Digitalization of forests: How Katam is changing the global sector

Have you ever imagined the possibility of using technology that increases productivity, reduces costs, generates a competitive advantage and even improves the results of your company’s forest inventory, in a simple and practical way?

As pioneers in the digitalization of forests, we understand very well how technology is constantly changing the forestry sector worldwide. Since the 2000s, global demand for forest biomass has increased by 150% and is expected to increase by 70 to 150% by 2050. Therefore, companies in the sector need to prepare to meet this demand, and technifying their processes is the first step towards remaining competitive in the market.

But how is Katam using these technologies to change the global forestry landscape?

• Faster and more efficient data collection: from 1 day per hectare to 1 minute per hectare with GoPro;
• Increased amount of data in less time: 10x more data collected and 5x more accuracy, with a reduction of up to 600x working hours;
• Increased accuracy and reduced errors: data with 5x more accuracy and errors of less than 5%;

Companies located in more than 80 countries, such as Indonesia, Australia, Sweden, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay have already seen their results maximized with Katam’s technology.

Join us in this change, get in touch and schedule a chat to show us how we can reap great rewards together in an increasingly digital world.

From smartphones to GoPros: Katam’s new methodology to collect forestry data

Have you ever thought about the incredible amount of data that forests store and how this information is essential for the modernization of forest management?

We know that the data collection process is often time consuming and does not achieve the expected results. In this way, Katam enters the scene with innovative methods for high efficiency and precision data collection.

We are happy to inform you that after the great success with drones and smartphones, Katam innovates once again using a new tool for collecting forest data: the GoPro camera.

But why did we choose GoPro?

• Robustness in data collection: complex scenarios from Brazil to Indonesia;
• Durability: the GoPro withstands rain, falls and warm environments with peace of mind;
• Versatility: batteries and memory cards that can be exchanged in the field;
• cost-effective: high-quality cameras at an affordable price;
• Greater efficiency: 1.000 m² can be covered in just one minute;
• Ease of use: with a basic training provided by the Katam team it is already possible to start collecting forest data.

Katam is a pioneer in the digitalization of forest inventory and continues to innovate more and more, bringing the best in technology and forestry to your company.

For more information on how to improve your business with Katam, please contact our sales team.

Katam Introduces New Service and Showcases Innovations at ExpoForest – Latin America’s Largest Forestry Fair

Katam is excited to announce its presence at ExpoForest, the premier forestry fair in Brazil, taking place from August 9th to 11th. We will showcase our comprehensive digital forest inventory toolbox through practical demonstrations, offering insights into the utilization of the Katam system to enhance forest productivity.

We are also pleased to introduce an exciting new service aimed at addressing the evolving needs of our customers – the Survavibility control. This service offers a more efficient and digitalized approach to plant survival monitoring. In addition to our existing drone-based plant survival control from aerial perspectives, we are introducing an innovative system that harnesses ground-level video recording. Using a GoPro camera, users can effortlessly walk along plant rows, capturing video footage of the thriving plants. Our advanced Katam forest detection system accurately assesses the size and height of each individual plant while identifying any deceased or missing ones.

The Benefits for Our Customers:

• Enhanced Efficiency: Our ground-level video recording system streamlines the process of plant survival monitoring, saving time and resources.
• Accurate Data: The Katam forest detection system ensures precise measurements of plant size, height, and identification of any issues.
• Comprehensive Insights: Processed results are presented in user-friendly formats, empowering customers with actionable insights for decision-making.
• Customized Reporting: Users can access high-level PDF reports or detailed data in Excel or GIS formats, tailored to their preferences.
• Digital Transformation: This service exemplifies Katam’s commitment to driving digital transformation within the forestry industry.

Join us at Expo Forestal to experience these game-changing innovations firsthand and discover how Katam is revolutionizing forest management through cutting-edge technology.

Katam Technologies Strengthens Presence in Latin America with New Sales and Support Office in Brazil

Press release:

2 of August 2023, Lund, Sweden

Katam Technologies, a leading provider of innovative forest management solutions, is proud to announce the establishment of its new sales and support office in Brazil, operating as the legal entity “Katam Brasil.” This strategic move exemplifies the company’s commitment to providing personalized customer support and facilitating the digital transformation of forest management for its valued B2B customers in Latin America.

