Citec attitude 2 2013

CITEC

2•2013

CO2 mineralization PAGE 16

Enhancing the employer brand PAGE 12

Going for oil & gas PAGE 5

PIONEERING THE BUSINESS LOCAL PRESENCE, GLOBAL RESOURCES – CITEC’S APPROACH HAS BECOME A TOP TREND IN ENGINEERING. PAGE 6

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

Keep your eye on the ball

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n page five in this issue of Attitude we proudly present our latest acquisition: the French company Akilea, operating in the oil & gas sector. The acquisition is fully in line with our strategy. Citec’s goal is to grow not only organically, but also through acquisitions. France is also one of the countries where we want to increase our business activities. In addition, oil & gas is a field that we had already planned to enhance our competence within.

Keeping focus on the strategy is important, because it may easily be forgotten in the hectic daily work. Nevertheless, flexibilbity is the mantra in today’s working life, and one of Citec’s business ideas is explicitly to offer flexibility to customers in the form of resourcing.

However, concerning the actual target, one cannot be flexible. It is essential to believe in what you’re doing and stay consequent.

How is this done in practice then? If the ultimate goal feels too abstract or too far away it’s a good idea to have waypoints. When I go running with my son and he sometimes gets tired halfway through our route, I’ll say: “Hey, can you see the house over there?

Take a shot at that. You can make it that far.” And once we get that far, we set a new sub-target.

The same principle may very well be applied in working life. Which tasks bring me closer to the strategic goals? Where am I most useful? What do I need to improve to get there?

For this to work in practice it is necessary to weed out the tasks that will not bring us closer to the target. Sometimes you actually need to simply quit doing some things in order to reach the goal.

In order to keep your focus on the target, it’s of great importance to maintain a close dialogue with your superior. Ask your boss to give you a compass, so that you know in which direction you should be heading.

As Jim Collins has put it: “Greatness is not a function of circumstance, greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.”

MICHAEL SMIRNOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PUBLISHER Citec, P.O. Box 109, FI-65101 Vaasa +358 (0)6 324 0700 attitude@citec.com EDITORIAL BOARD Katarina Westerén-Hagnäs, Isa Ågren, Michael Smirnoff, Lars Rosenblad, Ralf Petell, Anna Jeanne Söderlund EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Smirnoff PROJECT MANAGEMENT, EDITING Anna Jeanne Söderlund PRODUCTION Mantra Communications and Citec

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LAYOUT Studio PAP PRINT Fram 2013 COMPANY KEY FACTS Citec offers multi-discipline engineering and consulting, and provides services related to information management.

The total number of employees is 1,100 and the turnover for 2012 was 66 million euros.

Citec is headquartered in Vaasa, Finland and has offices in Finland, Russia and India.

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OM ER M AG

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A ZI N E

“ When we design power plants and trains, we also enable someone to cook on an electrical stove or to travel comfortably.”

PAGE 12

Sweden, the UK, France, Germany,

C IT EC C UST

C I T E C AT T I T U D E 2•2 01 3

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“ Our strength is that we have a longestablished presence in India and have had the same co-workers in the country since the 1990s.” PAGE 6

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CITEC

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“ By mimicking a process taking place in nature, scientists are trying to bind CO2 into mineral form. The method has many advantages compared to underground CO2 storage.” PAGE 16

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AROUND THE WORLD

NEW ACQUISITION

MUMBAI

Around rld the wo c ite with C

■ What is the best thing about your home city, Nasir Mulani, Managing Director at Citec India?

“The spirit – there’s a sense of celebration and enthusiasm around the clock. This city welcomes everybody.”

What usually surprises first time visitors?

“It isn’t Mumbai if you aren’t surprised for more than one reason! The crowded trains, the legendary road traffic, the lengthy hours one travels to work, the contrast between rich and poor and the variety of spoken languages to mention a few things.”

Where would you recommend a person visiting Mumbai to go on a day off?

“You’ll find everything from beaches to Bollywood here, and to experience everything in one day is just impossible.

Gateway of India is definitely worth visiting, as well as Colaba Causeway, which is famous for souvenir shopping.

You should also spend an evening at the sparkling Marin Drive, a boulevard along the coast. If you are a lover of history you shouldn’t miss the Chatrapati Shivaji museum.”

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GOING FOR OIL & GAS Citec is considerably strengthening its competence and offering within the oil and gas segment by acquiring the French oil & gas consultancy Akilea Engineering.

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companies such as Technip, Saipem, Foster Wheeler, Jacobs, Total France, EDF and Alstom.

Akilea was founded in 2008 by Daniel Benayoun, the former main owner and Managing Director of the company. He will continue as Managing Director after the acquisition.

“Being part of the Citec Group enables Akilea to continue its growth and engage in larger projects. In addition, Citec together with Akilea forms an experienced outsourcing partner for Akilea’s clients”, says Benayoun.

kilea designs offshore platforms, oil refineries, pipelines and power plants.

The company’s services include engineering, procurement, construction and project management.

