Impulse 1/2011

VTT

1. 2011

A MAGAZINE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS

Shattering old ideas SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE PACKAGING VALUE CHAIN P. 18

HUNT FOR A LOST BEER RECIPE P. 46

NOVEL TESTING DEVICE BOOSTS TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE P. 60

SCIENCE

VTT turns science into profitable business.

This section of VTT Impulse shows how multidisciplinary research leads to innovations (pp. 18–36).

EDITORIAL

Jouko Suokas Executive Vice President VTT

Innovations drive growth and profitability ACCORDING TO RESEARCH RESULTS published

by OECD, innovations are the main source of organic growth. Many other organisations have also studied the effect of innovations on the development of company net sales and profitability. Global reviews comparing the operations of the top innovators per industry with the performance of the bottom 10% have shown that those at the top sell 2.5 times the volume of new products and receive tenfold returns on their investments.

Innovations are typically created by combining an appropriate mix of expertise in order to solve a perceived problem or need. Innovations may constitute minor improvements to current products or services – or may be groundbreakers that renew the entire industry.

VTT is investing in innovation activities and the development of innovation processes with the aim of maximising the impact on our customers’ business creation activities.

Innovation activities are often measured by the investments made: the proportion of net sales that is used in research, development and innovation. Depending on the industry, this varies from a fraction of a percentage point to over ten per cent. The pharmaceutical industry, the electronics and ICT industries and the automotive industry invest the most.

An increasing number of companies are also measuring the results. One popular method of assessing the return on investment is to calculate how much of the company’s net sales is generated by sales of new products that have been on the market for less than five years.

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Time is of the essence in the market place. When VCRs first entered the market, it took ten years for their prices to halve, but only 1.5 years in the case of DVD players. From this it is easy to assess the returns lost by a company entering the market six months late.

An individual company may not necessarily have all the required expertise, or its resources may already be largely tied up in current development projects. This is why an increasing number of companies are in the proc­ess of creating their own open innovation strategy – some by specifying their needs on the web, some by establishing a carefully selected partner network.

VTT has worked systematically to merge expertise in various technology and business areas, and to further develop cooperation with businesses. We serve all clients to the best of our ability, while seeking to create partnerships with the largest. Examples of such cooperation include the biodiesel-related development of wood gasification technology with Neste Oil and Stora Enso, the development of nanocellulose with UPM-Kymmene and Aalto University, and the extensive joint water technology programme with Kemira.

In partnerships, we create a common vision for the changes in the company’s business environment, strategy choices and technology opportunities. Road maps and foresight assessment can be useful tools in this proc­ess, areas in which VTT has valuable expertise.

We are open to new partnerships and opportunities.

We want to contribute to the renewal of the Finnish business sector and generate for it new competitive advantages. Let’s create business from technology!

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VTT Impulse now

2 Meet and greet: Sixten Korkman 6 In short 9 Column 10 Shattering old ideas American Flowserve was impressed with novel automation plans that promised to two-fold production – Finnish valve manufacturing beat the Chinese option.

The new line cut turnaround time down to as little as eight hours. p. 10

SCIENCE

18 Sustainable development within the packaging value chain Increase in ethical consumption and developing legislation are guiding the packaging industry towards ecological solutions and sustainability.

Tuomas Mustonen, Business Development Manager, VTT

26 Custom-made materials for demanding conditions Powder metallurgy can be used to develop completely new materials and customise them for various purposes.

Modelling-assisted approach offers huge benefits in development work.

Erja Turunen, Dr. Tech. Vice President, Strategic Research, VTT

32 Social media as an instrument of power and influence Social media has a considerable impact on the choices we make.

Minna Isomursu, PhD, Research Professor, VTT

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T EC H N O LO GY

38 An intelligent, watchful eye on us all “Do not leave your luggage unattended!”

The warning has become familiar to even the occasional traveller from the world’s airports and railway stations.

Brazil has vast resources of raw material for biofuel.

42 The time is finally right, Brazil

VTT launches research operations in the land of tomorrow.

46 Hunt for a lost beer recipe In the Åland archipelago, divers investigating an unknown wreck found five well-preserved bottles of beer. Researchers gained an excellent opportunity to find out what kind of beer was drunk in the early 19th century.

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52 Faster diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease VTT coordinates the international PredictAD research consortium which is developing tools for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and follow-up of treatment efficacy.

56 Bioleaching metals from waste The enriching of metals with microbes has long traditions.

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60 Novel testing device boosts traffic surveillance A new device helps police effectively intervene in traffic violations.

64 Into the danger zone, virtually A machine can enter places that are challenging, hazardous or even life-threatening to humans.

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BUSINESS

68 Don’t let your ideas escape Participating in an international research project paid off for Metso Automation.

The company now has a unique solution that helps prevent new ideas from getting buried in the archives.

70 Raising the bar of beer research Finnish brewery research is a prime example of co-operation at its best, fierce competitors actively co-operating to achieve a greater good – improving the quality and shelf life of beer.

70 VTT on Facebook

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is the biggest multitechnological applied research organisation in Northern Europe. VTT provides high-end technol­ ogy solutions and innovation services. From its w ­ ide knowledge base, VTT combines different technol­ogies, creates new innovations and a substantial range of world class technologies and applied research services thus improving its clients’ competitiveness and competence. Through its international scientific and technology network, VTT can ensure the efficient transfer and utilisation of information and technology.

VTT’s key technology fields Applied materials Bio and chemical processes Energy Information and communication technologies Industrial systems Microtechnologies and electronics Technology in the community Business research

VTT Impulse is VTT’s publication on science, technology and business. Published twice a year in Finnish and in English. Publisher: VTT, Vuorimiehentie 5, Espoo, Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT. Telephone +358 20 722 111. Editor-in-chief: Olli Ernvall, tel. +358 20 722 6747. Editorial Board: Erkki KM Leppävuori, Jouko Suokas, Anne-Christine Ritschkoff, Kari Larjava, Petri Kalliokoski and Paula Bergqvist. Produc­tion: Cocomms Ltd. Layout: MCI Press Oy. Printing house: Edita, Helsinki 2011. Subscriptions and changes in address: paula.bergqvist@vtt.fi. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views of VTT. ISSN 1798-0178

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MEET AND GREET | SIXTEN KORKMAN

EU banking sector overhaul is a must Text Mirkka Isotalo Photos Matti Immonen, Dreamstime

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n 2010, the global financial crisis pushed over-indebted EU member states to the edge. Sixten Korkman believes that more economic upheaval is in store for the monetary union.

When the magnitude of Greece’s debt problems came to light last spring, the 27 EU member states and the IMF agreed on a massive financing package of approximately EUR 800 billion in an attempt to stabilise the careening euro ship.

At the time, Sixten Korkman, Managing Director of the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) and the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), felt that the support package would only give the EU a temporary breathing space, and that hard decisions would be required later on to solve the debt problem.

His pessimism was not without foundation.

The markets failed to settle, and the situation grew even grimmer. In the autumn it was Ireland’s turn to be rescued, and in April also Portugal was forced to ask for financial assistance from the EU and the IMF. The question now being asked is whether the crisis will spread to Spain.

What does the situation look like now?

“This is a financial and national debt crisis rather than a euro crisis. The countries with 2

problems can be found both from within the euro zone and outside it,” Korkman says.

The European countries worst hit by the global recession were those with already vulnerable economies. The debt problems were deepened by the fact that the individual EU member states had raced to prevent the economic crisis by providing fiscal stimulus.

“While Finland was in a position to increase government spending and decrease taxation because its finances were in a good shape to begin with, countries such as Spain could ill afford it.”

The powers that be in Brussels have long predicted that the diverging development in Southern and Northern Europe would create problems for the EU and the monetary union.

They just did not know how and when.

Stress tests for banks

According to Korkman, Europe is currently tackling a banking crisis of a “certain magnitude”.

“We are not fully aware of how dire the banks’ situation really is. The stress tests that were performed were nothing more than a sham,” he states calmly.

Korkman believes that the EU should follow the example of the USA and make banks undergo proper stress tests. Decision-makers

Sixten Korkman Dr. Sixten Korkman is the Managing Director of the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) and the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA).

His previous positions include Director General of the Economics Department of the Ministry of Finance in Finland and Director General of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) of the Council of the European Union.

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“This is a financial and n­ ational debt crisis r­ ather than a euro crisis,” says Sixten Korkman.

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Taking action on the root causes DESPITE AN ENCOURAGING, but fragile, recovery the past couple of months, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) haven’t lost sight of the continuing economic and social hardship in the European Union. They are focusing on a set of new rules addressing the root causes of the crisis: a worrying build-up of economic imbalances within European economies and the propensity of governments to finance spending by getting deeper into debt.

MEPs have tabled over 2,000 amendments to the six legislative proposals in the European Commission’s economic governance package, the main aims of which are to ensure that member states quickly identify and move to correct trends that could jeopardise the economic stability of the EU as a whole and to rein in the capacity of governments to pile up debt.

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Diagnosis A closer scrutiny reveals the roots of the economic imbalances.

Some countries, such as Germany, have large trade surpluses, while others like Greece and Portugal have large trade deficits. This leads the private sector in countries with a deficit to borrow from countries with a surplus to finance for example a real estate bubble, like those seen in Ireland and Spain.

When the bubble bursts, government steps in to save the banks, hiking up public debt.

Remedy Of the six economic governance proposals, four deal with deficits and debt, aiming at reinforcing the existing Stability and Growth Pact.

The other two break new ground, introducing surveillance of macroeconomic imbalances.

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should also have the courage to clean up the banks and make tough decisions.

“Banks that are no good should be shut down, wound down or split up. Weakly performing banks should receive more capital from the markets or the state,” Korkman explains.

Korkman thinks that the current system whereby the “solvency problem is treated with liquidity policy”, i.e. by financing the problematic countries, cannot go on forever. Decision-makers in Ireland, for instance, at some point will have no choice but to discuss how the country is going to deal with the weak balance sheets of its banks.

One country at a time

In trying to prevent the emergence of a serious banking crisis, the EU has so far tackled problems one country at a time.

According to Korkman, the EU has reacted too late. To create stability, the EU should verify the seriousness of the problems and create a permanent crisis management system for reorganising debt in a controlled manner.

It now looks as if the crisis will come to

a head during 2011. According to Korkman it is difficult to estimate how Spain is doing because the Spanish economy is healthier than that of Portugal.

“As for Greece and Ireland, it is doubtful they will pull through without debt restructuring.”

Part of a larger shift

According to Korkman, the problems in Europe are part of a larger shift in the world economy.

“In the latest stage of globalisation, developing markets – China in particular – are assuming a position in the world economy that is rightfully theirs. Other countries are thus forced to find new roles. This is a challenge for Finland.”

For the time being the problems in Southern Europe have kept interest rates and the value of the euro low, which supports economic growth in Finland. The promising global economic recovery is of benefit to the entire euro zone.

EU’s current financial support system is effective until 2013, the year when the new European stability mechanism is to enter into force.

“If we manage to avoid an acute crisis until then, we are on the right path.” n

The EU wishes to strengthen the Stability and Growth Pact through more focus on the public debt limit of 60 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Until now the focus has been mainly on keeping deficits within 3 per cent of GDP. Another aim is to introduce semi-automatic sanctions, of between 0.2–0.5 per cent of GDP, for countries that fail to meet commitments on debt and deficit.

A further objective is to curb imbalances through surveillance of, as yet undecided, national indicators of imbalances and recommendations of action to reduce them. As a result, there would be sanctions for countries that failed to comply with the targets. n Source: European Parliament

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IN SHORT

PHYSICS

New heat transfer mechanism identified FURTHER INFORMATION: MIKA PRUNNILA, MIKA.PRUNNILA@VTT.FI, JOHANNA MELTAUS, JOHANNA.MELTAUS@VTT.FI

A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS by VTT’s research scientists indicates that lattice vibration heat, i.e. thermal motion of atoms, can transfer from one object to another through a vacuum without mechanical contact. This knowledge can be utilised in areas such as thermal management applications and component cooling.

The analysis contests the common assumption that mechanical contact or heat radiation is required for lattice vibration heat transfer from one object to another.

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hot source vacuum gap

surface polarisation electric field

tunnelled phonon

cold sink

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ENERGY MEDICINE

New methods for preventing prostate cancer cell growth FURTHER INFORMATION: KRISTIINA ILJIN, KRISTIINA.ILJIN@VTT.FI

RESEARCHERS FROM VTT and the University of Turku have discovered four metabolic enzymes whose inhibition may prevent prostate cancer cell growth. This knowledge can be used to identify different types of prostate cancer and for designing targeted therapies for prostate cancer.

Eicosanoid hormones, which are metabolites of arachidonic acid found in animal-based foods, such as eggs and meat, are essential regulators of normal bodily functions. Metabolic dysfunction relating to these bioactive lipids plays a role in many diseases. Prostate cancer cells use increased arachidonic acid metabolism and eicosanoid production to fuel their enhanced growth.

10 kW with a single planar SOFC stack FURTHER INFORMATION:: MATIAS HALINEN, MATIAS.HALINEN@VTT.FI

SOLID OXIDE FUEL Cell (SOFC) technology is showing promise with regard to future electricity production. VTT has built a system that uses fuel cells to produce grid electricity from natural gas. This is the first time that a 10 kW power class planar SOFC stack is being operated in real-life system conditions.

SOFC fuel cell technology is an extremely low-emission energy source. It can be used to utilise a wide range of different fuels, including biogas, which is normally difficult to exploit.

The system has completed more than 1,500 hours of reliable and continuous operation. The electricity produced equates to the average annual consumption of five apartments in an apartment block. The test runs will continue throughout 2011.

The project is commissioned by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, Tekes, coordinated by VTT and carried out in collaboration with the Lappeenranta University of Technology, Aalto University and a number of Finnish companies. The SOFC stack for the system was supplied by Versa Power Systems Inc.

ENERGY

The study analysed the prevalence of enzymes involved in arachidonic acid metabolism in hundreds of prostate cancer samples, normal prostate samples and other healthy tissue. The enzymes with the highest expression in prostate cancer samples were selected for further studies in prostate cancer cells. The scientists discovered that certain enzymes were more prevalent than others in different kinds of prostate cancers.

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Apros software helps simulate clean power plants of the future FURTHER INFORMATION: KAJ JUSLIN, KAJ.JUSLIN@VTT.FI

VTT AND FORTUM have released version 5.09 of Apros (Advanced Process Simulation Software). Apros is widely used for analysis in traditional combustion and nuclear power plants, but also for the assessment of dynamic behaviour in other industrial processes. The software is capable of simulating even the most difficult process equipment failures.

A result of 25 years of development work by VTT and Fortum experts, Apros is already in use in 26 countries.

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MEDICINE

FORESTRY

Personalised solutions for the treatment of brain injuries FURTHER INFORMATION: HARRI SIITARI, HARRI.SIITARI@VTT.FI

COORDINATED BY VTT, the EU-funded project TBIcare develops methods that allow brain injury patients to receive treatment optimised to their individual needs.

The project aims to develop a tool that will make the day-to-day clinical work of doctors easier while revolutionising the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.

Traumatic brain injury results in more lost working years than cancers, cerebrovascular diseases and HIV/AIDS together.

The TBIcare project is part of the National Brain Injury Centre to be established in Turku. Project participants include VTT, GE Healthcare, Turku University Central Hospital, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Complexio Ltd and Kaunas University of Technology.

Satellite to monitor tropical deforestation FURTHER INFORMATION: TUOMAS HĂ„ME, TUOMAS.HAME@VTT.FI

A RESEARCH CONSORTIUM led by VTT is developing methods for monitoring tropical forests with satellites. The monitoring combines lower resolution (10 to 20 metres) and full area coverage satellite imagery with very high resolution satellite imagery and ground data.

The methods are developed in study areas in Mexico, Guyana, Brazil, Central Africa and the Fiji Islands.

