Business Finland 4/2011 by Perhemediat Oy

Automatic personal security system to control your quality of life.

4/2011

www.business-finland.eu

Honka - Crafting Genuine Wood Solutions

Krista Kiuru

Minister of Housing and Communications

www.vivago.fi

Dream Yachts olis

-p

rem

Combine Comfort and High Performance

av i a p

Vivago

is intended for anyone wanting and needing additional security. The unit places no restrictions on the user´s activities, but offers, instead, an opportunity to improve the user´s quality of life. Excellent results have been obtained, in particular, with elderly people living alone at home or in institutions, as well as with chronically ill patients.

www.business-finland.eu

Don´t worry - be happy; just start a new more controlled and secure life. time2live

Finnish Boat & Yacht Industry in Focus

ium

the n i ite s ss e n i bus Airport Cluster Companies

gion e r i k n i hels

Automatic personal security system to control your quality of life.

4/2011

www.business-finland.eu

Honka - Crafting Genuine Wood Solutions

Krista Kiuru

Minister of Housing and Communications

www.vivago.fi

Dream Yachts olis

-p

rem

Combine Comfort and High Performance

av i a p

Vivago

www.business-finland.eu

Don´t worry - be happy; just start a new more controlled and secure life. time2live

Finnish Boat & Yacht Industry in Focus

ium

the n i ite s ss e n i bus Airport Cluster Companies

gion e r i k n i hels

contents

4 / 2011

4 8 14 20 24 28 30 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 52 56 62 66 68 74 80 86 92 98 106 114 122 130 138 144

Minister of Housing and Communications Krista Kiuru Honka Crafting Genuine Wood Solutions Holiday Homes by YIT - Enjoying Complete Leisure ThermiSol - EPS Insulating Solutions Mäntsälä - Property Developments in the Crossroads a Southern Finland The Annual Convention Continues Strong with Varied Programme Cozy do-it-yourself huts by Puupojat Aviapolis – International Innovation Hub Strong Competitiveness with Vantaa’s Strategy LAK - Helping to Build Varied Airport City Modern Scandinavian Style Airport Hotel The New Look of Blue1 ScanWings – Almost There Sokos Hotel Flamingo The future of Pyhäjärvi Better Situational Awareness with New Communication Solutions Multi-purpose Power by Avant Tecno Vivago - Exporting wellbeing Mondex top-quality sauna heaters from steatite Music Oasis in the Middle of the City Laitila Beverages - Distinctive Beers and Much More Svartå Manor - A Good Mix of Leisure and Corporate Guests Herrankukkaro Fish Paradise – the Vuolenkoski Fishing Club Finnboat - Proudly Made in Finland Dream Yachts - Combine Comfort and High Performance Targa - The 4 * 4 of the Seas Terhitec - Company Offer Practical Boating Distinctive Degerö Finngulf - Defies Difficult Conditions Finland’s Renowned Boat and Yacht Builders

4/ 2011

Editor-in-Chief Jorma Leppäniemi Editors Klaus Susiluoto Quingbo Xu Sini Pennanen Juha Jyrkäs Language editor Nordic International Ltd

Design and layout Aivo Blum Jarmo Koivisto Marketing Jorma Leppäniemi Tel. +358 9 42821012 Publisher Kustannusosakeyhtiö Perhemediat Oy Purpuripolku 6, 00420 Helsinki Tel. +358 9 42821000 Fax. +358 9 42821030 Printed in Finland by Art-Print Oy, Helsinki

40 60

EDITORIAL Wood and Boats as a Source of Wealth

t is easy to form stereotypes of Finland with the images of large forests, tens of thousands of lakes and long seashore. But these stereotypes can be regarded positive, as this issue of Business Finland proves. Finland still largely counts on wood and indirectly on water (ships, boats) for the building enterprises’ and the nation’s welfare. We introduce on our pages one of the world’s biggest log house builders Honka, which has developed massive wood solutions. Combining stone, metal or large glass surfaces with massive wood is today easier, especially with the company’s new non-settling log. You do not have to worry about the settling movements in wood which earlier made these combinations challenging.

Jorma Leppäniemi Editor-in-Chief

Compared with Honka, Porin Puupojat Oy is a very small company, but it has found its niche in building small huts, gazebos, saunas and other stand-alone buildings that can complement one’s summerhouse or family house backyard. What would be nicer in the summertime rain is doing barbecuing in a small hut, with live fire and good company. This typical Nordic approach has won friends also in Germany and other parts of Central Europe. The other stereotypical images of Finland, the lakes and seashore, mean that Finns are the most boat-crazy people in the world like Norwegians, Swedes and New Zealanders. The enthusiasm is reflected by the fact that Finland has some of Europe’s most renowned boat yards, from rowing boat manufacturers to luxury yacht builders. Also partly connected to varied waterways, Finland has high-class incentive tourism attractions like Herrankukkaro in Turku archipelago and Svartå Mansion in southern Finland, on the shores of Lake Lohja and Svartå River. Finland has also some interesting winter sports and golf resorts as well. These are introduced through YIT Chalets and Villas. We wish our readers best for the last months of 2011 and even better for the year 2012. In our view, the financial crises, although serious, will be overcome. In the future we will take it as a necessary reminder that some financially weak countries can make disturbance to countries whose state economy is in relatively good condition like Finland’s. The line should be drawn somewhere; financial aid to poorly-managed countries cannot continue forever.

Jorma Leppäniemi

Minister of Housing and Communications

Krista Kiuru Text: Juha JyrkĂ¤s Photos: Honka, YIT

ave these two areas (housing and communications) overlapped each other on any decision?

or the first time, these two positions meet, during this electoral period. Housing, housing construction and telecommunications have been linked with each other on a practical level for the last few decades. Personally I see these two fields â&#x20AC;&#x201C; housing and communications â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as future oriented which have a lot in common.

ou are known as person who favors ecological solutions such as timber in building. What are these solutions and how such projects could be started?

raditionally it has been seen that the best way to enhance the usage of timber in construction is by building codes. This has been going into a better direction and currently we are following the effects of the latests building codes. Changes in the building codes have made it easier to plan wooden apartment buildings and it has also removed some limits for industrial developement of such buildings. Now we have to have more wooden apartment building projects running to gain more knowledge concerning the production and to improve competitiveness. The responsibility relies on the real estate construction companies It is also important to be able to influ-

Business Finland 4/2011

ence the European energy consuming act in a way that as an example the material efficiency will be included in the regulations. As a building material timber is an eco-friendly solution: it is renewable, domestic, recyclable and low-energy consuming in processing, overall life cycle emissions are low. Timber has the ability to bind carbon into the structures and products so it also has a positive impact on climate. The overall positive effects of timber come up with life-cycle calculations, which are used in the environmental leaflets of construction products and the environmental classification of buildings. To advance material efficiency we need to have forerunners, especially public construction companies. Material aspects have already been involved in the competitive bidding criterion of the new office building SYNERGIA for SYKE. This project will be an example for other public timber construction projects.

Community growth center challenges

he largest growth centers, such as Helsinki (capital of Finland), form the biggest challenge for the housing market. What should be done?

ore competition is needed to enhance the housing market in growth centers, especially in development of apartment buildings.

Business Finland 4/2011

Mainly the Finnish apartment building production is based on precast concrete. Versatile usage of building materials especially in apartment buildings can advance the competition. Municipality is the most important actor in land use planning. Building quality and rate are controlled by the municipality by the land use and housing policies. As an example the municipality can advance the usage of timber by the land transfer and land use contracts. Municipality also influences the material usage in it's own construction appointments. It is also possible to advance the usage of timber by information control in renovation projects when timber can be used.

ousing costs are rising all the time, even more so in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Depression might have sped this up. Is there a realistic expectation to have buyers for new apartments even when the costs are rising? Are there possibilities to decrease the costs?

Business Finland 4/2011

or the last two years the market has been busy and the governmental support actions have mainly established new housing for special groups. Economic stimulus has been used to create intermediate model rental apartments, which are regulated only minimally. These rental apartments are only built and will be built in the largest growth centers. Economic stimulus has helped to create more rental apartments to enhance the overall situation of rental market. More such apartments are needed in the future, so that the market in Helsinki Metropolitan Area can be made even better. Long-term cooperational and purposeful MAL-policies are required in th Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The MAL Network develops regional-level land use, housing and traffic planning. Its operations are characterized by a comprehensive approach to the improvement of the regionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; prerequisites for development and to the curbing of climate change. The operations of the network support the realization of the Government's project regarding city-regional strategic planning (PARAS plans) and the establishment of intermunicipal cooperation. The aim of the MAL Network is to develop planning processes and tools, to disseminate good practices of cooperation to support planning done in the regions, and, doing so, to strengthen the regions as attractive environments for working, living and leisure time. Trade survey made by RT (Confederation of Finnish construction industries) claims that there are only few unsold apartments, according to this there are buyers for new apartments.

Consumer confidence has seen a fall during the last few months due to the overall economic situation. There is wariness in the market. Interest rates are still so low that the buyer should prepare for possible rise in interest rates which will have an effect on capital expenditure. When considering housing costs, the most important point of view is to plan into the future. Housing costs should not be so high that money is not left for other living costs, even better if it's possible to have some money banked. One way to prepare for future is to have longer rates which would offer some protection from rising rates. There truly is also some cost pressure in building maintenance, energy and possible renovations. To have more affordable rental apartment production it was decided in the Government Programme Negotiations to half the own risk interest in subsidized housing atleast until the end of 2014. This is an important step and also it gives the message that the government is contributing to the building of reasonably priced rental apartments. Excess demand can be eliminated with the purposeful building of affordable apartments thus having a positive impact on the long-term of rental costs. Municipals and the government have some possibilities to influence the market by controlling the production but the biggest influence comes from the current market, competitiviness and the overall economic cycle .

roperty tax will not rise but nothing is being done to lessen the impact of building codes which are rising the costs of housing. Building codes are also impacting costs of renovation. What is your opinion concerning this situation?

P Y

ou are also known as a keen defender of versatile cottage living. What is your idea of a versatile cottage living?

ummer cottages are an important recreational activity for Finns. There are over 500.000 leisure homes which vary from summer cottages to year-round second homes. Which in my opinion is excellent. Many like to tinker in modest conditions. On the other hand, some want an effortless living at their cottage and the cottage is seen as base for other activities or just leisure and for some the cottage is a remote working location. Equipment level of the cottages is getting better and over one third of all of the cottages are suitable for year-round living. There is still lot to do when it comes to the energy efficiency and the overall environmental impact of the cottages. One challange is the rising holiday traffic. The most environmentally friendly locations are a long way away from the growth centers.

ix year long Paras-project has reached the end of it's road. It has given us bigger municipalities but even more various kinds of districts to produce services. Within these the economical and functional control has diverged from the municipal policy-making. Now the intent of the municipal reform is to have wealthy well doing municipals to have a vital municipal structure. The joining of municipalities is not end in itself. It is being done to ensure the municipal services in the future.

With the letter of intent the municipalities of the Helsinki area and the government want to speed up the production. As an addition to the previous model traffic is included within the agreement package together with land use and housing.

ithin the preparation of the building codes the cost impact is evaluated as best as possible. Renovation building codes will be evaluated carefully, as the energy efficiency directive demands that national means of control must promote energy-efficient actions. Government Program continues the work which was started by the previous government when it comes to the standards. It is also possible to review the regulations concerning the building of shelters.

igger municipalities have been favored during the last few years and smaller municipalities have been joined to form â&#x20AC;?giantâ&#x20AC;?municipalities. What is your opinion upon this matter? Is it beneficial for construction business?

hat is your opinion concerning the land use in Finland incomparison to international situation?

he land use is based on the needs on businesses and the economical development. Social development is going according to what happened in Europe before. Regional structures focuses and the settlement pattern is being urbanized. Parallel to the urbanized structure the community structure is scattering especially on growing urban regions. In that way the development is going to another direction in comparison to areas which can be compared to Finnish conditions. This is a worrying phenomenon for the energy and ecoefficiency targets. n www.environment.fi

t was planned to have 13.000 new apartments in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Only 8.000 are being done. Could the production be heightened by carrot or by stick?

he letter of intent was for the building of 13.000 new apartments yearly for the whole Helsinki region. This year there will be approx. 10.000 new apartments.

Business Finland 4/2011

Honka Fusionâ&#x201E;˘ offers more than just a house with the right choices for architecture, layout and interior design; it offers a home that is healthy, energyefficient and ecological."

Esa Rautalinko, CEO of Honka 8

Business Finland 4/2011

Honka Crafting Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Honka

Genuine Wood Solutions Honkarakenne Group is the world’s leading company in designing and crafting massive wood homes and other buildings under its Honka brand. “Even though massive wood is the heart of Honka buildings, today we more and more combine other materials with wood in creative ways,” tells the CEO of Honka, Esa Rautalinko.

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction like shelves, cabinets or art works, without other special supports.

Proven Energy-Efficiency

t is easy to combine wood with other materials like natural stone, glass and steel. “Today this is more true than ever, thanks to our non-settling log. The non-settling log has been in production roughly five years now. It is an important innovation on the way to more modern wood building solutions by us. “With this solution it is possible to combine wood with other materials in ways that were previously impossible,” says Mr. Rautalinko. “Combining stone, metal or large glass surfaces with

Business Finland 4/2011

massive wood is now possible, as you do not have to worry about the settling movements in wood which earlier made these combinations challenging, if not impossible. With the new non-settling technology for example, large glass terraces are easier to build than ever before. The non-settling log also makes it easy to build in terrain with steep slopes, since it does not subside in conditions where load comes unevenly. Honka has a variety of models designed especially for slopes.” All Honka logs are so well crafted and solid that the nonsettling log is not necessarily always needed. The sturdy walls will support almost everything, even heavy objects

A Honka house is around twice as airtight as an average log house. If necessary, wood fiber, which works well with wood, can be used as an additional insulation material. “Honka massive wood houses with insulation solutions comply with the local building regulations. For example, in Finland we can fulfill new even

real estate & construction

tighter energy requirements, also those that will come into effect in July 2012. Finland has rather strict wood building decrees, so those can be applied to most other countries too. “It is not only about regulations. A well-designed genuine massive wood house is also pleasant to live in. The coolness of the summer night is stored in the massive wood blocks, which then maintain comfortable inside temperature even on hot days,” says Rautalinko. Wood also has the ability to absorb moisture from the inside air, which then is released as the inside air dries. Due to this moisture/drying ability of wood, breathing is easy in a massive wood house. This makes a Honka wood home an ideal choice for all people suffering from breathing problems, allergies or asthma.

Sustainable Approach According to Rautalinko, companies offering massive wood solutions for residential buildings have an advantage, as environmental issues and ecological sustainability count much more than ever before. “Wood is a renewable material. Measured in the life-cycle approach, it can provide many advantages like a better CO2 balance than other materials.” The lifespan of massive wood houses

is very long. A wooden building will last hundreds of years when built correctly. What’s more, the energy consumption required to produce massive wood is only about 50 percent of the cement production and 20 percent of the brick production. The role of architecture also counts. Wood architecture is appreciated in many countries. Like the Nordic countries and Japan, Russia is a wood-loving nation. Architectural tastes, however, differ quite much in these countries. “Russians generally like a decorative style, but on the other hand modern Russians also often aim at minimalist solutions, so one cannot jump into conclusions. One example of a modern style in Russia is the Black in White House in St. Petersburg.”

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction Home of the Future The company’s latest innovation is Honka Fusion™, the home of the future. “Honka Fusion™ offers more than just a house with the right choices for architecture, layout and interior design; it offers a home that is healthy, energy-efficient and ecological. “In Finland summer houses still dominate our sales but we also sell more and more family houses, even in larger cities. Nowadays it is possible to combine log constructions with stone building solutions quite flexibly. For example, the façade can be made of stone coating,” says Esa Rautalinko. “In residential areas, where stone buildings dominate or in practice are compulsory according to zoning regulations, one can resort to a solution, which appears to be made of stone but the heart of which is actually

Business Finland 4/2011

massive wood.” But wood can also be seen in facades in cities. One example is the new Myllypuro suburb in Helsinki, where 13 city houses are being built.

Huge Sochi Project Honka exports 60 percent of its production. The largest export country is Russia, with Japan as the second. “Russia has been our biggest export market since the beginning of the millennium. The financial crisis of 2008 had some negative effect, but the last couple of years have been good again from our point of view. “We deliver luxury and premium category products to Russia. Typically these buildings have a floor space of several hundred square meters, in some cases even a couple of thousand square meters. “Instead of individual buildings we could speak of projects in Russia. Large

projects are typically rather time consuming and we are now delivering projects which started in late 2009 and the beginning of 2010. In Russia practically all projects require tailor-made solutions,” emphasizes Rautalinko. Honka’s biggest Russian project in Sochi is the largest log house construction ever. The main building is 4500 square meters, and there are about a dozen of other buildings surround this vast high-level conference and meeting place. The houses around the main building are between 200-300 square meters, designed with individual interiors. “There are only a very limited number of companies worldwide who are able to build so large and demanding log solutions.” After seeing photographs of the Sochi project, one will easily believe Rautalinko’s words. “Another example of a large project was made in Utah, the USA, where Honka delivered a huge 1500 square meters private house designed by the architect Mike Upwall in cooperation with the Finnish consultant company RI-Konsultit.” Honka has a relatively strong presence in Canada and the USA, and can deliver projects to most parts of these large countries.

Leisure Business with Honka Japan’s Role Japan’s share of Honka’s total sales is over ten percent and almost 20 percent of the Group’s exports. “The country will continue to be a very important market for us.” Projects in Japan have been varied. For example, a neurological Maeda Clinic with the floor space 1400 square meters was made of solid Finnish logs. One motivation for Doctor Maeda to choose wood was that wood mitigates and absorbs wounds. This makes the clinic a quiet and harmonic place for patients recovering from brain surgery. In addition to Japan, Chinese market is in Honka’s consideration. “We will have to find the region or city where there is a genuine demand for this kind of buildings,” says Esa Rautalinko. “Turkey is another country with lots of opportunities. In some parts of Turkey wooden architecture is traditionally appreciated. Even Istanbul’s old town has quite many wooden buildings. What matters in Turkey and many other markets is that massive wood buildings resist the effects of earthquakes well.” “We have a lot of experiences in earthquake active areas like in Japan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the southern parts of Russia,” reminds Rautalinko. n

Mid-scale projects have been delivered to Central Europe and the Nordic countries. “Chalets, restaurants and shops can be made of massive wood. Under construction is a large grocery store in Nuorgam, northernmost Lapland, made by Honka. The building will be 3000 square meters in size and host a variety of other facilities like accommodation in addition to the grocery store. “Possibly a less known fact is that massive wood suits extremely well also in wet places such as swimming pool rooms. Swimming halls have been built in Great Britain and Germany.” Honka has traditionally been strong in leisure business through delivering summer houses and saunas, especially in Finland. In Russia a large number of big mansion-type residential houses have been built at the Copper Lake area in the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg. “It is worth studying our solutions, if you are going to set up leisure business of your own. For example, Pan Village, a Dutch company specialising in sustainable nature tourism, built a high-quality holiday village near the Salla Reindeer Park in Finland and the Honka Ski Village Salla, also in Finland.”

real estate & construction

We have a lot of experiences in earthquake active areas like in Japan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the southern parts of Russia."

www.honka.com

Business Finland 4/2011

Holiday Homes by

YIT Enjoying Complete Leisure With YIT Chalets & Villas concept you can enjoy complete leisure in your own place whenever you want. “In our concept the customer will become the full and sole owner of the holiday home. But when you are not using your holiday home by yourself, you can let the service provider rent it out for you,” says Marko Oinas, Vice President, YIT Housing Unit. Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: YIT

IT´s Chalets & Villas is a concept where you can buy the holiday home only for your or your company’s own use, but you can partly cut your own costs by letting the professional organization rent the apartment out. “About 3/4 of our customer use rental services. By letting the apartment out you can cover a great deal of your own fixed costs or even part of the financial costs. The last one usually means housing company loan, which you can shorten with renting income. The housing income loan is made on good terms.” The chalets and villas are sold completely fitted and furnished - this is also a prerequisite for renting operations.

Business Finland 4/2011

The chalets and villas are sold completely fitted and furnished - this is also a prerequisite for renting operations."

Marko Oinas, Vice President, YIT Housing Unit Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction Vierumaki Chalets

“The materials and furniture used have been carefully selected. The holiday home amenities include everything from cups to curtains, forks to furniture. Homes are equipped with sauna and balcony”. In Oinas’ view, it is quite natural that the owner of a chalet or a villa thinks how his or her apartment will be treated by renting customers. “But this is no problem. Service partner e.g. hotel is responsible if something gets stolen or broken. Linen and cleaning services are available. There is a normal check-out before the rental customer leaves. “Owners use the cleaning services. People just do not want to spend half a day for cleaning in the end of their vacation.”