“Through this deal, our expertise is significantly strengthened. Oil and gas, as well

as liquefied natural gas (LNG), are important focus areas in our growth strategy”, says CEO Martin Strand.

Akilea, located in Paris, currently employs 50 professionals and has a turnover of approximately 5 million euros. The company has a solid customer base consisting of

FOUNDER. Daniel Benayoun will continue as Managing Director of Akilea after the acquisition.

LEAP FORWARD. Citec takes a great step into the oil & gas segment by acquiring French Akilea Engineering.

What restaurants do you recommend?

“Leopold café and Café Mondegar are famous for western cuisine. If you’re looking for Indian or Mughlai cuisine, I can recommend Barbeque nation, Café Moshe and Café Zaffran.”

ABOUT MUMBAI • Citec’s office in Mumbai was established in 2004, and the number of employees is currently approximately 250.

• With 20.5 million inhabitants, Mumbai is the fourth most populous city in the world.

5 QUESTIONS

• The city was formerly known as Bombay. Today it is considered the business capital of India.

User perspective Catharina Olsson works as a Technical Information Specialist at Citec’s office in Uppsala, Sweden.

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Tell us about your job!

“I produce user instructions with various tools in the form of written manuals, on-line help or e-learning. I like the fact that my work varies a lot. I have had the opportunity to specialize in rapid e-learning tools. The majority of the projects are performed onsite at the customers’ premises.

Being a member of development teams is inspiring and I often get

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to influence the development of both the products and the training from the user perspective.”

What did you do before you started at Citec?

“As a marketing manager I worked with developing and coordinating marketing and sales activities.

The work included consultancy as well as performing market surveys. Prior to that I was a key

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account manager responsible for e-business solutions. I have also worked as a project leader for an advertising agency specializing in healthcare customers and managed my own publishing company.”

What do you do to “recharge your batteries”?

“I am passionate about gardening and garden design. We built

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a house in 2001 on a forest slope, and there has been a lot of practical gardening since. My initial aim was to make it look nice during all seasons and to produce vegetables for the summer dinners. It turned out to be a great source of exercise too.

Building stonewalls gives you great muscles!”

What else do you like doing outside office hours?

“Everybody in the family, my two daughters and husband included, love horseback riding. While the children practise dressage and show jumping I’d rather gallop over snow covered fields just for the sheer pleasure. I have been tutoring beginners, children as well as adults in the basics of riding

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since 2002. That has surprisingly turned out to be a perfect forum to identify pedagogical ways of conveying instructions.”

Are you a big coffee drinker?

“I am a connoisseur when it comes to coffee. I love espresso or mocha-based coffee, not the brewed kind. The coffee in the Uppsala office is great.”

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COVER STORY: ENGINEERING TRENDS

COVER STORY: ENGINEERING TRENDS

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LOCAL PRESEN CE, GLOBAL RESOU RCES Industrial engineering is increasingly crossing borders.

Today, cloud computing and advanced 3D-modelling enable collaboration on common projects from different parts of the world. Although growth is mainly taking place in Asia, the base industries in Europe and the USA are once again gaining strength and solidity.

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he trend most affecting the engineering industry today is the allocation of work processes between local and global resources and networks. This means that more technology consulting firms now work globally. This trend can also be seen in the way that multinational engineering giants, with tens of thousands of employees, now want to acquire domestic companies in order to break into new markets.

To survive in the international market, a technology consulting firm today needs to have operations in a low-cost country, where large volume routine processes can be carried out effectively. India has emerged as the most important low-cost country at present, owing to the high standard of engineering education found there. Another advantage for India is that the working language is English.

The concept of a ‘low-cost country’ is not a static notion though, since the salary levels rapidly increase once a country undergoes development; what is lowcost today is not necessarily low-cost in five years time. Also, cost is always related to quality. Lowcost can easily become high-cost if the quality level targets are not met.

“The hourly price for basic engineering in India is a third or a fourth of the cost in Finland. However, when it comes to project managers, chief engineers and top engineers, the salary levels are relatively equal. Then Finnish engineers are competitive”,

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COVER STORY: ENGINEERING TRENDS

COVER STORY: ENGINEERING TRENDS

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India and China are rapidly emerging as importa nt domestic markets in their own right.

Katja Lösönen

FIVE TRENDS IN THE ENGINEERING INDUSTRY 1 Work allocation locally – globally

SINCE THE 1990S. “Our strength is that we have a long-established presence in India”, says Martin Strand.

2 Customers want to buy larger engineering entities 3 Outsourcing engineering is becoming more common 4 Cloud services and 3D-modelling decrease the significance of the physical workplace 5 The industry is consolidated, the companies become larger

says Matti Mannonen, CEO of the Finnish Association of Consulting Firms SKOL. But it is not only the price that makes the engineering industry more Asia-oriented. There is already a shortage of qualified professionals in Europe, for example, and this is a shortage that will increase in the coming years. Moreover, the growth markets will still remain in Asia for many years ahead. As such, countries like India and China are rapidly emerging as important domestic markets in their own right, where having a local presence becomes essential.