The EU-funded ReCover project is part of the REDD programme launched by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

H E A LT H C A R E

Software applications support the well-being of the elderly

TRANSPORT

FURTHER INFORMATION: JOUNI KAARTINEN, JOUNI.KAARTINEN@VTT.FI

WORKING IN THE FRAMEWORK of a European programme, VTT has created software applications that monitor the wellness of the elderly and encourage them to exercise. Elderly users aged from 65 to 87 tested the applications at home and considered them easy to use, motivating and helpful.

Thanks to the user-oriented design, the applications can easily be integrated in the everyday routine of the elderly. Physical constraints and other limitations mean the elderly are seldom able to utilise new technologies. This places specific requirements for the design of these applications.

The application enables users to keep a diary of their well-being and communicate with the application, friends and family, as well as care personnel.

VTT also created an exercise application that monitors the physical condition of the elderly, motivates them to exercise and improves their mood.

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Transport system of the future being developed in Tampere FURTHER INFORMATION: JUKKA.LAITINEN, JUKKA.LAITINEN@VTT.FI

VTT AND MERCEDES-BENZ are leading a project to create the transport system of the future, in which cars communicate with each other, receive real-time information about traffic and also gather and forward information themselves.

Construction of a test area is currently under way in Tampere, and the testing of the new traffic systems will begin in 2012. The transport system is expected to increase traffic efficiency and reduce the number of accidents, as road users are better informed about what is happening around them in traffic.

European research institutes and major European car manufacturers will implement the DRIVE C2X project.

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COLUMN

Olli Ernvall Editor-in-Chief VTT Impulse

Two faces of tragedy THE HUMAN SUFFERING and economic devastation caused by the earthquake that struck Japan in March are immeasurable. The catastrophe showed once again how powerless we are against the forces of nature.

Modern media technology has ushered in an age of live news reports, bringing the full horror of the tragedy into living rooms across the globe.

The catastrophe in Japan, a country known for its high technology and superior quality products, also demonstrated the vulnerability of man-made systems.

Technology can never overcome nature.

The adverse conditions created by the earthquake revealed serious weaknesses in the emergency cooling systems of Japan’s nuclear power plants. The disaster was the kind of scenario for which these safety measures had been designed.

If a system failure of this scale can occur in Japan, where the quality and reliability of technology are surely among the best in the world, just what is the situation elsewhere? This is a valid question, in spite of the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), among others, to supervise the global safety of nuclear power use.

The tragedy itself gave an international impetus to reviewing the status of nuclear safety, with the safety of nuclear power plants coming under close scrutiny in different countries. There is a need for more active exchange of information about nuclear safety across national borders. The use of nuclear power and the supervision of nuclear safety may be national matters, but emissions and the associated health and safety risks are international concerns. Emissions, whether from coal-fired power stations or from nuclear power plants, have no respect for geographical boundaries.

Disasters often unearth problems and weaknesses. The media begins to dig deeper and look for

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scapegoats. It is typical of human nature to pay attention to something only once a problem arises. Focus is on the symptoms, rather than the cause. The safety of human beings is too important to be approached reactively. It should always be the first priority.

Power plant design, the use of nuclear power, and the storing of nuclear fuel rods have been discussed actively in Finland for years. In fact, Finnish know-how in this field could also benefit others. It would naturally be a good thing if nuclear safety became a permanent international initiative, with safety being monitored from other than the purely nuclear power perspective. The need is there and so – I believe – is the demand.

The Finnish approach to safety and the related technological know-how could become a kind of international benchmark. Finland has potential for turning know-how in nuclear safety into another export alongside know-how in bioenergy.

Global economy and raw material prices felt the impact of the earthquake as soon as the first news reports were released. The share prices of companies operating in the renewable energy sector improved, the cost of coal and natural gas went up, and the rally in the price of crude oil came to a halt. At least for the moment.

Japan now faces a gigantic rebuilding challenge, and the world economy is likely to benefit from the investments.

Another likely outcome is that new technology will be introduced to provide better preparation for similar kinds of natural disasters in the future.

These challenges are a boost to technological development. The devastation caused by the catastrophe calls for new investment and reinforces the evolution of technology. In this sense, technology gives the human tragedy another face.

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Shattering old ideas Who said the West could not keep up with Asian competition? Finnish investment figures convinced American Flowserve to step up its ball valves manufacturing in Finland instead of China.

Text Katri Isotalo Photos Dreamstime, Vesa-Matti V채채r채

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n 2006 business was booming. The demand for Flowserve Naval’s valves exceeded the volumes coming off the production line.

Finding enough skilled staff was also proving to be increasingly challenging.

“We wanted to resolve the manufacturing issues with one sustainable solution which would also allow us to reach a rough goal of doubling production,” says Pasi Nieminen, technical manager at Flowserve Naval.

Based in Laitila, Finland, Flowserve Naval was previously known as Naval. Founded by the Finnish industrial company Oras back in 1974, the company was bought by the American firm Flowserve in 2002 following a long period in Swedish ownership.

The factory’s main product is the all-welded ball valve, which is most commonly used in district heating networks. Valves come in all sizes: the smallest ones – designed to stabilise the air pressure in the piping work – would fit into a pocket. The largest valves require machine power to lift and open, which is no won12

der considering that they are used as main valves for the district heating systems in large cities.

Of all valves manufactured at the factory, 82 per cent become parts of district heating systems, 13 per cent are used in the paper and pulp industry, and five per cent are integrated into oil and gas pipelines.

District heating is popular in many countries, increasingly so in Russia. Around 80 per cent of Flowserve Naval’s production is exported – the overwhelming majority goes to Russia and other European countries.

Outsider insights

Manufacturing at Laitila had been continually developed in small steps. The aim now, however, was to achieve such a huge leap that it was decided to seek out-of-house expertise. Naval had co-operated with VTT in the past on testing, so VTT was a natural choice.

Flowserve Naval’s project team contacted VTT at the end of 2006. The company hoped to receive proposals on how to renew manufacturing by the end of January.

VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Paavo Voho put together a team of experts in d ­ ifferent fields to ponder strategies that would make such a quantum leap possible.

The brief was exciting.

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“We were given free rein to put forward even the wildest suggestions, since initially the only limitation was the size of site at which the factory was situated. Further along in the project Flowserve managed to expand that, too – so in a sense there were nearly limitless possibilities,” Paavo Voho says.

In other respects the project was fairly typical for the VTT experts: the company was at a stage where its depth of experience began to throw up barriers to innovation. There was a need for fresh but experienced outsider experts who would dare to challenge the old operating approaches and who would have wide-ranging knowledge about how to do things differently.

At VTT, this expertise has given its name to one of the research institute’s largest innovation programmes, Global Finnish Factory. This programme defines the direction in which Finnish competitiveness should be developed: how modern technology and especially the latest information and communications technology can be used to advance Finnish manufacturing in such a way that it becomes capable of competing, for example, with manufacturing based on cheap labour.

Cutting back on dead time

The first step in the project was to map out Flowserve’s current manufacturing process and technology. The factory already employed robotics – the question was could it make even more use of this?

“We drew up a theoretical model of what the production line might look like, and we sought unconventional solutions for implementing it in practice. When we presented a proposal on how the manufacturing time could

New boost to Finnish manufacturing industry VTT’S FINNISH GLOBAL FACTORY programme supports the renewal of Finland’s heavy industry, and enhances its competitiveness in responding to future challenges in the global operating field. The lines of business are manufacturing industry – especially metal products and machine manufacturing – and electronics and electric industry. Comprehensive co-operation takes account of financial, technical, social and environmental aspects.

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Technical Manager Pasi Nieminen (on the right) and Automation Engineer Jani Rinne showcase Naval’s welded ball valves.

be shortened from seven days to two hours, the Flowserve guys wondered if we at VTT had been getting enough sleep at night,” says Voho with a smile.

“That two hours did seem quite utopian, since drying the powder coating at the end of the manufacturing line by itself took 45 minutes,” Pasi Nieminen concedes.

The goal of cutting the cycle time by a third sounded just as wild.

Some of the boldest ideas were shot down by strict official regulations, since the timeconsuming welding process, for example, cannot be accelerated due to quality standards.

Value Stream Mapping was used as the starting point for the renewal. The transition from raw materials to finished product was made more seamless by cutting back on dead time in the process. When turnaround time is shortened, time makes up an increased proportion of value added.

Investment decision approved in Dallas

Flowserve and VTT worked together to iden-

tify the most congested bottlenecks, and VTT examined the possibilities for removing them and for streamlining the entire process. Once the best option was chosen, VTT constructed a 3D virtual production line and calculated what needed to be renewed and what every­ thing would cost. The period required to recoup investment costs was set at between 1.5 and 2 years.

Initially the renewal was planned to extend from the track of the six-metre steel pipe to the uncoated valve, but in the end it was decided to extend it as far as the coat.

Flowserve’s headquarters in Dallas, Texas had already suggested the construction of a new assembly line in China, but company representatives now flew to Laitila to listen to the new investment proposal.

Flowserve has 387 offices in 56 countries. The Finnish operation represents around a percentage point of the company’s net sales. Nevertheless, Laitila’s proposal went as far as the corporation’s Board of Directors, and was the Board’s most significant investment decision in 2007.

The goal of cutting the cycle time by a third sounded just as wild.

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The new line cut turnaround time down to as little as two hours.

The decision was awaited in Laitila for six long months. In autumn the news came that the Finns’ skills and ability to demonstrate such a radical improvement in productivity had been given the recognition they rightfully deserve and that the proposed investment had been approved.

The alternative proposal to increase production in China was permanently shelved.

Best of two worlds

The construction of the new assembly line and its extensions took roughly a year. At the time the construction industry was facing hard times and growth came to a halt like a train hitting a concrete wall. Nevertheless, the investment was carried through to completion according to plan. Pasi Nieminen is grateful for the owner’s understanding in response to the sudden change in the planned repayment period.

Today, four different types of all-welded ball valves are produced on the new assembly line, with an annual total of 500,000 valves, which is the target amount. The cycle time was also cut in half.

The new line cut turnaround time down to as little as two hours, which is quite an improvement to the old assembly line where turnaround took almost seven days. Most of the dead time was cut out from waiting time between se-

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parate stages, but production methods were also renewed.

“Dry mechanisation, for example, which allows us to avoid the cleaning stage before welding, was an insight that we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves,” Pasi Nieminen says.

The robotics-based product line naturally requires a rather new attitude on the part of the workers. The decision to transfer to the new assembly line was a voluntary one, thereby guaranteeing that those who did would be enthusiastic.

Only a tenth of the previous number of staff is required to work shifts. The assembly robot is able to pick up the balls in the frame segment with the help of a camera, for example, without the need for someone manually to place them in the correct order. Labour costs as a proportion of total costs have fallen to less than a quarter of what they were before.

Manufacturing capacity increased from 56 to 138 items per hour. It has also been possible to exploit parts of the renewal on the old assembly line, which is now concentrated on special-order products. Around a thousand different ball valves are completed there each year.

“In global terms, there is very little genuine mass production in Finland. Our specialist expertise at VTT involves exploiting mass production technology in smaller production volumes – even in special-order production. It pays off,” Paavo Voho concludes. n

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Avoid a lack of alternatives DEVELOPMENT OF MANUFACTURING in Finland can often be a better solution than a race against foreign labour costs.

“Transfer of manufacturing away from Finland is often justified solely with reference to costs, even if the company does not even compete on prices. The potential negative side-effects in terms of innovation, quality levels, reliability of processes, and flexibility of customer service are forgotten,” says VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Ismo Ruohomäki.

“A lack of alternative scenarios and an excess of optimism in relation to the chosen solution are also typical problems faced

by SMEs when developing manufacturing.”

Ruohomäki has studied the developmental needs of Finland’s machine and metal industry as part of VTT’s Unique project. Together with Tekes and companies, methods and tools for analysing alternative models have been developed for situations in which the company is forced to modify its production concept and manufacturing principles in a fundamental way.

Thorough consideration of several alternatives has turned out be a clear area for improvement in SMEs. Companies quite easily proceed to advance a single renewal solution for manufacturing, without thinking about how the operating environment is constantly changing. A solution that feels good today may after all turn out to be the wrong one tomorrow.

Say no to bad planning

tion, one easily forgets the alternatives in terms of developing the current manufacturing system, as well as the key factors in the company’s success.

According to experiences in Germany, the staff resources used in process development are often just a tenth of what the company uses in product development. If the money used in moving production were used to develop the existing production system, the benefit may exceed that gained by a move.

For example, the existence and significance of local networks are often only noticed when the partners are no longer available or new supplier relationships do not work.

Excessive optimism is also common in scheduling.

In a study of the German mechanical engineering industry, it was observed that the time taken to bring production up to full-speed lasts on average two and a half times as long as the time scheduled for it. In addition, the cost of support measures, co-ordination, surveillance and monitoring of foreign units is often underestimated.

As part of the Unique project, Vilakone, Normet, Arctic Machine, MFG Components and Rocla have renewed their production-related strategic planning and their production methods. As a result of the project, they will also be able to make future production decisions based on deeper analysis.

If transferring manufacturing to a low-cost country is considered as a package solu-

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Text: Tuomas Mustonen

Sustainable development within the packaging value chain Ethical consumption and developing legislation are guiding the packaging industry towards ecological solutions and sustainability.

The value chain, extending from producers of raw materials to consumers, plays a key role in this development.

I

n an era of globalisation and increased importance of the needs and beliefs of consumers, the significance of packaging within challenging international logistics and supply chain systems has become more pronounced.

Packaging must comply with many European and international standards and be adapted in response to the country-specific requirements of local markets. Packaging must include information for consumers about a product’s safety, health and environmental impact. Moreover, packaging still strongly affects consumer’s purchasing decisions.

Packaging materials are part of a long process that extends from procurement, processing and refinement of raw materials through conversion and transport and finally on to consumers. A significant percentage of materials ends up being recycled either back into materials or into energy.

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From waste into new raw materials The most significant ecologically oriented trends in packaging materials are material efficiency, energy saving, light weighting, and exploitation of materials that are based on renewable natural resources.

Attempts are made to improve the efficiency of production processes by simplifying them and improving their management.

Product logistics are enhanced through modularity and lightness of packaging, and by reducing the amount of material used. Many people believe that new packaging materials based on renewable raw materials now represent the cutting edge of development in this area.

Back in the 1980s, the principle of the three Rs, or the so-called hierarchy of waste, was adopted for managing packaging waste. The system was designed to categorise waste management processes according to their desirabilVTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

ity. The three Rs stand for Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.

A fourth R – for Recovery – was later added to the hierarchy to indicate utilisation of waste as energy. In the case of many types of food packaging, for example, the most environmentally friendly form of utilisation is incineration for energy recovery.

Recent trends emphasise the emergence of a new, fifth R – Renew: striving towards materials based on renewable raw material sources.

Moreover, in line with the general ecodesign trend of the 2000s, the list has been supplemented with Reimagine and Redesign, according to which the entire product life cycle and production process – packaging included – should be reconsidered and designed anew to make them as efficient as possible. According to the cradle-to-cradle concept, which gained popularity particularly in the 2000s, materials at the end of their life cycle serve as raw materials for some new purpose.

Sustainable development across the entire process Each of the aforementioned trends makes up only a part of the overall efficiency and sustainable development of packaging, however.

Material and product development should in-

clude an assessment as to whether they comply with life cycle thinking and sustainability from as early a stage as possible.

The most commonly used tool for assessing environmental responsibility is the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), which now involves procedures that comply with the ISO 14040/14044 standard.

Far too often, sustainable development is understood solely in terms of environmental impact. In practice, however, economic sustainability and social factors are at least as important.

Uniform methods for social responsibi­lity are still being developed, but the ISO 26000 standard implemented in autumn 2010 provides new tools to help businesses operate in a more socially responsible manner.

Consumers guided by ethical considerations Ecologically efficient packaging is in fact part of a trend towards ethical consumption. Consumers, retailers and authorities are striving towards a more ethical approach in terms of animal welfare, sustainable agriculture, fair trade products, local food and renewable forms of energy.