Always Several Activities Marko Oinas strongly emphasizes that YIT’s concept is not any time-share solution, where you only get a week or two for

Business Finland 4/2011

your own use. “You fully own the apartment. You do not have to rent it out, but you will get some income, if you do.” Renting is relatively easy, since there is professional operator and property maintenance organization taking care of all practical issues. “What’s more, all holiday homes that we build and sell are in premium locations. We do not sell only buildings, but also experiences and excellent surroundings with lots of activities. The concept suites especially well to active outdoor people. In some places golf is the issue, in some others wintertime activities dominate, but in each area there are several sports or other activities, not just one. “What’s more, If you have bought a holiday home and it is part of the rental service, you can have 50 % discount on rent in other resort where there are YIT Chalets & Villas reminds Marko Oinas. “ All in all, YIT Chalets & Villas Network comprises almost 600 apartments. Under construction are more than 100.

Vierumäki Chalets One of the most recent YIT Chalets projects is that in Vierumäki, which is located between the towns of Lahti and Heinola. It takes just one hour to drive from the capital city Helsinki to Vierumäki. Vierumäki is Finland’s leading sports centre. The Sport Institute of Finland is located there. “Our first chalets - 30 holiday homes in Vierumäki became ready in September 2010, the second in June 2011, and the third one will be finished in May 2012. There is a plot for the fourth building, which should start in the summer 2012,” saýs Oinas. “In Vierumäki we have sold all apartments in the first two buildings. Around half of these were sold to different companies. We are also seeking for non-Finnish customers, and one apartment was sold to a person who is not Finn nor lives in Finland. “In Vierumäki excellent golf facilities has been an important motivation

real estate & construction

In Vierumäki excellent golf facilities has been an important motivation to acquire a holiday home."

Vierumaki Chalets

to acquire a holiday home. There are two high-class golf courses, and the third one will be built. Cross-country skiing is more and more popular, and for these the wintertime Vierumäki offers great opportunities. Indoor sports facilities of Vierumäki are excellent,” says Oinas. Renting goes smoothly. Vierumäki Country Club takes care of rental services of holiday homes. Chalets are located just next to Scandic Hotel Vierumäki. Owners as well as rental customers can have hotel’s services in use. For example in Vierumäki there is a bowling hall and a small spa in the hotel building. “There are 1500 restaurant seats in the area. However, the apartments have fully-equipped high-standard kitchens, which is especially important, if you stay a longer time in a holiday home.” When visiting Vierumäki Chalets, one can see how much effort has been put even in small details. “For example, it is important to have common spaces where to take care of

Vanajanlinna, Linna Golf course

your sporting equipment, whether it is golf or ski shoes, golf clubs, skis or mountain bikes.” The Vierumäki Chalets have two separate storing facilities - outside of apartments – the other one for the holiday home owner and the other for temporary renting customer. This way everything

goes smoothly also in storing. In apartments the owners have one locked closet for their own use.” In Vierumäki some of the chalets are exceptionally large, about 110 m2. The range usually is from 45 to 70 square meters. Villas are usually little bigger, between 70–110 m2.

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction Ruka

More Under Construction YIT’s first chalets type of apartments were erected to ski resort Ylläs, just next to Finland’s finest down-hill skiing slopes. “So far, Ylläs has been our largest project, with more than 250 chalets and villas. The last ones resemble more traditional summer houses, while chalets are flat-type of apartments, but more stylish. Ylläs has summer as well as winter activities. In the wintertime there are excellent slalom and cross-country skiing facilities plus Nordic walking, trekking and cycling tin the summertime. Another ski resort Ruka will have 53 apartments in the first phase, which will be ready in the beginning of 2013. “Reservations can be taken already now, reminds Oinas. Levi competes with Ruka and Ylläs as Finland’s biggest ski resort, and has 40 Chalets apartments. Also Vuokatti, Tahko, Lappajärvi, Saariselkä, Sappee, Imatra and Vanajanlinna have YIT Chalets or Villas.

Business Finland 4/2011

“Also the villas are fully furnished and fitted, and there are renting, cleaning and linen services. In southern Finland YIT has Vanajanlinna Villas where golf has a very central role.” The villas are in one floor, and there are only two villas in the same building complex, with large terraces. Vanajanlinna Villas are with three rooms, kitchen and sauna. All in all, there will be 80 villas in the area. “The villas are just next to the topclass Linna Golf course. Each villa has two Linna Golf playing rights. The Linna Golf is the sole Finnish member of the PGA European Course chain, says Marko Oinas. Linna Golf Club is just next to “golf villas” and offer restaurant as well as spa services. Also horse riding facilities can be found only a couple of km from the villas. “First phase of the Imatra Spa Villas with 12 holiday homes will be ready this month next to Imatra Spa- The second phase with 18 holiday homes is now under construction. n

Ylläs Villas

real estate & construction

Levi competes with Ruka and Ylläs as Finland’s biggest ski resort, and has 40 Chalets apartments."

Levi Chalets

Ylläs Villas

Holiday Home Alternatives 1. You can keep your Chalets or Villas holiday home solely in your own use

Vierumäki Chalets

2. You can spend some time - usually from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months - for your holiday needs and rent it out for the rest of the time. However, there is not a guarantee that you can get rental income for the most of the remaining time. Annual occupancy rate in rental service has been 30-50 percent. 3. You can also give the holiday home totally for rent, for a chosen period, and use it later by yourself. www.yit.fi/vapaa-aika

Business Finland 4/2011

Urpo Salminen, CEO of Thermisol & Veli Ollila, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

ThermiSol EPS Insulating Solutions The Finnish company ThermiSol has developed a large variety of insulations to secure the best possible solutions for both industrial and private customers. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO Urpo J. Salminen tells that the aim is to make EPS and FOAM insulation solutions better known for customers.

Business Finland 4/2011

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Thermisol

hermiSol is the biggest EPS manufacturer in the Nordic countries. “Professional builders are familiar with qualities of Expanded Polystyrene = EPS, Extruded Polystyrene =XPS and PUR/PIR products, but even they possibly do not always know how large the range of applications of FOAM insulation products is today,” says Salminen. The range of the products’ applications literally covers the insulation of buildings from the ceiling to foundations, no matter the building is a family house, an apartment block, an industrial building or a warehouse. “You can manage almost all insulation work with our products. Our insulation customers include wholesalers, retailers, special purpose contractors and industrial customers,” says Salminen. “Our ThermiSol Element-business unit manufactures sandwich-structured wall and roof elements. They are suitable for all housing solutions, including architecturally demanding projects, because the elements of a good workability give opportunities for impressively excellent solutions. ThermiSol elements also meet food industry’s high hygiene standards and are therefore desirable building ma-

You can manage almost all insulation work with our products. Our insulation customers include wholesalers, retailers, special purpose contractors and industrial customers."

terials for food industry applications as well. “We also deliver EPS products to other specialized industries, such as pontoon manufacturers, door and car makers and packaging industry. “We manufacture wall elements for making large sport or other halls, cool warehouses, etc.. Four of the five hardware retailer Bauhaus’s retail shops in Finland were built with our elements.” Thermisol elements are a fast and cost effective managed solution. With ThermiSol elements, installation is quick and easy, so the construction time is short. Single set-up will have two finished surfaces of the walls and ceilings.

Regional Business Urpo J. Salminen tells that EPS is to a large extent a regional business. “It is not possible to concentrate operations on just one mega factory. In Finland today we have six factories in five locations plus two sites in Sweden and one in Denmark. “Our products have 98 percent of air, so it is of little use to carry products too far. In practice for EPS insulation, 250300 kilometers is a maximum cost-effective distance from the factory to a construction site. Other FOAM insulations travel a bit further. Our Rovaniemi factory in northern Finland exports sometimes insulations to northern Norway.

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction 22

This distance of 500–700 kilometers is an exception. “To some extent exports occur from our Sastamala panel factory to Sweden, Norway and Russia. We have delivered our sandwich panel products also to the Baltic countries. “Our competitor is the stone wool industry,” says Salminen.

Ecological products From the ecological point of view, EPS like XPS is excellent. Polystyrene is a thermoplastic resin and can be recycled in many different ways. “Our products can be 100 percent recycled. EPS is a proven method of making insulations. EPS insulation boards do not have any healthily or environmentally hazardous substances or gases. “Of the FOAM insulations, EPS is the number one in volume. EPS like XPS is a closed cell plastic material, which is based on the static thermal insulation of the air. “Products have been manufactured in Europe for almost 60 years, and in Finland nearly 50 years,” Salminen says and adds that “as a matter of fact, we will celebrate our 50 years anniversary next year.”

Business Finland 4/2011

The Art of Insulating FOAM insulations are basically easy materials for insulation. However, incompletely or incorrectly made insulation can cause difficult repairs and economically significant damage. “This is the reason why we have invested much in giving advice on how to make FOAM insulation solutions in the right way,” says Urpo J. Salminen. ThermiSol guide gives examples of structural design and installation. The purpose is to facilitate the correct choice of insulation solutions. “For example, in Finland as well as in other Nordic countries, local building codes require that the insulation used in floor, wall and roof applications meet all the standards when come to the issues of moisture resistance, compressive strength, form stability and lambda-value.” In Finland a frost depth can vary even between 2 and 2.7 meters, so ground frost insulation is needed in practice almost always. These kinds of facts cannot be ignored in the building process. n

• EPS Floor • EPS Frost • EPS Wall • EPS Roof • EPS Step products absorb impact sound. ThermiSol has also developed platinum coatings that have achieved 20-25 percent better energy efficiency. Platinum-products have been awarded certificates by VTT no. VTT-C-3094-08 (Platinum Floor) and VTT-C 3712-09 (Platinum Wall). They are made by using the Neopor raw-material which has been developed by BASF in Germany. The Titan product family includes Sauna Line which is a costeffective product for sauna walls insulation. A thin design saves space and energy. Sauna Line is easy to handle and work with appropriate dimensions. It is easy to install both on wood and stone structures. ThermiSol Super and ThermiSol XPS insulations are products with a high compressive strength property, excellent resistance to moisture and frost resistance ability. www.thermisol.fi

real estate & construction

Examples of Thermisol Products

Business as Usual Urpo J. Salminen and Veli Ollila own 60 percent of the ThermiSol shares. The Finnish Industry Investment Ltd. (Teollisuussijoitus), a government-owned investment company, owns 20 percent. Pension funds Fennia and Eläke-Fennia are also shareholders. “Business operations were bought this year by Irish Kingspan, but actually they had owned the company for only 18 days before it became part of our operations. Before Kingspan and us, the insulation business was owned by the worldwide CRH PlC whose turnover is close to 20 billion euros and the number of employees close to 90 000 persons.” CRH had announced that it only bought companies and did not sell, but its business strategy changed and they were ready to leave the EPS insulation business. “We acquired ThermiSol business in April this year, and now we are running our business as usual.”

Business Finland 4/2011

Mäntsälä Property Developments in the Crossroads a Southern Finland – 90 seconds to the motorway Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto

Pekka Tikka, the Managing Director of Mäntsälä Business Development Ltd., has a strong faith in the municipality he represents.

ccording to Mr. Tikka, it is not old-fashioned to believe in the production side of economy. “Right the opposite. Manufacturing is important in creating wealth, in regional as well as in national level. “However, we do not want to put all the eggs in the same basket. Retail, services, logistics, well-being, tourism and other branches should also be boosted. The

Business Finland 4/2011

very role of Mäntsälä Business Develoment Ltd. is to make the economic basis of the municipality as varied as possible. “We have three main tasks. Firstly, we are creating the image for the municipality. Secondly, we provide advice to enterprises wishing to set up business here. Thirdly, we market land plots that are mainly owned by us.” The business development unit was

established in 2003. The city of Mäntsälä owns 70 percent of the company and Mäntsälän Sähkö (Mäntsälä Energy) 30 percent.

Tokmanni Paved the Way “Mäntsälä is an entrepreneur-friendly municipality,” says Mr. Tikka. “We have a total of 1300 firms, the

Mäntsälä has one of the best locations in Finland, so logistics is an important cornerstone. But we also want to attract manufacturing industry into our municipality.”

vast majority of which naturally are small. The number of companies has increased, which I believe is a good sign. “But we also have one of the largest logistics centers in Mäntsälä. This complex, owned by the Tokmanni budget store chain, has as many as 400 employees. More than 100 of them also live in Mäntsälä. Tokmanni’s central administration

also in the same logistics building complex, which totals about 74 000 square meters in two floors. The huge building is 350 meters long and 150 meters wide. Tokmanni’s CEO and main owner Kyösti Kakkonen is very satisfied with the new centre for logistics, since this way they could combine earlier six warehouses into one. Kakkonen stated that the Municipality

of Mäntsälä handled the set-up negotiations in “a very creative, active and flexible way”.

Large Land Reserves Mäntsälä can offer land plots for hire for industrial, logistics as well as retail uses. In an area called Kapuli the city has about 150 hectares of land.

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction

“This relatively large area has been available thanks to the municipality’s long-term strategy to offer good opportunities for larger companies.” says Mr. Tikka. “Naturally this large area will be divided by several companies. We strongly believe that many logistics and smallindustry companies will leave the areas around Ring Road III and try to find less expensive solutions from areas like Kapuli – close enough to the Greater Helsinki region (Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen), but with opportunities to have better premises.” Eight hectares of the field has already been quarried from a solid rock, and this is ready for further construction. The building density of 0.5 means that 35 000-40 000 floor meters could be constructed. The smallest units could be 40005000 floor meters. “In addition to Kapuli we have other areas for companies, which do not need premises of thousands of square meters. The Linnala area offers business opportunities as well. It is located in Mäntsälä’s southern junction. The furniture company Masku has a large warehouse there. “We are rally grateful for companies like Masku and Tokmanni, but we believe that a municipality like Mäntsälä should also have more manufacturing companies. Anyone considering of having manufacturing in Finland should contact us.”

Commute Power Mäntsälä is a strongly growing municipality with 20 000 inhabitants. “We have quite many families with children, so the

Business Finland 4/2011

age structure is good from the point of view of future workforce and residents.” Mäntsälä is located close to the Greater Helsinki region. By train, it only takes 39 minutes to arrive at the main railway station of Helsinki, the very city center. “The new rail line Helsinki-KeravaLahti was opened in September 2006. This marked a new era in Mäntsälä’s accessibility. We would like to call the

Helsinki are good. “The capital region is the most important commute belt for Mäntsälä. The second most important belt is that of Järvenpää. Lahti, although a dynamic city of a little more than 100 000 inhabitants and only 40 kilometers away, comes only as the third most important commute area.” Thanks to the excellent traffic connections, more and more people who work in the Greater Helsinki region choose to move to Mäntsälä. “We have pleasant residential areas for those who wish to have their own house, for example, Männikkö and Kaunismäki close to the railway station. Also flats are being built in the city centre.”

Ring Road V rail line HelsinkiKerava-MäntsäläLahti, since we have a strong role in commute traffic on this link. A total of 30 000 people use the rail line every year through the Mäntsälä station. “The train connection is so popular that we have enlarged parking facilities around the station five times. Now we have 600 parking lots and parking for 200 bicycles.” Also road connections to the Greater

What counts much are the less crowded road connections than those closer to Helsinki. Mäntsälä is in the crossroads of the main highway E 75 and the so-called Road 25. “The latter is called Ring Road V and it connects all the main arteries directing to the north, west and east, from Porvoo to Hanko. Through the Ring Road V the connection to Tampere, for example, is flexible.” Pekka Tikka emphasizes that the Ring Road V is much more than just a traffic link. “It will attract logistics – we speak of the quality corridor of logistics. But also residential areas will emerge in other

real estate & construction

parts along the Ring Road V.” The Ring Road III is less than half an hour’s driving from Mäntsälä and the Helsinki city centre, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and the Vuosaari harbor 45-50 minutes’ from the Mäntsälä part of the Ring Road V.

New Beverage Can Plant to Mäntsälä

Daughter Companies of the Municipality

Rexam PLC, the global consumer packaging company, is to build a new beverage can plant in Finland. The plant will be located in Mäntsälä in south Finland some 60km north of Helsinki. It represents an investment of 68million pounds over three years and forms part of Rexam’s current capital investment plans. When completed, the plant will have two lines and a capacity of approximately 1.35bn 330ml and 500ml aluminum cans. The first line is expected to be operational by the start of 2013 while the second line is planned for start-up in January 2014. The Nordic market has shown good growth in recent years and Finland itself has experienced a steady transition from glass bottles to can fillings. In the last five years, the beverage can’s share of the pack mix for beer in Finland, for example, has grown from just above 10% to more than 60%. The building of the new plant will allow Rexam to serve growing customer demand in Finland and the Baltic states in coming years, to optimise logistics and to further enhance plant efficiency across its European beverage can network. The Mäntsälä plant will employ about 120-125 people and it strengthens Mäntsälä’s industrial bases.

According to Pekka Tikka, a relatively strong municipality is not an obstacle but rather a strength. “Thanks to the structure of the municipality concern, Mäntsälä can offer several advantages for potential corporate newcomers through its daughter companies. For example, Mäntsälän Sähkö Oy is mainly a utility company, but it also offers district heat for households and corporate customers, as well as natural gas. The company has broadband customers too. People can choose efficient optical fibre connection in many areas of Mäntsälä.” Wireless broadband ‘Msoynet’ is also one option. The water company is owned by the municipality. Mäntsälä Rental agency has more than 700 apartments. It is possible to apply for city-owned apartments, whose rents are quite competitive. Mäntsälä also has several prominent educational institutes as well like the veterinary research centre of the University of Helsinki. Keuda Mäntsälä offers trainings in gardening, agriculture, building, automotive technology, electricity and natural-resource industries. n

www.mantsalanyrityskehitys.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

HE ANNUAL CON VEN TION

of Property Investment Prospects is a business event of Finnish real estate, facilities and construction professionals. It is a one and a half day seminar where executives and experts of investment, financing, real estate development, construction, public real estate sector, including urban development, advisors, and service providers gather once a year under the same roof. Furthermore, it also brings together all clients of real estate, be they representing commercial, residential or corporate real estate, or occupiers. The programme of the Annual Convention is always a challenge. How to know in the spring what will be the most

Business Finland 4/2011

important topic in November? How to make a promise that will live up to expectations and which will attract the clients to make the decision to join the Convention year after year? To ensure that the topics are the relevant ones, the programme is planned together with a board of experts representing significant players from all the sectors of real estate in Finland. The themes always arise from the minds and experiences of the people in the core of the industry.

Capital Market Since the real estate market follows the capital market in general and has crossed

national borders, the questions in Finland are the same as those questions occupying minds internationally. A successful programme takes up the topics and tries to find new solutions and unexpected points of view while simultaneously addressing the existing situation. The real estate business has evolved into a more and more client oriented business and the role of services and endusers is increasing in importance. Instead of being a place for just owners, investors, financiers and developers discussing among themselves, the Annual Convention has become also a place to look at the real estate area more broadly.

Continues Strong with Varied Programme The Annual Convention of Property Investment Prospects evaluates the Finnish property market and major international trends. The convention has increased its popularity almost every year. The 1.5 day convention is an excellent meeting place for fresh ideas.

Going international The origin of the Convention in its present form derives from the beginning of the 90s, when the big economic depression in Finland forced the institutional and commercial investors and developers to rethink the property business. During the next decade, the steady growth of the real estate area, the national economy grew as did the number of participants to the Annual Convention. Participation grew significantly. As the national market showed high activity at all levels, the international players became interested and took over almost 2/3 of the real estate investment market. At that point it was logical for the Annual Convention to go international. n Current situation of the Finnish property market, see www.kti.fi

real estate & construction

The Annual Convention

PROGRAMME IN 2011 This year, in November 3.-4.th 2011 the focus of the annual convention is in demand for new investment concepts. Tony McGough introduces the DTZ Fair Value Index. Dr Brenna O’Roarty from RHL Strategic Solutions tells about different property investment options. A longer perspective is also taken. Sitra Innovation Fund asks what pays off in 2020. “Securing future market value calls for reliable evaluation criteria. Well-utilised sustainability increases the market value of real estate investments. This part of the seminar is carried out by Frank Hovorka from Caisse sed Dépots and Jukka Noponen from Sitra’s Energy Programme. Examples of sustainable real estate solutions are given.

Sustainability is here to stay. Also in 2010’s convention “greenness” was an issue. Tenants demand greener solutions. Managing Director Hanna Kaleva from KTI Property Information Ltd tells about yields and returns on the Finnish property market today. Catella’s Director Erkki Hakala concentrates on submarkets and hot spots. Professor Frank Piller from RWTH Aachen University and MIT technology and management group tells how to co-create value with customers to increase customer satisfaction and innovation capacity. Mr Frank Piller is the keynote speaker of the convention. More information: www.propertyinvest.f

Business Finland 4/2011

Cozy do-it-yourself huts by

Porin Puupojat

Porin Puupojat Oy is a wood-processing company with long family traditions. When the company the decided to enlarge businesses to barbecue huts, gazebos, stand-alone saunas, cabins and other small wooden constructions, few could image, how successful this business branch would develop.