“We are excited to launch our new sales and support office in Brazil,” said Magnus Karlson, newly appointed CEO at Katam Technologies. “This strategic initiative is driven by our dedication to meeting our customers where they are and supporting them throughout their digital transformation journey in forest management.”

Katam Technologies has worked successfully with its agent, Agrodata, in Brazil for several years. However, the company’s rapid growth in Latin America has prompted the establishment of an independent legal entity, Katam Brasil, to better serve its expanding customer base.

“As Katam continues to grow in Latin America, we recognize the need for a dedicated local presence,” added Karlson. “By transferring four Katam employees from Agrodata to Katam Brasil, we aim to ensure seamless continuity in supporting our customers while maintaining a strong partnership with Agrodata.”

Katam Technologies remains steadfast in its commitment to revolutionizing the forestry industry through advanced AI technologies and cloud-based services. The establishment of Katam Brasil signifies a milestone in the company’s growth trajectory, positioning it as a dedicated partner to its valued customers in Latin America.

About:
Katam Technologies is a leading technology company specializing in forest measurement and management solutions. The company’s cloud service provides enterprise customers with advanced tools for efficient forest asset management, facilitating data-driven decision-making and promoting sustainable practices.

Katam Technologies Appoints Magnus Karlson as CEO to Accelerate Market Expansion

Press release:

1 of August 2023, Lund, Sweden

Katam Technologies, a leading provider of innovative forest management solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Magnus Karlson as the new CEO. Magnus Karlson brings extensive experience from his tenure as the Sales Manager at Katam for the past two years, along with a strong background in B2B business sales (Linde Gas) and digital transformation of B2B enterprises.

In his new role as CEO, Magnus Karlson is entrusted with the responsibility to reinforce the company’s focus on market expansion, particularly in the vibrant regions of Latin America and South East Asia.

“We are thrilled to have Magnus Karlson take the helm as CEO of Katam Technologies,” said Bengt-Arne Molin, Chairman of the Board. “His profound understanding of B2B sales and digital transformation will be instrumental in driving our growth and enhancing our presence in Latin America and South East Asia.”

Having made significant contributions as the Sales Manager at Katam, Magnus Karlson is well-acquainted with the company’s operations, customers, and market dynamics. His strategic vision and leadership will guide Katam Technologies toward new heights of success in the forest management industry.

In conjunction with this strategic development, Krister Tham, founder of Katam Technologies, will resume his former role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Tham’s extensive expertise and visionary leadership will drive innovation, further advancing the company’s technology offerings, and ensuring continued excellence in forest management solutions.

About:
Katam Technologies is a leading technology company specializing in forest measurement and management solutions. The company’s cloud service provides enterprise customers with advanced tools for efficient forest asset management, facilitating data-driven decision-making and promoting sustainable practices.

Katam Technologies Secures 6 Million SEK Investment to Power Global Expansion

Press release:

26 of July 2023, Lund, Sweden

Katam Technologies, a leading provider of innovative forest management solutions, proudly announces the successful completion of a 6 million SEK investment round. The investment, primarily contributed by existing shareholders, reflects their unwavering belief in the company’s strategic direction and vision.

With its largest market traction in Latin America, Katam Technologies has established itself as a trusted partner among several of the world’s largest forest companies. Building on this success, the investment will play a pivotal role in further strengthening the company’s international expansion efforts, with a particular focus on Latin America and South East Asia – two regions that offer immense growth opportunities.

“We are delighted to announce the successful completion of our recent investment round,” said Krister Tham, CEO at Katam Technologies. “The confidence shown by our existing shareholders fuels our determination to drive global expansion and deliver cutting-edge forest management solutions to our esteemed customers.”

Katam Technologies made a strategic shift to the B2B sector two years ago, and this transformation has proven highly successful. The company’s cloud service for enterprise customers has garnered exceptional feedback, earning praise for its reliability and operational efficiency from numerous satisfied customers.

Katam Technologies remains dedicated to transforming the forestry industry with advanced AI technologies and cloud-based services and to continue driving positive change in sustainable forest management practices.

About:
Katam Technologies is a leading technology company specializing in forest measurement and management solutions. The company’s cloud service provides enterprise customers with advanced tools for efficient forest asset management, facilitating data-driven decision-making and promoting sustainable practices.