Today it is possible to simultaneously work on the same projects and models, in different parts of the world. When engineers work with advanced 3D-modelling and store projects in Cloud, it does not really make any difference where those engineers are located.

Another important trend is that customers now want to buy comprehensive engineering solutions instead of simply manpower. Strategic partnerships are becoming more common, and so is outsourcing.

This demand for comprehensive engineering solutions, as well as the need to be able to work globally and locally in many markets, contributes to the growth of engineering companies and a consolidation of the industry.

American companies are thriving in Europe and European companies are thriving in Asia.

The largest technology consultants today are the American AECOM and URS Corporation, each with a turnover of 8-9 billion dollars and a workforce close to 50,000.

“But smaller companies with narrow specific niches are also doing well”, says Mannonen.

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Matti Mannonen and the CEO of Citec, Martin Strand, both agree that although the strong growth occurs in Asia, similar trends are seen in countries such as Brazil.

“In ten years time, I believe Citec will have expanded operations in Asia”, says Martin Strand.

At the same time, there is also an opposite trend; industrial production is returning to the traditional industrial countries in Europe and North America. The same applies in the energy sector, where the production of shale-oil and gas is moving the extraction to the USA, and to some extent also to Europe. This offers great opportunities for the engineering industry.

“There are excellent opportunities for exports of engineering services for countries like Finland”, says Mannonen.

When Martin Strand looks to the future of the industry he sees some clear developments, not least in the growing demand for engineering services in the energy sector, which is in a state of change.

“Smart Power Generation will grow. We can also see a strong development of working tools, both software and hardware. Outsourcing within industry will continue, and it will also gather speed in the public sector”, says Strand. sources:

Interviews with Martin Strand, CEO of Citec and Matti Mannonen, CEO of The Finnish Association of Consulting Firms, SKOL, “Sector Review. The Consulting, Engineering and Architectural Groups – A Swedish and International Study” (Almega 2012).

WORLDWIDE. The strong growth in industrial engineering occurs in Asia, but similar trends are seen in countries such as Brazil.

Finland’s export leader ■ Citec has the highest level of exports of all technology consulting firms in Finland. In 2012, Citec overtook Pöyry Finland for the first time in terms of export invoicing, and was ranked the fifth largest technology consulting company in Finland.

This is shown in the invoicing statistics of The Finnish Association of Consulting Firms, SKOL, for 2012.

“Our strength is that we have a long-established presence in India and have had the same co-workers in the country since the 1990s”, says Citec’s CEO Martin Strand.

Citec’s primary aim is organic growth. Expanding a well-working organisation is easier than integrating a new company. The only exceptions however, are for companies with a niche-specific competence that is new for Citec. In this respect, Citec has been actively searching for interesting companies that could broaden the company’s own competence.

Today Citec operates in seven countries: Finland, India, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK and Russia. Global operation is a prerequisite also for domestic growth.

“The investment in a new head office in Vaasa shows how important Finland is for us. Also in Finland, the local and the global walk hand in hand. The more activities we have in other places around the world, the more work we will have in Finland”, says Martin Strand.

Total invoicing 2012, SKOL member firms Pöyry Finland 163,9 Ramboll Finland 109,2 Etteplan 79,0 Neste Jacobs 67,0 Citec 51,7 FCG 49,7 Finnmap Consulting 46,9 Elomatic 44,9 SWECO Industry 41,3 Sito 37,2

Export invoicing 2012, SKOL member firms Citec 41,4 Pöyry Finland 37,8 Deltamarin 23,3 Elomatic 18,7 Etteplan 16,2 FM-International 14,5 SWECO Industry 13,2 Neste Jacobs 11,0 Niras Finland 10,9 FCG 10,8

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COMPETENCE: CIVIL ENGINEERING

INTERVIEW: STRATEGY

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gunnar bäckman

WHERE INDUSTRY MEETS CIVIL

STRATEGY ROCKS MULTI-DISCIPLINED. “Our dream customer is an industrial EPC contractor who will benefit from the whole civil package we have to offer”, says Mats Söderlund.

Civil engineering plays an integral part in large industrial building projects.

Citec has been a forerunner in this field right from the start.

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any leading technology consulting companies have come to realize that there is a lack of building know-how in the field of industrial engineering. At Citec, however, it was decided from the very beginning that it was essential to have a solid competence within civil engineering. Citec’s success in this area today can be summed up in “Local presence, global resources”.

“Those in charge of building projects have to master the local norms and regulations, which can vary greatly between different countries. The actual engineering though, is done where it’s most cost-efficient”, says Mats Söderlund, Director, Industry Area Energy & Civil.

In Citec’s organization, energy and civil operate under the same management, due to the fact that most building projects undertaken are industrial. However, all industry areas at Citec do in fact utilize the building competence.

“Although industrial building projects will remain our main focus, we have, for example, made the construction plans for a large stadium, at our customer’s request”, says Söderlund.