Business Finland 4/2011

Western Finland, the place called Ruosniemi has given rise to expert knowledge in timber products that have been exported to many countries. This success based on the skilled staff and best products in its field. “Today we have a saying that where sawmills finish, Porin Puupojat starts their crafting. We started manufacturing small wooden buildings, huts and shelters in limited numbers almost 15 years ago. Today more than 2/3 of our turnover consists of these products,” says Sales Director Marko Lammela. Porin Puupojat exports to Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Austria. The combined volumes are still in hundreds rather in thousands but exports counts much to the company. “With our small buildings one can complement summerhouse’s functionality or even erect a building in family house’s backyard. What would nicer in the summertime rain than do barbecu-

ing in a small hut, with live fire and good company.” This typically Nordic approach has won friends also in Germany and other parts of Central Europe. “We have resellers in Köln-Düsseldorf region, but we also have contacts in other countries than Germany.

Get-together in Any Weather The most popular products the company exports are barbecue huts and gazebos ( The latter is also called a pleasure house or a bower).

“These are suitable for any garden, summer-house or a family house, wherever regulations allow it The Porin Puupojat BBQ Hut guarantees that your barbecue or get-together is an instant success in any weather. Preparing delicious foods for your friends and family is a leisurely affair in the warm atmosphere of this comfortable hut.” Porin Puupojat has two models of the barbeque hut. Both can house about 10 persons. “We are considering of selling a smaller BBQ hut and a bigger gazebo,” notes Lammela.

Business Finland 4/2011

real estate & construction

N THE OUTSKIRTS of Pori in

real estate & construction In BBQ huts the customer can at the same time acquire grill equipment and the insulating chimney. In most cases the barbequing is done with coals or wood, but in the city areas also gas grills are an option.” The atmosphere in the BBQ hut is cozy and even and of primitive in the positive meaning of the word. In most cases electric light is not even needed – one can easily do with portable LED lights or oil lamps, but one can also install electric lighting. “In all cases it just good to make inquiries beforehand what are the building and fire prevention regulations in the given region.”

Simple to Assemble Marko Lammela reminds that constructions are simple and quick to assemble using instructions included in the kit. In

Business Finland 4/2011

most cases it takes 1-3 days to erect the building. “In addition to all the wood parts, the building kit includes a comprehensive array of barbecue accessories. By choosing the color of the roof and walls, you can match the hut with its surroundings.” The bowers (gazebos) of Porin Puupojat are little bit more romantic than wilderness-style BBQ huts. “Made from sturdy Finnish spruce, the spacious gazebo lets in sunlight. At the same time the double thermo glazed windows keep the draft and bees at bay. The basic delivery kit includes all the elements needed in building the pavilion.” As a Finnish wood-crafting company Porin Puupojat naturally also offers sauna in its product range. “You will get to enjoy your own sauna on a small budget and quite effortlessly. The building kit includes all the materials

needed to assemble the sauna from start to finish. When you begin assembling the hut in the morning, you can already enjoy your sauna the same night. The Sauna hut is an affordable and simple solution for those that love authentic wood-burning stoves.” n

www.porinpuupojat.fi

real estate & construction

Business Finland 4/2011

AVIAPOLIS

INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION HUB

Business Finland 4/2011

Sixt Finland

- Committed to Customer Service

Sixt Finland began operating in 2005 and has grown rapidly despite the economic downturn. Today, the company has 22 offices in major cities and airports across Finland. In July 2010, it was acquired by Veho Group, the largest automotive corporation in Finland.

Perfect customer service Sixt Rent a Car is famous for having fast rental administration, a simple reservation system and ready-to-go cars. It was recently voted the best car rental company in the world by readers of Business Traveler USA. As in all Sixt offices, Sixt Finland is committed to providing its customers with perfect service. Customers have a choice of reserving a car using the phone, internet, smartphone or email. The Sixt smartphone application has become increasingly popular over the past few years. With the Sixt Express Card, customers can save valuable time when booking and picking up a car as all their details are saved under their loyalty card number. In central Europe, Sixt has quick check-in kiosks where customers can simply enter their reservation number, sign the rental agreement electronically and collect their car keys from an electronic deposit box. This facility is not yet available in Finland but the company says that its friendly staff make sure customers get their keys within minutes. "Cars are serviced regularly to ensure maximum safety for customers," says Sixt Finland's marketing manager Taina Kivistö. "They are cleaned just before the customer's arrival to ensure comfort. Naturally, Sixt offers any additional equipment required such as child or baby seats, navigation systems, winter packages and ski racks. In many locations the secure key drop box gives customers the possibility of returning the car at any time."

Automatic and manual Sixt Finland has a large variety of vehicles ranging from small economy cars to vans, trucks and luxury SUVs. Cars are available with either automatic or manual gears. As a subsidiary to Veho Group, Sixt Finland is able to cater

for all the needs of its customers and for any size order. Sixt has around 100,000 rental cars around the world, excluding limousines and lease vehicles, and it is Mercedes-Benz’s biggest corporate client. All Sixt cars are new; their average age is just six months. “During the summer, Sixt Finland also offers more exotic cars like cabriolets. In Spain, France and Germany Sixt customers have the choice of Sixt Luxury Cars. How about a Ferrari or a Maserati? Or perhaps you prefer a Rolls Royce?” suggests Kivistö. As with all car rental companies, Sixt customers need to provide a valid drivers’ license and credit card in order to rent a car. Online customers can also opt for a prepaid booking, which can lower the price by up to 10 percent. Insurance can be purchased from Sixt to cover the car in case of an accident. Loss damage waivers do not provide cover in case something happens to the glass or tyres of the car, so customers can opt for special glass and tyre insurance. "Insurance policies cab have major differences depending on the country you rent the car in. It is advisable to make the booking in your home country where you can ask questions from a local Sixt representative in your own language. In Finland, during the winter all Sixt cars comes with winter tyres with studs, as winter chains are not used in Finland - despite what many southern customers think," says Kivistö. n www.sixt.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

Strong Competitiveness with

Vantaa’s Strategy

The City of Vantaa and especially its ‘Vantaa Innovation Institute’ have a central role in the development work of the Airport city of Helsinki-Vantaa. Deputy Mayor of Vantaa, Mr Martti Lipponen says that Vantaa’s active entrepreneurfriendly policy add to the competitiveness of Vantaa both nationally and internationally.

evelopment work of the City of Vantaa is based on Finland’s excellent global logistics location. “This holds true in air traffic first of all. In most cases most direct and quickest flights from Europe to North Asia and from North America to India go via Finland. The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is located in the city of Vantaa, (to the north of Helsinki.) Development of Finland’s utmost international airport gives a strongly boosts regional developments in the vicinity of the airport. “This is why the City of Vantaa has had strong economic development policy for more than 10 years,” tells Vantaa’s Deputy Mayor Martti Lipponen. “The role of Vantaa Innovation Institute is important in developing economic policies of the city. The institute coordinates the construction of competence centers where universities and companies co-operate.” These competence centers and clusters attract international corporates and organisations into Aviapolis area. (Aviapolis is a 42 square km airport city, which has strong real estate, traffic and other developments going on.) One strength in Vantaa development is that land-owners, real estate develop-

Business Finland 4/2011

ers and the city have co-operated in zoning and other issues already for decades. “Although the city does not have many land ownerships, zoning is done in the way that the given area will develop in a varied, often containing both residential and work-related areas.”

Innovation hubs In addition to core Aviapolis area, interesting business and logistics areas like Vehkala will emerge, close to the future Ring Rail (which will be completed in 2014). The Aviapolis area has been evaluated by international consultants. “We are glad and proud that renown company Kasarda estimated in its benchmark study that Aviapolis area is a good example on how to develop smaller airport city in a right way,” says Lipponen. “The aim of Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd is to create clusters, which we call Business Labs. These have been built in environmental-, sensor-, RFID-, airport-related and food safety technologies and services. New emerging business labs are related to communication and epaper technologies. These together with test and piloting environment of Aviapolis and Marja-Vantaa these labs create an innovation hub.”

Martti Lipponen, Deputy Mayor of City of Vantaa

Quality of life However, it is not only about Aviapolis and Vantaa. “We co operate with the Greater Helsinki Promotion (GHP), which was established by the cities of the capital region to drive strategic international investments into the region. The Greater Helsinki Promotion is the sales organization for the Helsinki Business Hub.” The whole Helsinki region, also Vantaa with its 200 000 inhabitants, offers a very high standard of living and welfare. According to most quality of life indicators, this region is amongst the best places in the world to live. “Vantaa has some really pleasant residential areas like Kartanonkoski. New areas of Leinelä and Marja-Vantaa are under construction. These are carefully planned areas, where different kinds of living needs have been taken into account. These are attractive enough for anyone.”

Aviapolis

Reijo Päärni, Marketing Director at NCC Property Development Oy

“I believe that especially Aerola residential area just next to the airport could offer pleasant surroundings for foreign professionals coming to work in Finland. (In spite of the closeness to the international airport, aircraft noise is very low.)” “Ring Rail that combines the Helsinki-Vantaa airport to the Helsinki city center and many suburbs in Helsinki and Vantaa, will change the capital region more than we possibly think. Accessibility of airport will be much better, and the east-west commuting in the area gets easier.” Many new real estate developments will emerge around the existing and new train stops. Environmental issues are taken into account. The City of Vantaa does not have that many land ownerships than for example Helsinki. “This means that we work even more closely with real estate companies. We listen to their wishes and they listen us. The final decisions about zoning are always, however, done by politicians. When we have introduced our model in Airport Regions seminars and New Town Platforms, many have been interested about the flexibility of this approach.”

The most entreprenur-friendly city Deputy Mayor Lipponen notes that it is also good to remember that Vantaa city officials are renowned for its entrepreneur-friendly approach. “In several studies, made both by chambers of commerce and Vantaa entrepreneurs in the last few years, we have been number one in understanding service needs of companies.” “We have organized the service according to One-Stop principle. Vantaa Innovation Institute can offer business development services through which a company can easily get connected to potential customer as well as partner network.”

Developers’ viewpoint Major landowners, property developers and service providers work together with the City of Vantaa through the Aviapolis area development & marketing group. The chairman of the group, Mr Reijo Päärni, marketing director at NCC Property Development Oy, reminds that Aviapolis is the most extensive and unique public-private co-operation project in Finland. “Our intention is to turn Aviapolis into a calling card representing the whole of Finland. We are more than ten mem-

bers in the development group. Right from the beginning the aim was to create a clear identity to this area of 42 km2.” The area was thus named Aviapolis. Today Aviapolis is the first or second-attractive business district in Finland, says Reijo Päärni. “There is much more than just office premises. Retail, logistics and pleasant residential spaces have been built within ten years, and the area keeps developing. The future Ring Rail will further boost the development. The Aviapolis group comprises also property developers. “Naturally these companies also compete, but it is not very usually that developers also co-operate so keenly. The city of Vantaa is involved in development work. The city is very open to new ideas, and we developers listen to them. Vantaa business development services are open to all companies in the area, not only for us established ones. Their One-Stop approach is worth trying.” “I believe that in spite of the recent insecurity on financial markets, the Aviapiolis area will see many developments in near future.” The company Päärni represents, NCC Property Development Oy, has been in charge of Plaza Business Park development, with as many as many ten completed buildings and three more to come. n www.vantaainnovation.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

LAK - Helping to Build Varied Airport City Text: Klaus Susiluoto

In Finland, the Helsinki Airport and the Aviapolis sub-city of 42 km have developed hand in hand, and the real airport city is on formation. Lentoasemakiinteistöt Plc (LAK), a subsidiary of Finavia Corporation, has an important role in this development.

owadays airport surroundings are the most dynamic part of the larger business or administrative city. However, there are still relatively few airports, around which a real airport city – not only warehouses and terminals – has been developed. In Finland, strong steps have been taken to the right direction. Airport land owners, real estate developers, the City of Vantaa and Finavia have worked together to make the Helsinki Airport and Aviapolis a stronger transport and business hub, also with comfortable residential areas. LAK plays a significant role in this. “LAK is a property company wholly owned by Finavia, which is responsible for operations at Finnish airports,” tells the director of project development of LAK, Mr Juha Jaakola. “We lease premises in our buildings located at airports for the needs of businesses that are part of the air traffic service chain. However, we do not own passenger terminals, multi-storey car parks or buildings that are directly related

Business Finland 4/2011

Juha Jaakola, Director of Project Development of LAK

to Finavia's own operations.” “Our portfolio includes logistics buildings, offices and hotels. Some office space is available at the moment from tens of square meters to several thousands of square meters. However, on the drawing board there are large-scale projects.”

Vantaa’s Role In the future, also different kinds of activities will emerge close to the airport. With this in mind, LAK participates in the development of the area, but do not play a contractor’s role. “Zoning is done in cooperation with the City of Vantaa. In the first phase, probably 200 000- 300 000 square meters will come to be finalised in the Aviapo-

lis area by us and our partners,” says Juha Jaakola. “The plot owned by us is 15-16 hectares. The area where we operate is the central part of Aviapolis. Residential housing, a hotel, shops and other services and kindergartens will be constructed, in addition to the office space. “Our aim is to create a real lively suburb out of the area. At the moment there are several houses in near-by Aerola, designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto, but the number of residents will multiply. “Contrary to the common belief, there can be living areas just a few kilometres from the airport. Modern aircraft are environment-friendly and flight noise is surprisingly low,” says Jaakola.

The Helsinki Airport will get the urban rail line in the near future. Railway will arrive at the Helsinki Airport in 2014. The Ring Rail Line, as it is called, will connect Helsinki Airport and the adjacent Aviapolis business and retail district to the Helsinki commuter rail network. Four new stations will be built, with space reserved for four more in the future. The journey time from the airport to Helsinki Central Railway Station will be about 30 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will further facilitate the growth of Aviapolis airport city which is emerging around the Helsinki Airport. Two new train stations will pro-

vide further accessibility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one at the airport and the other exactly in the centre of Aviapolis. The latter station will locate in the middle of the emerging new commercial and residential concentration,â&#x20AC;? says Juha Jaakola. LAK is also managing the WTC Helsinki Airport, the highest building at Helsinki airport. The original 22 000 m2 WTC in separate building was not realized, but permission for the building still exists. It will in all likelihood not be another WTC building, but some other premium premise. The existing WTC is also very modern. Some minor spaces can still be rented. LAK also owns the hotel property of Hilton Helsinki Airport ( see the related article). n www.lak.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

Urban rail line boosts developments

Aviapolis

Modern Scandinavian Style

Airport Hotel

hrough the Hilton Helsinki Airport, LAK is also involved in leisure and business travel business. LAK owns the newly enlarged Hilton Helsinki Airport and was also responsible for the building process. The main contractor was Skanska Talonrakennus Oy and the architect was KVAArkkitehdit. “Hilton Helsinki Airport has been so popular that the enlargement was necessary. The project was finished in the spring 2011,” tells the General Director Ari Arvonen. “It was very challenging to build at the both ends of the building and at the same

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

time to have the normal hotel and conference operations going on, but this expansion went overall very smoothly. “We expanded the hotel by adding 84 rooms in total 3600 m², plus a 400 m² multipurpose meeting and restaurant space. Both are very important for us. Now we can have large meetings at our 400 m² ballroom and the space of the same size for dinner. In a la carte restaurant there is space for hotel guests. “Finns are the biggest customer group. In group conferencing there are more local guests. But often there are international delegates involved. Individual hotel customers are mainly international businessmen and businesswomen. Finnish leisure guests who are going or coming from their charter flights are also important for us. “We have many guests from the USA, and more and more Asians use the hotel’s services. “It seems very clear that our customers appreciate the Hilton brand. Especially international guests are looking for globally known hotel brands. Hilton brand is the most well-known hotel brand in the world. “Hilton Helsinki Airport is situated at the actual airport area, while some hotels that use the term ‘airport hotel’ are actually 2-3 kilometers away from the airport. Our hotel guests can walk from hotel to the terminal. The main reason for all of our guests to choose Hilton Airport is that they can save time and have an easy stay at our premises.” Hitlon Helsinki airport has invested in activities. “We have a large and modern gym open 24/7. The gym services are included in the room price. Also two saunas are for free for guests’ use. Our guests are happy for that. Hilton Helsinki Airport can also offer special fares. “We have cooperation with several airlines.” “At weekends and at holiday seasons our room rates are very moderate. Customers are quite satisfied. They like a lot our modern Scandinavian design besides the convenience of our location so close to the terminals,” says Arvonen. n www.hilton.com/helsinki

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

The New Look of

Blue1 To meet the challenges the needs of rapidly expanding route network, Blue1 is investing in a new fleet of Boeing 717 aircraft.

he Boeing 717 is a modern aircraft to operate short- and mediumhaul flights, making it the perfect type for flights between Europe and Finland. “All of the aircraft are manufactured during 2000’s and equipped with modern technology. The Boeing 717 has size comparable with larger aircraft. There is enough seating place and leg room. The luggage store is also equal in volume to that of larger aircraft,” says Tom Christides, Vice President Communications of Blue1. “We have leased six Boeing 717 planes, with three more to come by the end of March. The 717s can seat 115 passengers. In a way, our previous plane was too big with 166 seats. We still have 5 AVRO fourengine planes, three ATRs and two SAAB 2000 planes. Old MD 90 airplanes will not be used any more.” Tom Christides

Business Finland 4/2011

Juhani Suomalainen

Aviapolis

Blue1 Premium Blue1 has only two classes, Economy and Blue1 Premium. The latter one is almost equal to business class. “Well, you do not get champagne, but a good selection of food and drinks are included. Fares are just significantly lower. Premium includes genuine business class features such as Business-Class check-in, fast-track security control, premium-class seating, a baggage allowance of two pieces of 23 kilos and flexible re-booking options with Blue1 or SAS. Full refund is possible,” says Tom Christides. If traveller does not need a flexible ticket, the choice is Premium Holiday. It means seating in the Premium Cabin, but without the flexibility to re-book and cancel. Economy Class offers good basic service.

Part of SAS Group Blue1 has been part of SAS Group since 1998, which supports company’s operations in a good way. “We are also member of Star Alliance. Being part of this alliance gives us a total of 1170 destinations. Our own route network of Blue1 route covers major North and Central European cities. The number of our passengers increased to 1.5 million.” “We started three new destinations already

in 2010, Berlin, Brussels and München. We now have two daily flights also to London, Brussels, Paris and Zürich, from March on, to Amsterdam,” says Christides. “We also have so-called summer collection - destinations to France, Croatia and Scotland. In France we have Nice and Marseille as a new one, In Croatia Dubrovnik and Split. Pula is a new destination. To Edinburgh we also fly in the summer time only.”

“Flowing" Stockholm and Copenhagen play an important role in Blue1’s strategy: “We have Vaasa-Stockholm, Tampere-Stockholm and TurkuStockholm routes, where we have established position.” Copenhagen ensures connecting flights to North America and Asia. “SAS is launching Copenhagen Shanghai route in addition to Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing.” Blue 1 operates in Helsinki in the terminal one, which is quite compact. “However, the terminal can become even two small within a couple of years. Modernisation and enlargement of the terminal would benefit customers.” Since this year, Blue1 also has had a new visual look. “Aalto University participated in the work. The winning proposal was called Flowing. Also Air Finland and Finnair have renewed their visual outlook, but Blue1 was the first to launch the new look.” n www.blue1.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis

ScanWings – Almost there Text: Juhana Hurula Pictures: Sini Pennanen, ScanWings

ScanWings is a business flight company that wants to take you higher. It offers its clients top notch service.

Business Finland 4/2011

canWings Ltd is a Finnish company that offers first-class business flights. It operates from Helsinki-Vantaa international airport with a jet and two prop planes. The phone lines are open 24/7. They are ready to operate at two hours’ notice. “Time is money. There’s no reason to queue in lines at the airport when it’s possible to save several hours of working time when flying with us. It’s a lot easier and quicker when one can board

the aircraft via a business terminal – all the luggage handling and security checks are provided. Air travel is a lot faster. Furthermore, there’s no need to worry about time-consuming flight transfers and traffic, because ScanWings flies directly to the nearest airport,” Sales Manager Yrjö Jussila says. The schedule will be tailored to fit the passengers’ needs. If the plans should change while travelling, whether it be the timetable or destination, ScanWings is

Aviapolis

Sales Manager Yrjö Jussila

flexible: one phone call and a new flight plan will be mapped out. “The passenger can concentrate on work, prepare for a business meeting, or just sit back and relax during the flight. We order our catering from high-end gourmet restaurants to serve our clients the luxury they deserve. Our aircraft seat configurations have been tailored to provide the best possible facilities required for an in-flight business meeting. Professional travellers can respect this. Travel-

ling is not luxury, but hard work,” Jussila stresses.

