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4 Gutta’sStrategy:DoingThings10 Vivago-MonitoringWellness14 OnlineAdvertising-EffectiveasaPartofQualityContent18 Cargotec-EfficientLogisticsinCrisisSituations24 All-WheelPowerbySisu30 Flexible,Cost-effectiveLaunchingMethodbyRobonic36 AccuracyandPrecisionbyNoptel40 BulletandSplinterShieldsandBallisticSolutionsbyFinconandKonto42 Konto-VariedPeatApplications46 Saurus-AnExpertinFirefightingandRescueVehicleTechnology50 ConnectingGlobally54 PersonalProtectionEquipmentbySavoxCommunications58 SeeingisBelieving62 Defense&Security201164 AirportClusterFinland66 AirportsintheDirectionofMultipurposeActivities72 PermanentlyInstalledAccessSystemsbyRostek78 TheUbiquityofSensors82 ConvincingSnow-How88 Efla-StrictQualityStandards94 Aviapolis–InternationalInnovationHub96 ServiceBusinessto(andfrom)ChinaExpanding98 RailwayBoostsPropertyDevelopment100 TheNewLookofBlue1102 HotelGlo-EnjoyAdditionalSleepTime104 ScanWings–AlmostThere106 SokosHotelFlamingo108 Avis–WeTryHarder109 Hertz-CarsforVacationandBusinessTrips110 SixtFinland-CommittedtoCustomerService111 LapponiaLakkaCloudberryLiqueur-ExperiencetheNorthernWilderness112 BootsandShoesbyPerttiPalmroth114 HeliRyhänen–BringinginSlowMotionandLight

3 / 2011

cont

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9 14 21

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38 42

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Editor-in-ChiEfJorma Leppäniemi

EditorsKlaus Susiluoto

Susanna RinkinevaQuingbo Xu

Sini Pennanen

LanguagE EditorNordic International Ltd

dEsign and LayoutAivo Blum

Matti SummaNikola Popovic

MarkEtingJorma Leppäniemi

Tel. +358 9 42821012

PubLishEr Kustannusosakeyhtiö

Perhemediat OyPurpuripolku 6, 00420 Helsinki

Tel. +358 9 42821000 Fax. +358 9 42821030

Printed in Finland byArt-Print Oy, Helsinki

I n the middle of the 18th Century, a strong sea fortress was built on the islands adjacent to Helsinki, which at the time was no more than a village. But the “Sveaborg fortress”, as it was called, was huge. The chief military architect of the

fortress, August Ehrensvärd, decided to honour the King’s visit to the site with a special inscription carved in stone, next to the fortress’ Kustaanmiekka Gate. The inscription exhorted: “Coming generations, stand here upon your own ground, and never rely on outside help.”

This has remained the motto of Finland since 1917, when it gained independence. While all nations engage in defence co-op-eration in situations of international crises management, in the ultimate analysis, no country can rely only on outside help.

This philosophy is ingrained in Finland’s strong and well-trained armed forces. It also has fostered a strong will to develop innovative defence industry technology, tai-lored to Finland’s specific needs.

This publication showcases this ingenuity, which spans all facets of the Finnish defence, logistics and materiel sectors. These include for example Sisu rough terrain trucks, Robonic’s UAS pneumatic launchers, rugged communication tools from Savox, firefighting/CBRN decontamination vehicles from Sammutin, Konto’s and Fincon’s splinter and bullet shields, and video surveillance systems by Mirasys.

In addition to defence, crises management in connection of natural catastrophes plays an important role with many products of these companies. For example, Mirasys’ video surveillance systems are capable of monitoring natural disasters such as floods from a distance. Cargotec’s lifting equipment was used in Haiti’s earthquake as well as the in cleaning Japan’s tragic tsunami destructions.

This publication also introduces companies from Airport Cluster Finland. Emerg-ing economies such as China, India, Russia and some East European countries have a growing need for new, state-of-the-art airports, as well as comprehensive overhaul and expansion of existing airports. In China alone, it is estimated that 100 to 130 airports will be built in the next few decades.

