The suitability of an electronic information exchange (Puutori) for the timber trade in Finland

Electronic commerce is a new, rapidly developing method of trading goods and serving customers. Its importance has increased immensely in recent years. There are several advantages to electronic markets as applied in Forestry. Timber (roundwood) trading could become more efficient; especially the markets for special timber qualities and grades stand to benefit from the electronic marketplace, Electronic marketing can also reduce timber procurement costs. This can be achieved through accurate stand depiction, so that prospective buyers would be in a position to make offers even without seeing the stands. It is also likely that such a system would promote competition on the Finnish timber markets. The main aim in this paper was to find out the attitudes and technical preconditions regarding an electronic information exchange for the timber trade in the region of Pohjois-Savo, eastern Finland. The results of the study formed the basis for developing a prototype of electronic marketplace for timber trading, named 'Puutori'. The Puutori system and some general aspects of establishing an electronic marketplace for timber trading are described in brief. In the light of the results, the parties involved in the timber trade in the region of Pohjois-Savo are willing to participate in the e-commerce experiment. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.