SPECIALITIES Besides business flights, ScanWings also does medical and ambulance flights. King Air aircraft can easily be converted for the special transportation needs of various medical and ambulance flights. It allows medical personnel to accompany and treat the patient during the flight. It

also offers a high-speed alternative to urgent transplant deliveries. One of the company’s specialities includes weekly flights to measure the accuracy of aeronautical radio navigation equipment that is in use, for example, on airport runways. ScanWings has been a partner of the Finnish Aviation Authority for many years when conducting these special flights. ScanWings also does cargo deliveries. n www.scanwings.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Aviapolis Text: Juhana Huurula Images: Sini Pennanen, Sokos Hotels

Sokos Hotel Flamingo S

okos Hotels is the biggest hotel chain in Finland, with over 40 hotels in Finland, Tallinn and St Petersburg. According to Statistics Finland, it has one third of the domestic market. All of the hotels are located in city centres or on leisure sites and have good transport connections. “The three most important factors for a hotel are location, location, location,” says Heli Engblom, general manager of Sokos Hotel Vantaa and Flamingo. “People need to get away from their everyday life. A significant number of our clients come from within an hour’s driving distance. Nearly 80 percent of our clients are Finns; eight per-

Business Finland 4/2011

cent Russians; then come the Brits and the Swedes.” Sokos Hotel Flamingo is located in the Flamingo entertainment complex. This is the Las Vegas at the ring roads, close to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. The hotel offers accommodation for 800, and basic congress facilities, but a full-on action playground awaits. Flamingo is the biggest entertainment centre in Scandinavia and it opened in 2008. It is connected to the Jumbo shopping centre and its 120 shops. The Flamingo maze includes a spa and a water park, pampering services, shops, cinemas, bowling alleys, nightclub and restaurants. It is a consumer’s paradise. Many business people bring their families to enjoy quality

Aviapolis

lesiure time together. “Everything is here. When a customer approaches and says that he didn’t even step outside once, we are pleased because that means we got their heart and wallet,” Engblom says and smiles. Different types of events for as many as 300 people can be organised at the facilities of two private restaurants, Amarillo’s and Banquett’s. Twelve various-sized meeting rooms (12-140 people) provide all the necessary equipment.

Leisure & Relaxation Sokos Hotels offers a wide selection of different leisure packages

to fit one’s needs and preferences: culture, fitness, pampering or partying.

Business travel Sokos Hotels lures business travellers by offering an S-Card that offers its users various benefits and discounts.

Company Sokos Hotels is a part of S-ryhmä, a Finnish co-operative trading company. It was founded in 1904. It comprises the SOK Corporation and its subsidiaries in addition to 22 regional co-operatives. It has 1.9 million customer owners. n www.sokoshotels.com

Business Finland 4/2011

The future of

Pyhäjärvi Small town of Pyhäjärvi, with a population of under 6000, is one of the most international areas in northern Finland. Mining industry changed the area and now Pyhäjärvi is taking it's next step. The old mines are used for scientific research and the area is also planning for an even better future.

hen mining started in Pyhäjärvi, around 50 years ago, the area actually had a higher population. Currently the Pyhäsalmi mine is one of the most modern mines around the world. It is also the deepest in Europe, reaching around 1,4 kilometres (0,87 miles). This information is crucial for the future of Pyhäjärvi. In 2008 Pyhäjärvi received it's first international research equipments from Russia. Together with the universities of Jyväskylä and Oulu (both from Finland) Pyhäjärvi region started it's journey into an international site for high quality research. EMMA (Experiment with Multi-

Business Finland 4/2011

pyhäjärvi

Muon Array) has now been running for few years and the experiment has been a success. Feedback from everywhere has been positive. The key issue has been the local attitude for such activities which has helped the scientists to get their job done. The Pyhäsalmi mine, owned by Inmet Mining Corporation, is scheduled to be closed in 2018. The earth riches, copper and sinc, has never been the only plan for the small town. However closing of the mine will be a set back for the area. Currently the mine has over 200 employees and the Inmet Mining Corporation is an important employer in the region. Pyhäjärvi has been able to be an active small town in northern Finland but to

keep its area alive, it had to change from a mining town to an site of international research and an interesting tourism area.

The LAGUNA research center Mayor of Pyhäjärvi, Tita Rinnevaara says that the possible LAGUNA project would be a great step for the municipality. The LAGUNA (Large Apparatus studying Grand Unification, Neutrino Astrophysics) is a project lead by universities from Finland. The project is planned for the requirements of CERN (European laboratory for particle physics). Currently there are seven different locations which are possible sites for the LAGUNA, Py-

häsalmi mine in Pyhäjärvi being one of them. The final location will be decided earliest in 2013, probably in 2014 Rinnevaara says that if Pyhäjärvi is chosen as the location, it would be beneficial for the town. “Around 50 to 100 scientists would be living in the area. And the building of the research center would take approx. 10 years creating a need of 2800 man-years.” Concerning the possibilities and the current situation, LAGUNA would be ideal for Pyhäjärvi. But it is not just Pyhäjärvi which has something to gain here, also the LAGUNA project would benefit from Pyhäjärvi.

Business Finland 4/2011

Pyhäsalmi mine is located exceptionally well from CERN. In one of the studies particles will be sent from CERN to LAGUNA. The distance from CERN to Pyhäsalmi mine is perfect for the planned research. Pyhäsalmi mine, from all of the possible sites, has the lowest reactor neutrino background, which is crucial for the research. Also the depth of the mine and the overall quality is superb for LAGUNA. Even more reasons are coming up monthly and also the current owner of the mine has signed the memorandum of understanding concerning LAGUNA. LAGUNA would be perfect for the town of Pyhäjärvi and in comparison to other possible sites, Pyhäsalmi mine is currently the best location. As the funding of LAGUNA project is not from EU the decision making will be free of politics thus giving the Pyhäjärvi even better standing in the race for the new research center. Even more so, the local attitude is open and the mayor is doing her best to change Pyhäjärvi from a mining community to an international research area. The first steps have been taken. In few years Pyhäjärvi will most likely be an active research area but also an attraction for tourists.

Business Finland 4/2011

Hotel Business for Sale As Pyhäjärvi is going through a transition from a mining town to something else, so are the local entrepreneurs. Business Finland interviewed the owner, Valto Perälä, of Hotel Pyhäsalmi. “Our business model has been built upon various kinds of travellers. The mine has given us a lot of customers but our reputation has given us the possibility to do business even if the mine is closed”. Hotel Pyhäsalmi is located right in the

downtown of Pyhäjärvi. The hotel has 33 rooms and one suite. Small family owned company has been profitable for over twenty years. “Currently the business is running smoothly and without any debts. However – changes are looming even around Hotel Pyhäjärvi. Me and my wife are getting older and planning our retirement. So for the last few years we have planned and are now getting ready to sell the hotel.”

pyhäjärvi

Valto Perälä, Owner of the Hotel Pyhäsalmi.

The location for Hotel Pyhäsalmi is excellent as it is just in the middle of Finland. So tourists from southern Finland on their way to Lapland are staying in the Hotel Pyhäsalmi. But they have also built the hotel for the needs of the mining industry. “We have negotiation and conference rooms for 100 persons with the latest technology.” When asked about the future concerning the possibilities of LAGUNA Valto Perälä comments. “As we have planned to retire and sell the hotel we have decided to throw theball to the successor. Local companies must develop services further to meet the upcoming requirements. Our problem has been that we are not fluent in foreign languages. The pioneers will get an advantage as we got when we established the hotel over 25 years ago. “Pyhäjärvi is also going through changes. The future is still open, but that's the time when the risk takers are active. And what comes to the Hotel Pyhäsalmi, there really even isn't a risk factor involved. But if someone wants to be ahead of others – now is the right time.” n www.pyhajarvi.fi

The company is being sold by a respected broker company Procap. Questions concerning Hotel Pyhäsalmi can be directed to Mr. Kimmo Heinonen (kimmo.heimonen@procap.fi).

Business Finland 4/2011

Better Situational with New Awareness Communication Solutions Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Suomen Puolustusvoimat, Savox

Mikael Westerlund, the Managing Director of Savox Communications Oy Ab, says that the company is increasingly offering also larger solutions to its customers.

avox Communications Ltd. provides communications products designed for use in demanding and hazardous environments. The company has experiences in serving the police, security, fire, rescue, military, maritime and industrial markets. The company’s products improve the effectiveness of individuals’ operating in demanding environments. The enhanced range includes headsets, skull and throat

Business Finland 4/2011

mics, voice amps, push to talk units, remote speaker mics and surveillance kits. “Savox Communications has made a unique insight into the end user requirements. That allows us to produce the most innovative and market-driven solutions available,” says Westerlund. “One of the concepts is the Future Warrior, for which we have been doing cooperation with several other companies and Finnish Defense Force. This re-

search effort was signed by the defense administration’s material unit and a group of enterprises among where Savox has a central role. “The Future Warrior is part of the Defense Force’s technology program 2010, which maps out possibilities of new technology, for example, in night vision and aiming device. Increasingly, verbal communication will also be supported by other kinds of data such as positioning

The Future Warrior is part of the Defense Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology program 2010, which maps out possibilities of new technology, for example, in night vision and targeting."

Mikael Westerlund, the Managing Director of Savox Communications Oy Ab Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions information and telemetric and biometric readings. “The aim of the Future Warrior project is to create an integrated infantryman combat system. The concept can be applied to navy and air force units.”

Rethinking Device In practice the Future Warrior solutions largely mean that all communications and personal protection devices should be re-thought. “For example, when warriors mount or dismount from any given military vehicle, communication often is based on yelling orders. But with a decent electronic communication system the task goes in a smoother way. “There are experiences in Afghanistan and Iran where these new communication systems are functional. We have seen in these crisis areas that there are not usually clear front lines. The enemy can appear from any unexpected direction. Situations develop quickly. Troops move fast. For all these reasons warriors should be wary practically all the time. This means that quick and reliable communication is necessary more than ever,” says Mikael Westerlund. The concept of the Future Warrior is quite new. Yet, in the United States and some other countries, these issues have been studied since the 1990s. In Finland the Future Warrior Program was named PVTO 2010. The research project brings along test equipment, prototypes and new definitions. Savox Communications is responsible for

Business Finland 4/2011

the coordination of the project, but also Insta DefSec Oy, Millog Oy and NetHawk Oyj are involved in the sub-projects. With Finnish Defense Force the scope of research and testing is carried out during 2010-2012. “As far as I know, they have been satisfied with our work. We have had projects also with the US army. We can offer our solutions to other countries too.”

Better Situational Awareness One important concept in the Future Warrior is “helmet integrated situational awareness”, which is easier to achieve with Savox solutions. “Situational awareness and C4I – Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence – are naturally nothing new as such. One important capability that C4I systems provide com-

manders is situational awareness – information about the location and status of enemy and friendly forces.” Today the helmet integrated and other electronic systems provide many benefits. “The helmet itself is made of the best aramid material with good protection features and up-to-date communications. For example, smartphone warrior communication can be used when driving in convoys.” When necessary channels are kept open and are reliable, the level of situational awareness is better. “What is good in a system developed by Savox is that it is platform independent. An important feature is ImP – IP mobile platform, which combines data and speech. “ImP is the next generation platform intercom system offering a lightweight IP based digital solution. One of ImP’s unique features is that ImP provides a user wearable Personal Control Unit (PCU) making the “man” the communication interface, not the platform. The PCU allows the operator to take control over their voice communications environment with intuitive controls that are simple and easy to use and aided by voice prompts which can also be programmed into local languages. “The ImP system is software defined and programmable for maximum flex-

ibility, is easy to use and install, and is modular to match various configuration requirements. For example, the ImP based system perfectly matches the requirements of the RNLI for modular, configurable communications that can be used in the most extreme environments, while retaining their existing investment in the radio network. “In addition to defense forces, the systems may suit border guard units, police special troops, and SAR personnel, etc.”

What counts is the overall integrated system.” Modern warfare’s communication naturally requires much electronics. “Battery and charging technologies have developed, which also adds to the reliability of Central Intelligent Power System. This system automatically gives priority to the device that is most urgently needed or/and drops the least needed out.”

Personal Communication Unit

Savox’s turnover this year (2011) is estimated to be 25-30 million euros. “Growth figures have been even 35-45 percent at the yearly level, whereas the average growth figure in our branch is 12 percent – also a quite big figure. But we will have to grow faster than that in order to gain a better market position,” emphasizes Mikael Westerlund. “There are similar or close to similar companies in the United States, France, Germany, etc. They have a certain advantage when it comes to orders in the fields of new communications devices. But we have good products and service concepts and are able to offer larger solutions, so there is no reason to doubt our success also in these markets. Israel and South Africa possibly are the most difficult markets because of strong protectionist traditions there.” n

Savox Communications presented at DSEI 2011 in September the latest version of its ImP LV (Land Variant) IP command and control system. “ImP already has a track record of deployment with Military and Special Forces teams and the new version brings increased functionality for use within land vehicles.” The ImP LV IP mobile platform addresses many of the conventional intercom shortcomings by providing high quality speech in the vehicle cabin environment and total control over the communications landscape. “In our military solutions we use the basic MIL standards which naturally help in building larger systems. Savox can offer physical products for communication.

Growth in Necessary

The Savox Communications Group incorporates the experiences and pedigree of the market leading companies and brands such as Savox, Lowe, Iqua, Con-Space, SearchCam, EntryLink and Delsar. Combined with locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Canada, the United States and China, the Savox Communications Group provides unparalleled worldwide coverage and comprehensive sales and support to all their customers. In Finland, Savox is based in Espoo and Savonlinna (manufacturing). Vancouver in Canada also has production facilities. In the United States the company has units in Lincoln, Nebraska Austin and Texas. In Shenzhen, China, Savox has marketing, sales and R & D activities. Savox has a strong presence in the Great Britain, in the cities of York and Matlock. Sales offices in Germany and France complement European strategy of Savox Communications. The corporate headquarters is in Luxemburg. www.savox.com

Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions

SAVOX GROUP

Multi-purpose Power by

Avant Tecno Avant Tecno manufactures high quality compact multipurpose loaders and attachments in Ylöjärvi, Finland. The strong Avant loaders are designed and manufactured following customers’ needs, in order to give the best possible performance in a multitude of jobs.

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Sini Pennanen, Avant

In addition to introducing new products we have managed to win the market share on the existing markets."

Risto K채kel채, CEO of Avant Tecno & Jani K채kel채, Product Manager, Member of Board

cutting edge solutions 58

he model range consists of machines destined for heavy duty professional use, as well as for demanding do-it-yourself hobby time work. “Today there are over 35,000 Avant loaders in operation all over the world. Avants are used more and more at construction sites,” tells Risto Käkelä, the Managing Director of Avant Tecno. “Our machines can in most cases also be used inside of buildings. This is an important issue of renovations. Thanks to the LPG applications, our work machines can be used without significant emissions or monoxide.” The LPG is also called LP Gas, autogas, or liquid propane gas. When LPG is used to fuel internal combustion engines, it is often referred to as autogas or auto propane. Avant Tecno’s LPG concept was credited also at the German demopark+demogolf 2011 exhibition in Eisenach, Germany, in summer 2011, when the Avant 525LPG received an innovation prize and silver medal. The editors in chief of five leading German landscaping and ground care magazines especially emphasized the concept with the LPG engine, which adds to the reputation of Avant. Compact size is one of Avant’s strengths. “We are the market leader in loaders that have an operating weight

Business Finland 4/2011

under 2,000 kilograms. We want to stay the world number one in this category. Avant Tecno naturally develops technical features so that our solutions will be more effective. This makes our products even more attractive for users,” believes Käkelä.

Useful Show Rooms In the spring 2011 the company opened Avant Center in Swiss Mesikon, close to Zürich. “We have these kinds of show rooms also elsewhere. It is essential that importers will have these kinds of spaces to present the Avant product range. “In addition to introducing new products we have managed to win the market share on the existing markets. “The main markets are Finland, other Nordic countries, Russia and Central Europe. Avant has its own subsidiary sales offices in Germany and in the UK. Elsewhere in the world Avants are sold through a competent and comprehensive importer dealer network. Avant vehicles are exported to over 40 countries. “The most promising new markets are South Africa, the Middle East and North America,” lists Käkelä. “With so many domestic and international customers, we built the Avant Center in Ylöjärvi, Finland, just next to our production site. With brand new

cutting edge solutions Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions 60

premises we can show the large range of our products to our exports staff and customers.”

Ylöjärvi Plant At the Ylöjärvi plant the Avant loaders are manufactured with the most modern production technology available. Sheet metal cutting is carried out with an automated laser cutting machine, welding is done with a complete robot welding

Business Finland 4/2011

line and painting is done on an automatic powder coating line. “Within the last two years we have acquired two more new robots and the third laser for cutting sheets. We have enlarged our premises by 6000 m2. “All the processes are strictly controlled by the Avant quality control system, which also guarantees that all machines are thoroughly tested before delivery. Product development is carried out completely in Ylöjärvi.”

New Ergonomic Cabins The latest additions to the product portfolio include a 400 series and a 700 series, both catering to a new client base. “Our very latest innovations include cabins for our 500,600 and 700 series machines. Much attention has been put in ergonomic solutions and driver’s comfort. These cabins can be equipped with air conditioning.” Avant Tecno has tested also electronic work vehicles.

cutting edge solutions

“These solutions still require quite much energy, for example, in loading, so charging batteries must be done quite often. But we believe that battery technology will develop, and consider also these solutions. “All in all, our product range enables an innovative approach, in which clients can reduce heavy manual work. At the same time, they have been able to improve the effectiveness of their operations,” says Risto Käkelä. n www.avanttecno.com

The New 400 Series Avant has introduced the new 400 series. It comes between the 200 and 500 series as the basic articulated diesel model with 20 hp Kubota engine. The 400 series features modern design with excellent ergonomics and great lifting and loading capabilities, but in dimensions it is more compact than the 500 series. Many customers have been asking for a diesel engine on the 200 series. The answer is Avant 420, a very useful and versatile machine for both professional and do-it-yourself use. It is also a logical step between 200 series and bigger Avants. Tipping load is about 600 kg. Avant 420 is more compact than Avant 520, but can be equipped with a telescopic boom with lift height as high as 2.8 m.

Business Finland 4/2011

Vivago 62

Business Finland 4/2011

Exporting wellbeing

Our quality has been noticed over the borders."

Text: Simo Raittila Photos: Vivago

Finland is a country known for its welfare and innovation-friendly atmosphere. Now the ageing baby boomer generation can rely on the pioneering technological solutions created by Vivago.

ivago is a Finnish company that develops automatic personal security systems for monitoring and analysing users’ vitality, activity and sleep. For countries with ageing populations, the wellbeing watch is nothing short of a miracle. Vivago estimates that it allows elderly people to spend approximately one year longer at home, and this could save about EUR 40,000 of public money per watch each year. It also gives people the opportunity to retire and live at home. This means that costs can be cut in an ethical manner. “It takes only 7.7 days for our product to pay for itself,” says Vivago president Katja Kääriä. The company's watch is the only one of its kind that offers an automatic alarm for situations when the user is unable to call for help or press a distress signal.

Vivago Active Ultra PC • Helps in maintaining a healthy lifestyle answers the following questions: – How active have I been? Change in my activity level? – How much calories have I burnt? – How much have I slept? My sleep quality?

Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions

Vivago Care 1) Manual alarms • The user can always call for help by pressing the button on the wrist unit.

2) Automatic alarms • "Wrist unit off wrist" and "Wrist unit back on wrist" notifications ensure that the unit is in use and that the user is supported by the unit´s security features. • Alarms based on changes in activity levels alert carers to unusual periods of immobility or the user´s prolonged passivity. • With a device interface, a discreet access control solution can be implemented even at home. The system then provides "At home" and "Out" notifications. • Automatic technical alarms on, for example, low batteries or radio transmission problems.

Over the borders Most of Vivago's turnover comes from outside Finland; Kääriä estimates around 70-80 percent of it comes from exports. France, Germany and Italy have shown the most interest in the company's products. “We have a magnificent product on our hands,” says Kääriä. “It really enhances people's quality of life and we want to spread it as widely as possible.” Vivago works closely with professionals in elderly care, independent and private actors, to find the best solutions. Ernst & Young named the SOPHIA concept, which uses Vivago products, as one of the top 10 business practices in the world for enabling cost-efficient health and social care. The concept is an innovative, customer-oriented teleservice for the elderly, which supports longer independent living. The system has over 2,000 users in Germany. “We wish to be seen more as an enabler of better services than as just another product on the market,” says Kääriä.

Vivago Active Sleep

Business Finland 4/2011

• Give you greater health and fitness awareness, including sleep pattern and exercise levels • Help exploit overall well-being • Safeguard you against long-term health issues

We at Vivago want to help you to take better care of yourself."

Vivago and its brands are reliable and good quality. The company always bases its products on theoretical and empirically tested science, but there is always room for improvement. “Even though the products are already approachable, we're going to make them even easier to use,” says Kääriä. “Making the watch smaller and more resemblant to basic watches will increase its usability and desirability.” The company will also develop its software and algorithms, so that in the future customers can have even more information at their disposal to take care of their own wellbeing. n

Vivago Personal Wellness Manager

cutting edge solutions

Looking to the future

• Continuously measures your activity • Measures the changes in your daily activity • Analyses the amount of sleep and its development • Measures the overall calorie expenditure without a separate transmitter belt

Vivago Tel. +358 9 2709 1710 info@vivago.fi www.vivago.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions

Mondex

top-quality sauna heaters from soapstone Mondex Ltd. is Finland’s pioneer enterprise in the manufacturing of sauna heaters made of soapstone. Founded in 1992, the company’s product range offers both sauna heaters and stone radiators. Characteristic of both product groups are genuine natural materials, the skillful processing, advanced control electronics and topquality Finnish design.

sauna heater is an ancient element in Finnish sauna, but its design and production can also be very modern and unique. Mondex has a specific sauna laboratory in order to guarantee product development. They have all the electronics built inside the sauna heater – for the first time in the world. “We have several persons who develop our products,” the marketing director Petri Hulkkonen says. “Finnish nature is a very important source of inspiration for us. We have a board evaluating the job and processing it forward. Technical engineers and designers will join when needed.”