In the company’s larger single unit civil projects, up to 50 designers have been involved. Needless to say, the engineering of Citec’s new head office in Vaasa was completed with the company’s own resources.

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Söderlund, with one foot in energy and the other in civil, is surprised by how scattered many large building projects can be in comparison to industrial planning, where the customers seek synergies. In the building industry it is customary to have many suppliers, who in turn have many different sub suppliers.

“You should always calculate the synergy effects in engineering.

Sub-optimizations will easily emerge if the designers in different disciplines don’t co-operate”, says Söderlund.

Citec’s business idea is to provide the thorough engineering and project management expertise needed to complete industrial building projects, including electrification, piping, information management, site management and supervision.

“Our dream customer is one who can utilize Citec’s comprehensive competence and buy the complete engineering and project package. We have an organization that is highly suitable for working with EPC contractors, since we have mastered all the required disciplines and understand the entire process. To an EPC contractor we can offer a complete civil package”, says Mats Söderlund.

“We also work well with customers whose production focuses on a specific product, for example steel constructions. In such cases we can contribute towards long-term mutual development.”

gunnar bäckman

Eero Leskinen, you became the Chairman of the Board for Citec almost two years ago. Have the expectations for the company been met?

“Yes, they sure have. Some things haven’t been as good as expected, whereas others have exceeded expectations. We have grown organically at the pace mapped out in our strategy. However, we haven’t made as large and as many acquisitions as initially planned. This is due to the profit being slightly lower than expected, which in turn was a consequence of a number of smaller factors.”

Which positive and negative surprises have you encountered?

“The integration of the Swedish organization was a somewhat bigger challenge than expected. Citec India, on the other hand, has been a positive surprise – their level of knowledge and flexibility is impressive. It’s a great advantage for Citec, also financially, to have a unit in India; this is something many of our competitors don’t have. My vision is that Citec in the future will grow faster in India than in Europe. “ However, the costs in India are increasing quicker than the costs in Europe. What does this mean according to you?

“The domestic market is becoming more interesting with the increasing cost level.

India also has other advantages; the fact, for example, that everything works effortlessly in English. And despite the increasing costs India is still very competitive and cost effective.”

In which other parts of the world do you think Citec will establish operations in the future?

“At some point Citec will most likely set up operations in Norway. We will most likely also

POSITIVE SURPRISE. Eero Leskinen is impressed by Citec India’s level of knowledge. “This is a clear competitive advantage for Citec”.

set up operations in another country in Asia, in addition to India. Exactly where depends a lot on what the customers want. We must be close to our European customers, who are present in Asia. “ How has Citec’s strategy changed since you assumed your position?

“We focus more and more on the segments in which we have the best market position and the best expertise in comparison to our competitors. Such areas are engine power, energy and civil, the process industry and

manufacturing, and last but not least oil & gas.“ Are Citec’s strengths the same as they were two years ago?

“Yes, and I still believe strongly in this company. It’s stable and well-established with strong relations to many important customers.

The company culture and the high competence of the staff are additional strengths. I believe that we have good possibilities to reach the target set two years ago, i.e., to double our turnover by 2015.”

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EMPLOYER BRAND

EMPLOYER BRAND

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katja lösönen

LOOKING FOR TALENT How do you attract the best talent? Citec is committed to further enhancing its employer brand. Social media is one of the most important recruitment channels.

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or a company like Citec, successful recruitment is of key importance – after all, employee competence is the product the company sells. In order to attract the best expertise, a company needs a strong employer brand.

“We know that the competition for the qualified workforce will become fiercer in the years to come. As an employer we need to ensure that potential employees perceive Citec as an attractive place to work”, says Annika Wallin, Manager, Global Talent Management.

One of the first steps in further enhancing the employer brand was to discover how the current employees see their employer. It turns out that they appreciate the warm, inspiring and enthusiastic atmosphere at work. They also like the fact that the hierarchy in the organisation is flat and that Citec is a flexible employer. In addition, the employees appreciate the competence and career development opportunities Citec has to offer.

“We want to also convey these elements to those who are considering Citec as a potential employer”, says Wallin.

In order to successfully communicate its employer brand to potential employees, Citec is at present preparing a video and other material to be distributed through both new and old media channels.

“The key message is to show how our work is of importance for society and people’s everyday lives. When we design power plants and trains, we also enable someone to cook on an electrical stove or to travel comfortably.”

One step ahead

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Although Citec already has a brand message– “Expertise with Passion” –a sub-brand message is also explicitly needed for the recruitment activities, according to Wallin.

“An employer brand appeals more to people’s emotions. For young people today a high salary is not necessarily the top priority; instead they want a workplace where they can feel that what they do is of significance.”

Social media, and in particular LinkedIn, has been one of the most important recruitment channels for Citec for some time.

“We’re part of different networks for professionals and receive many good applications through them. A good thing about social media is that targeting is much easier; your ad will only show to those with the right skills. In that way, you can also attract people who are not actively looking for a new job.”

Since Wallin began working for Citec six years ago, there has been a tenfold increase in the number of applications coming in.