However, China is not an easy market, as is analysed in the Vantaa Innovation arti-cle in our Aviapolis section. Another crucial element of present-day international trade is the role played by exports of services, such as business and engineering consulting, software development etc. Finland is at the forefront of this trend. For instance, the mobile and computer game company Rovio has achieved a breakthrough in China, with its Angry Birds concept. In our later issues this year we will take a deeper look at “immaterial exports”.

EDITORIALA shrine to self-reliance

Jorma LeppäniemiEditor-in-Chief

4 Business Finland 3/2011

MasseErvasti,CEOofGutta

Our role is to help the business managers to better understand the profit/risk factors in-volved in their decisions and the effects of these."

4 5Business Finland 3/2011

GUTTA’S STRATEGY:

Gutta Oy is known as an expert of financial management services. In each project the focus is to acquire an in-depth understanding of the client’s business. Proactive work is essential, says Masse Ervasti, CEO of Gutta.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Sini Pennanen

DOING THINGS

Ervasti emphasizes co-operation and team work – both inside own group of companies and with customers.

“Co-operation means communication and especially trust between team members. But it also has a business meaning in larger context. Gutta is part

of Divest Group, which serves companies, besides consulting, also in outsourcing and recruitment. There is a clear synergy benefit for our business as well as our customer’s business to have such a wide service portfolio”, Ervasti analyzes.

Gutta’s consultancy services are varied. Those can be divided into four categories: business planning and financing, business steering and reporting, performance and benchmark activities as well as financial accounting services.


CFOs have an important focus in Gut-ta’s consultancy. “They have sometimes been seen as a restraining role. However, modern CFOs are increasingly seen in a positive light, and they can be agents of change and growth,” says Ervasti.

He reminds that the position of a CFO is often very demanding and sometimes even a target of conflicting pressures.

“Traditionally the position of a ‘brake-man’ calls for a person with profound understanding of the business and vast technical knowledge. On top of that, strong leadership and business steering skills are needed.”

“Our role is to help the business man-agers to better understand the profit/risk factors involved in their decisions and the effects of these,” Masse Ervasti says.

When Gutta helps companies in im-proving their finances, for each

project the company always ap-points a team that has the entire finance management expertise to

support them. “Instead of one person, the client has access to concentrated exper-tise of several persons.

“We work side by side with the CEO and challenge the decision-making from a treasurer’s point of view. We put the routines in place to allow the organisa-tion to concentrate on its core business. In large companies, we work as part of the in-house finance management team, either working as a business controller for a specific business entity or taking charge of the CFO function of a certain legal en-tity on a project basis,” says Ervasti.

“We have a strong proven record of fast-paced reforms in management re-porting and other business-oriented fi-nancial management tasks, even in dif-ficult situations.”

Divest Group

Gutta is part of the Divest Group, which operates in the fields of consulting, process outsourcing, recruitment and staffing ser-vices. The consulting services focus on financial management expert services - an area in which the company is among the top 10 service providers in Finland.

In outsourcing, the company is among Finland's five largest actors in the area of financial administration services. Recruit-ment and staffing services are offered for financial administra-tion, sales and customer service and specialist segments.

In addition to Gutta Ltd., Clarus Ltd., Assidu Finland Ltd., Samet-ti Ltd. and Suomen Talousverkko Ltd. are part of a Divest Group. Services of Clarus include outsourced financial process services including personnel and modern software. Assidu Finland Ltd. is a market leader in HR services in the field of financial adminis-tration. Sametti Oy specialises in business process outsourcing. Suomen Talousverkko Ltd offers electric accounting.

managem

ent & consultants

managem

ent & consultancy


Customers’ preferences

Typical tasks include business case cal-culations for different decision-making situations.

“In our consulting services, we are em-phasizing an approach focusing on prac-tical implementation. Our clients must be able to see the benefits of our services in their income statements. It is impor-tant to get to know the target company as best as possible. Even a cross-scientific approach is needed. Profound knowledge of customers’ preferences is a must.”

Furthermore, the company aims to deliver its customers comprehensive so-lutions for their business problems with the aid of other Group companies.

“For example, while we help our cus-tomer by taking over the CFO function temporarily, recruitment and staffing company Assidu may be recruiting a fol-lower for this position at the same time.

“In larger terms, it is important to grow competence profiles of financial managers. We have extensive experiences of business case-based accounting in sev-eral industries.