The eternal soapstone The important trademark of Mondex is the use of soapstone in their sauna heaters. “With soapstone, sauna bathing is a unforgettable experience,” says Hulkkonen. “Soapstone is soft and caressing; it suits very well in sauna. Sauna heaters made of soapstone will radiate not only

Business Finland 4/2011

Text: Juha Jyrkäs Photos: Mondex

Silent stone radiators Aside from sauna heaters, Mondex also produces stone radiators, which are the worldwide innovation. “When comparing stone radiators with sheet radiators, you can obviously see the difference,” Petri Hulkkonen says. “Stone radiators give a very nice and decent temperature. It’s never too hot. And it’s totally silent, whereas the ordinary

sheet radiators make cracking sounds. “A stone radiator is also a unique and impressive decoration element.”

Costumer-oriented Mondex is also known to be very openminded for new ideas coming straight from the costumers. “Our working methods are nowadays more and more costumer-oriented,” says Hulkkonen. “We will exactly make such a sauna heater or stone radiator as what the costumer wants. They can just give us a call and then get all the help they need. We want to keep things very easy for customers. “When we were in the Habitare exhibition this year, we got very good feedback. People liked both our design and quality. Of course it makes us very happy.”

cutting edge solutions

the heat, but also moisture and oxygen. Thus it won’t be too hot or too dry in sauna. “Soapstone is the most famous material in Mondex. We do use other materials too, for example, black granite. But in our sauna heaters, one side is always made out of soapstone.”

www.mondex.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Music Oasis in the Middle of the City Completed in summer 2011, the Helsinki Music Centre – Musiikkitalo in Finnish – became a modern oasis for Finnish music. “The aim of the Music Centre is to achieve a sense of openness, in musical taste as well as through our superb location,” says Director Helena Hiilivirta. Text: Perhemediat Photos: Sini Pennanen, Musiikkitalo

Helena Hiilivirta, Director of the Helsinki Music Centre

The main concert hall is booked already for the autumn 2013. In the spring 2012, however, there are some vacant days.â&#x20AC;?

culture & design Mezza Voce, A Quiet Voice Music Cnetre has one of the most central locations in Helsinki, facing the Kiasma Museum on the south and Parliament House on the west. The Helsinki cetral railway station is just a couple of hundreds of meters away. Finland is a strong classical music country, and the music center idea is decades old, but only in the mid 1990s started the project in earnest. The project got its shape through the two-stage architectural competition, which was arranged in 1999-2000. “The jury of this competition was exceptionally large, consisting of 19 members,” recalls Helena Hiilivirta. In the end Finnish LPR Architects Ltd. proceeded to win with its entry “a mezza voce” – a quiet voice.

Business Finland 4/2011

“The solution sought to harmonize the overall appearance of the Töölö Bay area of Helsinki.The surrounding Töölönlahti Park provides a setting for cultural activities and we become a new nucleus for the city.” The main architects of the Music Centre were Marko Kivistö, Ola Laiho and MikkoPulkkinen. The project did not start immedi-

ately after the architectural competition. “In 2004 a complaint related to a nearby old red-brick warehouses was rejected, and thus there were no major obstacles anymore. Zoning began already in 2002. In 2005 a property company was established, and the actual structural planning started in autumn 2006.” Construction after excavation finally began in 2008. After the complicated process of selecting the main contractor, the project was handed over to SRV Construction. “The cooperation with SRV went very well. Even though there were two difficult winters during the construction period, construction work progressed well according to timetables. “For acoustics solutions, the Finnish company Acucon was doing great work, according to the guidelines drawn by Yasuhisa Toyota and other acoustic designers. “Naturally there have also been some critics, for example, for the facades of the building, but most comments, especially concerning the inner structures and in-

teriors, have been positive. And we have got overwhelmingly good feedback of acoustics solutions.” Via sound-insulating glass walls, the main concert hall is open to the foyer and lobby areas. The public space area has a café, and small exhibitions can be arranged in the lower foyer.

The Music Centre celebrated the official opening in August 2011, but long before this, bookings for different halls had been made, even for years ahead. “The main concert hall is booked already for the autumn 2013. In the spring 2012, however, there are some vacant days.” The Music Centre is home for two eminent orchestras, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. It is also an educational base for the only music university in Finland, the Sibelius Academy. “Because these entities support each other, they are able to provide a wealth of inspiration to all sectors of art. The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the first professional symphony orchestra to be

Business Finland 4/2011

culture & design

Almost Fully-Booked

founded in the Nordic countries, has been operating without a break for almost 130 years,” says Hiilivirta. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO), founded in 1927, is the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE). Its Chief Conductor is Sakari Oramo who assumed the post in 2003. Besides the great classical romantic masterpieces, contemporary music is a major item in the repertoire of the FRSO. “It was really time for both of these orchestras to get modern premises.” A large part of the music education of the Sibelius Academy also occurs in the Music Center. Approximately 1 500 students attend the Sibelius Academy in ten different degree programmes, including music performance, folk music, and several other options. “These three entities are our main users. But we are a venue of rendezvous first of all. Newcomers and old hands, learners and professionals, all types of music, passers-by, tourists, and music enthusiasts will come together in our concert halls and other spaces.” Classical music plays a major role in the center’s functions, but “lighter” music is appreciated. “We could hire our premises more to pop music performers, but in some cases it seems that their schedules are somewhat different from ours. Or to be more exact, their business cycle is maybe faster than that of classical music. But we will certainly offer opportunities to all kinds of music. “The unique combination of the music uni-

culture & design

Informal Business Events

versity, two orchestras, state-of-the-art concert halls and a pivotal city location provides excellent possibilities for musiclovers, musicians, music students and city-dwellers to meet and interact.” In most days the “Musiikkitalo” is open from eight or nine in the morning to ten in the evening.

Business Finland 4/2011

The Helsinki Music Centre’s concert halls, conference, exhibition spaces and auditorium are available for hire for those wishing to enjoy the state-ofthe-art building with its technical and acoustic versatility, superb location, and in-house catering facilities. “The main users are taken care of, and have certain priorities as main renting customers, but we rent out halls to music and other events. Even some corporate events can be arranged in our premises, but not in large scale. The center cannot be regarded as an actual meeting and congress venue, yet informal meetings and seminars can be carried out quite well,” says Hiilivirta. For example, in the foyer’s café a company can arrange a small musical session, announce corporate news or make a product launch, combined with catering services. There is also a small auditorium for about 80 persons. “We have counted that by renting out premises on top of the main users, we can

get approximately 500 000 euros extra income every year.”

Varied Premises The Music Centre’s administration is quite light, consisting of only ten people. “We are a service company first of all. My responsibilities include contents and events, renting activities and communication with interest groups. However, I cannot hire any musician by myself. It just is not my task,” reminds Hiilivirta.

Britsh Point of View

“We also have technical staff who knows performing and sound technology and coordinators for building up the varied programs of the center. “We pride ourselves on a policy of openness and approachability. At the Music Centre you can hear and see a variety of concerts and performances, drop in for a snack in the café on your way through, and take a look around in the lobby or the exhibition spaces. Or you can enjoy a delicious meal in the restaurant, or pop in the shop or stop off at the Sibelius Academy Library to browse music books, magazines, and databases or listen to a wide range of recordings.” What count the most are the varied premises for rehearsals and concerts. “The seating capacity of the main concert hall is 1700, or 1704 to be exact”, laughs Hiilivirta. “The smaller concert halls have seating capacities from 140 to 400. ‘The Black Box’, which has the seating for 225 people, can take 400 with the seats removed. Sonore hall has seating for 206 +78 people and the rehearsal hall for 240.” The Organo is a small but marvelous space for friends of organ music. The three different organs ensure a wide variety of organ music for a maximum of 140 people. Classrooms and offices for the Sibelius Academy are grouped on seven floors around an inner courtyard opening out towards the Karamzin Park. The departments of music technology, jazz and folk

The Music Centre has been introduced in many foreign magazines and newspapers. One interesting viewpoint came from the Great Britain. Richard Morrison

of The Times stated that Finns really earned this kind of building – and not only a building but a building with many functions: “If ever a nation has earned the right to build a magnificent new concert hall, it’s the Finns. They are surely the most music-crazy people on the planet – a population of the size of Scotland’s is supporting 31 full-time professional orchestras (just for the record, Scotland has three).”

culture & design

m u s i c education and part of the academy’s administration are in this seven store building. The two lowest floors house studios and a public music library.

www.musiikkitalo.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

cutting edge solutions Rami Aarikka, Managing Director 74

Business Finland 4/2011

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto, Laitila

Laitila

Beverages Distinctive Beers and Much More When four young men started the fish-selling business in 1995, no one would have believed that the business they launched would change its focus to lemonade, then beers, ciders and other drinks – and that 16 years ago the company would employ 50 people and generate turnover of more than 20 million euros. The success of Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas - Laitila Beverages – has been one of the most interesting chapters in Finnish food & beverages industry.

he Laitila beverage plant began to operate in 1995 as a lemonade manufacturing and bottling factory in Laitila, Western Finland. Business expanded to include ciders in 1997, and beer and long drinks in 2001. The best-known brands are Kukko (Cock) and Kievari beers, Oiva cider, Into long drink and Sitruuna-Sooda lemonade. Managing Director Rami Aarikka has been in the business almost from the very beginning. “There clearly was a market niche for small lemonade producer and microbrewery in Finland when we started – at that time we really were a tiny beverage company, operating in an old industrial building. “Today we are 4-5 times smaller than the next biggest beverages company Olvi, and we are the second biggest Finnish-owned brewer.” (The biggest ones, Hartwall and Sinebrychoff are not in Finnish hands any more).

food & beverages

“Therefore, compared to the biggest we are not that big, but on the other hand we are 15-20 times larger than the largest microbrewery, in terms of turn over. We actually are no more a microbrewery or a craft brewery,” says Aarikka. “However, to some extent we have suffered from the stereotype, according to which small breweries produce distinctive and expensive beers. But we do have special beers which we are proud of. Especially our Kievari series of beers are distinctive and have done well in their own categories. “But I do not think our products are too expensive. Naturally special beers in our Kievari series costs a little bit more, since more raw materials are used and maturing times are longer, in some cases several months. “The main issue for the relatively high beer price in Finland is the high alcohol tax.”

Christmas and ‘mämmi’ easter beer Laitila Beverages became the first Finnish brewery that earned ISO 22000 food safety certification. “We have always invested in environmentally friendly technology, for example by concluding a wind power agreement back in 2001,” says Rami Aarikka. Laitila Beverages relies on quality. “Even our basic Kukko series of beers are full-malted beers. Kukko Lager is our best-selling item. Kukko Pils and Kukko Dark Lager are also quite popular. The new Kukko Ale is a top-fermenting beer, which has been produced since September. “In our Kievari series, we brew, for example, ‘Tuomas’, a mild Christmas beer, with 4.1 percent alcohol content. I do not think it is a good idea to get drunk during Christmas, so mildness is important. Tuomas Beer planned to accompany Christmas food. “A very special beer is our Mämmiolut. ‘Mämmi’ is Finnish Easter food that

Business Finland 4/2011

food & beverages

does not even have an English translation.” Mämmi is made from water, rye flour and powdered rye malt, seasoned with dark molasses, salt and dried, powdered Seville orange peel. “This food is a little bit strange indeed, but better than it sounds, and a very good basis for a good beer. Laitila’s Mämmi beer won bronze medal in its category of beers. Another seasonal beer Kekri is sold in Swedish Systembologet, the state monopoly for alcoholic beverages except for the mildest products. “Our Kievari series beers include also porter and stout types of beers. “Also our ciders are made from high quality raw materials. One very important factor ensuring the purity of our ciders is the use of slow fermenting champagne yeast. Unlike our competitors, we give our ciders plenty of time to ferment and mature into a wholesome product that is free of defective aromas.”

Catching up “The staff is very skilled,” says Aarikka. “We employ a little more than 40 people, in the summer time 50-60. Our brew master is Ville Vilen, who always comes up with new ideas. “Our total production is 24 million liters. Last year we could increase our turnover by 20 percent. The total consumption of beverages in Finland at yearly level is 900 million liters, so we can still catch up. “The most recent investment tripled the production of beers. New packaging lines are important, since consumers want to have lemonade, long drinks, etc. in new types of packages. “Enlargements or some kinds of upgrades have actually been made almost every year since 2003, when we started in these premises. Today we have almost one hectare of floor space. We have become a long way from a company which employed just a few people and whose

Business Finland 4/2011

food & beverages

shareholding was in the hands of several persons’. Rami Aarikka is one of the original 10 or so shareholders, but there are 600 shareholders today. Many old and recent employees own shares. “We have no plans of selling even part of our operations. On the contrary, several years ago we were planning to buy a beverage company that was larger than us. Thinking backwards, it is good that we did not succeed. It would possibly be a too large bite.”

Champers drink to the netherlands Laitila has also enlarged the distribution network. “Inside Finland we sell well in the Greater Helsinki. It is funny that when we started, our sales in our own area, TurkuUusikaupunki-Laitila, was not that good, but today the situation is totally different. Although we are located in Western Finland, we sell well in Central and Eastern Finland,” says Aarikka. “We have also broadened our selection in Tallink and Eckerö Line ferries sailing between Tallinn and Helsinki. We also had a strong presence in Estonian Ollesummer beer festival, and received good feedback. It is possible that we will start selling in Estonia too. “We have studied the nearby Russian market carefully, but no decisions have yet been made. Russian market differs from Western European in that the consumption of beer is still growing. Exporting to Russia could be an option. Mainly it would mean the St. Petersburg region. “We have taken the exports opportunities since 2006, and even have smallscale exports, mainly to Sweden’s Systembolaget (local alcohol monopoly), but so far we did not take long steps. “In the West, if we start larger-scale exports, we would possibly concentrate on some other products like Skumppa, which we call Champers in English. These are cider and sparkling wine based drinks

Business Finland 4/2011

food & beverages

with alcohol content a little less than five percent. Just recently, we had a test shipment to the Netherlands.” Laitila staff is considering of finding and creating food recipes, where beer is one ingredient. “We have good contacts with wellknown chefs and they will help us in this interesting effort,” concludes Aarikka.

No Bulk Beers One time, when I was going to travel to the Czech Republic, a Czech friend of mine, a devout beer fan, asked me to bring along a couple of Kukko Dark Lager cans. I was a little surprised, since the Czech Republic is known for its excellent beers. Well, finally I brought him the dark lagers in cans, and he was satisfied. That a 30-year-old Czech male appreciates some Finnish beer products is a good reference. But Finnish beers have nothing to be ashamed of. There is a long beer tradition, and on the average beers are good. However, the trend of beer industry aiming at large units and easy production methods resulted in the huge dominance of basic lagers, as in many other countries. The wake-up call for more varied beer selection started in earnest in the late 1990s. Microbreweries had an important role in this development. Today the selection in Finnish groceries and Alko are rather good, but there is still much to do about the dominance of bulk beer – which is naturally in most cases also OK, but does not provide the consumer with new taste experiences. Laitila Beverages has played an important role in creating better, tastier beers. The company has also won many friends on the cider and lemonade side of the business, with successful advertising, which in many cases uses retro elements from the 1950s way of life. One can only hope that the company remains in private hands and does not become part of large global chain. www.laitilan.com

Business Finland 4/2011

Svartå Manor A Good Mix of Leisure and Corporate Guests Svartå Manor, historically one of the most interesting Finnish manor houses, is located in the peaceful and idyllic surroundings. Through the hotel, restaurant, conferencing services and recreational activities, the area is much livelier than what the first impression hints. Text: Perhemediat Photos: Klaus Susiluoto

he countryside travel destination “Svartå Manor” – in Finnish Mustion Linna – in the South of Finland consists of eight different historical buildings situated in a large park with a scenic river flowing nearby. The name of the river, Svartå in Swedish, means The Black River and gives the name also to the manor.

Business Finland 4/2011

“The main manor house was finished in 1792 after ten years’ construction, but there was much activity even before this; for example, one of the oldest ironworks of Finland was here. Today old buildings serve as the museum or are part of travel and conferencing services,” tells the Managing Director of Svartå Manor, Mrs. Christine Linder.

Due to Svartå’s centuries-old history and enthralling surroundings, it is no wonder that both individual leisure tourists and business persons have found this marvelous place as their travel and conferencing destination. “In June, July and August individual leisure tourists dominate. At other times corporate customers are the main cus-

Mrs. Christine Linder, Managing Director of Svartå Manor & Her Husband Filip Linder

tomer group. “In the summertime some 90 percent of our customers are leisure travelers. They often do day-cruises in this area and come to visit us for several hours, visiting the museum, walking in the garden and enjoying food in our restaurant. We have no fee for entering the great park with age-old trees and sculptures in varied styles.

Locating on the shores of South Finland’s largest lake, Lohjanjärvi, and the Svartå-Mustio river, the manor has excellent prerequisites for water-related activities."

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations ”In 2010 we had around 40 000 guests in the summertime and 60 000-65 000 during the whole year. Every year, more than 10 000 people take a tour in the castle and get to know the fascinating history that dates back to more than 200 years ago.

Conferencing for 70 people Christine Linder tells that from September till May corporate customers

Business Finland 4/2011

dominate. Corporate ustomers include Nokia, Fortum Aktia, If, Bayer, ABB, Miele, Hartwall, Mähileinen etc.. Nokia has a large unit in Salo, only 50 kilometers from Svartå. “One of our strengths is that we are only an hour’s drive from Helsinki and a little more than an hour’s from Turku. “May is the best month in terms of corporate customers. February is not so good because of winter holidays (Finnish families go to skiing resorts etc.). March

and April are quite good months, as are September and October. The weeks before Christmas are very busy with “pikkujoulu” parties, a Finnish tradition of Christmas dinner and fun within workplaces. “Weeks before Christmas are thus busy, but after this we a quiet period, so we also take a rest then for 2-3 weeks.” Seminars and conferencing can be arranged for 60-70 people, and accommodation for about 70 people in about 40

have picked up also a little Finnish, but it is more difficult. I feel it requires a different way of thinking to learn Finnish.”

Water-related activities

rooms. Three different historical buildings have been modernized with the state-of-the-art conference equipment. One conference building used to be a grain warehouse. “We do not take as big groups as possible, but invest in quality instead. Corporate customers are often people at senior management level. They can have meetings, training sessions, product launches, or whatever official programs, but some recreational elements are usually included for the evenings. “In restaurant we have 66 seats and in the summer time a cozy terrace for more than 50 persons.” Svartå’s corporate customers include quite many Swedish companies. “All our staff can speak Swedish, which adds to our service standard.” Thanks to her husband, Filip Linder, Christine has learned some Swedish. “I

Locating on the shores of South Finland’s largest lake, Lohjanjärvi, and the SvartåMustio river, the manor has excellent prerequisites for water-related activities. “We can offer fishing, rowing and canoeing. Jeep safaris are available too, as is forest golf. The latter is an interesting version of the normal golf, played in the forest, as the name suggests, with a bigger ball and shorter distance than the normal golf. We also co-operate with nearby golf courses St. Lawrence, Nordcenter and Ruukki Golf. “Through our partners, we can offer riding as well. In the wintertime snowshoe walking is popular. It is also possible to do skating on the ice, with professional guides. “Saunas are the basic attraction for Finns, and can be very exotic to our foreign guests. “We also have a famous Murder Mystery game in the manor house, which boosts team work.”

Culinary Academy Mustion Linna has invested much in the gourmet side of the business. “The quaint restaurant ‘Slottskrogen’, which is the Swedish word for Castle Inn, is inviting for superb creations from our innovative kitchen chef Niko Tuominen. He used to work for the esteemed Savoy restaurant in Helsinki, but wants to develop his culinary skills in the countryside.

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

We have the culinary kitchen concept where the domestic appliances manufacturer Miele is our partner.”

travel destinations 84

“Whereas many chefs are people with difficult personalities, he is not. He is very open to new ideas. We have arranged cooking courses with Niko Tuominen as a teacher, and these have proved to be very popular.” Christine participates in arranging these courses as well, as she also has experiences in different food cultures. Cooking courses are always rather small, for maximum 20 people. In most cases around 10 persons participate. “Courses can be about making sushi, game, wines, or whatever is interesting in the world of cooking.” In Christine’s view, passion is important in all cookery. “It is also important to sue local ingredients. Finland offers good opportunities for wilderness food. Fishes are of good quality. We also utilize wild herbs. And game is close to my heart as I do hunting quite regularly. It is not only about the game. It is about neighborhood food and local touch. “We have the culinary kitchen concept where the domestic appliances manufacturer Miele is our partner.” Christine tells that there can be a cooking academy. “Our kitchen schooling is often called Culinary Academy, although we have no formal status.”