“This shows that we’re on the right track and that Citec has become more well-known. But how easy or difficult the recruitment is depends on who we’re looking for. Some senior expert positions within a specific field can pose more challenges. In countries where we’re not that well-known, Sweden for example, workforce attraction is naturally more challenging.”

■ For Citec it is of the utmost importance to have the right kind of competence at hand at the right time. This is why the business side and HR have a joint, systematic way of working with strategic recruitment.

“By being proactive we try to anticipate the need for strategic or new competence. The business side already informs us at an early stage what they are doing and what deals might be finalised in the future”, says Annika Wallin.

In this way the HR department can start looking for the right kind of employees in good time.

“Naturally, we always want to give new opportunies to our current employees first. But at times when the competence requirements are very specialised or new to us, we need to recruit externally. If a deal is made, we will ideally have the right experts at hand right away.”

BRANDING CITEC. “Our current employees appreciate the warm and inspiring atmosphere at work.

We want to convey that picture to potential employees as well”, says Annika Wallin.

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PRESENTING: CITEC RUSSIA

PRESENTING: CITEC RUSSIA

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A LINK BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST Citec entered the Russian market six years ago. Today the company can offer fullscale services, topped with solid local knowledge.

“Our goal is not to grow much bigger than this. We have Citec’s whole global competence at our disposal and the Russian employees are most often the ones in project management and expert positions, whereas the rest of the work is done by Citec employees in India and other parts of the world.”

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etting up a company in the Russian engineering business is nothing that happens overnight; it requires long-term planning and industrious work. First, it takes a long time to win the customers’ trust; second, the authorities require evidence that the company holds the right type of competence.

Obtaining a license from the authorities can definitely be a challenge.

“Now the required licences should be in order, which means we can offer services in all different disciplines as well as documentation services. We will of course continue to develop our competencies according to the customers’ needs and their way of working”, says Magnus Forsbäck, Managing Director of Citec in Russia.

5 QUESTIONS

Citec’s business idea in Russia is to be of service to western equipment suppliers, investors and EPC(M) contractors, who need help and guidance in the Russian market. Additionally, the company helps Russian customers who are interested in buying technology from western suppliers and who want to attract investors from the West. In both cases, Citec is the link between the East and the West.

Creative engineering Lola Mishnina works as a Senior Design Engineer at Citec in Russia.

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“Our main competitive advantage is our solid local knowledge. We know the rules and can ensure that the customers’ documentation is up to Russian standards and norms.”

Magnus Forsbäck is originally from Finland, but has worked in Russia most of his professional career.

In 2007, at the same time as he was planning to

How would you describe a typical day at work?

“First I check my email, and having done that I know what’s on the day’s agenda. It can be structural calculations, drawing issues, defending designs in front of expertise authorities and so on.

What I like the most is trying to find solutions to challenging problems and then see the solutions being implemented in practice. ”

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LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. Citec’s business idea in Russia is to help western companies who need guidance in the Russian market.

Was being an engineer your dream career when you were young?

“As many other teenage girls I dreamt about a career in media, fashion design or architecture – but I became an engineer, and my best friend, she became a programmer. I’m happy with my choice and I feel that I can use my creativity in my work. I think that dreams are often limited

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return to Finland, he was offered the chance to set up business operations for Citec in Russia. This was a challenge that he couldn’t resist. After the establishment, Citec Russia has grown, and today it employs 15 people.

With the exception of Forsbäck, all the employees are Russian.

by people’s lack of knowledge about the surrounding world. It’s great when you can see beyond the limitations and discover new horizons.”

What is a coffee break like in Russia?

“It may vary: at some work places the staff gathers twice a day for a common coffee break, whereas at other places you just grab a cup

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Finding the right persons to employ has not always been an easy task, especially since Citec requires sufficient English skills.

Nevertheless, today all the important disciplines are represented in the staff.

“Our advantage as an employer is that we can offer an interesting and international working environment. In addition, people tend to like our Scandinavian business model, in which the employees are given a large proportion of freedom and independence.”

Forsbäck enjoys his job and likes the fact that no two working days are alike. Ever so often there are challenges to be solved.

However, his job is first and foremost an undertaking with long-term goals.

“In order to cope in the Russian business world one must invest a great amount of time in getting to know the customers, communicate with them and win their trust.

Here, business deals are made between individuals as much as between companies.”

Currently Citec Russia is the general

of coffee and continue working, or surf online, while sipping the coffee. In my office we have short and individual breaks. It’s nice to get a bit of fresh air on the porch while having a cup of coffee and a chat with colleagues.”

What is your life like outside work?

“I like spending the weekends outside in the nature. I live in the

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OPTIMAL SIZE. “We have Citec’s whole global competence at our disposal”, says Magnus Forsbäck.

designer in the Wärtsilä Transmashholdings’ project, whose aim is to build an engine assembly factory in Russia. The company is also responsible for the technological design of Jotun’s paint factory project in the Leningrad region. Earlier the company has also planned several projects for Ruukki and a large shopping mall for the Finnish SRV in Mytishi.