The share of environmentally conscious consumers is constantly growing, and in the 2010s responsible consumption is already main-

RENEW

Uudelleen-suunnittelu?

Preferred environmental option

Reduce Re-use Recycling Energy recovery Disposal Least preferred environmental option

Reimagine?

File: Tuomas Mustonen Tuomas Mustonen, M.Sc., serves as business development manager at VTT in the Industrial Biomaterials spearhead programme.

His responsibilities include co-steering of the programme’s research towards industrial applications, as well as promoting the commercialisation of generated technologies, results and services and intangible rights. In the past, Mustonen has worked for Oy Keskuslaboratorio – Centrallaboratorium Ab (KCL) as sales manager and development manager in the area of nano and biomaterials, and for M-real Oyj as technical service manager and project manager in intelligent packaging research. He is currently completing an MBA at Aalto University.

Figure 1. Categorisation of packaging waste

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Packaging strongly influences the purchasing decisions of consumers.

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stream. The growing popularity of LOHAS, or Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, is another recognised trend; consumers adhering to it are increasingly guided by ethical and moral responsibility for both the environment and their own health in the choices they make.

Fair trade, organic production, energy efficiency, recycling, and human rights are among the issues that shape the choices of critical LOHAS consumers. These choices are also reflected in the popularity of environmentally efficient packaging materials.

In 2010, Tripod Research estimated the number of LOHAS-type consumers in Finland at up to a million persons.

The significance of consumers who value green principles and corporate responsibility is especially large in products aimed directly at consumers, such as foodstuffs, cosmetics and other single-use commodities.

A survey by Deloitte and the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association (GMA) revealed that the number of so-called environmentally conscious consumers is larger than generally assumed. Even though only around 22 per cent of consumers had made purchases based on environmental considerations, almost two thirds had consciously sought out green alternatives.

Legislation encourages the right choices Concern over the sufficiency of non-renewable and limited natural resources – such as water – and over their sustainable usage has also encouraged international and national legislators to come up with practices and approaches for managing package waste. In practice, the guidelines laid down by these legislators have presented entirely new challenges and requirements for the entire packaging value chain.

EU directive 94/62/EC and its updated version 2004/12/EC are two past examples of attempts by legislators to reduce the environmental impact of packaging. The directive is designed to harmonise national packaging waste management systems and reduce their environmental effects, and contains regulations on reducing, utilising and recycling packaging waste.

Companies that market products packaged according to the directive and its national de-

100% Surveyed 95% Would buy green 75% Know what a green product is 63% Looking for green 47% Saw green products

22% Bought green

Figure 2. There is demand for green products and packaging.

crees are responsible for utilising commercial and industrial packaging waste. This is referred to as partial producer responsibility.

In practice, companies pay a utilisation fee for packaging brought on to the market, which in Finland, for example, is 5 euros per tonne of corrugated cardboard packaging, 23.50 euros per tonne of cardboard packaging, 35 euros per tonne of cardboard liquid containers, and 21 euros per tonne of plastic packaging.

The next packaging directive – currently under preparation – sets even stricter requirements for the management and quality of packaging waste. The most important measures in the directive for influencing and guiding producer behaviour are hazard taxes and charges.

The fact that in Finland, for example, the majority of packaging waste – even as much as 90 per cent – is now recovered or recycled, shows how well the current system works. In Finland around 2.4 million tonnes of packaging is used annually, generating 700,000 tonnes of packaging waste. Of the latter amount, less than 100,000 tonnes ends up in a landfill.

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Ecologically efficient packaging is part of a trend towards ethical consumption.

On the other hand, overly ambitious recycling and recovery rate targets may be counter-productive. For example, a bill under preparation in Finland does not take into account carbon emissions generated during the transport of packaging waste. Particularly in sparsely populated areas such as Finland, packaging waste must be gathered and transported over long distances. This is not sensible in terms of either the environment or the overall system.

Packaging for sustainable development Sustainable, ecologically efficient packaging is a target that now recurs in the environmental reporting of many retail and consumer goods businesses. The companies aim to make use of systematic tools to reduce their environmental burden. Examples of such tools include IKEA’s e-Wheel, Procter & Gamble’s Global Asset Recovery Purchases, Kellogg’s Global Sustainable Packaging Team, Kraft Foods’s Packaging EcoCalculator, and Valio’s PALMAT or recoverable materials system. Perhaps the best known system of all globally is Walmart’s Packaging Scorecard.

Many organisations focused on packaging have also recommended standardised principles and metrics for assessing the environmental effects of packaging. Popular metrics include comprehensive use of materials, material loss, the percentage of packaging utilised as energy, and the percentage of packaging that ends up in a landfill.

Sustainable packaging typically: • is designed using a comprehensive approach together with the product to be packaged, so as to minimise the environmental effects of both packaging and product • fulfils performance requirements (mechanical protection, protection from the environment, prevents the product from being spoilt) VTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

• is efficient and safe from the beginning to the end of the value chain • is ideally manufactured from renewable and fully recyclable raw materials • is procured, manufactured and transported using renewable forms of energy • is manufactured using the best available clean production techniques and practices.

Fibre materials are developing In 2007, the total volume of the global packaging market was estimated at around 500 billion euros. Measured in euros, the fastestgrowing packaging markets are in Eastern Europe and South and Central America. Measured in volumes, however, growth is most rapid in the growing Asian markets, such as China and ­India.

According to a study by Pira International, average annual packaging consumption per person amounted to 288 dollars in Europe and 387 dollars in the United States, whereas the corresponding figures for the emerging markets were 25 dollars in China and just 6 dollars in India.

Fibre-based packaging materials remain the single largest packaging material category, with worth of the value chain at almost 200 billion euros. Its most important subcategories are corrugated cardboard, cardboard liquid containers, and folding boxboard. The largest producer of liquid carton packaging manufactured from cardboard is TetraPak, which accounts for as much as 80 per cent of the market.

In practice, fibre-based packaging materials are the only recycled biomaterial used on an industrial scale. The limitations on use of fibre materials include their sensitivity to moisture, barrier properties, and mouldability. However, a number of projects aimed at improving the materials’ properties are now under way.

One example of a solution that has already been commercialised is Stora Enso’s DeLight 21

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Imports & other materials

Converting

Brand owners/ Product manufacturers

Material manufacturers

Distribution/ Warehousing Retailers

Resource extraction BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS FLOWS

POST CONSUMER FLOWS

Consumers

Exports Recyclers

Litter/Open burning Composting

Incineration/WTE Landfill

Figure 3. Life cycle of packaging

solution, which is designed for packaging of foodstuffs and is based on a new combination of fibre and plastic materials and refinement processes. Its benefits include greater formability and a lower environmental burden.

Plastics are taking over the market Plastics make up a growing share of packaging material, but the growth is largely affected by on the fluctuations in the price of oil. There is especially strong growth in plastic flexible packaging, thanks to its high levels of printability and usability.

The most common packaging plastics are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used to replace glass and metal – particularly in beverage packaging applications.

Around 40 per cent of all large-volume plastics are used in packaging. However, on22

ly around 4 per cent of the world’s total oil consumption goes into production of plastics. It should be noted that only around 1.3 per cent of the average consumer’s carbon footprint is caused by plastics.

Biopolymers have been one the most interesting targets of research in packaging materials over the last decade. There is no precise definition of biopolymers, and consequently there is often confusion between two completely different things: whether the plastic is based on biobased sources, and whether it is biodegradable.

Bio-based and biodegradable (e.g. NatureWorks’s Ingeo PLA and Novamont’s Mater-Bi), oil-based and biodegradable (e.g. BASF’s EcoFlex), and bio-based but not biodegradable materials (e.g. Braskem’s bioethanol-based HDPE) are all commercially available materials.

The challenge of biodegradable plastics is primarily their recyclability and compatibility VTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

Fibre packaging is currently the only recycled bio-based packaging material.

with current recycling systems. For example, as little as 0.1 per cent polylactic acid (PLA) plastic in a recycling system designed for PET bottles is enough to make the entire plastic mass unfit for recycling.

New value from the packaging chain The packaging industry’s value chain – the socalled packaging chain – is clearly made up of layers: it typically comprises as many as ten different layers, each of which has its own value creation function and fairly strictly defined role.

For example, the actors in a simplified fibre packaging value chain are pulp and paperboard manufacturers, machinery and chemicals manufacturers, packaging printers and converters, brand owners, retailers, logistics suppliers, consumers, and recyclers of packaging waste.

However, there may be major differences in the structure of chains among various packaging materials and types.

Raw material manufacturers and brand owners are large, often multinational companies, whereas packaging converters are often smaller companies operating within a single country’s borders. Naturally there are exceptions, such as TetraPak and Amcor.

Companies can improve their joint value creation by designing and applying business models with high structural compatibility at both internal and external level. Compatibility between internal models can be achieved by analysing the core elements of the business and modifying segments identified as non-compatible.

Understanding the business models and value creation processes of companies in the value network helps actors within that network to VTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

recognise the most effective marketing arguments and opportunities for cooperation.

When companies modify their operation and move away from a traditional product and material-focused business model towards an information-intensive, cooperation-based value creation model, it is quite common for the borders between companies and between entire industrial sectors to become blurred.

These days it is also normal for competing companies to form joint businesses, or for a customer and a supplier to be competitors.

The change has opened up a research area focused on analysing companies’ value creation processes. For example, according to Vargon & Lusch, the foundation of servicedominant business logic (SD logic), and of all exchange, is business service. All actors in the value chain are resource integrators who act together, reciprocally producing value for the entire network.

On the other hand, according to Golinelli’s system logic (viable system approach, VSA), every business has its own system that, acting as a part of its own network and with other actors, seeks out more competitive operating models.

The common denominator of many studies of business models is nevertheless the companies’ joint value creation model: the centre of value creation is no longer inside companies – in their machines or equipment – but between companies in a networked common space.

The packaging chain reveals many models of bilateral cooperation on a customer-supplier axis, but more extensive value creation networks are rare. In many cases, large companies, 23

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The most important enabler of change is the consumer.

such as material manufacturers and chemical manufacturers, bypass small packaging refiners and strive towards close cooperation at the end of the chain – primarily with brand owners.

The power of the chain’s actors is directly proportionate to the size of the company and its location in the chain. Brand owners and retailers at the end of the chain have the most power. There is also an intense power struggle between these two large actors over consumer contacts. Small-scale packaging converters have the least amount of influence in the chain.

The major difference in size between companies hinders joint value creation in the chain and accumulation of different strengths into overall product and service portfolios. Consequently, there is a need for a new type of service integrator in the packaging chain that could gather together the entire chain’s services and products and target them towards needs at the end of the chain.

An example from Japan Japan’s packaging market differs quite significantly from others, and there one finds many examples of groundbreaking solutions. Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), established in 1876, is Japan’s oldest company in the printing industry. The company also maintains a consumer packaging business that makes use of a research tool called ShokuMAP (shoku = food).

With the help of this tool, DNP is able to monitor the consumption habits of 360 specially-selected Tokyo households, and to use the data to guide its own research activity. For example, the company can develop brand owners’ packaging solutions according to packaging size, joint use by two products, or seasonal variation to suit every occasion.

DNP, which operates at the beginning of the chain, thereby tries to anticipate the actions taken at the other end by consumers and 24

use this data in improving its own value creation processes.

The packaging value chain’s most significant transformers are often consumer product manufacturers and brand owners. But the most important enabler of change remains the consumer and the consumer’s consumption habits.

A good example of this is a new potato chips bag introduced to the US market by Frito Lay. This was the first of its type to be entirely compostable and manufactured from bioplastic. The product attracted a lot of attention following its release, although not merely because of the packaging’s environmental values. Consumers found the bioplastic used in the packaging noisy, and in response the packaging was pulled from the market.

Companies build the future The role of large global consumer goods companies in packaging chain and material innovation processes is becoming more pronounced.

A typical example of the development of alternative material technologies is food and beverage companies’ participation in the development of renewable biomaterials and their utilisation as foodstuff packaging materials.

One indication of this kind of activity is The Coca-Cola Company’s PlantBottle, released on the market in 2009, where 30 per cent of raw materials are from renewable sources.

The Base of the Pyramid (BOP) approach, again, gives companies the opportunity to affect the ecological footprint of growing markets, which, due to the exhaustion of the world’s ecological capacity, cannot ever rise to the same level as that found in Western countries.

The term “BOP markets” refers primarily to third-world consumers with a daily income of less than 5 euros. With a population base exceeding four billion, BOP offers broad market potential and also an opportunity for global companies.

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TetraPak’s food programme for undernourished children is an example of BOP action. TetraPak cooperates with local governments, developmental organisations, national associations, local dairies and agriculture, and delivers almost six billion aseptic milk packets annually to 50 million under-nourished children around the world. TetraPak’s main international partner is the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).

At the same time as companies support poverty reduction, for example, they can pursue growth in new and profitable areas of business.

However, new businesses require new types of innovations: products, business and distribution models, and partnerships.

Conclusions Packaging value chains are changing as consumers become more aware of their role and power. Nevertheless, actors at the end of the chain – companies in the consumer goods and retail sector – remain the most important pilots of change.

Communications directed at consumers who think and choose more responsibly are a major challenge for the entire packaging industry.

One cannot communicate with all consumers in the same way. Rather, communications should stand out in terms of message and choice of media. The environmental effects of packaging and the reasons underlying the solutions chosen must be justified in a way that withstands criticism, so as to ensure the impact of the message.

New, ecologically efficient materials are one solution for reducing packaging’s environmental impact. The basic prerequisite for general adoption of such solutions is their overall economic efficiency and financial sustainability across the entire packaging chain, from raw materials through to consumers and recycling.

Nevertheless, achieving overall cost-effectiveness requires strong forces of change, as well as business models that are transparent and that create value. Innovations based solely on market forces of change are not sustainable.

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References GMA (The Grocery Manufacturers’ Association) and Deloitte. 2009. Finding the green in today’s shoppers: Sustainability trends and new shopper insights.

Järvi-Kääriäinen, T. and Ollila, M. (eds.) 2007. Toimiva pakkaus [“Functional packaging”]. Association of Packaging Technology and Research - PTR. Helsinki.

Kuisma, M. Pakkausten vastuullisuusnäkökohdat yritysten kilpailutekijöinä. Pakkausteknologian raportti 59/2011 [“Perspectives of responsibility in packaging as competitive advantages for companies. Report on packaging technology 59/2011”].

Möller, K., Ollila, P. and Laukkanen, M. 2010. How to Create Value System Innovations: Value Network Analysis in the Finnish Packaging Business. The final report of the forest cluster’s RAMINet project.

Nenonen, S. and Storbacka K. 2009. Business model design: conceptualizing networked value co-creation. Service Forum in Naples.

White, N. 2005. The Future of Global Packaging. Pira International Ltd. www.pyr.fi, page loaded 8 February 2011 www.pira-international.fi, page loaded 9 February 2011

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Text: Erja Turunen

Custom-made materials for demanding conditions Powder metallurgy can be used to develop completely new materials and customise them for various purposes. Modelling-assisted approach offers huge benefits in development work.

T

echnological development in different fields of industry and the proliferation of efficiency thinking have created a need for more durable material solutions.

For example, ever harsher process and operating conditions in the energy, process, mining, pulp and paper industries are placing new demands on wear and corrosion resistance and other characteristics of surfaces. Materials are also often used in high temperatures.

The rise of service life requirements has engendered a constantly increasing demand for the development of the internal strength of materials, i.e. fracture toughness, creep and fatigue characteristic.

The sometimes insufficient durability of current materials shortens the service life of components, and increases the frequency and duration of maintenance downtime. This may sometimes even lead to the need to run processes at below-maximum power. In the worst case, sudden failures occur, resulting in lengthy downtime and potentially in uncontrolled chemical leaks resulting in environmental damage.

Various hybrid materials have been developed over the decades, mainly mixtures and composites of ceramics and metals. Entirely new possibilities for developing high-perfor26

mance materials have opened up in the 2000s, however, with the development of new manufacturing methods, widespread adoption of nanotechnology, and greater research understanding through new process diagnostics and higher modelling capacity.