“However, it is good to remember that we are not auditors or account-

ants as such. We do controlling-focused business orientation measurement and improve-ment plans for service centres

including benchmarking and development roadmap defini-

tion, for example.”

Gutta’s personnel have pro-found finance management experi-ences. We understand day-to-day accounting work. This is why we are strong implementers.”

managem

ent & consultancy


Strong implementers

Masse Ervasti talks about down-to-earth consulting. Interaction with the customer is essential. “Gathered information is analysed and a concrete action plan is carried out and then Gutta acts accordingly.”

Ervasti cites Herb Kelleher, who said: “We have a strategic plan. It is called doing things.”

“Gutta’s personnel have profound finance man-agement experiences. We understand day-to-day accounting work. This is why we are strong imple-menters.”

Renewed CFO competition

In the past there was not always enough understand-ing of the role of CFO. This was one motivation to launch the CFO of the Year competition in 2006.

“There had been nothing of the kind in Finland before. The aim of the competition was in fact to grant recognition to a multi-skilled head of finance on an annual basis, to encourage finance directors in Finland, and to enhance their performance.”

The CFO competition is about to change from this year on.

“We will co operate with Accenture. With them we choose the CFO of the Year. They had started the same type of competition, accidentally at the same time as Gutta. We decided to combine our forces. In the new concept the best practices of both competi-tions. The analysis is even more profound than previ-ously.”

Gutta also publishes CFO barometer, which is a biannual survey conducted by the company, gauging the development of economy in the upcoming 6–12 months.

“The aim of the survey is to bring a perspective to the creation of economical models concerning the entire national economy. Further, it aims to dis-tribute the views of the CFOs more broadly among themselves as well as the general public and thus fa-cilitate the prediction of changes in the markets.”

When Masse Ervasti started as the CEO of Gutta, the company announced that the future targets in-clude doubling the turnover by the end of 2013, to 10 millions euros.

“The symbol of Gutta is an enlarging water drop. It also tells that we have much growth potential. Our professionals are committed to fulfil the business tar-gets.”

www.gutta.fi

The symbol of Gutta is an enlarging water drop. It also tells that we have much growth potential. Our profession-als are committed to fulfil the business targets.”

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ent & consultancy


Masse Ervasti’s career One of Masse Ervasti’s strengths in business develop-ment and consulting is that he has experiences from many branches.

In 1983–1992 he worked in chemical industry, for example, BASF Finland. In the 1990s he was employed by different subsidiaries of Instrumentarium, as well as by Fortum Oil and Gas subsidiary Microchemistry Oy.

In 2002-2004 Ervasti was the President & CEO of Metorex International Oy. The company is a supplier of advanced equipment for chemical analysis and rapid identification, for example, expertise in X-Ray and Gamma-Ray detection. In 2004–2007 he was the managing director of Oxford Instruments Analytical Oy and in other leadership positions in Oxford Instru-ments (OI Plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange). In 2007–2009 he worked for Vaisala Oyj, a global player in products and services for environmental measurements.

Since 2009 he worked for the private equity compa-ny Eqvitec Partners Oy, which manages and advices different funds. In Eqvitec he was a venture partner working as a senior advisor to build and restructure Eqvitec portfolio companies, and to find and analyse new companies to invest in and participate in DD pro-cedures.


Vivago Monitoring wellness


Sleep is essential to a person's health, which is why Vivago's wellbeing watches give real-time information about a per-son's vitality and sleep patterns.

Text: Simo RaittilaPhotos: Vivago

Our quality has been noticed over the borders."

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?

Monitoring wellness

Vivago offers watches that observe the user's sleep and activity. Its products are mainly used as tools for better elderly care but it is also active in the wellbeing market.

“The customary wellness-oriented user is interested in their health and wellbeing,” says Vivago president Katja Kääriä..

Getting a good night's sleep is very important. Peo-ple who sleep well feel vital and good, but poor quality sleep can cause people to gain weight and develop ill-nesses.

“If you do not sleep well, you do not recover from daily activities and allow new things to be saved in the long-term memory,” says Kääriä. “There is an age when we all start to think of our own and our children's health.

It's an important issue. The cornerstones of well-being are nutritious food, regular exercise and good sleep.”

cutting edge solutions


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

Vivago Active Sleep

Vivago Care

•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

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.

