20 ur collaboration with Trioplast has been running since the 1970s, but it was perhaps around 2000 when the Field Science Network was started by a number of international companies, including Trio- plast, that cooperation became more organized,” says Rolf Spörndly. He is a research director at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management at SLU, and a guru in his field.   Developing innovative ideas for new smart products and solutions has always been high on Trioplast’s agenda.   “At Trioplast, we’re always striving to be better at what we do. Through collaboration with SLU and their research team, we can both conduct tests to develop an existing product to make it even better, and also test our ideas for new innovative prod- ucts and solutions. All to meet our customers’ needs and wishes now and in the future,” says Anders Larsson, Product Manager A sturdier film to hold dry and sticky horse feed, plastic film instead of net around silage bales to maintain the fodder’s nutrient content and a handbook that shows the preservation process in bales – these innovations might never have seen the light of day, if it had not been for the colla- boration between Trioplast and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU. Agri. Among other things, SLU performs stretch film trials on bale ensilage for Trioplast. The anonymized tests are conducted in real-life environments in the fields of one of the many farms designated for research and trials within SLU’s operations.   The tests on silage bales and the various plastic grades are performed over a period of 3-12 months. SLU researchers measure, among other things, possible weight losses and chemical changes, check the density of the plastic and make visual inspections to see if there is mould on the lining.   “Using this approach, Trioplast can then show scientifically and statistically reliable results from lab analyses. These are impartial results presented by our researchers that show how welltheplasticensuresthatthefeedvalueisashighaspossible,” says Rolf Spörndly.   “Cooperation with SLU is very important for Trioplast. It helps us improve our offer to our customers. We achieve more reliable product development and a good foundation for driving good innovative ideas forward,” says Anders Larsson.  FROM IDEA TO INNOVATION ROLF SPÖRNDLY RESEARCH DIRECTOR, SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SLU O