Different compositions from powders Powder-metallurgical compaction methods can be divided into two areas: sintering and coating methods.

Commercially, the most important sintering methods are hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and spark plasma sintering (SPS), the latest technological advancement. Both methods can be used in the agile manufacture of components with nearly finished shapes through the utilisation of customised powder compositions. Various additive manufacturing methods, such as selective laser sintering, are believed to offer completely new manufacturing routes in the future.

The most typical coating methods in powder metallurgy are laser cladding and thermal spraying, the latter being one of the main research areas at VTT. In powder metallurgy, the extensive adaptability of material compositions and structures is mainly based on the fact that through different manufacturing methods the desired compoVTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

sitions and structures can already be introduced in the material while it is in powder form. These are impossible to achieve with traditional methods using molten materials.

Spray drying in particular opens extremely extensive possibilities of creating even nano-sized composite structures on each powder particle.

Process control during the compaction or coating phase forms an essential part of the powder metallurgy process, as it determines whether the unique compositions developed and produced in the powder can be transferred into the finished material, or whether undesired phase transitions, for example, occur during the processing.

Thermal spraying is a field of research in which VTT has been active for almost two decades, with systematic focus on both powder development and process control.

Close research cooperation with Stony Brook University in the USA has resulted in a

completely new process control concept for the global industry, called ‘Process Mapping’. We are currently examining whether the concept could also be extended to other powder metallurgy processes apart from thermal spraying.

Versatile thermal spraying Thermal spraying involves the powder being melted using a heat source and transferred at high velocity to the coated surface as molten or partially molten droplets. As the droplets flatten and quickly solidify, the coating becomes a lamellar structure.

Typical heat sources include combustible mixtures of oxygen and combustion gas, ionised gas and electric arcs. The shape of the spray gun and the type of heat source can be changed; thanks to this the family of thermal spraying technologies currently includes several different coating methods, which vary mainly with regard to the velocity and temperature of the molten droplets.

Figure 1. The basic principle of thermal spraying and sample applications.

Dense ceramic coating > Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

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Corrosion and wear resistance > Process industry

HT corrosion and erosion resistance > In-Situ: Combustion boiler

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The process and operating conditions in the industry are becoming ever harsher, which places new demands on materials.

File: Erja Turunen Erja Turunen, Dr. Tech., has been working as the Vice President, Strategic Research in the Applied Materials technology sector at VTT since 2010. She previously worked at VTT as a Technology Manager in the field of new materials.

She has published over 70 international publications and is an active participant in domestic and international research cooperation. Since 2009, Erja Turunen has also acted as a visiting research professor at Stony Brook University in the USA.

Because the droplet impacts with the surface at a high or relatively high speed and solidifies immediately, the temperature of the coated surface can usually be kept quite low. At best, even plastic can be coated using this method.

The rapid cooling means that thermal spraying can also be used to produce material structures that are impossible with more traditional methods. Examples of these include amorphous coatings and oversaturated compositions of various types.

The very wide spectrum of powder materials, low workpiece temperatures and the capacity to coat 3D shapes make thermal spraying a very usable method for a variety of applications.

Thermal spraying can be used to produce independently working, rather thick coatings (typically 150 µm – 1 mm), allowing the base material to be selected using other criteria, such as price, extent of admixture, mechanical strength or lightness.

Today, the spectrum of commercial application is wide, and use of the method ranges from paper machine roll coatings to process industry components, and even artificial hip joints for the human body.

Each year brings to the market completely new coating applications making use of thermal spraying technologies.

Research on thermal spraying can be summarised as a combination of innovative materials development and in-depth understanding and optimisation of the coating process.

The goal is to produce desirable materials using new powders, and to coat the object with them in a controlled manner. Additionally, the requirements set by the entire system must always be controlled, including residual stresses and the requirements set by the component’s shape and post-machining such as final surface roughness.

New wear resistance possibilities Metal-ceramic composite coatings are, typically, carbide coatings (WC-CoCr, Cr3C2-NiCr). Research on these has focused on both the compositions of new metal matrices and the effect of the carbide size on the wear and crack resistance of the coatings.

VTT has developed nano carbide powders and studied the process limits and new processing possibilities. The goal is to achieve car-

Particle state

Coating characteristics

T (°C)

v (m/s)

Hardness

Erosion rate (µ3/hour)

Porosity (%)

WC-10Co4Cr, carbide 1–3 µm, parameter A

1775

600

1265±211

3830±960

1,9±0,37

WC-10Co4Cr, carbide 1–3 µm, parameter B

1630

605

1088±219

5770±670

2,04±0,4

1870

622

1302±124

3230±850

0,84±0,17

1725

642

1147±322

2410±560

0,7±0,48

WC-10Co4Cr, carbide 0,4 µm,

parameter A

WC-10Co4Cr, carbide 0,4 µm,

parameter B

Table 1. Differences in coating characteristics caused by the spraying process and carbide size, when two initial carbide sizes are compared in a WC-10Co4Cr coating.

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bide coatings of maximum density and performance.

Table 1 depicts the differences in the characteristics of the formed coating caused by the process and the carbide size, when two initial carbide sizes are compared in a WC-10Co4Cr coating.

The results show that by moving to a finer carbide size, the wear endurance of the coating can be doubled under wet, abrasive wear. It was also found that in the coating with a fine carbide size, the surface roughness remained significantly lower after wear.

This has a significant effect on, for example, the rolls of a paper machine, where the surface roughness has a major impact on the paper machine’s performance.

Dense ceramic coatings In its research on ceramic coating, VTT has concentrated on new structures and the possibilities opened up by new compositions. The research utilises the high particle velocity enabled by the high-velocity technique, which results in an extremely dense coating structure.

The largest difference observed between the most common commercially-used atmospheric plasma spray (APS) method and the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying method used by VTT is related to the difference in the lamellar structure’s porosity caused by the different particle velocities. This, in turn, is directly reflected in the wear resistance of the coating.

In plasma spraying, typical particle velocities are 200–300 m/s, while significantly higher velocities can be achieved with high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying due to the supersonic gas stream. Velocities of 700–900 m/s have been measured for aluminium oxide, for example.

The wear resistance provided by HVOF ceramics is ten-fold when compared to plasma spray.

Despite having achieved an excellent wear resistance, the HVOF method has not yet solidified its position in industrial applications. The main hurdle is deposition efficiency – defined as how efficiently powder is deposited in the coating – which is clearly lower with the HVOF method than with APS. Significant progress has been made of late in increasing deposition efficiency. This forms one of the goals of active development work currently taking place in the field, despite the technology being at the pre-commercial stage.

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Erosion rate g/30 min

Electrical insulation kV/mm

APS AI2O3 regular

145

6

HVOF AI2O3 regular

14.1

17.2

HVOF AI2O3 nano ceramic

17.8

15.4

HVOF AI2O3 amorphous

12.5

23.9

Table 2. Characteristics of aluminium oxide coatings with different crystal structures.

The high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying method also makes it possible to produce unique structures, rendered impossible with plasma spraying through its slower kinetics. VTT has developed special compositions allowing the production of, for example, fully amorphous coatings which, according to measurements, have excellent electrical insulation and corrosion resistance characteristics.

Powder customisation creates completely new materials Powder customisation also enables completely new material innovations; the functionalities of two such materials developed by VTT are depicted in Figure 2.

In Figure 2 A, material technology has been used to introduce to a typical NiCr metal alloy coating a functionality that prevents the oxidation of the metal particles during spraying, thus reducing the oxide content in the finished coating.

Typically, such oxide layers remain on the interlamellar boundaries of a lamellar coating, increasing its porosity and reducing its mechanical strength. The utilisation of a new ­‘oxygen-eating effect’ has resulted in the halving of the oxygen content formed in the coating.

Powder customisation also enables completely new material innovations.

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A

B

friction coefficient

Figure 2. The effect of the functional elements on coating characteristics: a) the effect of oxygen-eating on the oxygen content of the finished coating; b) the effect of increased sulphur content on the coating’s friction performance.

50Ni50Cr regular

50Ni50Cr oxygen-eater

Figure 2 B depicts the effect of a­ nother invented material alloying: in environments with sulphur and chlorine content, the c­ oating is able to stop the advance of sulphur and chlorine compounds towards the substrate material under the coating. This is beneficial in, for example, environments with hot-gas corrosion.

The stopping of sulphur at the surface layer of the coating has been proved by means of a friction test, as the sulphur compounds act as lubricants, reducing the coating’s friction coefficient against tool steel.

Product requirement steps Performance

Properties Structure Processing

Solution steps

Figure 3. The basic principles of the interaction relationships of the PPSP methodology.

A material’s wear behaviour is affected by the material’s properties and structure, which in turn is directly linked to material selection and processing.

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50Ni50Cr regular

50Ni50Cr sulphur shield

Modelling provides abrasion behaviour information The development of new structural materials is always complex, being affected by several factors ranging from physical and chemical phenomena to the material’s behaviour on a macroscopic level. In addition, the processing of the material will always have a significant effect on the characteristics and behaviour of the produced material in different environments of use.

Modelling know-how has increased significantly over the last decade, with the improvement in numerical computation capacity and the development of commercial multi-layer and multi-physics software.

New and increasing service requirements for structures and components create a constant need for the development of more durable materials. Users have also lately begun to demand material durability optimised for specific applications.

VTT has assumed the role of a pioneer in the field through its development of a new concept for designing wear-resistant materials. The new PPSP methodology (Performance-Properties-Structure-Processing) is a systematic way of developing materials and their processing, beginning with the material’s service life and performance requirements.

Thus far, the research has focused on modelling wear behaviour. A material’s wear behaviour is in direct interaction with the material’s mechanical characteristics and structure, while the material’s structure is directly linked to material selections and processing. (Figure 3) The development of wearing materials with an optimal behaviour requires systemVTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

The high-velocity oxy-fuel technique can form an extremely dense coating structure.

atic development work with the help of the PPSP methodology. Depending on the application, the goal may be, for example, the best possible wear resistance, low friction or controlled abrasion.

Every surface can be customised to meet the requirements, whether they are related to adhesive, abrasive, fatigue or chemical wear, or combinations of these.

Conclusions Powder metallurgy processing methods provide a versatile route for the customisation of materials for applications with demanding conditions. Of the various coating methods, thermal

spraying in particular allows the efficient development of different high-performance surfaces. It also allows a wider selection of base materials.

The unique special features of thermal spraying include the innovative material solutions of customised powder compositions, and the structures and compositions deviating from equilibrium enabled by the high cooling speed.

The strong growth which has continued over the last couple of years is considered a permanent trend. Every year, thermal spraying is adopted as part of the manufacturing technology in completely new applications.

References Bolelli, G., Lusvarghi, L., Manfredini, T., Pighetti Mantini, F., Polini, R., Turunen, E., Varis, T. and Hannula, S-P. 2007. Comparison between plasma- and HVOF-sprayed ceramic coatings. Part I: microstructure and mechanical properties, International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering. Vol. 1, No: 1, pp. 38–61.

Bolelli, G., Lusvarghi, L., Manfredini, T., Pighetti Mantini, F., Turunen, E., Varis, T. and Hannula, S-P. 2007. Comparison between plasma- and HVOF-sprayed ceramic coatings. Part II: tribological behaviour, International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering. Vol. 1, No: 1, pp. 62–79.

Ghabchi A., Varis T., Turunen E., Suhonen T., Liu X. and Hannula S-P. 2009. Behavior of HVOF WC-10Co4Cr Coatings with Different Carbide Size in Fine and Coarse Particle Abrasion, Journal of Thermal Spray Technology. ASM International. Vol. 19, No: 1-2, pp. 368–377.

Holmberg, K., Ronkainen, H., Laukkanen, A. and Wallin, K. 2007.

Friction and wear of coated surfaces - scales, modelling and simulation of tribomechanisms, Surface and Coatings Technology 202, pp. 1034–1049.

Holmberg, K. and Matthews, A. 2009. Coatings Tribology, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1st edition 1994, p. 442, revised 2nd edition in press, p. 650.

Holmberg K., Turunen E., Ronkainen H., Laukkanen A. and Wallin K. 2009. Computer modelling and simulation approach to developing wear resistant materials, Tribologia, Finnish Journal of Tribology. Suomen Tribologiayhdistys – The Finnish Society for Tribology. Vol. 28, No: 3-4, pp. 38–43.

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Suhonen, T., Varis, T., Turunen E., Liu, X., Ge, Y., Söderberg, O. and Hannula, S-P. 2008. Modelling the Effect of Microstructure on Mechanical Properties of HVOF Sprayed WC-CoCr Coatings, World Materials Research Institute Forum, Proceedings of the Workshop for Young Materials Scientists (1st International Workshop), Tsukuba, Japan. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), No: 16, pp. 1–14.

Suhonen T., Varis T., Turunen E., Liu X., Ge Y., Söderberg O. and Hannula S-P. 2009. The effect of microstructure on mechanical properties of HVOF sprayed WC-CoCr composite coatings, Tribologia. Vol. 28, No: 1–2, pp. 14–28.

Turunen E., Varis T., Hannula S-P., Kulkarni A., Gutleber J., Vaidya A., Sampath S. and Herman H. 2006. On the role of particle state and deposition procedure on mechanical, tribological and dielectric response of high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed alumina coatings, Materials Science and Engineering A 415, pp.1–11.

Turunen E., Varis T., Gustafsson T. E., Keskinen J., Fält T. and Hannula S-P. 2006. Parameter optimization of HVOF sprayed nanostructured alumina and alumina-nickel composite coatings, Surface and Coatings Technology, 200, pp. 4987–4994.

Varis T., Suhonen T., Ruusuvuori K. and Turunen E. 2008. The effect of thermal history on properties of WC-CoCr coatings, Thermal Spray 2008: Thermal spray crossing borders. (Ed.) E. Lugscheider, DVS German Welding Society, ISBN 978-3-87155979-2, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, pp. 1042–1044.

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Text: Minna Isomursu

Social media as an instrument of power and influence Social media has a considerable impact on the choices we make. At the same time, online community services give us the power to exercise influence, and the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect us.

S

ince the turn of the millennium social media applications have integrated themselves into people’s everyday lives with astonishing speed.

Even though probably everyone in the Western world has heard the term “social media” and formed some sort of picture of it in their minds, defining the term with any precision is difficult.

On an everyday level, social media refers to web-based, user-friendly tools that are open to “ordinary people” and that in some way support a sense of community and social activity. They also mix up the roles of producer and consumer of content by offering everyone opportunities and tools for creating content in place of one-way consumption.

The essential factor is that the tools of social media in some way support community activity, and offer participatory tools to their users.

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Why is social media popular?

The tools of social media afford people more means for feeling they belong to some community. We can use social media as a tool to build identity by taking part in community activities.

People are continuously re-working their identity in relation to others: we describe our identities through our choices in terms of clothing, music and cars, for example. In making decisions as a consumer, construction of personal identity may be a very high-ranking consideration.

The New York Times carried out a study into the five most common reasons for buying a Toyota Prius hybrid model car. Reducing emissions came last on this list.

Reason number one was that buying a Prius “says something about me”. By purchasing a Prius, people wanted to tell others “I care about my environment”. They wished to communicate VTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

Social media serve as a means for constructing identity.

to the world that they care about the environment and green values and that they want to invest in the development of environmentally friendly technology.

In today’s globalising society, it is quite common for an individual’s social network to be geographically dispersed. People often move, and with the help of global organisations and networks, get to know other people from around the world in ever-growing num-

Social networking usage Yes

No

36 36 USA 43 15 Poland 43 41 Britain 40 38 South Korea 36 42 France 34 36 Spain Russia 33 10 Brazil 33 10 Germany 31 49 Argentina 31 17 Turkey 26 12 Japan 24 44 Jordania 24 8 China 23 22 Mexico 23 16 Kenya 19 5 Libanon 18 17 Egypt 18 6 Nigeria 17 7 India 12 4 Indonesia 6 3 Pakistan 33

% No internet* 18 41 16 21 22 31 56 57 20 52 61 32 68 53 61 76 65 76 76 82 91 94

* Respondents not using the internet or email Based on total sample. ”Don’t no/Refuse” not shown.

