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The FREIMAN project aims to bring real value for the users of CTL forestry machines
The demand for remanufactured parts has increased among businesses and consumers. A remanufactured part is a used component that has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt to meet original equipment manufacturer standards. This growing interest is largely driven by the dual benefits: sustainability and cost savings. However, scaling this model presents significant challenges, especially on the supply side. To address these leading Finnish industry experts and researchers, including Nokian Tyres, launched the FREIMAN project.
The FREIMAN initiative aims to develop innovative solutions that enhance transparency and control in the return loop for used components by leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence. FREIMAN’s target is to create a more predictable and efficient process for collecting and remanufacturing core components. The project focuses on cut-to-length (CTL) forestry machine parts as its main pilot use case. Nokian Tyres works in close cooperation with forest machine contractor Motoajo Oy, whose machine fleet has over ten Ponsse forwarders equipped with Nokian Tyres Intuitu™ smart tire technology innertube solution for smart forestry tires.
"Circular economy is a big thing for us," says Jukka Laitinen, Technology Program Manager at Ponsse.
Ville Ohukainen, Remanufacturing Manager at Ponsse, concurs and adds, "For us, the aim of the project is to grow the business based on a circular economy with smart solutions and AI. We want to develop a system where we can control the stream of materials coming back to us for remanufacturing."
Jukka Laitinen visited the Nokian Tyres headquarters in May with the FREIMAN consortium
Continuous monitoring offers insight into the remanufacturing process
But what does remanufacturing mean to forestry tire innovations?
“In the FREIMAN project, we are exploring how smart tire technologies could support tire lifespan prediction, which forms a key foundation for enabling future remanufacturing strategies,” says Mika Haapalainen, the project manager of the FREIMAN project from Nokian Tyres.
With smart tire data the machine manufacturers could be able to collect data on how a machine has been used. Data such as inflation pressure, active hours, distance driven, speed, tire load and temperature info could be integrated with the machine data to create insights for user as well as for the remanufacturing process.
“The FREIMAN project serves as a concrete demonstration of broader perspectives, with a strong focus on making them tangible in real use cases. We know from our long experience with CTL forestry tires that approximately 90% of tire failures are caused by insufficient inflation pressure. Therefore, within the FREIMAN project, our primary use case is to integrate smart tires into the CTL forwarder operating system, enabling continuous, lifetime monitoring of tire inflation pressure,” Mika explains.
Ville Ohukainen (left) and Mika Haapalainen at the Nokian Tyres headquarters.
Tires collect data so that the driver can concentrate on work
Integrating smart tires into the operating system of the machine allows both the driver and the machine owner to view real-time tire pressure data directly from the machine interface or through back-office systems. As the Nokian Tyres Intuitu™ system operates in the background, the driver is able to focus on the actual forestry work. The system provides notifications only when needed and suggests appropriate actions based on the situation.
Jukka Laitinen finds this aspect interesting: "All the ways that the driver of a machine can be assisted imperceptibly are valuable. Also, the way the data is available and can be utilized by the contractor, or the maintenance crew is key. The more the machine is in operation without surprises is valuable for the user."
Ville Ohukainen adds that tires could become a crucial data point for forest machinery remanufacturing in the future: "The data from the tire can be used to lengthen the lifecycle of the tire and prevent punctures. It could also give information on how and where the machine has been used. It is eye-opening to see firsthand how the Intuitu smart technology works."
The FREIMAN consortium members experienced the Nokian Tyres Intuitu technology in a tractor.
Aiming to create tools and services
"We want to create tools that support decision-making in the remanufacturing process," says Researcher Elina Annanperä from the University of Oulu, also part of the FREIMAN project. She highlights the potential of smart tire technology for remanufacturing: "In FREIMAN, we want to understand from the company point of view what is valuable to each business and its customers. The key is to find out what kind of data is available and how it can be integrated. Smart tires have great potential from this point of view: they could be combined with the data a machine offers, for example, and used to predict such things as when the machine needs maintenance."
Mika Haapalainen emphasizes that Nokian Tyres is focused on delivering real benefits for machine users: “One of the most interesting aspects of the FREIMAN project is understanding how our customers perceive and value the information smart tires offer. Within the project we are investigating what is the business potential of the integrated data: what kind of new services we could create or how could it affect the way we design our tires in the future.”
Elina Annanperä says creating tools to support decision-making is an important aim of FREIMAN.
Two-year project
The FREIMAN consortium brings together several Finnish key organizations. In addition to Nokian Tyres, Ponsse, Motoajo, and the University of Oulu, the consortium includes Masino-Konaflex, Kaltiot, and VTT, which serves as the coordinating body. Running from 2026 to 2027, this collaboration is committed to making a lasting impact on both the industry and the environment. FREIMAN project is part of the Nokian Tyres FUTUREPROOF research, development, and innovation program as well as Ponsse’s FORWARD27 program.
In May, Nokian Tyres hosted the FREIMAN Consortium Meeting. At the company HQ in Nokia, Finland the consortium members experienced the award-winning Nokian Tyres Intuitu smart tire technology firsthand with a drive in a tractor equipped with tires with the Nokian Tyres Intuitu™ technology. The day also consisted of a tour of the Nokia factory, workshops concentrating on developing data-driven business models and many great discussions on remanufacturing and its challenges.
The FREIMAN consortium met at Nokian Tyres headquarters in May.