Business Finland 4/2011

German, Czech and Slovak Traditions Christine Linder has studied cooking skills at London Catering Collage (Leith’s School of Food and Wine) and hospitability management at the University of Applied Science in Bad Honnef and at the University of Brighton. “In Munich I worked for a company called Toedt, Dr. Selk und Coll. It is a specialist in direct hotel marketing with the application of IT as a tool for hotel marketing, which was very useful.” Christine comes from a German noble family. Her maiden name is Gräfin Zedtwitz von Moravan und Duppau. From his father’s side, the family owned castles in Slovakia and in the

travel destinations

Czech Republic. “We always had a German passport, but we were very attached to Slovakian and Czech traditions.” She has visited her ancestors’ castles in Morvan and Duppau, One castle is known as Moravan nad Vahom and is located in the Czech Republic. Christine Linder moved to Finland two years ago after she married Filip Linder, an architect and one of the three heirs of the family estate. With an exception of a couple of decades, the Svartå Manor has been in Linder’s family for more than 200 years. Filip’s father Magnus Linder IV bought the manor back in 1985 from the local company. www.mustionlinna.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

Herrankukkaro • Work-Related Stress Prevention at an Old Fishing Farm • Creativity Can be Boosted with Smoke Sauna and Strength of Nature

After visiting the old fishing farm, now a conference and incentive centre Herrankukkaro, it is quite likely that you will slow down, and have a different view of how to be close to nature and what makes an interesting weather. For most foreigners, visiting Herrankukkaro with its at-first-sight primitive settings, pleasantly cool air and tranquility is a source of great admiration, even inspiration.

he founder of the incentive and recreation center Herrankukkaro, Mr. Pentti-Oskari Kangas, says that Herrankukkaro is not only about slowing down and stress prevention. Herrankukkaro is truly an elegant, relaxing harmony of the modern with traditional beauty and the grand nature. “At the same time when relaxing in the old fishing farm with your working colleagues or customers, you have lots of opportunities to socialize lively, develop new ideas, and create a special atmosphere inside your team or group. You can also arrange more formal meetings with much more modern facilities than what

Business Finland 4/2011

the first impression gives you,” says Pentti-Oskari, who calls himself in a humble way as “the servant for hectic situations.” Carefully revived islander traditions are present in Herrankukkaro. This can be seen in old nets, wooden architecture, boats, lanterns, the smell of tar and fish etc.. But the Herrankukkaro area has wireless WLAN network, and you have all normal conference equipment in use, just hidden inside the fantastic wooden buildings. Only a few red–painted buildings in the area actually represent the original fishing farm architecture. The rest are cottages in Finnish log-style, or something totally different from anything you have ever seen, like the two large

round-shaped meeting “tiipiis” and peculiar wooden shelters. Architectural ideas were mainly developed by Pentti-Oskari himself, but he gave free hands to his employees to give

the finishing touch to the constructions. What adds to the special atmosphere is a scattered archipelago that strews the coastline around the Herrankukkaro surroundings.

Sweet sweat One big attraction of Herrankukkaro is its saunas. The largest smoke sauna can accommodate more than 100 persons – the official figure is 124. The sweet heat of the smoke sauna is a memorable experience. Something about the scale of this sauna tells that it takes 10-12 hours to heat it. However, since it is quite dark as original smoke sauna usually is, it is difficult to see the dimensions – one can

feel, rather than see, how big this largest smoke sauna in Herrankukkaro is. In fact, it is the largest of its kind in the whole world! This biggest sauna is also called “earth sauna”. It is partly built under the earth, and the floor consists just of the hard clay and stone, which is quite pleasant. “The benches are arranged at five different heights, so sauna-goers can find the temperature that suits them the best. The hottest temperature is on the upper benches. Earth floor and ventilation holes moisture the sauna and keep the air rich in oxygen. “Almost 100 percent of non-Finns want to experience the smoke sauna. You

do not have to be naked in our sauna, although originally that is the Finnish habit.” According to Pentti-Oskari, there has been a big change towards sauna among foreigners. “Just a couple of decades ago sauna was seen as a morally suspicious place. Now right information has been

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations spread about Finnish sauna. There is no trouble for our guests to enjoy sauna.” In addition, Herrankukkaro has three smaller smoke saunas and an electric stove in one large hut.

Food and moonshiners When it comes to food, Herrankukkaro relies on local selection.

“There is no reason to bring fancy mussels like scallops from the other side of the world. About 80-90 percent of our food relies on neighborhood food”, says Pentti-Oskari. “But there are some exceptions like Norwegian salmon, whose share we have actually already decreased. But it is a good product, and we will continue to use it. Some spices, wines and other alcoholic beverages are also from abroad, as are some vegetables in the winter time. “Whenever possible, we use Finnish berries like lingonberry, blueberry and

Business Finland 4/2011

sea buckthorn, as well as local honey and rhubarb. “We have counted that more than 4050 percent of our food is organic. People want to eat and drink healthily. We do not even have a bar. But we are also not fanatics. Having fun with drinking won’t be a big issue for most of our customers. Furthermore, wines or beers are natural companions to much of the food we offer. We by no means want to give too many restrictions.” Laughingly Pentti-Oskari Kangas reminds that Finland actually tried to ban alcohol totally in the 1920s, at around the same time as in the United States. “Prohibition of alcohol was not a very successful effort. Smuggling of booze became very common. Also here in Turku archipelago lots of ordinary people started bringing “spiritus forte” from Sweden or Estonia, or from the ships in international waters, with small boats. We can arrange day-trips to islands which moonshiners used as bases and hiding places.”

Fishes and fishing Fishes are very important in Herrankukkaro’s menu. “About 90 percent of our food is fish and only 10 percent meat. Fishes include pike, perch, zander, bream, eel, tench (a

carp fish, suutari in Finnish). We usually serve several fish dishes, even up to 1520. Our record is 24 fish dishes in one occasion. “There is a fisherman in Westanfjärd. He delivers us tench, which is good when smoked. Also white fish is often smoked, but it can be marinated and eaten rawpickled.” Herrankukkaro is located on an island in Rymättylä, in the middle of one of Europe’s largest archipelago. Fishing traditions has been carried on until today. “Depending on the season, we employ 1-2 fishermen to ensure that our customers get fresh fish. The main catch is the Baltic herring, but perch, pikeperch, flounder and eel are also common. From time

Not ordinary recreation Pentti-Oskari Kangas says that there is a big difference whether you have a meeting in a standard meeting room or in an

inspiring environment close to nature like Herrankukkaro. “Peaceful environment is the best recharger for people struggling with stress. A stressed person rarely is innovative or efficient. “It is not only firms that use our services. Municipalities and organizations, for example, have arranged occupational health occasions in our premises. “Recreation is a key word. It may sound a big investment for a company if employees take a couple of days for recreation. But I am sure the investment is paid back.” “In 15 years Herrankukkaro have

had 7000 meeting and conferencing occasions. We know how to offer prerequisites for successful meetings. The average size of a group coming to Herrankukkaro is 30-35 persons. In most cases there are at least 2-3 groups at the same time in our centre, but meeting places are of different sizes and separate from each other, so there is no trouble in arranging meetings for many mid-size groups. “The place can also be rented merely to one group. A maximum of 220-240 people can be taken for day meetings, and we can accommodate about 100-110 persons overnight.”

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

to time, we get Finnish wild salmon.” “Fish can be prepared in a number of ways: smoked, grilled, marinated, stewed or boiled. Guests can participate in fishing and then follow how fish is smoked,” says Pentti-Oskari. “This autumn we started courses about how to handle, cure and cook fish. Students naturally can eat fish they prepare.”

travel destinations

Customers are mostly from the Greater Helsinki region, but also from other parts of West and South Finland. The stay is usually two nights and three days. “One third of guests prefer a daily occasion, and two thirds take at least one overnight. “July is a quiet month; we are having holiday then, but August, September and October are very popular, as are March and April. “Herrankukkaro thus do not offer typical summertime activities, but we have a steam ship Ukkopekka,which is a good choice if you want to see the great archipelago and/or the picturesque town of Naantali, known for Moomin characters.”

Weather as an adventure – pure rain About 25-30 percent of Herrankukkaro customers are foreigners. They can be guests of Finnish companies, or employees of international companies based in Finland.

ent weather conditions can be included in a program. “You can do angling in the berth in the rain or in the sunlight, or we can arrange fishing tours with our partner by boat. In the winter time swimming in a hole in the ice can be very exciting for many guests. Even making a campfire at night can be an interesting challenge. We often have competitions on how fast to make a campfire. Italians and Spanish are especially interested in this game.” One does not have to worry about clothing in Herrankukkaro. “There are enough warm overalls and raincoats for hundreds of people. Even the harshest weather can be enjoyable with us.”

Icy and warm baths

“International guests are quite fine with varied, sometimes even harsh weather conditions. They do not come for sun and sand anyway. Weather is not a problem for our customers. Many see the weather as an adventure. Even wet snowfall can be an experience to a person who rarely sees snow. “One visitor, a Dutch surgeon, said that he has enjoyed the purest rain in Europe in Herrankukkaro,” says PenttiOskari. Different games and hobbies in differ-

Business Finland 4/2011

“In the wintertime, one can try to swim in a hole in the ice. Not very many Finns or foreigners do this, but there are devoted swimmers. “However, there are also pools with warm water. We call this ‘Spa in Nature’. All in all, there are seven pools right next to the sea. These include peat bath, herbal bath and hot-water pool. In the dark you can bathe under the stars, since there is no ceiling or walls.”

Ecology Herrankukkaro also wants to show his concern about ecologic issues. “We had

put emphasis on renewable energy solutions even before there was much conversation about climate change or carbon dioxide footprint. “We take not only a theoretical but also a practical attitude to these issues. We just feel that the large Turku archipelago is our backyard, and there is no sense dirtying your own surroundings. Black and grey waters of Herrankukkaro are treated carefully.” Also social responsibility was practiced right from the beginning. The company behind Herrankukkaro and PenttiOskari with his wife as private persons

travel destinations

have helped children in Sri Lanka, also in tsunami of 2004, when one whole village largely depended on their help.

The name herrankukkaro Herrankukkaro means lord’s purse (or moneybag). The Finnish saying “olla/elää kuin Herrakukkarossa” literally means “like being/living in Lord’s purse”. The English phrase “be in clover” (apilassa) is close to the meaning.

Travel + leisure magazine: softest type of heat Herrankukkaro’s smoke sauna was chosen as one of Finland’s top saunas by the Travel + Leisure magazine. “Considered the crème de la crème of their kind, they create the softest type of heat, which slowly envelops you in an aromatic cloud,” analyses the magazine.

www.herrankukkaro.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

Fish Paradise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Vuolenkoski Fishing Club

Every second more than one cubic meter of fresh oxygen-rich water enters the pool, which ensures river-like conditions"

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

The private fishing area of Vuolenkoski, less than 1.5 hours’ drive from Helsinki city centre, offers shareholders and their customers unforgettable fishing experiences. Seminars, accommodation and catering services at the nearby Lossiranta restaurant-hotel add to the pleasant leisure or combined work and recreation harmoniously.

he shareholding in the fishing oasis gives the owner many benefits unseen elsewhere in the recreational fishing business in Finland. “Vuolenkoski Kalastus Club Oy, the Vuolenkoski Fishing Club as it is called in English, offers round-the-year fishing opportunities, with excellent side services like arranging meetings, offering unforgettable dinner parties, or just having smoke sauna in a good company of a small group of friends or colleagues,” tells Pekka Hietanen, who has founded this innovative concept. Fishes live in natural conditions and are not artificially fed. They do find their food in a natural way though they were originally brought from a fish breeding company. “Fish biologists’ examinations have

been included in our project to ensure that fishes are living in an environment close to the original with slowly streaming water.” What first seems to be a large pond or a small lake is actually part of the Kymijoki river ecosystem. “Every second more than one cubic meter of fresh oxygen-rich water enters the pool, which ensures riverlike conditions, so actually it is part of the Kymijoki water system. It is not a lake and certainly not a pond either,” Mr. Hietanen emphasizes. The water is crystal clear. You can see down to 4-5 meters. The fishing area is 450 meters long and 50-70 meters wide. It is surrounded by mountains and forests. Truly it is a tranquil and desirable place, providing the most close to nature fishing atmosphere.

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations 94

Fly-fishing with many catches

Just go fishing

Catches include rainbow trout, lake trout, whitefish and Saimaa charr, a peculiar red lake salmon ( in Finnish Saimaan nieriä). “Rainbow trouts are usually 1-2 kilos, but I just got 4.5 and 3.5 kilos catches. Lake trouts are 1-2 kilos, Saimaa charrs 1-1.5 kilos, and whitefishes anywhere between 750-1000 grams and two kilos.” The Vuolenkoski Fishing Club has also a fishing right just under the near-by hydro plant. Pekka Hietanen reminds that the original rapids went through the actual fishing area. The waterway around the hydro plant was largely artificially excavated. The fishing area is fenced and there are cameras to prevent moonshine fishing.

In Vuolenkoski one can do fishing from the rowing boat or from one of the nine berths. “Wintertime fishing is possible. The area is illuminated with outdoor lights, so ice-fishing goes comfortably. Just make the hole in the ice and try your luck! “In the summertime you can do fishing without extra light even in the night time. Fishing at 10 or 11 o’clock in the evening or 3 or 4 in the morning is a memorable experience for a non-Nordic. The sky is dark only for 3-4 hours,” tells Hietanen. “There is also a modern fish handling space in the area. It is possible to prepare fish by yourself. Usually smoking is the thing, and in most cases people eat the

Business Finland 4/2011

fish they catch. “We also have ‘catch and release’ fishing, but then naturally we use hooks without barbs.” When coming to the fishing club, you do not necessarily even need your own fishing rods, fly hooks, lures or fishing clothes – all these are provided by the club. Even though prerequisites are excellent, Hietanen does not promise that the customer would get fish every time. “But if you spend a little longer time, we can guarantee 90 percent sure catch. One time 20 persons got 21 fishes in a relatively short time. But since fishes are wild and fed on natural food, there are always uncertainties.” Usually the size of group is 15 per-

travel destinations

sons. When having the share you can arrive alone or with a couple of friends or business associates. Just book the time beforehand and come to fish.

Catering services and wine cellar What gets along well with the fishing club is a restaurant-hotel Lossiranta, managed by the Q-link Oy. The name Lossiranta (Ferry Shore) is interesting. “There used to be an old-style cablepowered ferryboat between the shores of the lake Konnivesi, just in the place where

the lake turns into Kymijoki river. Now there is a high bridge connecting the two sides of the river,” explains Hietanen. On the other side of the bridge is the lake Konnivesi, part of the larger lake system which reaches the lake Ruotsalainen and the town of Heinola, less than 20 kilometers away. One can sail further more than 300 kilometers by boat all the way to the northern part of the large Lake Päijänne. The stylish and elaborately furnished Lossiranta hotel in the wooden mansion style can offer premises for seminars and meetings for about 100-120 persons. “Accommodation can be arranged for

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

16 persons. But just ten minutes away the Vierumäki sports and recreation center has 2000 beds, so in most cases it is not difficult to accommodate larger groups here,” says Pekka Hietanen. A cozy wine cellar adds to the atmosphere. The cellar became ready in October this year. Some 40-50 persons can enjoy the fine food, wines and nice company. In many cases food is snacks which go well with the wine testing.

Marshall’s traditions As an interesting detail, in their yard Pekka Hietanen and his wife have planted vine, which usually does not grow in so northern areas. “We got 50 bunches grapes, of which we made jelly. But this was just an experiment. Mainly we grow herbs and vegetables, which are used in our food in the summertime and autumns.” Pekka Hietanen appreciates the food and drinking tradition of Finland’s wartime hero Marshal Mannerheim, so it is no wonder that Marskin ryyppy, Marshal’s drink/shot, a strong alcoholic drink, is served as a shot.

Business Finland 4/2011

Info: Pekka Hietanen 040- 501 5686

www.q-link.fi

Saimaa charr Possibly the finest catch at the fishing club is the Saimaa charr (Saimaan nieriä), a beautiful red-colored salmon that has been isolated for thousands of years in the Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake system. Charrs of the fishing club are bred in Savonlinna. Saimaa Charrs thrive best in cold waters, and were probably the first fish to swim in the new lakes and rivers that formed in Northern Europe at the end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago. This charr in the lake Saimaa live permanently in the lake’s deeper waters. When outside of the Saimaa ecosystem, conditions must be very good for charrs to survive, and Vuolenkoski fulfills these requirements with cool waters. In the bottom of the river pool the temperature is no more than 11 °C even if the day-time air temperature is 25-30 °C for a longer period.

Business Finland 4/2011

travel destinations

There is some dispute over the recipe, but according to all sources it is important that the glass where the drink is served is poured as full as possible, to the point where the surface tension keeps some of the drink in the glass - the glass is then to be emptied without spilling. Also some meals draw influence from Marhsal’s table, like the Vorschmak.

FINNBOAT Proudly Made in Finland

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: ScanSockPhoto, Finnboat, Klaus Susiluoto, Marino, Degerö, Pinja Yacht, Baltic Yacht,

Finland is a true boating nation. The country has one of the largest numbers of boats per capita in the world. “This is reflected in the strong boat industry, which has been able to increase its exports all along. Within a couple of decades, only 2–3 years were less successful,” informs Jouko Huju, CEO of Finnboat.

innboat – Finnish Marine Industries Federation – is the umbrella organization for Finland’s boating industry and trade. “The task of the federation is to bring marine enterprises together under the same roof, to promote enterprise activities and healthy competition, and to advance boating activities and the safety aspects of boating in Finland.” Finnboat membership represents close to one hundred percent of both the domestic marine industry turnover and the value of boat exports.

Business Finland 4/2011

We are constantly on the move to check out trends and discuss different issues with boaters and dealers around the world. Forward-looking design, clever ergonomics and smart engineering are combined in a right way, which explains our success."

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts 100

Growing Exports Huju has worked for Finnboat for almost 16 years. This period has mostly been positive in terms of boat production volume. “Depending on the year, about 60-70 percent of the total value of boat production is exported – a figure that is quite impressive. To compare with, back in 1994, only 40 percent of the production was exported. “There are roughly 150 boatyards in Finland, of which about half are pretty small. The largest companies employ a couple of hundreds of boat builders, but many others have just 2-5 employees,” says Jouko Huju. “However, even some very small boatyards have been able to export, thanks to their highly specialized and high-quality products.” The invoicing value of boat exports in 2010 was EUR 160,7 million, an increase of 8,9 percent compared to the year 2009. “The export share of the Finnish marine industry’s total turnover fell slightly during 2010 to 60,3 percent. Of export billing, the 2010 sailboat share was 39 percent. This share is relatively high owing to a couple of large sailboat builders like Nauticat, Nautor’s Swan and the Baltic Yachts,” says Huju. (Smaller ones include Degerö Yachts and Finngulf, which are introduced in this issue. Of the larger ones, the Baltic Yachts’s surprisingly elegant high-performance super yachts are described in details.) The positive trend in exports has continued in 2011. For the January-May period, the value of Finnish Marine Industry exports increased by 17,6 percent to EUR 77,7 million. “The main export destinations are Sweden and Norway. In unit terms, total exports for the same period increased by 12,9 percent. Based on customs authority statistics, 4 706 boats were exported during the period January-May 2011,” says Jouko Huju.

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

Boat Shows Success with exports does not come without marketing efforts. Finnboat Floating Show is an important meeting place, arranged always in Finland every second year. “Last time we organized this show in 2010 and we had 60 journalists from 20 countries. We got extremely good media coverage of 340 pages, with riding tests also, so the boat magazines do not only rely on boat builders’ information but can try and test with their own staff on board.” Almost all invited journalists are journalists specialized in boat issues, but a couple of large newspapers were also invited, like the German die Welt and Swedish Dagens Nyheters. “However, professional magazines are mainly our target groups.”

Finnboat also attends several important international boat shows. “Every year we have 10-15 boat shows in which we participate. These include, for example, London, Düsseldorf, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Southampton, Hamburg and Amsterdam shows. Having companies co-presented in boat shows is not difficult to arrange. “There is no or very little envy among Finnish boat builders. They understand that by displaying the whole range of boats in one show is an excellent marketing approach. “However, the most marketing work is naturally done inside companies. Our member companies have had languageskilled export managers, and they have found good dealers and agents.”

Finnboat Floating Show is an important meeting place, arranged always in Finland every second year."

Business Finland 4/2011

101

premium boats and yachts Finnboat also arranges fact-finding tours to its members." Promising US and Russia “The US market seems to be opening up again to Finnish manufacturers, and we participated in Newport International Boat Show with six boat builders,” says Jouko Huju. Luxury sail yachts have been sold, for example, to Italy and the United States. Russia has already been an important market nowadays, as is Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark. Finnboat also arranges fact-finding tours to its members. It is about trying to find cooperation partners and new ideas. “In the past 10 years we have toured almost 200 boatyards on all continents.”

