Setra Group, one of Sweden’s largest wood product companies, runs a nationwide network of sawmills and production facilities, including sites dedicated to advanced products such as glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT).
With operations at this scale, the company relies on consistency and efficiency to remain competitive and meet growing market demand. To strengthen its digital foundation, Setra turned to CGI—a trusted partner for more than three decades—to modernize and standardize its manufacturing execution systems (MES). CGI’s established presence in Sweden, experience with MES solutions, and industry-specific platform, Fagus Wood, positioned us well to support this transformation.
Fragmented systems across sites hamper visibility and growth
Setra has eight production sites in Sweden, including seven sawmills and a processing unit, as well as one planing mill in the UK.
By the late 2000s, Setra faced mounting challenges from a fragmented patchwork of legacy MES solutions across its production sites. Each location operated in isolation, limiting the flow of insights and preventing the standardization of best practices. These silos hindered decision-making, increased maintenance costs, and left leaders without a clear, real-time view of enterprise-wide performance.
Recognizing that these issues jeopardized both competitiveness and growth, Setra embarked on a bold digital transformation journey. The company’s vision was to unify operations under a single, scalable MES platform—one that could break down silos, simplify maintenance, and provide the visibility needed to drive continuous improvement across all sites.
By deploying Fagus Wood, Setra standardized processes across multiple sites, improved operational efficiency, and gained the agility to respond quickly to shifting demand and production priorities.
Standardizing operations with a unified purpose-built MES – Fagus Wood
CGI introduced Fagus Wood, an MES platform built by our experts specifically for sawmills and the broader wood industry. The platform streamlines the entire production chain—from raw material handling to finished product logistics—while giving operators real-time visibility and traceability.
Fagus Wood supports every stage of sawmill operations: raw log intake, grading, cutting, drying and finished goods handling. The system manages the complexities of variable raw materials, batch-based workflows, and dynamic production planning. Its modular architecture and scalable design give Setra the flexibility to expand and adapt as business needs evolve.
The company initiated the rollout in 2009, executing a multi-year, multi-site deployment that required both strategic planning and in-depth industry expertise.
Agile delivery and continuous alignment
To ensure success, Setra and CGI established a dedicated MES core team comprising representatives from Setra, CGI, and various machine and PLC vendors. This team managed the implementation and coordination across production sites, while a separate team oversaw the integration between the MES and Setra’s ERP system. This structure enabled seamless alignment between shop floor operations and enterprise systems.
Throughout the project, we adopted an agile way of working, holding numerous workshops to explore alternatives, align priorities and make decisions collaboratively. This iterative, transparent approach ensured rapid problem-solving and strong stakeholder engagement from start to finish.
The success of the first site implementation made the benefits of Fagus Wood clear—improved production control, real-time KPIs for operators, enhanced traceability, and more efficient dispatch.
By deploying Fagus Wood, Setra standardized processes across multiple sites, improved operational efficiency, and gained the agility to respond quickly to shifting demand and production priorities.
Turning standardization into strategic outcomes
Since adopting Fagus Wood, Setra has gained significant improvements in operational control and consistency. The MES platform now supports every production facility in the Setra Group, aligning sites under a common standard and simplifying the company’s digital infrastructure. Teams across the business benefit from better data visibility, more reliable processes, and easier system support. Additionally, a common data warehouse now allows Setra to compare KPIs between sites and generate enterprise-level performance reports, enhancing both benchmarking and continuous improvement efforts.
The success of Fagus Wood also created a strong foundation for innovation. With a unified MES in place, Setra can now expand into advanced technologies, including its growing cross-laminated timber (CLT) capabilities, while preserving efficiency and scale across operations.
CGI’s role extended beyond system implementation. Our team also provided comprehensive training for both users and administrators, ensuring smooth adoption across Setra’s facilities. CGI experts continue to support change management activities, helping maintain alignment as operations evolve. Additionally, Fagus Wood integrates with a high number of machines and PLCs for production data collection, and we developed a complex and robust integration with Setra’s ERP system to enable seamless information flow.
As a result of the collaboration with CGI, Setra achieved its goal of implementing a standardized, fully integrated MES landscape that serves every Setra facility—now and into the future.