“Our operations are really beginning to thrive right now. Evidence for this is found in the increasing number of quotations being requested and sent out.”

suburbs, close to the forest and a lake, and there I enjoy life in the company of my daughter and my friends. In summer I go bike riding a lot, and in winter I go for walks.

I also like to relax and recharge while reading a good book or watching a movie. ” What greeting would you like to send to other Citec co-workers?

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“We are scattered around the world, we speak different languages and live in different cultural surroundings. Still it’s possible to work towards common goals, communicate and achieve impressive results. I’d especially like to send a greeting to India, to which I’ve had much contact lately: our cooperation has worked very well!”

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EXPERT ARTICLE: CARBON DIOXIDE MINERALIZATION

EXPERT ARTICLE: CARBON DIOXIDE MINERALIZATION

C O2 MINERALIZATIO N

A POTENTIAL SOLUTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

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here are a number of things that can be done to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Apart from switching to renewable energy sources, one alternative – which would allow for the continued use of fossil fuels – is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). CCS is an alternative that originally consisted of three steps: capture, transport and storage. The most widely advocated method comprises separating CO2 from a flue gas and transporting the high pressure pure CO2 to the nearest suitable underground storage location.

However, finding and selecting suitable locations is still an ongoing process.

Nevertheless, a good example of CCS can already be found at the Slepiner gas field, 250 kilometres off the coast of Norway, where CO2 storage has been going on since 1996. Although other CO2 storage projects have also started since then, the pace of development has been much too slow to have had an impact on global CO2 emissions. Primarily, the slow development of this technology is due to the high cost of CCS, uncertainty regarding storage locations, and public acceptance. But there is an alternative to underground CO2 storage, known as CO2 mineralization (or mineral carbonation).

CO2 mineralization, as the name suggests, is a method to permanently bind CO2 in a mineral form. At first glance, this might sound strange, but it is in fact something that occurs continuously all around us; in nature it is called weathering. When rock weathers, elements such as calcium and magnesium are released and these elements have a natural tendency to react with, for example, dissolved CO2. This reaction results in various carbonate minerals that are inherently stable, thus preventing the CO2 from being released back into the atmosphere. However, in nature, the process C I T E C AT T I T U D E 2•2 01 3

of weathering is exceedingly slow and is not nearly fast enough to keep up with the continuously increasing atmospheric CO2 levels in our world today.

Engineers and scientists have always tried to copy or improve the things found in nature; the case with natural weathering being no exception. Unfortunately, accelerating the reaction between naturally occurring minerals and CO2 is no easy task, especially when it needs to be done both economically and energy efficiently.

Recently, however, a number of interesting methods have been developed towards finally achieving this goal on a large scale.

Intensive research is currently underway

Is CO2 mineralization the answer to stopping climate change?

Intensive research is currently underway in the field. By mimicking a process taking place in nature, scientists are trying to bind CO2 into mineral form. The method has many advantages compared to underground CO2 storage.

in the UK, at Nottingham University [3]).

Finally, most of the groundbreaking early work in the field of mineral carbonation has been developed in the USA where the research still continues within several fields. An interesting niche application of CO2 mineralization, for example, has been developed at the University of Wyoming, which can be applied directly on a flue gas using fly ash from the plant itself [4].

Although this method is appealing, at present it is still fairly limited in terms of overall CO2 capture efficiency.

Even though none of these alternatives are commercially viable options as yet, the CO2 mineralization option does possess a few exceptional advantages that should be further developed. Firstly, there is the fact that CO2 mineralization results in an environmentally benign product with a potential commercial value (in some cases this may result in even more than one profitable product). Secondly, once the material has been formed there is no need to monitor the CO2 storage (site). Thirdly, the carbonation reaction is exothermic and could ideally be utilized by other processes requiring heat.

NATURAL PROCESS. The challenge is how to accelerate the natural reaction where CO2 is bound into mineral form.

in a number of countries. Among the top names in this field of research is Åbo Akademi University in Finland, where various alternatives are being investigated.

One of the methods under development is a three step process that relies on the possibility to utilize and recycle ammonium sulphate in an accelerated extraction process [1,2]. However, while the magnesium extracted in this process can be converted into magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) in a pressurized fluidized bed, another alternative is to bubble flue gas through the aqueous solution and thus capture the CO2 without an intermediate drying step (which is very similar to a method being developed

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Although it seems that the world is not ready for the large-scale implementation of CCS just yet, it is predicted that the technology will be responsible for a significant share (~20%) of the required CO2 emission-reduction targets in the coming decades. Even though the role of CO2 mineralization has not been emphasized here, it is a clear fact that suitable minerals for CO2 storage will be easier to find than suitable underground storage locations. Furthermore, considering the fact that new decentralized power plants are continuously being ordered, the option of choosing the plant location based on geological data becomes interesting. Ideally,

CARBON DIOXIDE MINERALIZATION Fuel source

Mineral source (mine)

Considerable distance

Close proximity

Fuel

Power generation

Mineral

Flue gas

CO2 lean flue gas

CO2 mineralization unit

To mine reclamation

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Mineral carbonates

CCS READY POWER PLANT Inert By products

one would locate a new power plant next to the mineral mining site, thereby minimizing the cost of mineral transportation. The fact that CO2 storage has been ongoing at the Sleipner gas field since 1996 is based on the (offshore) CO2 tax; a tax that was levied by the Norwegian government in 1991.