Samples in China, India and Pakistan are disproportionately urban.

Source: Pew Research Center Q66

Figure 1. Frequency of use of social media solutions globally

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bers. Digital tools are all but indispensable in maintaining these social networks.

By being present and visible in social media, such as Facebook, we already make decisions about how the rest of the world sees our personality and identity in the digital world. The fact that somebody is not on Facebook, for example, says something about that person. When we are active in social media, we are constantly forced to think about how we use it, what we want to do in social media and what we do not want to do.

Everyone performs “brand management” and constructs a “digital image” in using social media and determining his or her own motives and approaches.

The Finnish data protection company F-Secure carried out a study at the beginning of 2010 which asked people about their biggest concerns related to social media. The number one concern was over what potential future employers would find online. This is one example in which the existence and potential problems of a digital identity become tangible for ordinary users.

The digital world, and with particular efficacy social media, offer new tools for constructing identity. The choice of communities in itself reveals the focus of our interests, and by taking part in discussions we express our opinions and present our world view: what we consider important and less important.

We can attempt to influence, to provoke confusion, to help – roles are easily created for people active online that say something about them. With the tools of social media we can make our social network visible, for example, and use profile building tools to describe ourselves.

Businesses and public sector bodies are often denied the opportunity of deciding against any kind of visibility in social media, where unofficial pages and communities may easily form in the absence of an official platform. Outsiders may view this activity as official and planned, even where in reality this is not the case.

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Figure 2. The combination of customer reviews with Facebook-like social networks and applications offers an especially effective tool for sharing favourites and opinions.

Effective tool for influence and wielding power The world is a complicated place, and many contemporary phenomena introduce complications on an ever-increasing scale into everyday life.

Our everyday lives are becoming increasingly technical, globalised and pluralist, and people are unable to make decisions concerning their lives on the basis of factual information alone. Decision-making may require, for example, time spent looking for comparative information, a bedrock of experience used to distinguish factors pertinent to the decision, or an opportunity for practical experiment with different alternatives.

As the real world grows more complex, people place increasing trust in a socially constructed reality. The behaviour, choices and opinions of one’s social circle play a role in decision-making. It has been observed that the mass media is extremely powerful as a platform for topics and ideas, but the influence of friends, colleagues and close social networks is strongest in shaping actual behaviour and opinions.

In studying the impact of different sources of information on the adoption of new antibiotics, it has been observed that the opinions of colleagues have more influence on whether a doctor adopted the new antibiotic than did, for example, marketing by pharmaceutical factories or scientific articles.

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In online shopping, the most popular shopping destinations and the most successful websites feature products or services in which choices or purchasing decisions are strongly integrated with social influence: books, music, tourism.

For example, in the hugely popular online book shop Amazon, readers evaluate and share their opinions of books, which then assist website visitors in making purchasing decisions.

Customer reviews help users to find what they are looking for from the online book shop’s unlimited selection.

By analysing purchasing histories, recommendations can be generated based on which other books have been liked by buyers of the same book, or what other purchases have been made by buyers of the same book. A social network offers a way of navigating an online shop in which it would otherwise be difficult to get a feel for the contents and to find interesting products.

The other very popular service that also draws on customer reviews is tourism.

Social media features are already used so extensively in selecting hotels and restaurants that in Finland, too, there have been major quarrels between restaurant owners and authors of negative reviews. Service providers are not always ready to accept that social media, although potentially good for advertising, have content they are unable to manage. One thereVTT IMPULSE – SCIENCE

File: Minna Isomursu Research professor Minna Isomursu, PhD, researches networked services and media at VTT. Her studies focus on examining social media solutions in different service concepts, such as in services for the older users and in retail.

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fore simply has to learn to live with negative comments.

The majority of shopping websites making use of customer reviews do not yet combine purchasing and review data with information about the user’s social networks. Every user sees the same reviews.

However, reviews and group opinions have been shown to influence our behaviour more strongly the closer or more authoritative we consider the authors of those reviews to be.

We are more sensitive to the opinions of family members or people with authority than to those of people we do not know, or who remain anonymous.

That is why the combination of the aforementioned customer reviews with Facebooklike social networks and applications that help to maintain groups, offers an especially effective tool for sharing favourites and opinions.

Depending on how much attention they receive, group notifications can play a major role in awakening a process of change, but in actual purchasing decisions greater importance is attached to personal networks and opinions on, and support for, reviews. People obtain ideas and information via the media, but personal communication with their own social network reinforces ideas and shapes opinions.

This sort of influence over behaviour can be utilised not only for commerce, but for many other purposes. For example, ecological behaviour can be guided by showing people data on electricity consumption in their neighbourhood, or encouraging people to re-use their towels while staying at a hotel.

It has been discovered that the most effective way of motivating hotel guests is to give them information on the steps taken to save on towel use by the guests who occupied the same room immediately before them. If the previous guests have re-used their towels, the new guests are also more likely to be motivated to re-use theirs after receiving this information.

What made the observations in this study unique is that the information is effective precisely when it applies to a specific room. People are motivated more by information that concerns guests in that particular room, and not, for example, the guests across the corridor.

It seems, then, that we are especially inclined to mimic the behaviour of others in a practically identical situation.

Social media can also serve as a catalyst for enhancing confidence. People have confidence in information and new people connected with people they know and trust. In this way tools that help people to network and share information across social networks can operate in society and business in a way that increases trust.

Participation as an enabler Social media tools create a channel through which everyone has an equal opportunity and right to express their opinions. This can be exploited for a variety of purposes in which the participation and inclusion of people are important.

Social media tools enable rapid and easy accumulation of information about people’s experiences, opinions and attitudes in a way that is integrated into everyday life. The tools allow the construction of feedback and monitoring systems operating in close to real time; these can be used to track people’s opinions and react to feedback.

Various discussion boards, microblogs and other social media forums continuously gather substantially real-time information on how people perceive their environment and on what they consider important. Analysis of this data affords businesses and other actors the opportunity of gathering information pertinent to their activities, such as customer feedback, product or service requirements, or information about weak signals of key significance for the company.

The social network closest to us personally has the strongest influence over our behaviour and opinions.

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In social media, businesses can activate customers to participate in the designing of a product.

Social media tools can also be actively deployed to open up brainstorming and design processes to ordinary people.

Product and service development businesses can activate existing or potential users or customers towards participating in the design of a new product or service. Using social media to encourage people to participate can be especially helpful with methodologically challenging user groups. For example, young girls could be involved in the design of a new mobile phone.

Social media can also assist in the inclusion of citizens in government decision-making by offering new tools for interaction between government, officials and citizens.

In politics there have been signs that internet-based communities are bringing about an increasingly fragmented political field and system, and rendering the political system more sensitive to changes.

Social media may allow extreme phenomena to develop and attract attention, even if for some reason they are ignored in the mainstream media. This attention may come to an extent that gives rise to action or crosses the mainstream media threshold for newsworthiness.

Such situations can emerge in countries in which rigid censorship prevails, and in which social media can make public, and serve to organise, social discontent.

Recent examples of the role of social media include the organisation of unrest in Tunisia and Egypt, and transmission of information about it beyond the countries’ borders. The decision of the Egyptian government to block internet access across the entire country illustrates how great a threat it was to those in power.

In Finland, too, social media has focused public discussion on socially sensitive subjects, such as anti-immigration sentiment.

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Conclusions Social media can be used by people to construct their own digital identity as an active member of a community.

The perception of a social network and observation of the activities, opinions and behaviour of its members help people to construct their own world view, on the basis of which they make decisions and form opinions.

The tools of social media are integrated into people’s everyday tasks, making them a part of everyday activity and decision-making.

For businesses, social media offers not only a new channel for communications, but also methods for including users and customers in their operations, such as product development.

Social media solutions are especially effective in encountering individuals, so they work well in reaching individual customers and users.

The digital nature of social media allows it to be integrated into different service processes, creating opportunities for rapid, essentially ­real-time feedback or observation of weak signals.

References Bimber, B. 1998. The Internet and Political Transformation: Populism, Community, and Accelerated Pluralism, Polity, Vol. 31, No. 1. (Autumn, 1998), pp. 133–160.

F-Secure press release 22 April 2010. “Facebookia käytetään työaikana, kaveeraamista esimiehen kanssa vältellään” (“People use Facebook at work, but avoid friending their boss”) accessed 29 January 2011. www.f-secure.com/fi_FI/about-us/pressroom/ news/2010/fs_news_20100422_01_fi.html Isomursu, M., Isomursu, P. and Still, K. 2004. “Capturing Tacit Knowledge from Young Girls”. Interacting with Computers. Elsevier. Vol. 16/3, pp. 431–449.

Maynard, M. 4 July 2007. Say ’Hybrid’ and Many People Will Hear ’Prius’. New York Times, USA. Näkki, P. 2010. Challenges of Using Open Online Design Spaces – Case Monimos. Open Design Spaces workshop 16 August 2010.

“In Designing Interactive Systems” conference, Århus, Denmark.

Rogers, E. 1982. Diffusion of Innovations. Free Press. New York, USA.

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T E C H N O LO GY

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KEY TERMS camera surveillance, security KEY PERSONS Jari Jankkari, Jouko Viitanen, Jukka Laitinen KEY MESSAGE New camera surveillance technology makes real-time monitoring and analysis of video footage more efficient.

VTT CONTACT jari.jankkari@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.vtt.fi

An intelligent, watchful eye on us all New camera surveillance technology helps capture potential terrorists.

Text Kati Havela Photos iStockphoto, image processing MCI Press

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”D

o not leave your luggage unattended!”

The warning has become familiar to even the occasional traveller from the world’s airports and railway stations.

The threat of terrorism has tightened security regulations, and a suitcase left alone can trigger a large-scale evacuation and disrupt the travel of thousands of people. Terror attacks based on the tactic of abandoned luggage have already claimed several civilian lives and caused chaos on public transport, for example.

Travellers and their luggage are monitored in public places by numerous cameras, which generate a large amount of video material. Up until now there have been no efficient means of analysing and monitoring the video footage.

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Solitary suitcases under scrutiny

VTT is taking part in the pan-European SUBITO project, the aim of which is to improve image analysis technology in camera surveillance systems. With the help of applications currently under development, cameras automatically recognise abandoned luggage and swiftly establish the individual who has left it there as well as his or her path of movement.

“The camera is capable of recognising human figures and the luggage they carry with them. The system automatically conveys information to surveillance personnel about abandoned suitcases,” explains Research Scientist Jari Jankkari from VTT. A practical example of how the applications operate might be as follows: a man walks through an airport terminal, stops and puts his luggage down. The man then con39

Is privacy under threat?

IT IS DIFFICULT to acquire precise data on the total number of surveillance cameras. According to recent estimates, Finland and the United Kingdom use the most surveillance cameras in public spaces.

Highly developed camera surveillance technology offers many different types of information about people: the path taken by individuals can be monitored over long distances, and they are clearly recognisable in high-quality images. By analysing video material we can determine who belongs to a given group of travellers, for example.

How should privacy of the individual be protected?

“The SUBITO project also examines the legal and ethical side of camera surveillance. However, the technology under development is based on existing surveillance systems, so the authorities responsible for maintaining those systems have already had to comply with inspections pertaining to the protection of individual privacy,” notes VTT’s Research Professor Jouko Viitanen.

When talking about security of data transmission, there is also the question of whether information acquired through camera surveillance could end up in the wrong hands.

“Legislation already governs the storage of taped recordings, for example. The arrival of image analysis does not necessarily add anything new to this, other than bringing real-time speed to observation of, and reaction to, threatening situations. The network connections in surveillance systems must, of course, be encrypted in the same way as those in banks,” Viitanen notes.

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tinues his journey, leaving his suitcase behind.

At this point the intelligence embedded in the camera enters the picture: the system registers and calculates the man’s distance from the suitcase he abandoned and continues to monitor his route through the terminal.

The man walks farther and farther away from his suitcase. Based on the distance and lapsed time, the camera system designates the situation as suspicious and dispatches information about the event and the man’s location to surveillance personnel.

In the best or worst case, a suitcase containing dangerous materials is removed before the situation becomes threatening.

The ambitious-sounding target is to recognise threatening situations such as those described in the example with 100-per-cent certainty. According to Jankkari, the application also works in challenging conditions.

“In extremely busy places, we can use cameras that take pictures from above, so individual persons are more clearly separable from each other.”

Recognition of human figures is based on distinguishing the outline or head shape peculiar to an individual. In the demo video produced by the project partners, the camera pays no attention to a bird scuttling through the railway station, but does register the number of passengers walking by.

Cost-efficient, yet highly effective

New technology can be integrated into existing surveillance systems, keeping the cost of implementation under control.

As part of the SUBITO project, VTT has looked into the functionality of various camera surveillance models. Costs and efficiency of surveillance are affected by whether one or many central units are used for handling data and, among other considerations, whether data is transferred between cameras and central units wirelessly or via cable.

“The effectiveness of a wireless system dispersed over several central units grows in relation to the number of cameras,” Jankkari explains.

The new application can therefore be implemented in large spaces such as international airports. And there may well be commercial potential elsewhere.

“The system also operates in reverse. It can be used to ensure that certain goods are not carried away without permission, or to monitor the restocking requirements of shop shelves.” n

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The system automatically conveys information to surveillance personnel about abandoned suitcases.

Unmanned machine recognises danger IN FUTURE, it will be increasingly rare for a person to sit inside a heavy-duty machine to operate it directly. How can one guarantee workplace safety when dealing with a robot machine weighing many tonnes?

The application of robotics to machinery has progressed at pace recently. Robots have traditionally been seen on factory floors, but automated machines are also appearing on work sites, at harbours and in mines.

So far, robots have worked in other areas separated from work sites, but there is a clear need for them on work sites shared by people and machines.

“For example, maintenance work can bring the activity of an entire harbour sector to a halt, given that maintenance personnel cannot work safely amidst heavy machine robots,” explains VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Jukka Laitinen.

VTT has been involved in the HIMA project, which studies methods for observing people in the vicinity of a machine. The methods are based primarily on the use of various cameras and sensors. For example, a heat camera, radar and stereo camera can be attached to the ma-

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chine. The observations generated by them can be integrated into a map on which potential people are marked.

The challenge is that one needs to be able to identify people reliably even in changing conditions. A machine may move at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour, or it may be used in high temperatures or in poor lighting deep below the surface of the earth.

“You’ll always find conditions in which one of the sensors doesn’t function. So in practice one needs many different sensors, so that the machine can recognise human figures reliably and, if necessary, take avoiding action or come to a halt,” explains Laitinen.

Various observation methods and their functionality were tested in Vuosaari harbour and in VTT’s test mine, among other sites.

“The results provide a solid foundation for follow-up development. Application areas or needs can be found in many industrial sectors. There is great interest in the car manufacturing industry in developing traffic safety.”

The image material generated during the project can be viewed at http://jemma.hut.fi/HIMA.

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KEY TERMS Brazil, biofuel, biomass KEY PERSONS Nilson Z. Boeta, André Castro, Cezar Ferreira, Petri Kalliokoski, Kari Larjava, Toni Pikkarainen KEY MESSAGE V T T gains a foothold in the growing Brazilian market.

VTT CONTACT kari.larjava@vtt.fi, petri.kalliokoski@vtt.fi, nilson.boeta@vttbrasil.com MORE INFORMATION www.vtt.fi, www.vttbrasil.com

The time is finally right, Brazil VTT launches research operations in the land of tomorrow.

Text Marjo Kosonen Photos iStockphoto, MPX

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V

TT is establishing a joint research centre in Brazil together with Kemira. Conducting research outside Finland is an important new direction for VTT. Brazil is known for its promise. Coined by some as the land of tomorrow, it may not seem the most obvious choice for a research facility. Why Brazil?