Not just raw data

The wellness watch is easy to use – you simply put it on your hand and wear it day and night. The user's activity and sleep data can be easily loaded onto a laptop or seen on the watch itself. The data is visualised so that progress can be easily seen and understood.

According to Kääriä, a person cannot improve their wellbeing without knowing what their current state is, which is why the data produced by Vivago watches is so meaningful.

“We at Vivago want to help you to take better care of yourself,” she says.



Vivago Personal Wellness Manager

•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

Valuing health and safety

In terms of elderly care, which is a big part of its business, Viva-go aims to guarantee humane, individual good quality care at home. It seems that the company values personal freedom and people's right to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

“We care,” says Kääriä. “We want to use our validated prod-ucts and professionalism to create tools to make life better for all of us – from baby to grandma.”

This shows in both of the company's watches: one intended for private use and one for care homes. Vivago is truly a pioneer in its own field.

[email protected]


TAEL publishes reports on most popular media websites in Finland."


as a part of quality content

For many companies, online marketing is an effective way to reach audiences. This tool acquires even more importance when high-quality content needs to be distributed to a discern-ing audience. In such cases, success almost always depends on effective marketing.

TAEL Financial Reporting is committed to providing cli-ents premium content via this medium. TAEL’s profes-

sional journalists generate content such as reports and analyses that are published on major media websites for large audi-ences. The editorial aim is to cover topi-cal issues from new, current, relevant and interesting points of view.

Valuable information straight from the experts

TAEL is a digital content marketing com-pany that generates large, chargeable and high-quality reports on the business world. TAEL offers visibility for the com-panies covered by interviewing their key personnel”, says Kalle Salmi, managing director of TAEL.

Every report has ten to fifteen arti-cles on a specific topic. For example, the topic in March this year was Finnish pub-

Text: Susanna RinkinevaPhotos: Anders Korhonen

Online marketing

lic health. This report was published on the Ilta-Sanomat website, where it was displayed for the entire month. Leading health care experts were interviewed, which yielded valuable information for the readers.

Readers on network sites

TAEL last year decided to offer its reports exclusively online. Says Salmi: “We want to be where the readers are. Media con-sumption has changed. Newspapers no longer have the same breadth of reader-ship as they did in the past. The Internet allows us the opportunity to align our reports more closely with the target audi-ences, and arouse the interest of a much wider readership.”

TAEL reports are published on most popular media websites in Finland. Ex-amples include Sanoma’s online jour-nals, as well as the websites of traditional newspapers such as Taloussanomat and



Ilta-Sanomat, which have large reader-ships. Taloussanomat, for instance, has an estimated readership of 700,000 per week.

“Through interviews conducted by TAEL, the companies covered reach both business partners and potential custom-ers. Thanks to their high visibility, our re-ports end up quickly in Google and other search engine lists”, says Salmi.

The reader must be ‘earned’

“Newspapers are usually scrolled through without going any deeper into subjects. On the Internet, the reader chooses the articles more carefully. This is why online content must present points of view that are more interesting and more precisely defined. And to be alluring, the online articles have to be easy to read, com-pact and the paragraphs have to be quite short”, adds Salmi.

TAEL’s goal is to get more readers, and generate reports that interest them. TAEL conducts regular readership research to ascertain precisely how many readers read its articles, and the amount of time they spend on them. Findings indicate that a typical reader stays with one article on an average for about two minutes. This means the promoted client brand has a mere two minutes of interaction with its intended consumer. TAEL also tracks what the reader does after reading the ar-ticle. For example, TAEL researches if the reader goes to the interviewee’s website. This information offers even more value to the promoted company.

In addition to customised research, TAEL conducts opinion polls and surveys among public relations executives from different business fields to identify new, current and important topics that merit attention. IT sector, especially cloud ser-vices, other technological innovations, and communications and marketing are fields that TAEL is going to concentrate on next. The other current themes are social responsibility, including conser-vation of nature, well-being in people’s work lives, and how a changing business culture is affecting management.

Social media adds a new dimension

Online media make it possible to tell sto-ries in different ways. TAEL currently is developing a new format for its articles, which aims to use social media and con-vert existing content into the “reader’s own production.”

