Port of Oulu’s digitalisation project. “We do what’s best for the export and import industry in northern Finland. A functioning digital infrastructure serves our vast ecosystem as well as our existing and new customers.”

From Post-it notes to vision for development

Three years ago, the Port of Oulu and Solita dived into the possibilities of the port’s digitalisation. Ideas were floated, but the overall objective was unclear.

“At first, we didn’t fully understand how big a challenge we were tackling. We knew we needed digital services. We reasoned we should have a smart way to collect and share information in a multi-operator environment. We knew that everything should play well together,” says Juola.

In workshops, small ideas landed under bigger headlines. Solita dived into the everyday life of a port customer, identifying critical points of contact that could be improved with digital development. The starting point became clear, and a vision and themes for digital development emerged.

The details have since evolved as the port’s digital ambition has grown. But the roadmap still guides the work – all development efforts support the port’s vision to be the most valued logistics partner in northern Europe.

“Together with our network, we’re building a port of the future. A port that uses modern agile tools, collects and shares information with the entire ecosystem, and bases decisions on data,” sums Juola.