Executive Vice President Kari Larjava explains: “Brazil has vast resources of raw material for biofuel, such as ethanol, that is of good quality from both the ecological and economic perspective. Biomass, in particular sugarcane, grows quickly in Brazil. It has been used as a fuel raw material since the 1970s,” says Larjava, who is responsible for the research and development at VTT. Another important consideration is the fact that Brazil, with its large population, is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Construction and investments are booming there at the moment.

A desirable employer

Brazil has well-established research traditions in biomass refining, which is of benefit when recruiting employees and establishing research partnerships in the area.

On an international scale, however, the overall cost level is very high. On the other hand, salaries vary greatly, so some workforce

can be attained at a reasonable price. Competition for skilled workers is, nevertheless, intense.

VTT believes it has the right appeal. “We are seen as a credible and desirable employer, not least due to our connections with the EU,” Kari Larjava states.

The new research centre is located in São Paulo, Brazil’s business and academic hub. VTT will implement its tried and tested recipe there, i.e. work in cooperation with customers and universities.

“Several internationally operating Finnish companies already have a presence in Brazil.

Apart from Kemira, UPM-Kymmene, Stora Enso and Wärtsilä operate there. We have also already established connections with several local companies, which is a good foundation for the future.”

VTT has decided to move forward on the road to internationalisation. Up until now, many competing research centres have operated mainly on a national scale, but international operation is the way forward.

“VTT offers tangible business benefits” NILSON Z. BOETA, who started work in the spring as Managing Director of VTT Brasil LTDA, considers VTT’s strengths in Brazil to be its multitechnological expertise and applied research.

“Our competitors are generally specialised in a narrow scientific or technological sector and aren’t able to offer such a broad portfolio of expertise. In contrast with traditional research organisations, VTT is also active in applied research and able to offer its clients tangible business benefits.”

However, VTT and even Finland in general are relatively unknown in the country, so first one must establish a profile.

Boeta sees his own role as opening doors.

“My job is to forge links with local research institutes and businesses. It gets easier after the first success.”

Boeta’s background in the sugarcane value chain industry fits this job description perfectly, since many po-

44

tential partners are already familiar to him.

Boeta’s previous experience includes acting as the CEO of the world’s largest sugarcane technology research centre, Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira.

Boeta, who describes himself as a business-oriented person, is passionate about his new challenge as well as the opportunity to have a hand in establishing a new research unit from the ground up, and in putting together a team of highly skilled and development-oriented individuals.

The aim is to grow the unit into a research centre that employs from 15 to 20 people by the end of 2013.

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Brazilian MPX piloting in Finland THE BRAZILIAN COMPANY MPX is planning to build a thermal power plant in Candiota in southern Brazil. MPX invests in integrated systems that include the exploration and commercialisation of natural resources such as coal and gas, logistics, and the generation and commercialisation of power.

“The MPX Sul facility will include two coal-fuelled reheat circulating fluidised-bed (CFB) steam generators and two turbine generators with an electrical output of 727 megawatts,” says project manager Cezar Ferreira.

The plant will be fuelled by coal via conveyor belt. Coal will be supplied from the Seival mine in which MPX holds a 70 per cent stake. Desulphurisation will be performed directly using limestone.

At the proposal of Foster Wheeler, a manufacturer of CFB boilers, MPX assigned VTT to perform a pilot test to simulate real combustion using coal and limestone imported from Brazil.

Last autumn combustion tests were conducted in the 0.1 MW-class pilot CFB in Jyväskylä, Finland.

“The pilot tests provided data and samples for the evaluation of combustion performance and sulphur capture of the tested fuel and limestone. The results were in accordance with our expectations,” Ferreira says.

Joint effort At VTT projects such as these usually entail very close cooperation with the client.

“It is crucial that the results are useful and that the

Finnish innovations have also been produced for the most part by domestic effort. However, VTT is also a strong player on the global field, and in Europe in particular. Cooperation with VTT links many universities and companies to EU programmes.

Forests and energy the key

According to Petri Kalliokoski, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, VTT’s internationalisation strategy defines the core strengths that VTT will focus on in the future, such as forestry and energy industry.

The research centre in Brazil and other foreign units VTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

client is satisfied. As a result of perfecting our service concept for characterisation projects over the years we have been receiving excellent feedback from customers,” says Team Manager Toni Pikkarainen.

Typical challenges include unexpected results requiring an immediate response, or technical problems relating to equipment that need to be repaired fast. Often such projects also run on a very tight schedule.

During the combustion test the MPX team visited the VTT laboratory. “We were impressed with the infrastructure of the laboratory, the organisation and professionalism of the VTT team,” says project coordinator André Castro.

The next step for MPX is to define the limestone suppliers based on test results.

Future projects VTT and MPX are currently discussing the possibility of joint research into generating energy from urban waste residues. They are also planning to launch research related to the co-combustion of coal and wood fuel and the utilisation and final disposal of boiler slag.

MPX is owned by the Brazilian holding company EBX, established in 1983 by Eike Batista. A Brazilian business tycoon and self-made man, Batista is currently the eighthrichest person in the world, with a personal wealth of 27 billion US dollars. The companies of the group are characterised by an X in the name, the symbol of multiplication of wealth.

are owned by VTT International Ltd, of which Kalliokoski is the CEO. In addition to specific industries, VTT’s internationalisation efforts also target specific markets.

VTT already operates in South Korea and the USA. VTT’s Korean operations focus on ICT and electronics, whereas the research in the San Francisco Bay Area close to Silicon Valley focuses on industrial biotechnologies.

“We have selected our target markets carefully to ensure that our expertise complements the local expertise and vice versa. We aim to create interaction, to transfer and exchange information and expertise and to create new markets for Finnish know-how,” Kalliokoski says. n 45

KEY WORDS beer, yeast KEY PERSONS Rainer Juslin, John Londesborough, Annika Wilhelmson KEY MESSAGE V T T is analysing the contents of beer bottles from the early 19th century found in the Åland archipelago.

VTT CONTACT annika.wilhelmson@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.vtt.fi

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In July 2010, a diving team with members from Åland and Sweden found a wreck in the outer Åland archipelago at a depth of around 50 metres.

In the summer of 2010, in the Åland archipelago, divers were investigating an unknown wreck. In addition to champagne, they found five well-preserved bottles of beer.

Researchers gained an excellent opportunity to find out what kind of beer was drunk in the early 19th century.

Text Paula Bergqvist Photos Åland provincial government, Antonin Halas and VTT

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In September 2010, divers in the Åland archipelago retrieved 145 bottles of champagne, most in good condition, and five bottles of beer. The ship is thought to have sailed from one of the cities on the Baltic Sea and presumed to have foundered sometime between 1825 and 1845. New dives will be arranged in summer 2011 in order to obtain more information.

What makes a good beer?

Barley, hops, water and yeast. Other grains are also used instead of barley, in particular wheat.

Production begins with the germination of good-quality malting barley, followed by drying, crushing of the malt and adding of water. Loose materials are filtered from the mash. The wet mash is boiled and hops are added. Dregs are separated from the wort and cooled.

The wort is transferred into a fermenter, to which is added yeast or a yeast selection. Today, beer is brewed using microbe strains, closely guarded by the breweries.

In former times, microbes were more randomly included in the process, and one brewing batch was likely to contain several different microbe strains.

Primary fermentation is followed by secondary fermentation, during which the beer’s taste develops and clarity increases. VTT has developed a method allowing the shortening of this phase, easily turning a couple of weeks into a couple of days with no effect on the beer’s taste.

Finally, the beer is cooled to stop the fermentation, filtered and bottled.

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Beer analysis at VTT started with a careful opening of the bottle. The bottle was not to be broken and its contents contaminated by the microbes in the surroundings. Care had also to be taken that the ancient microbes, suffering from lack of nutrients, were not killed by handling the beer too roughly.

The beer retrieved from the bottom of the sea was golden yellow and bubbly.

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n February 2011, the Åland provincial government – the owner of the cargo – delivered one of the retrieved bottles to VTT for analysis.

“First and foremost, we wish to have the contents of the bottles analysed. Then, we hope to be able to recreate the original recipe in order to use it to brew beer,” says Rainer Juslin, Department Head in the Åland provincial government.

The provincial government intends to commercialise the results of the beer analysis.

What’s in the brew?

Chemical analyses will be performed to find out the kind of raw materials used. It is also important to examine what microbes – e.g. yeast or lactic acid bacteria – remain in the beer. Intact VTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

yeast cells were already found during the first analyses, but it will take some time to find out whether any of the yeast is still alive. Even if no live yeast is found, the yeasts can be identified by studying their DNA. “We hope to find several different yeasts,” says project manager John Londesborough.

“Isolating just one yeast is not enough, because beer used to be brewed with several different yeast microbes.”

The role of yeast in beer brewing was not yet understood in the early 19th century. It was discovered only much later that living yeast microbes create the alcohol and that different yeast strains also affect the taste.

“The raw materials used in the beer, whether barley, wheat or something else was 49

A team specialised in beer characterisation evaluated the appearance, aroma and taste of the beer. Sensory evaluation was used to determine what kind of further analyses should be included in the project. For this task, the team was given 85 millilitres of beer – just a spoonful for each taster. The team judged the beer to have been of the lambic type.

Pictured Helena Virtanen, Arvi Wilpola, Silja Home and Erna Storgårds.

In the early 19th century the role of yeast in beer brewing was not yet understood. used, can be identified through protein analyses. As researchers, we are also interested in finding out the kind of beer that was drunk in the early 19th century,” says Annika Wilhelmson, Customer Manager and beer expert at VTT. The proteins of wheat and barley are similar, so the task will not be easy.

Surprisingly clear for its age

Around 170 years ago, the beer was completely different to what it is now. The beer brought up from the bottom of the sea, however, had a good appearance: it was golden yellow, bubbly and, considering its age, surprisingly clear. Naturally, its aroma and taste had suffered with time.

“It is likely that only the best beers were bottled in the early 19th century. Back then, beer was usually stored in barrels,” Juslin says.

VTT’s research will be completed during spring 2011. n 50

The story of the wreck remains a mystery AT THE START OF JULY 2010, a team of divers from Åland and Sweden discovered a wreck in the southern outer archipelago of Åland. The sailing ship stood on its keel on the sea floor at a depth of around 50 metres.

The ship’s hull proved to be almost intact. The hull of the two-masted galleass was around 21.5 metres long and 6.5 metres wide.

Based on technical details and item finds, the ship was built in the early 19th century. It presumably foundered while sailing on an ancient sea route from the Sea of Åland to Björkör.

The sunken ship is a relic, and its cargo belongs to the government of the Åland province of Finland.

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KEY TERMS Alzheimer’s disease, early diagnosis, treatment monitoring KEY PERSONS Jyrki Lötjönen, Hilkka Soininen KEY MESSAGE Researchers are developing tools that help detect Alzheimer’s disease as early as possible.

VTT CONTACT jyrki.lotjonen@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.vtt.fi

Faster diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease The PredictAD research project, co-ordinated by VTT, is developing tools for doctors for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and follow-up of treatment efficacy.

Text Mirkka Isotalo Photos iStockphoto

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Alzheimer’s disease exceed 55 billion euros.

Alzheimer’s disease is typically diagnosed in older people, and its prevalence is estimated to increase rapidly as the average age in the western countries rises.

The number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to double in the next 20 years, and quadruple over the next 40 years. ”Finding a treatment – a drug or some other form of therapy – to even slow down the development of the disease would have a significant impact on the national economy. According to estimates, slowing the progress by five years would reduce the total costs by 50 per cent,” explains Jyrki Lötjönen, a Senior Research Scientist at VTT. Early diagnosis is crucial

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n estimated 36 million people all over the world suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, there is no treatment to cure or slow the course of the disease. Only its symptoms can be alleviated. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that eventually damages brain cells, leading to progressive loss of memory and dementia, and is ultimately fatal.

Alzheimer’s disease is also a tremendous challenge to today’s societies. The costs imposed by Alzheimer’s disease amount to approximately 1 per cent of the gross world product, and in Europe the annual expenses of VTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

Lötjönen is the scientific coordinator of the PredictAD consortium which is funded by the EU to develop tools for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Experts in Alzheimer’s research across Europe participate in the PredictAD project: GE Healthcare and Imperial College London from the UK, Karolinska Institutet from Sweden, the University of Milan from Italy, and Rigshospitalet from Denmark. In addition to VTT, other participants from Finland include the company Nexstim and the Department of Neurology at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio.

The three-year project was launched in 2008 to develop effective and objective tools for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The project seeks to identify new biomarkers and new methods of combining different biomarkers to enable early diagnosis.

Currently, early diagnosis is crucial for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but in the future its importance will be further enhanced as new drugs and forms of treatment are launched. ”According to the consensus, treatment should be initiated as early as possible,” Lötjönen says. ”Once the disease has progressed and brain cells are already dead, the possibilities are very limited.”

Memory problems – the first sign of trouble

Currently, a person with Alzheimer’s disease usually seeks treatment after experiencing memory problems. However, the disease has already progressed for 5 to 8 years, or even longer, prior to this. ”Ideally, we should be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease when it starts to progress and no memory problems are yet present,” Lötjönen says.

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The number of patients with Alzheimer’s is expected to double in the next 20 years.

PredictAD focuses on the current situation when the interval between the first memory problems and diagnosis is approximately 20 months. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is slow mainly due to the lack of reliable and objective tools.

In Finland, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is determined in the Current Care Guidelines.

According to the diagnosis guidelines, the patient must present at least one other finding related to the disease, in addition to memory problems.

Other findings include brain tissue loss, a biomarker determined in the cerebrospinal fluid, an abnormal finding detected in PET scans, or a specific gene mutation observed in close relatives.

VTT focuses on the automatic assessment of MRI images to detect tissue loss, finding new biomarkers in blood samples, and developing a software to combine patient data from various sources.

With a subjective eye

In memory diseases, cerebral changes are usually first detected in the hippocampus which is located inside the temporal lobe. In a healthy person, the hippocampus is significantly larger than in persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Typically, doctors have assessed the hippocampal atrophy visually using MRI images.

In subjective assessments, the doctor’s personal experience becomes disproportionately important and errors occur. ”On a 5-point scale, the margin of error is plus or minus one,” Lötjönen notes.

In the spring of 2010, VTT announced a new method for detecting Alzheimer’s disease using MRI images. The new method is a product of the PredictAD project enabling the measurement of the volume of the hippocampus accurately and reliably in two minutes. The MRI images are first uploaded, and then the computer software locates the hippocampus from the uploaded images and calculates its volume.

The accuracy of this method corresponds to the manual calculations made by experts in the field. Until now, these manual calculations have represented the most reliable method for 54

assessing cerebral atrophy. In clinical applications, functional reliability and accuracy is vital. The positive results of a study on 1,000 persons were published in the spring of 2011 in NeuroImage.

A participant in the Predict AD project, the Imperial College London, has developed a method of calculating the rate of tissue loss by comparing MRI images of the brain taken at 12- or 6-month intervals.

Promising blood samples

Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is further complicated by the fact that a single biomarker predicting the onset of the disease has not been discovered. VTT has been studying biomarkers which could be detected in blood. The current treatment regime would benefit from this greatly as collecting blood samples is considerably less complicated than sampling cerebrospinal fluid.

According to Lötjönen, results have been promising. ”We are definitely on to something,” he admits, without revealing any details. The study is not yet complete.

According to Lötjönen, it is likely that in the future, scientists and physicians will need to combine data from various sources to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

A novel risk index

This spring, the PredictAD consortium announced a software which combines the results of various patient examinations and enables comparing them to a pool of data gathered from healthy individuals and patients in different stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

A database containing examination results from healthy individuals and people with memory disorders forms the core of the software.

Examinations include blood sampling, MRI images and PET scans, electrical brain activity measurements, and clinical examinations.

The patient’s results are compared to the results stored in the database. Based on the comparison, the software determines an index numVTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

ber reflecting the probability of Alzheimer’s disease. ”When this figure is zero, it means that the results of the examined patient are very similar to the results of the healthy individuals, and that corresponding results are not found in any of the patients with Alzheimer’s disease stored in the database. However, the number one indicates a strong possibility of Alzheimer’s disease,” Lötjönen explains.

