Before investing in expensive production equipment, it is crucial to pilot new materials and production processes. Our state-or-the-art pilot plants and scale-up experts help you bridge the gap between research and commercialisation. Tailored piloting enables a shorter time to market and a higher-quality end product.
Key facts about process piloting and pilot plants
Shorter time to market with modern pilot plants and tailored piloting services
Our R&D expertise includes the chemical recycling of waste plastic and bio-based alternatives to plastics
Smaller investment costs and better-quality end-products
Pilot plants ensure better quality end-products with shorter time to market
Testing and piloting new materials, products and production processes are crucial before the investment into expensive production equipment. However, piloting and scaling up are lengthy processes. They require deep expertise as well as pilot plants where you can take your ideas beyond laboratory-scale experiments and test them in a real production environment.
Our research and pilot plant infrastructure, such as the Bioruukki pilot plant, offer modern facilities for piloting and scaling up production processes. In addition to the infrastructure, our wide range of experts support our customers at every step of the research and development process. We tailor all our projects to the customers’ individual needs.
The right combination of equipment and expertise ensures that the piloting stage goes smoothly. The result is a shorter time to market and a higher-quality end product.
Pilot plant services and cutting-edge expertise
At VTT, our customers enjoy a unique combination of state-of-the-art pilot plants and the expertise of researchers at the cutting edge of their fields.
Our areas of expertise include:
- Recycling plastics, battery chemicals and waste. We find new ways to recycle previously unrecyclable materials and scale up existing recycling methods to an industrial level.
- Bio-based alternatives. In an effort to reduce CO2 emissions and the need for fossil-based materials, we develop and pilot sustainable material solutions.
- E-fuels and hydrogen. We develop transportation fuel solutions and technologies for the utilisation of carbon dioxide, as well as production methods for green hydrogen.
- Resource efficiency. Whether it’s raw materials, energy or water, we work together with our partners to improve resource efficiency.
We have pilot plants for many steps of the industrial value chain. Our facilities allow our customers to pilot raw material sourcing and processing as well as smart industrial conversions, application testing and demonstration.
Cross the “valley of death” of commercialisation
When you work with us, you get the benefit of both our piloting plants and our experts who can support you in research and development. We have a long track record of successfully helping industrial partners develop and test out new materials and production processes.
Thorough piloting can help demonstrate the business value of a new concept. Pilot plants significantly reduce the risks of investing in the concept, guiding you across the “valley of death” of commercialisation.
Get to know VTT Bioruukki pilot centre
VTT Bioruukki pilot centre is an innovation platform for new bio-based products and circular economy solutions. It offers unique expertise and piloting capabilities all under one roof. In the laboratories and pilot plant customer organisations of any size can develop and scale up innovations and processes, accelerating their innovation cycles.
How to utilise our pilot plants and scale-up services
We tailor our pilot plants and their services to the individual needs of our customers. Here is a blueprint of what you can expect:
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Scoping
We help you refine your ideas into a concrete plan. This includes setting targets, figuring out how to make your product commercially viable, and defining a roadmap for getting there.
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Proof of concept
We will begin the first small-scale laboratory-level production tests. Our experts work together with your R&D team and our development facilities are at your disposal.
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Proof of product
We will test product performance and application. With bigger production volumes, this will give us a better understanding of the viability of your product.
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Proof of production process
We perform tests to ensure yield consistency and the scalability of the production process.