Currently, TAEL reports usually in-clude a video that is embedded next to the written article. In the video, the com-pany’s spokesperson has the opportu-nity to showcase his or her firm, as well as provide expert comment on the topic discussed in the article. About 50 % of interviewees have such a video alongside the article. TAEL’s professional staff pro-duces these videos, which also are made available for company’s own use.

TAEL now aims to take this formula a step further, building upon the interac-tivity that is built into social media. “In the future, TAEL plans to invest in social features, which would enable one-on-one interaction with individual readers. It would be nice if a reader could ask ques-tions, and the company experts could answer them. In addition, the reader’s own opinions, as well as conversations between readers, are important tools that we can make available both to the audi-ence and to the companies. This kind of ‘reader’s own production’ would add significant extra value in all our reports”, says Salmi.

The message gets through

Traditional marketing is based on the principle of interruption. Television pro-grammes are interrupted with commer-cial breaks. In newspapers, there are full-page advertisements between stories. On the Internet, banners jump out to draw attention.

The superior quality of content allows its message to permeate into the reader’s consciousness in a more enduring man-ner than traditional advertising. Market-ing of quality content has been shown through research to leave a more lasting impression on readers.



IT sector, especially cloud services, other technological innova-tions, and communica-tions and marketing are fields that TAEL is going to concentrate on next."

“While traditional online advertising with banners sustains a reader’s attention for 0.5 seconds, a radio commercial for 20 seconds and a television commercial for 30 seconds, an article retains the reader’s attention for significantly longer – for two minutes. What makes this even more crucial is the relative absence of the ‘in-terruption’ factor. While the other means of advertising essentially are forced upon the reader, in our case it is the reader itself who has freely chosen to read and spend time on the article, without any pressure”, says Salmi.

Positive feedback from customers and readers

According to Salmi, TAEL has received a lot of positive feedback from its custom-ers and readers. This establishes a clear need for this kind of marketing. Recognis-ing this trend, more and more companies are turning to content-based marketing.

However, readers are habitually quite critical when it comes to marketing. TAEL’s approach is designed to circum-vent this tendency. “Content marketing is at its best when the company offers interesting and truly useful information. Online marketing with the help of TAEL’s quality reports gives companies credibil-ity and accountability”, says Salmi.

A majority of Finland’s top 500 com-panies already are TAEL’s partners. In ad-dition, TAEL’s established relationships with government agencies, ministries and many universities. TAEL’s reports provide companies the platform from which they can build an image as experts in their own field, as well as attractive employers, while at the same time getting useful publicity for services and products.

TAEL is at present specifically look-ing for IT companies and communication and marketing companies with whom it would forge partnerships, but we are in-terested in building long-term co-oper-ation with companies in every field. Be-sides the report of Finnish public health published in March, TAEL makes ten more reports this year.

www.tael.fi


CARGOTECEnergy saving and sustainable solutions

Unto Ahtola, Cargotec’s Executive Vice President, Industrial & Terminal business area, says that effective logistics is a must in crisis situations.

“As a leading cargo handling equipment manufacturer, Cargotec constantly develops its products to make loading and unloading more secure, fast and flex-ible,” Ahtola says.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Cargotec


Energy savings

By browsing Cargotec’s web pages one can easily recognize that being green is much more than a hollow phrase to Cargotec. The company provides environ-mentally friendly solutions, including electric cranes and electrically-driven RoRo cargo access equipment, for operators who want to move away from hy-draulic equipment. In Ahtola’s view the targets included are to achieve energy savings, eliminate hydraulic oil leakages, and make the use of equipment safer and monitoring of operations easier for the customer.

“We have also granted our Pro Future™ marking, a label for environmentally friendly equipment which meets strict criteria. The marking can be used in many product groups such as electric and hybrid rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTG), hybrid straddle and shuttle carriers, electric forklift trucks and auto-matic stacking cranes. Also, ship-to-shore cranes with a regenerative energy source, hydraulic hybrid drive terminal tractor, as well as the fully electric hatch cover opening/closing system, MacRack, will have Pro Future marking,” says Unto Ahtola.