At Sleipner, it was found to be cheaper to separate CO2 and store it hundreds of meters below the seabed, than emit it into the atmosphere. Most certainly, there will need to be some kind of economic incentive in the future to reduce emissions, before any small or large power plant installation will start to implement CCS. Today, the price of CO2 emissions is not high enough to spur investment into CO2 reduction schemes.

Nevertheless, the market is changing and already today it is of interest to prepare and plan for the future level of carbon costs. ___________ REFERENCES [1] NDUAGU, E., 2012. Production of Mg(OH)2 from Mg-silicate rock for CO2 mineral sequestration.

Doctoral Thesis, Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

[Available at: http://www.doria.fi]

[2] FAGERLUND, J., 2012. Carbonation of Mg(OH) 2 in a pressurised fluidised bed for CO2 sequestration. Doctoral Thesis, Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

[Available at: http://www.doria.fi] [3] WANG, X. and MAROTO-VALER, M., 2011.

Dissolution of serpentine using recyclable ammonium salts for CO2 mineral carbonation.

Fuel, 90(3), pp. 1229–1237.

[4] REDDY, K.J., JOHN, S., WEBER, H., ARGYLE, M.D., BHATTACHARYYA, P., TAYLOR, D.T., CHRISTENSEN, M., FOULKE, T. and FAHLSING, P., 2011. Simultaneous capture and mineralization of coal combustion flue gas carbon dioxide (CO2).

Energy Procedia, 4, pp. 1574–1583.

The writer, Dr. Tech.

Johan Fagerlund has post-graduated with a doctorate on the carbonation of Mg(OH)2 in a pressurized fluidized bed for CO2 sequestration.

He works for Citec in Finland.

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WORKING LIFE: COFFEE BREAKS

WORKING LIFE: COFFEE BREAKS katja lösönen

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katja lösönen

HOT FOR COFFEE It is savoured and yearned for, and fulfils many important purposes. Join us for a coffee break in the company of the world’s biggest coffee-drinkers.

“H

REFRESHING AND RELAXING. Coffee breaks enable us to get away from the desk for a while.

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i! How are you? And how’s your family, have you all managed to stay healthy? It’s incredible how rough the flu season is this year.”

Mirja Palola, Global Manager, Service Development, sits down beside her colleagues with a cup of coffee in hand. The cup contains drip-brewed coffee with a dash of milk. It’s only nine in the morning, but it’s not Palola’s first cup of the day: “I drink at least one litre of coffee every day. That makes about five to six mugs.”

Mirja Palola, in other words, is a typical Finn – the Finns are in fact the biggest coffee consumers in the world and the Swedes are not far behind either. Even though both countries are far away from the high plateaus in Africa and South-America where coffee is grown, coffee is a true focal point of both work and private life.

Whether coffee has received its important role due to the long dark winters or as a

consequence of the restrictive alcohol policy may be left unsaid, but the hot drink has a given place in business meetings as well as at birthday parties.

A lot of Finns agree that a day is ruined unless it’s started with the mandatory steaming cup of coffee. Real coffee enthusiasts brew a whole pot of coffee before going to work. At nine o’clock it’s time for the first coffee break, a cup of coffee after lunch is a given thing, and at two a cup of afternoon coffee is on the agenda.

In addition, coffee is served at many meetings. For foreign business visitors this might become somewhat awkward – how do you politely say no thanks when being offered the sixth cup of coffee of the day?

Coffee is sometimes called the fuel of IT people, as it contains the most wide-spread stimulant in the world, caffeine. It bucks you up, sharpens your memory, increases

your concentration and makes your body burn more fat. Studies show that coffee is also healthy; it fights age-related memory impairment, such as dementia, as well as Parkinson’s disease and type 2 diabetes.

Moreover, the caffeine it contains may enhance the body’s immunological antitumour defences. Caffeine also works together with one of the brain’s most important signal substances – dopamine – which prevents tiredness.

Too much coffee on the other hand can have negative consequences: it can make you upset, irritable, anxious, or make it hard to fall asleep. Pregnant women should also be careful with coffee since research has shown that too much coffee during pregnancy can cause behavioural changes in children.

ISA ÅGREN WORKS as a Specialist, Marketing & Communications. She explains that the coffee breaks fulfil an important purpose at

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WORKING LIFE: COFFEE BREAKS

WORKING LIFE: COFFEE BREAKS

The Finns are the biggest coffee consumers in the world, and the Swedes are not far behind. katja lösönen

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“ The aim with common coffee breaks is to recharge and to exchange information on what’s going on in the company.”

katja lösönen

katja lösönen

MOTIVATING. Kaj Riska believes that coffee breaks are good for the team spirit. “We discuss both work-related problems and all other sorts of things.

