World’s first bio-based acoustic panels to be manufactured soon at Aisti’s factory – Elomatic as key partner in plant implementation

Finnish startup Aisti has developed a bio-based, recyclable acoustic panel whose popularity surprised even the company’s founders. Elomatic has served as the company’s consulting and design partner since the pilot plant phase and is now helping Aisti bring the first products to market. The innovative product has required creative problem-solving in production line engineering: when suitable solutions were not available on the market, they were designed in-house.

The construction industry is a major global source of emissions, and reducing its carbon footprint requires new innovations and circular economy solutions. One bold innovator in the construction industry is Aisti, whose acoustic panels can replace acoustic panels made from fossil raw materials, such as glass and mineral wool.

Aisti’s story began with a customer need: there was market demand for acoustic panels made from natural materials. Company founder and CEO Mikko Paananen assembled a team that began researching the production of acoustic panels from wood fiber using the foam forming method.

The development work resulted in a patented acoustic panel whose production process uses no synthetic binders or fibers. This makes the panels safe for users and indoor air, which was one of the most important starting points in product development.

Global need for renewable materials drives production launch

In public construction, acoustic panels are used in suspended ceilings. Aisti targets its products specifically at public construction, where circular economy-based solutions are much needed.

The panels have been designed in collaboration with the construction industry, as it is important for product success that they have similar properties to established market counterparts. This also poses challenges for production: the future factory must be able to manufacture panels cost-effectively to compete on price.

The company’s customers are importers, retailers, and construction companies. The customer base is currently mainly from the Nordic countries, but tightening emission targets are driving global demand. The market is already eagerly awaiting new products.

“There is tremendous demand for Aisti’s acoustic panels, even though production has not yet started. About half of the future factory’s annual production capacity of 2.5 million square meters has already been sold,” Paananen tells.

From pilot phase to industrial scale together

Aisti’s commercial-scale factory will be completed in Kitee, where production is scheduled to begin in fall 2026. The implementation design phase is currently underway, in which Elomatic is responsible as a EPCM partner, handling plant design, procurement, and project management.

The journey to the implementation design phase began in 2020, when Elomatic helped Aisti develop the original production line concept. Since then, Elomatic has been involved in the concept phase and preliminary design of the industrial-scale factory, from which the collaboration has continued to the production facility implementation.

“The long-lasting collaboration has been rewarding. It’s great to take the plant we conceptualized and preliminary designed all the way to commissioning and see how a product idea reaches industrial manufacturing,” says Elomatic’s Project Manager Olli Schemeikka.

For Aisti, the long partnership has meant continuity with familiar people, which has facilitated collaboration.

Innovative product requires creativity from production designers too

The production line that is being designed for Aisti’s factory has never been built before. It was clear from the start that the design would require completely new solutions, as suitable production equipment was not available on the market and had to be custom-designed.

“Working with a startup has required us to be able to react quickly to changing situations and proactively propose solutions to challenges. Designers have been able to apply their expertise as the production line has required customized solutions,” Schemeikka describes.

Elomatic’s mechanical engineering has played a significant role in production line design. Developing a functional whole has required guiding, commenting on, and evaluating equipment supplier designs. Mechanical designers have also created unique parts for the production line: tanks, various auxiliary devices, and equipment for changing wires and rolls.

“Thanks to excellent mechanical design, the production line as a whole has been well managed, which is why the entire project has stayed on schedule. Agility and experience working with startups have been evident. These were also reasons why we originally chose Elomatic as our project partner,” says Aisti’s Project Manager Antti Burakoff.

Aiming for strong growth in renewable building materials

Aisti’s facility will be located in an old factory hall, where preparations for construction of the production line system have already started. Next comes an exciting phase when installers begin their work and the production line can be started. Only then will it be known how the process and designed solutions work in practice.

Once the Kitee factory is successfully commissioned and the production process validated, Aisti’s goal is to double the factory’s capacity. The location of the next factory has also been planned.

“Customer feedback to us is exceptionally good. Often new innovations are criticized and challenged, but our product is flying off the shelves. We eagerly await the factory’s completion, as that is when our journey truly begins,” Paananen says.