Today, patients are subjected to several tests, and compiling an accurate and reliable interpretation of the flow of information is challenging. PredictAD has produced a new, patented visualisation system to display relevant

information in a readily comprehensible format.

A patient ”fingerprint” – a graphic representation based on patient data – can be compared to the ”fingerprint” of the disease, and the similarities and differences noted.

The system has been developed in close cooperation with clinicians to ensure it matches the needs of hospitals. The design team comprised over ten neurologists and geriatricians from Finland and Denmark.

And their work has not been futile. ”According to our study in Europe, 85 per cent of physicians would prefer to use a tool which combines the various results and calculates a risk index,” Lötjönen explains. n

A swift step forward THE SOFTWARE developed by PredictAD provides a significant contribution to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Never before have physicians had a similar risk index at their disposal. ”This is definitely a step forward,” states Professor Hilkka Soininen from the Department of Neurology at the University of Eastern Finland. She is in charge of studying the functional reliability of the new tool.

Patients benefit from the new tools, because they ensure an even quality of treatment; the accuracy of diagnosis has previously been dependent on the experience of the attending physician. ”The availability of services is not on an equal level in all parts of the country,” Soininen comments.

The Department of Neurology in Kuopio is a leading European research centre focusing on memory diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease in particular. The Department is experienced in population-based research and studies on the risk factors of memory diseases.

According to Soininen, multiple factors contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to advanced age, risk factors include high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, midlife obesity and smoking. ”The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease could be decreased by half, if blood pressure and other life style issues were adequately treated during midlife.”

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A lower level of education is also a risk factor, since educated patients actively using their brain reserves are able to resist the effects of the disease longer. However, there are also strong genetic risk factors. ”Out of every 100 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 40 have reported memory disorders in the family. On the other hand, dominantly inherited early-onset Alzheimer’s is rare – its incidence is less than 1 per cent of all patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Scientists have not fully discovered the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is known that with the disease beta amyloid proteins begin to accumulate in the brain. Beta-amyloid and tau protein levels can be determined in cerebrospinal fluid.

Abnormal findings support an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

According to Soininen, research on Alzheimer’s disease progresses at a swift pace. Drug discovery research is also lively.

Last year, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health set up a working group to prepare a national programme for combating memory disorders, with an aim of promoting early detection and securing the development of treatment and service systems. Soininen believes that the national programme coincides opportunely with PredictAD. ”This is a major project, laying the scientific foundations for early diagnosis.”

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KEY TERMS bioleaching, microbiology, biotechnology, Ecomining KEY PERSONS Tuija Nevalainen, Elina Vestola KEY MESSAGE Bioleaching of industrial waste reduces the volume of landfill waste.

VTT CONTACT elina.vestola@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.vtt.fi

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Bioleaching metals from waste Enriching metals with microbes has long been common practice in the mining industry. VTT is now applying the same concept to industrial waste processing with the objective of saving natural resources.

Text Paula Bergqvist Photos Timo Kauppila, iStockphoto

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Ecomining – recycling waste metals VTT’s Ecomining technology is a biological process developed for extracting the waste materials from the mining, metal, steel and recycling industries, allowing the environmental impact of the waste to be reduced and the metals recycled.

In order to prove the functionality and costeffectiveness of the process, VTT and Geological Survey of Finland are currently testing on larger than laboratory-scale.

The results should be ready when the project ends in August 2011. VTT is also investigating the method’s commercialisation possibilities.

In 2010, EARTO, the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations, granted the Ecomining innovation an honourable mention.

The project has been funded by Tekes and various companies.

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ndustrial waste contains metals that the Earth is predicted to run out of during the coming decades. Reducing the metal content of waste would lower the environmental damage and make final disposal and utilisation of waste easier.

Metals can be recovered, but up to now there have been no economically feasible methods.

“While consumption is growing, the quantity of metals decreases and the prices increase.

Added to this, landfill dumping is a waste of valuable raw materials.” This is the opinion of one of the researchers behind the new Ecomining invention, research scientist Elina Vestola at VTT. “We started developing the idea about ten years ago after realising that no suitable methods were available for extracting metals from waste materials. The chemical–physical methods of the time were incapable of extracting the various metals from heterogenic waste flows with adequate efficiency.

We at VTT decided to investigate whether bio­ leaching, familiar from the mining industry, could be utilised in waste processing,” Vestola recalls.

Now, a couple of years later, VTT is actively researching a biological process developed for the refining of waste materials. The Ecomining method allows the reduction of environmental damage from waste while recovering metals for further utilisation.

All-round benefits

The Ecomining process provides benefits for companies that find it important to increase the disposal possibilities and utilisation of waste: mines, companies in the metal and steel industries, and recycling companies.

The method creates new product and service possibilities for technology and equipment suppliers, while offering processing and service companies in the waste industry the opportunity of new service business and sales of new raw materials and products.

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Dumping to a landfill is a waste of valuable raw materials.

The waste flows from the metal, recycling and mining industries contain an abundance of exploitable metals that could be recovered and utilised, metals that currently end up in landfills in an almost unchanged form.

As an example, iron and steel manufacturing in Finland generates 450,000 tonnes of waste each year, an estimated 200,000 tonnes of which is metals. Annually, three million tonnes of waste ends up in the mining industry’s disposal areas, with only a fifth of it utilised.

Work for microbes

The Ecomining method is based on microbes leaching metals.

“In natural conditions, certain microbes are able to leach metals from minerals into a soluble form,” Vestola explains. “Bioleaching uses natural microbes, which can be found, for example, on mining sites. These are completely harmless to humans. The microbes require a low-pH living environment, which means they would not survive in normal living conditions.”

According to Vestola, the easiest metals to extract are iron, zinc, nickel, cobalt and copper. Metal yields differ according to the type of waste. For example, the copper refinery slag formed as a by-product of copper production contains 0.35 per cent copper, of which 60 to 100 per cent can be recovered depending on the leaching conditions.

“By mixing microbes in the waste materials and regulating their living conditions we get the microbes to do the work for us and leach the metals for later processing,” says Vestola.

“VTT’s solution improves the recyclability and final disposal of the waste. At best, after the metals have been extracted the waste can be utilised, for example, in earthworks or road construction.”

The Ecomining project combines the work of experts in many different fields of science.

Experts in biotechnology, microbiology, engineering sciences, modelling and environmenVTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

tal technology have all been involved in the project.

Profitable or not?

Bioleaching is profitable in cases where the final disposal of waste in a landfill is expensive.

“This process helps reduce the waste’s metal content, which in turn reduces landfill costs.

If the material is sufficiently clean for utilisation – in earthworks and road construction, for example – the landfill costs can be avoided altogether,” says Vestola in describing the process. n

Recycling sludge THE FINNISH METAL industry company Ruukki has been involved in the Ecomining project from the start.

“We have some thousands of tonnes of sludge containing carbon and ferrous oxides. Our goal is to improve their recyclability,” says Development Engineer Tuija Nevalainen, who works in Ruukki’s Raahe offices as a member of the iron manufacturing development group.

“We joined the project in order to gain insight into the suitability of the bioleaching process for handling by-product flows with iron content. We are also interested in the bio­ leaching unit processes and their environmental effects. Extracting hazardous materials to improving recyclability will bring a reduction in the amount of sludge spread in landfills.”

Ruukki is now waiting for the end of the pilot phase and its results. “We are naturally also interested in what information can be had on the costs of the method.”

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KEY TERMS traffic sur veilance, traffic safety KEY PERSONS Maria Jokela, Matti Kutila, Jarmo Puustinen KEY MESSAGE Police can intervene more comprehensively in traffic violations with the help of automated camera surveillance and wireless internet connection technology.

VTT CONTACT matti.kutila@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.project-asset.com

NOVEL TESTING DEVICE

boosts traffic surveillance A triple-lens camera reaches out from the roof of a trailer that appears to be abandoned by the road, ceaselessly monitoring the vehicles racing past.

Text Annu Marjanen Photos Ari Ijäs

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otorists driving through the Tampere region in Finland may be puzzled by the presence of a trailer standing by the road. The trailer, however, contains a trial device developed

by VTT, which makes traffic surveillance more versatile and effective.

The police are involved in trialling the device in the region before deployment nationwide.

“Improving safety is always the most important part of traffic surveillance,” emphasises inspector Jarmo Puustinen of the Finnish National Traffic Police. By enhancing surveillance we can prevent traffic violations, and thereby also accidents.

The device, which is based on automated camera surveillance and a wireless internet connection, allows the police to intervene in violations more comprehensively than is the case with surveillance carried out by undercover officers or traditional police cars.

Shared surveillance database

The trailer can easily be transferred from one location to another. It can be used to monitor not only driving speeds, but seatbelt use, safe distances between vehicles and road surface grip levels, as well as to assess environmental emissions.

“Technological development makes surveillance more even-handed: with the help of new technology we can sift out many times the number of people committing a particular criminal act than we can with traditional traffic surveillance,” Puustinen explains.

VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Matti Kutila says that VTT and the police have co-operated on research in the past, but this is the first time they are working together at the technological level to improve traffic surveillance.

According to Kutila, a significant new feature of the device is that surveillance data is compiled in a single database, where it is available to the police, road operators and environmental authorities.

However, only the police have access to licence plate numbers and car registration data. Data protection issues have been carefully considered during development of the surveillance device. The database is protected by firewalls and technical solutions. The device automatically destroys images over one month old and those in which no traffic violation is evident.

Support for monitoring seatbelt use

The police conclude that speeding, drunk driving and failure to use a seatbelt are the most significant causes of traffic fatalities in Europe.

Matti Kutila says that the ability to monitor seatbelt use is the most promising feature of VTT’s trial device. For the time being, the degree of reliability of monitoring is only 60 per cent, but the aim is to shrink the margin of error with the help of a more accurate camera system and enhanced image-processing technology.

The need for monitoring of seatbelt use is backed up by a study by Liikenneturva, the central organisation for Finnish traffic safety work, showing that half of Finns take the view that there should be harsher penalties for failure to use a seatbelt.

According to the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre, studies carried out over the last five years indicate that a seatbelt would have saved the lives of more than half those killed in passenger cars and delivery vans.

A seatbelt provides effective protection against traffic injury and fatality, especially when driving through built-up areas. Nevertheless, it is precisely in built-up areas that people most commonly fail to use a seatbelt.

The roads can never be too safe The aim of the EU-funded ASSET project (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport) is to improve safety and reduce accidents in road traffic.

A total of 19 operators in Europe, Tanzania and India are involved in the project. The partners comprise universities, research institutes, businesses and end users.

Finland’s National Traffic Police is taking part in the project as an expert member.

The project’s total budget is 8.2 million euros, with most of this funded by the European Commission. The threeyear project is set to run until the end of 2011.

VTT is responsible for the development of the test equipment trialled in Tampere in cooperation with service operator Emtele Oy.

The trailer can be used to monitor driving speeds, safe distances between vehicles, seatbelt use...

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Weather updates and directions

The trial device is part of the EU-funded ASSET project, which aims to reduce traffic accidents. In addition to surveillance devices, the project includes trialling of support applications for drivers which can be used to enhance drivers’ awareness of risks and influence driving behaviour.

Under a pilot system implemented in Belfort, France, motorists can receive information on their mobile phones about economical driving practices, for example, or instructions on speed levels in relation to weather conditions.

The project’s trial areas are located in Finland, Germany, France and Austria. In Germany, the focus is on surveillance of heavy traffic: the trial devices gauge the potential overloading of trucks as well as the condition of brakes and tyres. The French trial is looking at applications and route computing based on communication between vehicles.

“Route computing can be used to seal off accident zones, for example, and direct ambulances to them using the quickest possible route,” says VTT researcher Maria Jokela.

From trailer to police car

The aim is to develop the test equipment to match police requirements as closely as possible.

“Bearing in mind Finnish weather conditions, we need to be able to transfer the device from a trailer to a police car,” Jarmo Puustinen says.

The technical trialling phase for the device will continue until the end of 2011. Before the device is properly introduced into routine surveillance work, it will require the approval of senior management in the police force.

“Individual technological solutions will probably find their way into police vans during 2011–2013. The entire system could be in production by 2013,” estimates Matti Kutila. n

“Trailer police” spark discussion across the globe LAST AUTUMN, a news item spread across the world that caused a sensation in the online discussion boards of several newspapers. Media in Europe, India, Africa and the United States reported on a “supercamera” being trialled in Finland which would enable the police to crack down on traffic violations by motorists.

Presentation of the trial device to journalists also provoked a spirited discussion in the Finnish media, but the international attention came as a complete surprise to VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Matti Kutila.

“A Maltese road operator is interested in trialling the device; one small American town in the Rocky Mountains would like to adjust the technology to their own conditions; an Australian TV company is considering a filming expedition to Finland…” Kutila recites.

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Matti Kutila believes that the interest is due to police forces worldwide not having invested significantly up to now in the technological development of traffic surveillance.

Moreover, improving the efficacy of surveillance always provokes protests: a torrent of frenzied criticism was unleashed in the British press, for example.

“The most important task of the device is to improve traffic safety, but of course the notion that Big Brother is watching makes for more sensational headlines,” Kutila notes.

Attention-grabbing headlines and feisty debate do not necessarily mean that improving traffic surveillance would be viewed as unnecessary, however.

“For all the public concern, the United Kingdom would also like to take part in a follow-up project,” Kutila points out.

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KEY TERMS virtual modelling, remote control KEY PERSONS Mikko Siuko KEY MESSAGE With the help of virtual modelling and remote control, robots can carry out maintenance work in places that are dangerous to humans.

VTT CONTACT mikko.siuko@vtt.fi MORE INFORMATION www.rovir.fi, www.iter.org

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Into the danger zone, virtually ROViR, which combines virtual modelling and remote control, dispatches robots to perform maintenance work in places where humans should not even try to venture.

Text Anne Hänninen Photos ROViR, iStockphoto, Antonin Halas

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machine can enter places that are challenging, hazardous or even life-threatening to humans.

This is the idea underlying VTT’s ROViR project, in which remote use of devices is combined with virtual modelling. The aim is to create a precise and safe way of performing work in narrow, hot or high-radiation spaces.

Remote use and virtual modelling are nothing new in themselves. Devices and machines are increasingly designed with the help of virtual modelling, which accelerates development work and improves its quality. When the device has already been modelled, the information can be utilised to control it remotely.

Remote control without an image

By combining the techniques we can create a new way of working, particularly in situations in which establishing a video image is either completely or nearly impossible.

“Sometimes the environment is such that a camera won’t fit there or won’t withstand the conditions. In those cases, the operator can control the device in a virtual model including not only the device, but also the environment in which it is used,” says VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Mikko Siuko.

A good example of this kind of environment is the international fusion experiment laboratory, for which VTT and its partners are developing a maintenance robot. When the ITER VTT IMPULSE – TECHNOLOGY

reactor goes online, the radiation and high temperature will not permit humans to approach the reactor to carry out necessary maintenance measures.

Savings from short shutdowns

ROViR technology could be used in more everyday industry than fusion power and much sooner than 2019, when the ITER fusion reactor is currently scheduled to go online.

“When we’re talking about challenging or dangerous environments, places such as mines and the ocean floor spring to mind. Suitable applications can also be found closer to home, at the nearest power plant.”

Maintenance disruptions are a necessary evil in all types of power plant, since they suspend electricity production. The longer the disruption, the more expensive it becomes. With the help of remote control the disruption can be shortened.

“A remote-controlled robot can be dispatched to carry out maintenance work when a boiler is far too hot for humans, for example.

Moreover, modelling helps to plan maintenance measures thoroughly in advance. That way a shutdown can be kept as brief as possible.”

In industry, virtual modelling can be used to test the movement and operation of equipment in advance.

