13 April 2017
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny with Coillte Chief Executive Fergal Leamy (left) and Treemetrics Chief Executive Enda Keane (right) photographed before an image of a commercial forest as seen through a 3D laser scanning system used by Treemetrics company in Government Buildings for the announcement of a major €1 Million contract agreement between the two companies.
Coillte, Ireland’s national forestry company, today announced a major €1 million contract agreement, with Cork-headquartered Treemetrics to roll out a pioneering real-time satellite communications and data-analytics platform for forestry harvest control. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D was joined by Coillte Chief Executive Fergal Leamy and Treemetrics CEO and co-founder Enda Keane in Government Buildings today to mark the agreement.
The Treemetrics technology platform, a world first for the forestry industry, is designed to optimise operational efficiency, reduce waste and improve environmental sustainability. Treemetrics developed the ground-breaking communications technology working in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) over the past four years. Treemetrics technology promises to transform the global wood supply chain by connecting all the various stakeholders in real time through Global Positioning Satellites and Mobile Communications and utilising the latest in data analytics to give first hand insights.
The satellite communications platform communicates directly with harvest cutting machines ensuring that they always have 24/7 connectivity, thus delivering positioning and mapping services to the driver-operators as well as sharing data about the tree-logs in real time with the forest managers and sawmill wood buyers.
Marking the announcement today An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, T.D said: “After a chance meeting on a Dublin Street some years ago, I have followed with interest the Treemetrics story of success. Now, as then, I am happy to support them as their visions mature into pioneering solutions for the forestry sector. SME’s like Treemetrics are the backbone of our economy and are an example to everyone who has an idea to follow it through as best they can. I am particularly delighted that Treemetrics, working in partnership with the European Space Agency, have pioneered this innovative satellite communications and data analytics Platform. The platform promises to optimise forestry management efficiency and create a more sustainable environment for future generations. I wish them every success in rolling out this project with Coillte for the benefit of Ireland’s forestry industry.”
The Treemetrics technology platform aims to improve management of forestry resources by real time monitoring of the harvesting process, providing tree quality mapping and a reduction in travel costs to and from forest sites through In-Vehicle-Navigation and improved Inventory mapping.
Fergal Leamy, Chief Executive, Coillte said “Coillte is on a path to becoming the best forestry and land solutions company in Europe. Our increasing use of technology will be crucial over the next few years as we aim to create the connected forest. I am delighted to be working with world leading technology companies like Treemetrics, who also happen to be based in Ireland, as we develop innovative solutions to how we manage our forests”.
Enda Keane, CEO and Co-Founder, Treemetrics, said “Treemetrics are very grateful for the support we received from the European Space Agency, our technology partner and to Coillte our valued Irish customer, to enable us to deliver the ‘Internet of Trees’ platform, providing real time data analytics and transformative insights, that will deliver great benefits to the Irish forestry industry, in terms of environmental sustainability, management optimization and improved profitability.”