102

Business Finland 4/2011

When building distinctive, competitive and safe boats, a matchless blend of know-how, boat-building skills and dedication is required, emphasizes Jouko Huju. “We are constantly on the move to check out trends and discuss different issues with boaters and dealers around the world. Forward-looking design, clever ergonomics and smart engineering are combined in a right way, which explains our success. “A lot of research is done, not only inside companies, but jointly with the Finnish Marine Industry. Environmental awareness is a major issue to us.” Pioneering work has been done, for example, in materials. Finnish boatbuilders are in the forefront in terms of marine-aluminum, ABS plastic and fiberglass technologies. (In this issue we introduce Terhitec, which is the largest manufacturer of small ABS boats in Europe. The company also has expertise in marine aluminum and fiber class. Some other manufacturers such as Buster, Silver and Faster have strong experiences in aluminum technology.) One strength of Finnish-made boats is that they usually retain their value very well. “Many manufacturers have their brands in good shape. What is important is the reselling value. There are no profound studies, but Finnish boat builders have been able to create many strong brands.”

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

Distinctive Boats

103

premium boats and yachts 104

750 000 Boats for Five Million People Finnish boat builders usually concentrate in smaller boats (4-10 meters), yet there are success stories in larger yachts and motor boats. Huju says, “Most of the boats in Finland are small or mid-scale motor boats. About 85 percent of boats are less than six meters. However, a 4-5.5 meters modern boat can have quite impressive performance ability and carry up to 4-5 persons. And there are also 10 000 sailing boats, which is a relatively big number.” With Norway and the New Zealand, Finland is one of the biggest boating nations, compared to the size of population. An important corner stone for Finnish boat industry is the home market.

Business Finland 4/2011

One percent is not enough All in all, there are 750 000 boats in Finland. “This means that the whole population of Finland could be put into boats at the same time. In practice, about two million people are on boats every summer. “Boating in Finland is largely linked to the summer cottage culture. The country has about half a million summer houses. Most of them are located on the lake or sea shore. Boats are used for commuting and fishing. But there are also many people who do not have a cottage, but a habitable boat instead. “The boating season is relatively short, from May to September, but this is the case in all North European countries,” reminds Huju.

The United States is the number one in boat-building in the world. It accounts almost half of the global production of larger motor boats. Europe’s share is about 35 percent, and Finland’s one percent. “Finland’s share looks like a small one, but is actually a good figure. We will try to increase our market share, but on the average Finnish boatyards are rather small, yet highly specialized. For example, one Finnish sailboat manufacturer Baltic Yachts has constructed some of the world’s largest super yachts, even in the category of 100-200 feet. “However, there is no reason to underestimate the competition from Europe. For example, Poland has a large number of boatyards with good quality.” n

premium boats and yachts

With Norway and the New Zealand, Finland is one of the biggest boating nations, compared to the size of population."

CEO of Finnboat, Jouko Huju

History of Finnboat Finnboat celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Roots of cooperation were laid already before. In May of 1946, one year after the Second World War ended, 13 wise men gathered and wanted to figure out how to promote wooden boat building and exports in Finland. At that time, even getting wood was not that easy. A special license was needed to buy wood, since the war had ended just a little more than one year ago. Swedes donated 2 500 kilograms of copper thread, of which nails could be made. In spite of the scarce resources, Finnish boat builders participated in Paris Boat Show in 1949. In 1961 Suomen vene- ja moottoriyhdistys (Finnish Boat and Motor Association) was officially founded. In 1992 the name Finnboat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Finnish Marine Industries Federation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was taken into use. Finnboat is not only an export organization, but also represents companies selling new marine engines, marine retailers, yacht brokerage, boat charter and sailing schools, companies manufacturing and selling accessories, docking maintenance services, and boat designers. Finnboat member associations are made up of a total of approximately 290 member companies and organizations. www.finnboat.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

105

Dream Yachts

Combine Comfort and High Performance Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto, BalticYachts

Baltic Yachts is the premium builder of large high-performance sailing boats that are exclusive, tailor-made “dream yachts” of high quality materials. “Our business vision is to be one of the leading large sailing yacht building companies in the world. We help our customers realize their dreams,” tells Marjo Keiramo, Senior Advisor, Global Sales Networks at Batlic Yachts.

106

Business Finland 4/2011

Every yacht in our production has a Project Manager of its own, and that is very reassuring for the owner, because s/he knows exactly whom to call."

Business Finland 4/2011

107

premium boats and yachts 108

eiramo started her work with Baltic Yachts in September 2009 as CEO. Before this, she worked for STX shipyard, which has built one of the most magnificent luxury cruise ships. (Previously STX was known as Masa-Yards and Aker Yards). Keiramo has a strong technical background from the machine building department of the University of Technology of Lappeenranta. When she entered the Baltic Yachts, she soon saw how dedicated and passionate the whole staff is to build one of the best sailing yachts in the world. “We have used the term Baltic Family spirit. It is just our dream to manufacture the best super yachts in our branch, and we have succeeded well. To be more exact, we assist our customers to realize their dreams. “The special Baltic Family spirit is a unique attitude of doing things, a wellknown concept to all our customers, partners and friends. Our key words are versatility and caring. We want people to feel home when they are dealing with us. The word commitment as well describes our attitude.”

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

Ambitious Panamax Project – s/y Hetairos Baltic Yachts was founded in 1973 on an ambitious philosophy. With five founding partners, the company set out to create boats that incorporated the very latest thinking in yacht design and new technology. The mission was to design and build boats that were “faster, stronger and lighter”. These three features are guidelines for Baltic Yachts. Over the years, the size of super yachts has grown. “The largest vessel we have built is 197 feet yacht, which was called “Panamax” during the design and construction period. She was given over to the customer

in August this year, and was named as s/y Hetairos. In addition to this beauty we have built five vessels more than 100 feet, but we have mainly made semi-custom – ranging usually from 50 to 66 feet – and full-custom larger yachts. “The Panamax-measured s/y Hetairos will set many new benchmarks in super yacht construction. She is really a boat of the century”, believes Marjo Keiramo. “It is, for example, the world’s largest ketch to have been built of carbon composite material. Also the propulsion system of Hetairos is very innovative. “We are glad that we had naval architects from Dykstra & Partners as the

designers of this great vessel. In interiors there was a drive for ‘Asian colonial authenticity’ – an image and a feeling of big world tour in the old style was a target in larger terms. “Her interior styling was done by Rhoades Young. But first of all, the owner wanted to build the largest and fastest possible yacht that could still be capable of crossing the Panama Canal.” The main mast of Panamax measures 62.5 meters above the waterline. This is in practice a maximum height for the Panama Canal, although broader cargo and passenger vessels can naturally manage the canal.

Business Finland 4/2011

109

premium boats and yachts Diminishing Weight Innovation is a must for Baltic Yachts. “To give a few examples, we were one of the first yards to use sandwich laminate in hull and deck, and glued teak deck and epoxy with carbon nano tubes- epoxy. Our keel lifting solutions are also innovative. Others also use keel lifting, but our telescopic solutions are easy to use and very reliable.” Baltic Yachts has developed several solutions to make sail-handling easier. For example, in Baltic 62 Custom everything can be handled from the cockpit. One does not have to walk up to the bow

110

Business Finland 4/2011

to set any of the sails, which adds much to safety. Diminishing weight of boats is one of the company’s priorities, says Keiramo. "Weight handling is one issue we are focusing in very detailed in each new building project. This is one aim in all of our boats, but not in stripped-off racing versions where we want to retain comfort as one cornerstone. “We have found many solutions with which interiors designed by us look like those of old traditional sail boat wooden furniture but are in fact made of other very light yet strong materials.”

In some features, also less experienced sailors are taken into account in boat design. “In many of our boats we have used two cockpit solutions. This means that in an area away from the working areas of sheets and winches, guests or less experienced sailors can enjoy their cruising.” In Baltic 62 Custom there is even a pop-up dining table which recesses into the cockpit floor when stowed, but can be raised for dining by pushing a button. “Cabin design is always made together with the customer. Baltic Yachts can offer a range of styles and preferences. New technical and material solutions are studied constantly”, says Marjo Keiramo. “Our R & D group consists of people from many different areas within the Baltic Yachts. In this R&D group we evaluate test reports and take decisions if and how

to use new materials and methods in the production of our yachts. “We have designed also boats especially for cold-water cruising. Our inhouse design team working with judel/ vrolijk designed a very lightweight longdistance cruiser for sailing in the northerly waters,” says Keiramo. This boat, the Baltic 58 Customs has special heating and ventilation systems. For example, the drain tubes are designed so that the water does not have a chance to freeze that easily. “Environmental issues like the handling of waste waters are at good level. Much effort has been put on energy-efficiency. Naturally sailing boats as such are environmentally-friendly. But we want that the electricity used on boats is generated in an effective way and consumption per unit is low.”

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

Less Experienced Sailor Taken into Account

111

premium boats and yachts

Communicating with the Customers Building a new super yacht is a quite complicated process and requires much communication. “Every day we work with different designers, project managers and sub-contractors. In addition, we welcome crew members to the yard in Finland to work with us before the launch of the boat. “Every yacht in our production has a Project Manager of its own, and that is very reassuring for the owner, because s/ he knows exactly whom to call. Together we create a team second to none, a team which lasts also long after the delivery, and will quite often reunite in a new project later on. “We have around 50 percent repeat customers, which shows how quality has been built into our concern.”

The Most Modern Premises The Baltic Yachts’ new production premises were launched in November 2008. The new yard is certainly among the most modern in the world in its category. Length of the main hall is 80 meters and width 45 meters. Older premises in Bosund are also in use and will be used for smaller projects.

Quality Classifications Marjo Keiramo notes that Baltic Yachts is the first company within the global boat industry that has obtained the DNV Quality, Safety and Environmental certificates, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and the OHSAS 18001. “We started this process by describing all our activities in a manual. We also described how we handle our projects. All this is called Baltic Yachts Quality System – BYQS. We use the system as a tool to control and improve all of our processes. “The company is conscious of the re-

112

Business Finland 4/2011

quirements concerning environment. Thanks to the implementation process of the Environment and Safety systems, our personnel have become increasingly aware of environmental and safety aspects.” Customer can also have classification for larger super yachts. “Classification is usually done by Bureau Veritas, Rina and DNV. These are especially important if the customer is going to sell the super yacht later on. Naturally it brings some extra weight and cost, but is worth of considering.”

“In addition to newbuilds we have made larger refits and rearrangements for older yachts. For example, we had a project of Baltic 48 DP Banzai II from the year 1986, which we successfully completed. It is now almost like a new boat. In addition to lay-out changes we often offer technical upgrades. Change of general arrangements describes how larger layout changes are carried out,” says Marjo Keiramo. The 152 feet Pink Gin was under larger service and refit when Business Finland visited the Baltic Yachts. Baltic 147 Visione is another vessel that comes in for major refurbishment for the next winter. “We have several boats coming in for service also for the years 2012-2013.

Whether it is a newbuild or a refurbishment, we are flexible in listening to customers’ wishes. If a customer wants to have a change, we will do it, whenever it is technologically possible. It is not always easy to find the solutions, but in most cases a common tone is easy to achieve. Changes are usually connected to accessories and space solutions, not to the essential structures. “What we call lifecycle services is becoming an essential part of our approach. Necessary check-ups, services and refits can be chosen according to customers’ wishes. A well-maintained yacht with regular check-ups naturally keeps its value much better.” Smaller lifecycle and after sales services are also made through trusted partners in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. n

premium boats and yachts

Refits as a Growing Business

BALTIC YACHTS Baltic Yachts is owned by 36 local shareholders. Aker bought Hollming in 1991, but they did not want to continue boat manufacturing. Turnover in 2010 was about 28.5 million euros. The company employs about 160 to 220 persons, depending on the amount of orders and size of boats delivered. Baltic Yachts offers luxury tailor-made sailing boats both for racing and cruising in the range of 50 to 200 + feet. www.balticyachts.fi

Business Finland 4/2011

113

Targa boats can be found in many “unexpected” places. “We have delivered Targas to Greenland already for more than 20 years."

TARGA

The 4 * 4 of the Seas

114

Business Finland 4/2011

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Targa, klaus Susiluoto

Targa boats combine sporty features with the look of a working boat. The result is an impressive combination of practicality and high-quality enhanced by paying attention to details. Tailor-made features according to customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wishes add the finishing touch to Targa boats, manufactured by Oy Botnia Marin Ab.

Business Finland 4/2011

115

premium boats and yachts

arga boats are designed and built in west Finland in Maalahti by Botnia Marin’s team of about 200 employees. The company was founded in 1976 by Johan Carpelan with the strong support from his wife Britt-Marie. The company is still family-owned. The second generation – the son Robert Carpelan– is involved in this family-run business and in charge of marketing and sales. Robert tells that the word Targa originally is Italian and means protective shield. “The term is today used also as a name for semi-convertible cars and is used in the name of several car races. But you do not have to know what Targa literally means. There are indeed many words

116

Business Finland 4/2011

that describe the Targa boats. Targa is truly original within the ‘offshore’ motorboat category.” During the years Targa has attracted more and more interests from customers around the world thanks to its high quality, practical handling and sea-worthy behaviour. Targas have strong hulls with high freeboard, good stability and enough horsepower to drive the boat in challenging sea and wind conditions. “Targa has often been called the 4 * 4 of the seas. It is not only about technology. Only through understanding, information and respect can the best boats be built – a boat to be in harmony with the waves and with the open sea,” says Robert Carpelan.

premium boats and yachts

Johan, Britt-Marie and Robert Carpelan

30-40 knots per hour Targas have strong engines – in many cases Targas can speed to 40 knots. Cruising speed is usually around 30 knots. Targas are among the safest boats in its class of motor boats from 23 to 44 feet. “First-rate safety is our main concern. Grab handles and gunwales, for example, are well-designed. “A good performance on the sea is an important part of Targa’s philosophy. Our boats function perfectly in hot as well as cold environments. Excellent visibility from the pilothouse adds to driving pleasure. All boats – except the smallest Targa 23.1 – also feature a flybridge driving position as standard. “Even our smallest vessel, Targa 23.1

offers a lot of features normally found only in bigger boats. Careful attention to details ensures that both handling characteristics and space solutions are excellent.”

Professional and recreational uses The passenger cabins of Targa are sensibly equipped. Larger Targas are suitable for several people to travel comfortably. The largest Targa 44 is more than 14 meters long, with the beam of 13 feet (3.95 meters). Standard equipment includes flybridge, defrosting system, seats on deck for more than ten persons, fullyequipped galley, two toilets including one shower, diesel heater. And Targa

Business Finland 4/2011

117

premium boats and yachts boats have wide passageways around pilothouse, pilothouse with sliding doors, storage lockers, fore and aft draining decks, and transom door. “It is not only about comfort,” reminds Robert Carpelan. “The wide array of features provided by Targa makes our boats the ideal choice for professional users as well. These include divers, border patrol officials, taxi boat drivers, police officers, lifeguards, oil exploration workers etc.” To fulfill professional demands all Targa models can be certified according to various workboat standards, e.g., the Nordic Boat Standard (NBS-Y) for commercial crafts. All larger models can be equipped with jet-drives. “Targas are ideal also for recreational fishermen. Especially French and Norwegians have bought our boats for this purpose. “Almost all of our boats are more or less personalized according to customers’ wishes,” tells Robert Carpelan.

118

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

35 years’ experience When visiting the production premises of Botnia Marin, there were 15 vessels under construction, a couple of those almost ready. The attitude to the work seemed to be quite impressive. “Our philosophy is that we keep our promises. We require the same attitude from our dealers and subcontractors. We have 35 years’ experiences in Targa boats. “The most important export countries for Targa B boats are Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, France and Russia. The home market is important – yearly some 12-15 boats go to Finland. We manufacture about 130-140 boats altogether every year,” says Robert Carpelan. “We mainly sell through dealers, so we do not know all of our customers personally. What we know is that very many of our customers are truly experienced and demanding boaters. We take

this as a good reference. “Finding a good dealer is not always easy, but we have some really good ones with whom we have cooperated for more than 20 years. We also have several rather new Targa dealers that bring new approaches to the business. “In most cases customers know us beforehand and there are great shipbuilding traditions in Finland’s Ostrabothnia province. “But we naturally cannot count only on our good reputation. We participate in all of the main European boat fairs, usually more than 20 fairs per year,” says Robert Carpelan. “We also want to offer new solutions to our customers when required. There is a brand new Targa 32 model that is currently being displayed on all major boat fairs.”

Business Finland 4/2011

119

premium boats and yachts How it all started? Targa started practically from scratch. The founder, Robert’s father Johan Carpelan, had a strong background in sailing boat racing. The work on building sailing boats, however, took more and more time. “In 1976 I launched the production of sailing boats, mainly the famous H series boats. All in all, we manufactured 1005 of this classic. The last H Boat was delivered in 2004,” says Johan Carpelan. “In 1984 we acquired moulds for

120

Business Finland 4/2011

Targa motors from the previous owner. In the beginning of our operations, there was a dispute with the well-known boat manufacturer Fairline about the name, but we settled the case. They can use the term as one type of the vessel, while we can use it as the generic name. “One of the most famous sports car manufacturers Porsche has used the word Targa. This does not bother us, since we operate on the sea and they on the ground. There is no dispute with

these companies,” says Johan Carpelan. Targa boats can be found in many “unexpected” places. “We have delivered Targas to Greenland already for more than 20 years. Little more than 10 years ago, when Finnish Formula One driver Mika Häkkinen won the world championship and Nokia was doing extremely well at that time, some people from Greenland were not that interested in these issues. Instead, they said they like Finland because such a great boat as

Oy Botnia Marin Oy is a Bureau Veritas certified company. Auditing was done according to the newest ISO 9001:2008 version in 2009. Also in 2009, Targa 44 won the Motorboat of the Year award from the European boating magazines Motorboat & Yachting and Yachting Monthly. The smallest Targa is 23 feet; the largest is 46 4 feet. Prices are usually between 100 000-500 000 euros (without taxes and extra accessories, which may cost from 20 000 even to 200 000 euro). www.targa.fi

premium boats and yachts

Motorboat of the Year

Targa is manufactured in Finland. The other thing they appreciated in Finland was a Sako rifle!” Johan Carpelan recalls another interesting Targa case. “I remember in the year 1998, when a Japanese gentleman bought a Targa 27 because he liked to contemplate on the sea and said that Targa is good tool for that! He was from Hiroshima. He liked the Japanese archipelago, but was impressed by Finnish summer-time sea as well.“ n

Business Finland 4/2011

121

Terhitec COMPANY OFFER PRACTICAL BOATING

Terhi shares the goal of boatbuilders through the ages: to develop and manufacture safe, durable boats equal to the demands of the sea, lakes or rivers. “Our slogan is practical boating,” tells Jarmo Sundin, Managing Director of Terhitec Oy, manufacturer of Terhi boats.

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Terhi

122

Business Finland 4/2011

Terhi boats have traditionally been divided into rowing and motor boats. However, even the smallest rowing boats can use a small electric or fuel engine."

Business Finland 4/2011

123

premium boats and yachts

Managing Director of Terhitec Oy, Jarmo Sundin

erhi boats have been built since 1972. During the years the production has grown to 18 different Terhi boat models and over 5 000 units’ yearly volume. “With this volume, distributed in over 20 countries across Europe and North America, TerhiTec Oy is one of the largest producers of hard shell boats in Europe,” says Sundin. Terhi boats are built in the small Finnish fishing village of Rymättylä, home to centuries of sea-faring and boatbuilding. While respecting the old ways and utilizing modern technology, Terhi has built almost 200 000 Terhi boats have been built in the past 39 years. “The most popular model has been Terhi 385. Durign the years, we have produced more than 40 000 of this classic small boat. It is probably the most sold European boat model ever.”

Safety First Terhi is known for its absolute commitment to safety. “Our boats are practically unsinkable – a Terhi boat can even stay afloat after sawn into two parts.” The hull and deck of all Terhi boats are made of strong weather-proof ABS

124

Business Finland 4/2011

thermo-plastic. “There are three main components, the outer shell, the inner shell and the polyurethane layer. The latter is non-water absorbent foam that adheres to both shells and hardens in the process. A kind of sandwich structure is thus created.” When visiting Terhitec premises, we could see the manufacturing process, and it was impressive indeed, from one centimetre ABS plastic plate to a finished boat with all accessories. First the shaping machine does the basic work; then the two shells and polyurethane are combined with by another machine. In-between some detailed carving and drilling works are done. In the end, strengthening parts, seats and accessories are installed. Strengthening parts are needed, for example, in handrails and in the aft. The actual shape-forming part in the pressing machine goes quickly, in 10-20 minutes, heating and cooling included, but using the machine requires a good eye.