Katam launches the world’s first service for capturing tree trunk data using camera drones

Katam continues to provide global forestry with services for precise decision support and increased wood growth and quality. By using autonomous drones for video recordings, Katam now introduces an additional method for acquiring forest data.

A new service offered by Katam Technologies utilises autonomous drones to complement manual measurements of tree trunk diameter. With this new solution, forest owners and field personnel can avoid entering inaccessible, hilly, thorny, and even dangerous forests, such as tropical environments that are home to spiders and snakes.

Traditionally, drones are used in forestry by flying above the tree canopies. However, when flying above the trees, information about the trunk diameter cannot be captured. Luckily, highly affordable consumer drones are now equipped with advanced navigation and collision systems that support flying within the forest itself, at just a few metres up. By using the drones for video recordings, Katam now introduces an additional method for capturing trunk data that serves as input to the Katam forest analysis system.

The new recording method using autonomous flying drones is a result of ADACORSA, an EU-funded project where Ericsson, Lund University, and Katam Technologies constitute the Swedish partners of the consortium. ADACORSA aims to strengthen the European drone industry. Its mission is to increase public and government acceptance of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line-Of-Sight) drones by demonstrating technology for safe and reliable drone operation in all situations and flight phases. Katam brings domain knowledge of the forestry use case in addition to significant AI analysis experience.

Katam Technologies offers decision support services to the forestry sector, for operational as well as long-term strategic purposes. Patented algorithms, artificial intelligence and Katam’s own forestry experts, together ensure that forest data is transformed into valuable decision-making facts for global forestry. 

For more information about how to improve your business with Katam, contact the Katam sales team. 

Private forest owners in Sweden increase revenues with Katam

Göran Johansson, a private forest owner in Sweden, found in Katam a powerful tool to close more sales deals and increase his profits. He mentions that for every forest owner it is important to know exactly what they have; in this way, they will be able to give the wood buyers an accurate price.

Watch his story here!

Developing a digital tool for forestry planning

Continuous cover forestry requires more planning than traditional clear-cut felling, but Katam’s technology can help you do this work.

Planning for continuous cover forestry takes longer because the transport roads must be planned extremely carefully. Otherwise, there is a risk of blockages in waterways or damage to the roots of the unfelled trees.

Having the machines going into the forest several times quickly inflates the budget. Furthermore, many people think they will need to use smaller machines, but this is not the case. Entrepreneurs working with continuous cover forestry need to get good maps and data in order to make the most of their time and budget, by managing the selective cut in a faster way.

By using drone images, Katam’s technology can tell foresters which trees are the tallest and most suitable for felling. Forestry consultant Magnus Strandberg has worked with Katam to produce a map that shows the number of trees and their height.

Another of Katam’s solutions can be used to make measurements at ground level, to get tree diameters. For example, if a forester wants to select trees with a certain minimum diameter.

The first planning normally takes longer. “But then you have the road, and it can be easier to do the next felling without as much planning”, says Magnus Strandberg.

Read the whole article here. (In Swedish)

Katam Technologies signs contract with Irani

Katam has signed a three-year contract with Irani Paper and Packaging S.A., one of the main sustainable paper and packaging corporations in Brazil. The work will be carried out from 2022 to 2025.

Katam started to work with Irani in early 2021, by implementing a successful pilot installation. The cooperation was initiated by Irani through their open innovation program called Irani Labs, aiming at digitalizing their processes. 

The Brazilian company, which was awarded among the Top 5 Pulp and Paper in the 100 Open Startups ranking for 2021, will now use smartphones and drones to collect forestry information. Then Katam, using its cloud-based forest analysis system with AI algorithms, will deliver detailed and high-resolution data to Irani.

The company will use the reports to administer, execute and follow up on their forestry operations. Among the benefits of the agreement is the expected increase in productivity and quality, as well as the digitalization of the company’s processes.  

About Katam
Katam is a global provider of software-based services that deliver data to the forestry sector, supporting operational decisions and long-term strategies. The company uses artificial intelligence, patented algorithms, and its forestry experts to transform forest data into valuable decision-making facts for customers all over the world. Katam is a Swedish company with local sales- and support offices in Brazil and in Chile. www.katam.se