Intelligence Throughout Value Chains: My journey and insights
As the SHAPE program reaches its midpoint, we continue our series of reflections from work package leaders across the ecosystem. This time, we turn to André Norrback, work pack leader for Intelligence Throughout Value Chains, to hear more about his insights and lessons learned.
“In a company like Mirka, where the rhythm is set by product development and daily operations, looking 5 to 15 years ahead is a unique challenge,” André shares. “That’s the task we’ve taken on, to work with future scenarios, weak signals, and emerging technologies that might one day reshape the industry.”
In the work package Intelligence Throughout Value Chains, the focus is on enabling data-driven value creation through IoT-based automation and the use of AI and analytics. By modeling the environmental impact across the value chain, the goal is to design processes that measure both carbon footprint and handprint, supporting the development of net carbon-negative surfaces in manufacturing.
From Puzzle Pieces to Possibility
Much of the activity within the work package revolves around tackling uncertainty, working with emerging technologies and ideas that may not have immediate application, but could form the foundation for future breakthroughs. The process is far from linear.
“Innovation isn’t about having a set deadline or clear target,” André explains. “You explore, test, and collect puzzle pieces. Some of them fit together. Some end up in the bin. But gradually, you start to see the picture take shape.”
Unlike product development, which is rooted in known processes and measurable improvements, innovation work focuses on what’s still unknown. Proof-of-concept experiments and future scenario modeling are methods used in the work package to explore emerging opportunities. Looking ahead, technologies such as High Performance Computing (HPC), computational design, and 3D printing are being considered for their potential to drive sustainable performance and efficiency. At the heart of the work package is a question that many organizations are grappling with: how can we become truly data-driven, not just in collecting data, but in turning it into actionable insights that improve environmental and business outcomes?
“We have the tools. The challenge is how we use them,” André says. “There’s no shortage of tech, but there is a lack of standardization, of shared formats, and of agreed processes across the value chain.”
A Network of Minds for a Shared Future
Driving a shift toward intelligence throughout value chains isn’t a solo effort. The work pack thrives on a mix of competencies, from deep scientific expertise to broad business thinking.
“We need all kinds of minds,” André says. “Data lovers, engineers, chemists, hypothesis generators, people who build things, people who sell things, and those who keep us grounded in what’s actually needed. Innovation is a team sport.”
That diversity is not just internal. Through SHAPE, André and his team have had more cross-sector contact than ever before, building a collaborative ecosystem that spans research institutes, companies, and disciplines. This ecosystem mindset, where ideas and insights circulate freely, has proven essential in advancing the work of the work pack. His own approach to innovation is rooted in curiosity and repair, in understanding how things work by taking them apart, studying the mechanics, and building them back better.
“When you repair something, whether it’s a dishwasher, a milling machine part, or a piece of code, you learn. And that learning builds the foundation for something new,” he says.
Looking ahead, André is optimistic. The combination of emerging tools, growing collaboration, and a mindset focused on long-term value is setting the stage for breakthroughs that go beyond incremental change.