“Industrial machines are often expensive and must be kept in efficient use. A virtual model helps to reduce errors not only in practice, but before it. A simulator is used in training for many expensive devices; as tech65

nology develops, use of simulators in training and work exercises will increase. Virtual training clearly reveals who is suitable for the job.

That way we avoid problems in real-life situations,” Siuko says.

Model versus reality

Combining remote control with virtual models is technologically demanding, since reality never corresponds perfectly with a model.

“Manufacturing tolerances always lead to manufactured devices differing slightly from each other. The differences may amount to tenths of a millimetre or millimetres. In normal life this does not present problems, but if the device under remote control has only millimetres of clearance, even the smallest differences between the model and reality can create difficulties.”

Moreover, remote control must make provision for the changes in structure brought about by wear and tear. For example, in ITER maintenance robots, structural changes while under full utilisation may amount to as much as 80 millimetres. There are always structural changes, and they can be taken into account and compensated for, as long as they are recognised.

By similar token, modelling of the user environment is not always as straightforward as

in power plants and factories. The environment of a mine is a good example: there is no ready image, but one can be formed using laser scanning. With the help of a 3D image generated through scanning, untried environments can also be entered by a remote-controlled device.

Remote operation on the rise

So far, ROViR’s resources have been tied primarily to the ITER project. Much work remains, but now we are at a stage where lessons learnt can also be applied elsewhere. That is why VTT is looking for new projects and areas of application in industry.

“There are still few remote-controlled devices, but in future their application will spread significantly, given that laser scanning and virtual modelling are everyday tools. This development is also supported by the increasing use of information technology in devices and machines, as well as the progress in safety technology,” Siuko predicts.

With the help of remote use and virtual modelling, all manufacturing and maintenance tasks can be planned and machines and devices prepared for action in advance, which shortens the duration of shutdowns and thereby makes for a more efficient operation. Remote operation of devices will inevitably become more common. n

The ITER reactor’s maintenance robot ITER IS AN INTERNATIONAL, 500-megawatt experimental fusion power plant currently being built in Cadarache, in the South of France. With the largest reactor so far, it will be the first plant to enable the use of fusion power on an industrial scale.

The reactor will not be taken online for some years yet – the fusion experiment plant is expected to be operational in 2019.

VTT is leading the DTP2 (Divertor Test Platform) project in which equipment, methods and software for the maintenance of the fusion reactor are developed in the ROViR laboratory. Transport robots controlled remotely with the help of virtual modelling make up one part of this. Work will also continue after the plant goes online. It will include training of operators, training for new tasks, and development of new equipment.

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DTP2 is a full-scale model of the fusion reactor’s foundation segment, the Divertor area. The test platform is around 20 metres long and weighs around 65 tonnes.

The transport robot tested during the first stage is around 3.5 metres in length and weighs around 8.5 tonnes. The weight of the reactor component, to be handled with a few millimetres of accuracy, is around 9 tonnes.

The temperature of the fusion plasma exceeds 100 million degrees, so the temperature of the reactor reaches high levels. The environment is also radioactive as a result of neutrons radiated by the fusion. Humans cannot approach the reactor once it is online, so remote maintenance work is the only possible alternative.

Tampere University of Technology and the Lappeenranta University of Technology are involved in the project in addition to VTT.

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Don‘t let your ideas escape Participating in an international research project has paid off for Metso Automation. A new, unique solution helps prevent new ideas from getting buried in the archives.

Text Leena Koskenlaakso Photos Metso, iStockphoto

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etso Automation took part in the ITEI (Information Technologies Supporting the Execution of Innovation Projects) research project in order to acquire better tools and methods for handling and managing product ideas.

Metso Automation delivers machine and process automation solutions to the pulp and paper industry as well as the energy and process industry.

“Our key product is the Metso DNA automated system, which we are constantly developing. We took part in the research project to improve our methods for managing product ideas related to the system,” explains Antti Välimäki, head of method development.

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Methods and tools for managing innovations

Twenty-nine businesses and research institutes in Spain, Finland and Belgium took part in the three-year ITEI project, which studied methods and tools for managing innovations. Primary targets of research were differences in innovation practices in companies, and the utilisation of social media tools in companies’ product development operations.

VTT, which coordinated the Finnish group in the project, offered Metso Automation the opportunity to participate in the project.

“VTT worked with us to develop methods and tools for handling and managing product ideas, and was involved in analysing the departure situation, mapping out bottlenecks and coming up with suggested improvements and potential solutions. The people at VTT also asVTT IMPULSE – BUSINESS

Ideas can now be recorded anytime, anywhere.

sessed the project’s degree of success,” Välimäki says.

A seamless transition from product to idea

The final result was the integrated, Lotus Notesbased database tool, which can be used to record product ideas anytime, anywhere. The tool is used by both product managers and marketing and maintenance personnel.

Ideas generated in the idea-to-product process are directed either into development projects, where they are implemented more quickly, or into Road Map, for possible implementation at a future date.

“Idea management now forms part of the overall process. That way we ensure ideas don’t get sucked into the system’s whirlpools,” says Välimäki.

The tool has improved international communication within the company. The planning practices and standards for automation vary by sector and also by country, and now Metso Automation receives higher-quality information on the needs of its customers based in different parts of the globe. This has been especially helpful in defining regional and sector-specific needs when developing the automation system.

According to Välimäki, the most important thing is that product managers were involved

in developing the tools and methods, and committed to implementing the renewal associated with them. They have responded encouragingly to the new innovation tools and practices.

VTT involved in development work

Cooperation between Metso and VTT is based on a solid foundation.

“The need to make Metso’s innovation management methods and tools more efficient was observed in 2006 when we cooperated in developing a system of product management for multi-technological products. This work has continued in the ITEI project,” says VTT’s ­Senior Research Scientist Jukka Kääriäinen.

“At the beginning of the ITEI project, we obtained information from VTT about what was happening in the research world and in other companies in other groups. VTT’s most important role has been in method development.

Without VTT’s technical support we would not have been able to advance as quickly,” Antti Välimäki says.

VTT also helped Metso Automation in forging international connections.

“In our international projects, it’s important to create a network with other companies and research institutes. The network gives you information about the development targets of other companies that would otherwise be impossible to acquire,” Välimäki notes. n

Innovating in software companies THE ITEI PROJECT generated a book aimed at company management called The Art of Software Innovation – Eight Practice Areas to Inspire Your Business.

The book, to be published by Springer in summer 2011, is the product of close cooperation among the consortium’s more than 50 partners, but especially with the Belgian research institute Sirris and VTT. It is a compilation of experience in innovation work in software companies.

The book depicts the process of innovating with the help of software. A total of 47 different examples are described.

“The project has generated an innovation community, www.sinnobok.org, where you can discuss the challenges and potential solutions associated with innovation work,” explains VTT’s Senior Research Scientist Minna Pikkarainen.

VTT IMPULSE – BUSINESS

Lessons and shared experience in international research projects This is how a company benefits from participation in an international research project: • Synergy benefits resulting from the shared interests of the group’s research and commercial members from different countries • A strong understanding of the current state of research in one’s own field, and of the methods and tools applied and reported experiences with them • An opportunity to compare one’s own practices and tools with best practices applied elsewhere • A space to share experiences reciprocally with the companies participating in research projects • A reduced risk in experimenting with entirely new issues in international research projects and taking advantage of external funding

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Raising the bar of BEER RESEARCH Brewery research in Finland is quite unique. Competitors work together to produce world-class, pre-commercial research to improve the quality and shelf life of beer.

Text Joanna Sinclair Photos iStockphoto

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here’s no two ways about it, Finns appreciate their beer.

The annual consumption of an average Finn is about 80– 90 liters. This is quite a lot, but not record high. Finns might have some catching up to do before they reach world-class beer consumption levels, but when it comes to the science of good beer – and the actual production of malt and beer, Finnish skills are near unrivalled.

This is mostly thanks to Panimolaboratorio Ltd, which has operated at the forefront of beer and brewery research ever since the 1950’s.

Located in VTT’s buildings in Espoo, Finland, Panimolaboratorio has had a considerable impact on the entire production chain of Finnish beer.

As a result of decades of research, the beer we drink keeps for a much longer time, its microbiological quality has improved tremendously, brewery production has been streamlined to high ecological standards – and above 70

all, the sheer variety of Finnish beers available to consumers has grown beyond most any expectations.

Today, new research allows breweries to be experimental, try out new tastes, think out of the box; do what they may to see what tickles the consumer’s fancy.

Two of the owners of Panimolaboratorio Ltd, Hartwall and Polttimo Group, share their experiences of working with Panimolaboratorio, and shed light on why pre-commercial research is a necessity.

Hartwall – research is always a must

In the early years, Panimolaboratorio had two main objectives: to ensure Finnish self-sufficiency in barley production and to improve the shelf life and overall quality of beer.

Needless to say, these goals have been met and surpassed ages ago, yet research on these very same topics is still needed. Chairman of the Board of Panimolaboratorio, Hartwall’s head of research and development Jorma Rasi explains why.

VTT IMPULSE – BUSINESS

What do you ­mean, the beer has gone bad?

In the 1930’s beer tended to go bad at a pace today’s consumers can’t imagine. Back then it was not unheard of to check beer much like you still check milk after a week or so, can you still drink it?

In the 1950’s beer kept a bit better, but every second bottle still went murky within two weeks.

By the end of the decade – thanks to Panimolaboratorio research – only one bottle in ten wasn’t clear after two weeks on the shelf.

This all sounds incredible to a consumer in our day and age. But beer doesn’t go bad. Doesn’t it keep forever?

“There is no limit to improving the production of beer. If an outsider takes a quick look at our industry, they might find it static. A traditional business like ours rarely experiences groundbreaking inventions, at least not ones the media takes notice of,” Rasi explains.

Constant, gradual improvements are typical of the beer industry. Something is happening all the time, but major improvements take place little by little and only show their true colors in the course of a decade.

Rasi gives his own career as an example.

He started in the brewery industry in the late 1970’s. Since then, beer production has improved considerably. Beer today is much more ecological and its quality is consistently high.

In a word: the beverage is better.

“In the 1970’s the normal processing time was about 10 weeks, now it takes 14–16 days, on average. Panimolaboratorio in responsible for a great many of the innovations that have made Finnish beer production what it is today,” Rasi affirms.

Important findings mark Panimolaboratorio’s history so far. Rasi especially remembers innovation such as warm storage and immobilized yeast – an excellent invention, he notes.

“Brewery research in Finland is quite unique. Competitors work together to produce world-class, pre-commercial research that benefits the field of science in general. Finland has quite a stand in international research in our field, especially so when you note how small a country we are,” Rasi points out.

At present Panimolaboratorio is studying microbe communication, looking to find new and improved ways of preventing microbe layers forming on brewery surfaces.

Rasi has high expectations from this line of research.

“You should never underestimate the importance of this kind of research. More knowledge is always needed. Brewery hygiene in Finland is known to be world-class, but that does not mean that there would not be room for improvement. We can always become better,” Rasi says.

I believe we are the northernmost country in which malt barley is cultivated.

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Viking Malt – looking out for the whole chain

Pekka Reinikainen from Polttimo Group’s Viking Malt is on Panimolaboratorio’s Board as well. He says that the benefits that Panimo­ laboratorio’s research has brought to his own line of business are undeniable, but the buck does not stop here.

When you look at the big picture, Panimolaboratorio has benefitted the entire beer production chain, all the way from barley farmers to the stores and restaurants selling the end product.

“When you look at beer production, the starting point of Panimolaboratorio’s research has always been the benefit of the entire production chain,” Reinikainen starts.

As an example Reinikainen mentions the Barley Committee, set up by Panimolaboratorio.

The committee has done groundbreaking work in finding the ideal barley for Finland’s short growth period with its exceptional amount of sunlight: barley best suited for the land of the midnight sun.

“I believe we are the northernmost country in which malt barley is cultivated. The Barley Committee has founded research that has improved the entire production chain,” Reinikainen explains.

The research has paid off.

Finnish malt is a much sought-after product. Know-how has been exported in addition to the actual product and today Viking Malt has production in Sweden and Lithuania as well as in Finland.

“Most of our malt is exported, as far away as South America and Japan,” Reinikainen mentions.

When asked to name forerunner research conducted by Panimolaboratorio Reinikainen soon decides on the Barley to Beer venture, which brought together industry members from every stage of the beer production chain. They shared an aspiration to find key development areas in environmentally friendly production.

The Barley to Beer venture has been going on for a decade. Initially, when the first results were made public at the turn of the millennium, Finns were relieved to find out that beer production was in fact rather ecologically friendly as it was.

Drinking a glass of beer per day had the same effect on the environment as consuming the typical Finnish daily portion of rye bread.

“Now, the research has just been brought up to date. Scientific publications are still forthcoming in 2011, but I believe I am at liberty to reveal that our ecological efficiency has improved rather nicely,” Reinikainen smiles.

Is Finnish beer exceptionally green, good for our planet? We shall find out soon enough, just as soon as the results are made public. n

Over 50 years of cooperation with VTT IN 1956 a combination of 18 Finnish malt houses and breweries founded the brewery laboratory Panimolaboratorio, together with Finland’s state run alcohol monopoly of the time, Alko. The goal was to secure high-quality domestic raw materials for Finnish beer and to guarantee its high quality.

VTT has been Panimolaboratorio’s most important research partner from the start, with research covering the entire production chain from barley to beer.

A major breakthrough in brewery research came from VTT’s team, who after extensive tests and development work came up with the idea of accelerating the storage fermentation process by increasing the storage temperature and tying the yeast to a bearer, for example aspen or beech shaves.

VTT’s expertise in microbes has been highly beneficial for Panimolaboratorio in developing several different stages of the brewing process. In addition, Panimolaboratorio also makes the most of VTT’s expertise in selecting the best malt barley.

Panimolaboratorio is currently owned by Polttimo, Raisio Malt, Hartwall, Sinebrychoff and Olvi.

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VTT IMPULSE – BUSINESS

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VTT’s research reveals the environmental impact of the newspaper The carbon footprint of an annual volume of daily newspapers is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a car journey of 456 kilometres.

The carbon footprint of an annual volume amounts to approximately 75 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents and that of a single newspaper to ­approximately 210 g.

The emissions forming the bulk of the newspaper carbon footprint are those caused by the electricity and heat production required for printing the paper as well as greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transport. In addition, methane is produced as a result of the decomposition of newspapers deposited in landfill sites. If all the purchased electricity required for the production of newspapers constituted what is known as ‘green electricity’, the carbon footprint of a typical Finnish newspaper would drop by approximately 40 per cent.

VTT considered the entire life cycle of the product in the assessment of the environmental impact.

The contribution of newspapers, books and other paper products to the climate impacts of consumption by Finnish households in 2005 was only about 1 per cent. Housing contributed 25 per cent, food products 16 per cent and transport 13 per cent.

The project was commissioned by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, coordinated by VTT and carried out in collaboration with the Finnish Environment Institute, the Federation of Finnish Media Industry and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, as well as several printing houses and organisations involved in the print media value chain.

Further information: Minna Nors, minna.nors@vtt.fi

Monensin prevents proliferation of prostate cancer cells Researchers from VTT and the University of Turku have demonstrated that an antibiotic called monensin prevents the growth of prostate cancer cells.

The project investigated the effects of nearly 5,000 drugs and micromolecules on the growth of prostate cancer cells. The researchers found that small amounts of certain compounds can prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells without significant effects on the growth of normal human prostate epithelial cells.

Further studies revealed that monensin caused prostate cancer cell death by reducing the amount of testosterone receptor and by increasing production of reactive oxygen compounds and inducing DNA damage. In addition, monensin was shown to have combined effects with anti-androgens – the drugs suppressing the effects of androgens – in preventing prostate cancer cell growth.

Monensin is used, for example, in the meat and dairy industry. These research findings give rise to a potential new use for monensin.

Further information: Kristiina Iljin, kristiina.iljin@vtt.fi VTT IMPULSE – BUSINESS

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VTT Vuorimiehentie 5, Espoo P.O.Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, FINLAND Tel. +358 20 722 111 www.vtt.fi