Rising customer interest in non-wood fibres created pressure to define a clear position in the agropulp market. While the company has strong pulp process expertise, agropulp represents a non-core adjacency with different economics, scale, and competitive dynamics.

At the time, leadership lacked a single, fact-based view on market size, growth, and maturity, making it difficult to judge strategic relevance or justify investment. In parallel, limited visibility on credible agropulp-capable equipment suppliers increased the risk of misdirected partnerships or acquisitions.

With core teams fully focused on ongoing large-scale projects, the organization required a structured, objective approach to clarify the opportunity and narrow options without slowing operations.