Citec’s office in Vaasa.

“The intention is that people can relax for a while, let go of job worries and just socialize.

Laughing, meeting and talking can do wonders. In the long term, colleagues become almost like a second family. It is important, for both health and well-being, that people have a bit of fun at work.”

But how did coffee become to be associated with breaks? In the early 1900s an American coffee manufacturer engaged an educational psychologist for an advertising campaign, and based on classic conditioning, John B. Watson chose to draw parallels between coffee and break. Such an association hadn’t been made earlier, but today it’s self-evident.

Although coffee breaks are so common, the research on them is not particularly

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HEAVY USER. Mirja Palola is a typical Finn: she drinks at least one litre of coffee every day.

comprehensive. It has been shown that the breaks increase alertness and decrease the risk of work injuries. And whether you are a coffeedrinker or not, it’s a good idea to take a break every now and then: working at the computer may be the source of repetitive strain injuries in the shoulders, neck and back. Even a short break helps improve the blood circulation and oxygenation of the blood in the muscles.

The aim with common coffee breaks is, in addition to the opportunity to recharge, to exchange information on what’s going on in the company. This increases the understanding for each other’s work responsibilities and makes it easier to solve work-related problems.

ÅGREN HERSELF IS an inveterate coffee drinker, so she is a representative of the modern Finn.

“At work I drink the drip-brewed coffee with milk, but at home I grind my own beans and prefer to make a special coffee, like cappuccino or latte.”

After concluding the discussions about flus and colds, waves of rollicking laughter can be heard from the coffee table.

“It’s simply good to get away from the desk for a while”, says Kaj Riska, Chief Design Engineer. “The coffee breaks are good for the team spirit, and we discuss both work-related problems and all sorts of other things: right now we talk a lot about electronics, wine, barbecuing and cars.”

During the coffee breaks in bilingual Vaasa, three languages are spoken: Finnish, Swedish and English.

“Usually everyone speaks his or her own

language”, says Ågren. “English is the official work language, and we also have quite a number of foreign colleagues working in our office.”

The break is coming to an end and people walk towards the lifts and disappear back to their own departments. A few hours of focused work lie ahead – then lunch is coming up, and after lunch: a cup of coffee, of course. sources:

dn.se, arbetsmiljoupplysningen.se, forskning.se, kaapeli.fi

HARD COFFEE FACTS • Coffee drinking has its origin two thousand years ago, and spread through the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey to Europe, which it reached in the 17th century.

• The largest coffee producing countries today are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia.

• After oil, coffee is the most important commodity in the world.

• There are two types of coffee: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Arabica is more expensive and of better quality than Robusta and thrives in a humid climate at a height of 1,200–1,800 metres. Coffee Robusta does well at lower heights and in a slightly hotter climate.

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NEW HEADQUARTERS

NEW HEADQUARTERS

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NEW HEADQUARTERS UP A ND RUNNING On the 21st of March, a housewarming party for customers and partners was arranged at Citec’s new headquarters in Vaasa. During the winter, 350 Citec employees moved to the brand new five-floor 6,000 square metre building in Vaasa.

Björn Nygård, Tapani Porre, Allan Lassila and Antti Kämi from Wärtsilä together with Citec´s Nichlas Råtts. “These facilities are designed to enable an efficient collaboration between the project teams. This will be noticed in the quality”, says Antti Kämi, VP Project Management at Wärtsilä.

The new headquarters is a dream come true for Citec´s CEO Martin Strand and Citec founder and board member Rune Westergård. When Citec was founded in 1984, the office was situated in a wooden summer cottage outside Vaasa. Things change!

Olympic cross-country skier Matias Strandvall is sponsored by Citec. ”Citec is my main sponsor. Thanks to the company’s support I can focus 100 percent on skiing and sports.”

Vaasa Parks is the owner and proprietor of the new headquarters.

Real Estate Director Hannu Rajamäki and CEO Ulla Mäki-Lohiluoma attended the housewarming.

Sari Leinonen, Key Account Manager at Citec with Pia Ojanperä-Ketola, Project Manager at ABB Low Voltage Systems.

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Mikko Hakola from Citec was project manager for the building project.

“Citec itself has been in charge of all the planning, except for the architecture.”

Harry Wahlroos, Department Manager of long-term customer Metso Power gives Citec credit for the company’s professional activities.

Many leading representatives of the Vaasa region took part in the opening event. From the left: Kaj Suomela, Director General of the Ostrobothnian ELY Centre; Pekka Haapanen, Managing Director of the Vaasa region development company Vasek; Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa; Olav Jern, Executive Director of the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia. They consider Citec to be an important company in the Vaasa region’s energy cluster, which is the largest energy cluster in the Nordic countries. With the new head office, Citec will finally obtain a visible place in the city.

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