Quality Promises Quality promise is a natural part of Terhi’s philosophy. “We grant a 4-year warranty to our boats. We are an ISO 9000 certified company by DNV. Terhi was the first Finn-

premium boats and yachts Terhi 385

ish boat manufacturer to get the ISO 9001:2000 quality certificate in 2004 . Our management systems were granted the maximum five points. “At the moment, we are working on ISO 14001 environmental classification. Auditing should be completed this year,” says Jarmo Sundin. “Recycling is an important part of our policy. Plastic chips are grinded and recycled to a large degree. “About 20-70 percent of boats contain recycled materials, and we are developing recycling processes.” When visiting the premises of Terhi, one can see that production is effective and smooth. About 30 rowing boats and 5-6 motor boats are produced every day. All this is done by only twenty persons, of

which 14 are in production, and the rest in supporting tasks like warehousing, logistics, testing, etc..

Motoring and Rowing Terhi boats have traditionally been divided into rowing and motor boats. However, even the smallest rowing boats can use a small electric or fuel engine. “We have taken this into account in almost all boat models, and in the aft part of the boat a place is reserved for an engine. For example, those who buy Terhi 385 often acquire also 4-5 horsepower motor,” says Sundin. “Among the actual motor boats whose horsepower range from 10 to 60 hp, the most popular model is 475, which has

Terhi 385

Business Finland 4/2011

125

premium boats and yachts Terhi 475

been on the market since 2009. It is registered for five persons – quite many for a small boat like this. Recommended size of motor is 40-50 hp.” Terhi has a smaller Fun series of boats. For example, the More Fun of only 3.4 meters in length is unmatched for its stability, and passes long trips quickly and safely. A youthful look, easy maneuverability and fantastic design add to the pleasure of riding in it. Terhi Sea Fun is an excellent all-around utility boat. It can be rowed or taken to rough sea. The 4.62 meters Terhi Nordic 6020 is born from a boat-type perfected through time and experiences by the fishermen. With its classic design, the Nordic 6020 has been praised for its high freeboard and extraordinary stability. “Every year, we sell more than 1000 large Saiman rowing boats, which can take up to 4 persons. We have developed a

126

Business Finland 4/2011

solar panel power system under the name Terhi Saiman Sunwind, which in Finland costs about 2 700 euros. The system includes 40 W solar panels, accumulator, cables and connectors, controls, and the engine.”

New Models Exports form more than half of Terhi’s yearly revenues. The most important markets are Russia, Sweden and Norway. In Finland the company has more than 90 dealers. “Russia has been a largely expanding market, especially now when we got a new distributor there. Our partner Aquadrive in Moscow has done good work. “In Finland TerhiTec Oy’s market share of registered boats is about 17 percent. Of all boats the figure is more - in Finland boats longer than 5.5 meters and/

Silver and Sea Star Silver and Sea Star are other brands that belong to the Terhitec group. Sea Star became part of the company in April 2009 and Silver in December in the same year. At the same time Terhitec expanded its range to build boats larger than five meters in length, although part of Silver boats are a little bit shorter than five meters.

“Altogether we now have more than 80 years’ experiences in building boats. Terhi boats have been on the market for 40 years, Silvers more than 20 years and Sea Star boats about 25 years.” Like Terhi boats, Sea Star and Silver also meet the highest quality challenges.

Aluminum Expertise Silver is an aluminium boat, whose AluFibre construction is unique. SA sturdy double marine aluminum hull and interior module of reinforced plastic make Silver exceptionally durable, safe and comfortable. “The double marine aluminum hull withstand bumps and knocks better than its reinforced plastic equivalent,” remarks Jarmo Sundin.”

premium boats and yachts

or 15 Kw motor must be registered.” Although having already a very varied selection of boats, Terhitec also develops new models. “We will have three new models plus several facelifts in 2012. (In addition to Terhitec, Sea Star and Silver are group companies. See the side story). It costs around 200 000 - 300 000 euros to develop a new boat model, even a smaller one,”

Terhi Nordic 6020

Business Finland 4/2011

127

premium boats and yachts Moreno 620

Outside Silver looks like streamlined aluminium craft. Inside it is a boat made of elegantly designed reinforced plastic. The solutions are almost seamless. “Inside, almost all corners have been rounded for safety in mind. The structure of internal module also reduces hull noise. “Also Silver’s other structures are well-thought. For example, due to the lift strakes, the boat climbs for faster planning, which saves on fuel. Also, the optimal Vshape of the bottom cuts well though the waves and provides a steady ride.” Crosswise hull tracing elements optimise hull stress by distributing pressure evenly. It is a kind of plastic internal module. The large side-gunwales are filled with polyurethane, which acts as a positive flotation for the hull and dampens hull noise. Every year about 800 Silver boats are manufactured in Finland plus some 600 with license in Russia. The number of manufactured boats is rising every year. “Silver is quite popular in Sweden. Other main export countries are Norway, Germany and Denmark.”

128

Business Finland 4/2011

The smallest Silvers are about the same size as the largest Terhis, but being the same size, Silvers are more expensive than Terhis. “Our two brands do not compete directly. Some choose the plastic solutions, others the aluminum structure.” Silver’s larger models of plus 6 meters include “Moreno”, “Eagle” and “Condor” as well as cabin models Star Cabin 650 and Silver Cabin 650. Of these, Eagle DC 650 is a test winner from the year 2009 (appreciated by Vene magazine 10/2009). Real power boat is Condor 730, which requires an engine size of 225-300 hp. Silver’s cabin boats are excellent for targa fishing, but can be used also as a travel boat for 2-3 persons. Also other Silvers are good for fishing, thanks to their varied railing, lifting pipes, fishing arches and rod holder systems.

Eagle 650

Condor 730

Sea Star for Commuting Sea Star is an excellent boat for many purposes from family excursions to fish-

Sea Star 20

premium boats and yachts

Terhitec Group

ing and commuting. “We call Sea Star a commuter boat, but it goes well beyond that. Sea Star has lots of space both for cargo and people. Even construction material like bricks, lumber, windows and sacks can be carried.” The boat is ease to load over the bow, side or transom. When carrying mainly people, Sea Star is spacious. For example, Seat Star 720 can carry six persons, and all of them can be in a roomy cabin under worse weather conditions. The foredeck is quite large in all Sea Stars. Like Silver, Sea Star also has a long history in the Swedish market where the boat brand is well known and appreciated by boaters and fishermen in the Swedish archipelago. Sea Stars are quite light and require less horsepower than some other boats in the same class. “For example, the model Sea Star 20 goes easily 20-25 knots with a motor of 60-70 hp. There is no real reason to have an 80-100 hp engine.” n

Turnover of the Terhitec group in 2010 was about 13.5 million euros. Of this, Silver’s share was 54 percent, Terhi’s 39 and Sea Star’s 7 percent. www.terhitec.com

Sea Star 720

Silver Star 650

Business Finland 4/2011

129

Degerö Distinctive

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto, Degerö

“Our goal is to create fine sailing yachts of the very highest quality, handcrafted from the very beginning to the end using the best materials available,” describes Risto Kristeri the philosophy behind Degerö Yachts.

Export countries of Degerรถ yachts have included Denmark, Germany, Japan, Norway, lately also France and Sweden."

premium boats and yachts

he Degerö boatyard was founded in 1980 by Risto Kristeri and Seppo Mäkelä. “Before this I had worked for Salmisaaren veneveistämö. I had more than 10 years’ experiences in building boats – otherwise I would not dare to start a business of my own,” explains Risto Kristeri. Also the other founder Seppo Mäkelä had strong experiences. He is an expert in the quality of the company’s fibreglass work, while Kristeri specialises in woodwork and handles the administration and marketing. The two men wanted to make yachts on which people would spend time, whether at sea or in port. The designs and specifications were developed with this in mind. Both Mäkelä and Kristeri are still actively involved in the company. Their success is reflected in each detail that is embodied, more than ever, in each new yacht. Today they manufacture 4-6 boats a year. In addition to this, they have refurbishment projects.

t Seppo Mäkelä

132

Business Finland 4/2011

The first model by Degerö Yachts was the Degerö 28 MS, a design developed by Mäkelä and Kristeri themselves. It has been in continuous production and is still in demand today, offering a combination of good sailing and comfort that is hard to find in a small yacht. “With a distinctive rounded stern, generous beam and elegant sheer line, 28 MS is an attractive and purposeful yacht,” explains Risto Kristeri. “With a long keel, she is well-mannered in the seaway, looking after her crew in open water. Inside, her raised coach roof and good hull volume give her spacious and light accommodation. Five berths in two cabins, a separate heads compartment and a well appointed galley complete the specification.” “The largest one we have manufactured is 38 feet beauty of the seas,” says Kristeri.

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

Yachts of Their Own Design

133

premium boats and yachts 134

Offshore yachts Degerö 28 was the company’s only model until 1985 when the Degerö 35 S was launched. “Designed by Håkan Södergren from Sweden, our 35 S has a long fin keel, a skeg-supported rudder, wide side decks and an open foredeck, plus a comfortable and safe cockpit. These features, along with her heavy construction, make her a capable offshore yacht. A traditional layout below includes six berths in three cabins, galley, heads and chart table near the companionway, and a choice of mahogany or teak interiors,” says Kristeri. The first Degerö 33 S was built in 1992. The boat has the same hull as that of Degerö 33 DS, but has a windshield rather than a cabin. Dimensions are 9.95 meters in length and 3.30 meters of the beam. The draft is 1.55 meters and ballast 2000 kg.

Business Finland 4/2011

premium boats and yachts

The sail area of 33 DS is 60 square meters. “The 33 S and 35 S mean that our yard has elevated to a new class”, says Risto Kristeri. In 1990 the first Degerö 331 DS was produced, developed by the famous Finnish designer Hans Groop. “The 331 DS offers deck-saloon accommodation in the hull of a pure sailing yacht. Her easily-driven form has a lead keel and semi-balanced rudder. The aft cockpit is both safe and easy to use, with wheel steering, self-tailing winches and many other features as standard,” says Kristeri. Below decks, the 331 is very well-appointed, with a 5/6 berth layout, beautiful joinery and luxurious upholstery to create an inviting and practical interior. With an extended transom and boarding step, the 331 is offered alongside the 33 S.

135

premium boats and yachts 136

New Models for the 2000s Launched in 2000, the Degerö 31 retains the important features of her larger sisters, and embodies these in an easilyhandled 31 feet hull. “Modern hull lines, with a fine entry, broader aft sections and a lead keel with a bulb, make her a fast yacht, whilst the raised coach roof offers perhaps the smallest deck saloon yacht of her kind.” “This kind of raised coach roof is favoured especially by our customers in the age group of 50–60 years old,” says Risto Kristeri. According to customers’ wishes, Degerö Yachts wanted to offer customers a little bit larger solutions, so in 2004 the new Degerö 36 DS was launched. Based on the hull of the 35S, it was designed by Håkan Södergren. “The 36 DS has the benefits of the deck saloon and internal helm coupled with the traditional lines of the heavy displacement blue water hull of the 35 S. She retains the successful interior layout of the 33 and 38 feet models, with 5/6 berths, an internal navigation/helm station and the raised saloon seating. Outside, she is still every inch a blue water cruiser, and the raised coach roof blends well in.” The motor used in the 36 DS is usually Volvo Penta 29 kW, which is a good choice for several other Degerö models too. “But it is up to the customer, what kind of engine she or he wants to use. It

Business Finland 4/2011

is interesting that in some refit projects, customers have replaced a fuel motor with an electric one. In one case, a 6 kW Silette propeller was taken into use. “An electric engine costs about two times more than a traditional fuel engine, but many customers are environmentally conscious.” “Usually engines have been in good shape. With one diesel engine 2 500 hours have been driven. It was from the mid 1980s.”

Exports Export countries of Degerö yachts have included Denmark, Germany, Japan, Norway, lately also France and Sweden. “We have dealers in several countries. We also participate in fairs, for example, in Hamburg, Stockholm and Yokohama.” “All in all, we have manufactured almost 150 boats. Just recently we delivered a Degerö 28 boat with a 29 hp engine to Botahanny in France (Hendaye), near the FrenchSpanish border. “Many customers want to pick up their sailing yachts themselves, and sail it home. This is particularly true, if the customer lives in the Baltic

Sea area, but since Degerös are seaworthy, some have taken the yacht all the way to the Mediterranean or the North Sea.” Degerö boats have one-year (12 months) warranty against production and material faults. Installed items of equipment have warranties according to each supplier’s underlying warranty conditions. Degerö customers are satisfied with their sailing boats: Mr. Mether tells that his 331 DS was originally manufactured in 2002. He has used it for years before reselling it. “This 331 was the third Degerö I have had. The previous two were 28 and 33 S. I sold this 331, since I do not sail that much any more. It was sold to the Czech Republic, but is based in Croatia in Simun.” n www.degeroyachts.fi

premium boats and yachts

Degerö boats have one-year (12 months) warranty against production and material faults. Installed items of equipment have warranties according to each supplier’s underlying warranty conditions."

Risto Kristeri & Seppo Mäkelä

RISTO’S OWN BOAT feet boat Risto Kristeri has a 35 is boat is not from the year 1965. Th designed by for sale. The boat was boat came Alan H. Buchanan. The bad shape. to Kristeri in 2006 in renovate the It took 700 hours to 47-year-old boat, but now the e. beauty is in good shap Business Finland 4/2011

137

True

Finngulf Defies Difficult

138

Business Finland 4/2011

Conditions

Finngulf is not only about racing. The original design belief was to maintain the high performance potentials of the yachts without compromising safety, handling and overall aesthetic values."

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Finngulf, Klaus Susiluoto

Finngulf manufactures high quality sailing boats with excellent craftsmanship and sailing performance. The current range of Finngulf models has been developed since 2002, and for 2012 a new FG 38 (abbreviation of Finngulf 38) project has been introduced.

Business Finland 4/2011

139

premium boats and yachts

inngulf Yachts Ltd. originated from the dreams of a young man. Established in 1981 by Mr. Stig Nordblad, the company has kept its mission unchanged all along: to build the finest high performance cruising yachts for 100 percent sailing. Today the Managing Director Joakim Hildén and his team follow the same path as that of his predecessors. “Finngulf is not only about racing. The original design belief was to maintain the high performance potentials of the yachts without compromising safety, handling and overall aesthetic values. “We do not have the deck-saloon type of sailing boats. Instead we rely on smooth deck lines. We also want to offer an aesthetically pleasant impression. “At the same time, we see a trend of ‘downshifting’ in size from bigger 40 feet to slightly smaller boats. These smaller boats are easy to handle but still offer all the comfort and amenities of the bigger boats.” Good ergonomics is one of the most important design principles of Finngulf boats. “We believe that the values which have made Finngulf such a strong brand are timeless. We want to give the market a recognizable Finngulf. “In today’s times full of negative news, we feel it is important to remember the things which bring joy to our lives – sailing is definitely such a thing. We have faith in the idea that people still want new sailing boats to give them a reason to smile,” Mr. Hildén states.

Finngulf 38 Project All the principles of Finngulf can be seen in the new Finngulf 38 project, which was announced in August 2011. The new FG 38 is designed by the renowned Finnish naval architect Kamu Stråhlmann. The first FG 38 is planned to sail during the summer 2012. With the modern sailing innovations, the new FG 38 will be perfect for shorthanded sailing and family cruising, yet never compromise the great sailing experiences of a high perfor-

140

Business Finland 4/2011

mance sailing boat. The preliminary VPP (abbreviation of Velocity Prediction Program) shows increased performance in all wind conditions. The inner space is 18 percent bigger than that of its “little sister” FG 37. “What’s more, interiors of FG 38 will be done according to modern customers’ requirements. The customer can choose a two or three cabins version,” says Hildén. In the deck layout easy handling of sails has been an important planning issue. There is enough space around steer-

premium boats and yachts

Joakim Hildén, Managing Director

ing wheels. The FG 38 has a standard German main sheet system with a through-deck furling unit for the jib. She also has nonoverlapping jib with the option of a selftacking jib to ensure the joy of sailing with different sizes of crews. “We are proud to find many innovative solutions for our new FG 38,” says Hildén. “Furthermore, like all other our yachts, the FG 38 can be tailor-made according to customers’ wishes. The FG 38 is a true Finngulf.”

Business Finland 4/2011

141

premium boats and yachts

30 Years Experiences Today Finngulf manufactures 10–15 boats yearly. A grand total of 900 yachts have been built by the Finngulf Yachts yard over the decades. About 20–30 percent of the production is exported. The best-selling boat of Finngulf so far has been 331. Joakim Hildén reminds that Finngulf has more than 30 years’ experiences in building premium sailing boats. “The company started out with one model of our own, the legendary Finngulf 34, which was built to enter the 3/4 Ton World Cup in 1981. The naval architect

and yacht designer, Håkan Södergren, created a truly unique racing boat from fiberglass and foam core with engineering solutions that were way ahead of their time. “The original yacht is fitted with aluminum bulkheads that are welded to a tube chassis. The tube chassis runs throughout the hull interior. This solution would be called “a space frame” today, and it still sails now. The boat succeeded well in the World Cup, and was considered the fastest Scandinavian vessel of the race. “As a sidenote, it should be mentioned

that in the early days of the eighties, Finngulf also built boats as a subcontractor under the brand ‘Inferno’. So if you sail an Inferno 28/31/33, there is a chance that your yacht was built by Finngulf Yachts – hence it has the similarity in look and feel of the interior.” All Finngulf yachts are manufactured within the EU (Estonia and Poland), handcrafted and built to the order of an existing client and customized specifications. Therefore the yachts shown in the images will have solutions that may differ from a standard yacht.

Still Going Strong As a result of the uncompromising build quality of all Finngulf yachts, an overwhelming majority of them are still in active use by sailors worldwide. “Another point is that many of our boats have spent their lives in the Baltic Sea, where unfortunately for us and fortunately for the boats the season is fairly short. Typically a Baltic boat will spend less than 4 months per year in the water. The salinity of the water is quite low. The low salinity combined with less UV radiation than elsewhere usually guarantees that Baltic boats are in excellent condition compared to boats that have spent their lives elsewhere,” informs Hildén. n

142

Business Finland 4/2011

Finngulf Brokerage has contacts with most of 500 worldwide Finngulf owners, and with a vast number of prospective Finngulf buyers. Finngulf Brokerage also sells and accepts buying commissions for other quality boats, sail and power. Finngulf Brokerage takes pride in approaching the pre-owned yacht market with the same spirit as that of building new yachts: honesty, integrity and taking pride in customers’ satisfaction. www.finngulf.com

premium boats and yachts

Brokerage

Club Finngulf Joakim Hildén says, “it is not only manufacturing and buying/selling a sailing boat, but also the people, the community of Finngulf users, that give new perspectives. Club Finngulf was founded in 2004. The club is run by enthusiastic Finngulf owners, and our mission is to facilitate the exchange of sailing-related experiences, know-how and ideas. “The club also aims to lower the threshold to widen your sailing horizons. We do this by arranging public lectures related to cruising and by running the annual Finngulf Trophy family racing event.” This year FG Trophy (which took place in early September in the waters outside Espoo) gathered 20 Finngulf boats for a day of leisurely racing and relaxing

social activities for the participants. All kinds of support services count for sailing boat owners. “We can also offer winter docking, maintenance of boats, berth services etc. “My work as the Managing Director of Finngulf is interesting indeed. I started as the CEO of Finngulf in February 2011.” Earlier Hildén had worked for seven years for luxury yacht manufacturer Nautor’s Swan and three years for STX Finland, life-cycle services. “Finngulf is a much smaller company but it is a pleasure to work with the extremely qualified and devoted boat building professionals.”

Business Finland 4/2011

143

Finland’s Renowned Boat and Yacht Builders Baltic Yachts is the premium builder of large high-performance sailing boats that are exclusive, tailor-made “dream yachts” of high quality materials. www.balticyachts.com Finngulf manufactures high quality sailing boats with excellent craftsmanship and sailing performance. The current range of Finngulf models has been developed since 2002, and for 2012 a new FG 38 (abbreviation of Finngulf 38) project has been introduced. www.finngulf.com The Degerö boatyard was founded in 1980 by Risto Kristeri and Seppo Mäkelä.The two men wanted to make yachts on which people would spend time, whether at sea or in port. The designs and specifications were developed with this in mind. www.degeroyachts.fi Targa boats combine sporty features with the look of a working boat. The result is an impressive combination of practicality and high-quality enhanced by paying attention to details. Tailor-made features according to customers’ wishes add the finishing touch to Targa boats, manufactured by Oy Botnia Marin Ab. www.targa.fi Terhitec manufactures rowing and motor boats up to 5-6 meters. Silver and Sea Star are other brands that belong to the Terhitec group. Sea Star became part of the company in April 2009 and Silver in December in the same year. Altogether the company now has more than 80 years’ experiences in building boats. Terhi boats have been on the market for 40 years, Silvers more than 20 years and Sea Star boats about 25 years. www.terhitec.com Finnboat – Finnish Marine Industries Federation – is the umbrella organization for Finland’s boating industry and trade. www.finnboat.fi

144

Business Finland 4/2011