Moving large fleets or cargo-handling equipment requires extensive soft-ware in the background. “Cargotec constantly improves its logistics software

UntoAhtola,Cargotec’sExecutiveVicePresident,oftheIndustrial&Terminalbusinessarea

Cargotec has a wide offering in the event of natural disasters and other catastrophes."

defence industry solutions


expertise. The company recently acquired US-based terminal operator systems pro-vider Navis, whose flexible and scalable TOS software is the leading system glob-ally in marine terminals, rail yard opera-tions and distribution centres,” says Ah-tola.

Navis systems help customers coor-dinate and automate the movement of containers and equipment in terminal and yard environments, as well as ena-bles customers to manage the operations

of a single terminal or multiple terminals in different geographic locations from a central location.

“This acquisition supports Cargo-tec’s strategy to focus on customers and invest in attractive customer segments. Navis solutions are a core component of a terminal operator’s business. By adding Navis to our portfolio, we will be able to offer total solutions for our customers operating terminals. We see excellent op-portunities for growth and innovation.

No other equipment supplier has joined forces with a TOS provider,” says Ahtola.

Complete solutions

Cargotec’s orders received during the fourth quarter of 2011 totalled EUR 819 (598) million, which were 37 percent more than in the comparison period. Ahtola believes that the growth will con-tinue within the next few years in the lo-gistics business.



“Cargotec is keeping a close eye on the development of national economies in different regions. Economic growth will increase both material flows and de-mand for cargo and load-handling solu-tions in the coming years.

“Within the world's economic growth areas, Cargotec has a significant market share in Asia. Understanding the chang-es underway and customer needs is vital to maintaining this position. In a tight-ening competitive situation, Cargotec's

strengths lie in its ability to deliver com-plete solutions alongside the industry’s most comprehensive customer service, in addition to individual items of equip-ment,” says Unto Ahtola.

“Understanding global trends also helps us to create safe and sustainable solutions in cooperation with our cus-tomers. Providing sustainable solutions is the most efficient way to support sus-tainable development for Cargotec,” says Ahtola.

Competence center

Cargotec Corporation is headquartered in Finland, where part of the manu-facturing and R & D is based. “We are developing the unit in Tampere into a competence and technology centre to strengthen the competitiveness of the Industrial & Terminal products glob-ally. Plans for the Tampere competence and technology centre’s buildings and test field are well under way. Our project

The company provides envi-ronmentally friendly solutions, including electric cranes and electrically-driven RoRo cargo access equipment."

t2,000-unitpurecartruckcarrierwithallelectrically-driveninternalMacGregorRoRoequipment.

qTheKalmarterminaltractorfeaturinghydraulichybridtechnology.



team is working together with an archi-tect and a construction consultant. Our competence and technology centre is set to become one of the key locations of the Industrial & Terminal business unit, developing innovative solutions for the benefit of our customers,” says Ahtola.

Containers are the backbone of mod-ern logistics. This can also be seen in lo-gistics in crisis management.

“Today the majority of finished goods are shipped in containers. It is therefore

critical that supply chains be maintained, even if the environment is challenging. Cargotec’s solutions are not only inno-vative, but robust and long-lasting,” says Ahtola.

Cargotec’s daughter brands Hiab, Kal-mar and MacGregor are recognised lead-ers in cargo and load-handling solutions around the world.

“Our technology functions in chal-lenging environments. For example, Cargotec’s equipment helped to restore

the areas in Haiti devastated by an earth-quake in 2010. A Hiab Moffett truck-mounted forklift (TMFL) was donated to help build houses. Additionally, 17 Kalmar Rough Terrain Cargo Handlers (RTCH) were used to move relief goods at five operation centres,” adds Ahtola.

The RTCHs worked around the clock playing a crucial role at the port in Port-au-Prince where the quay cranes suffered severe damage. The machines supported organisations like American Aid, the



United Nations World Food Programme and the US Army.

At the site of the world’s most recent natural disaster, in Japan’s tsunami area, Cargotec is also there to help.

“Our local teams have provided Car-gotec equipment for immediate help in clearing the afflicted areas in Japan. Car-gotec has also donated EUR 100,000 to help with the country’s relief efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami,” says Ahtola.

Crisis management

Cargotec has a wide offering in the event of natural disasters and other catastro-phes.

“Kalmar ship-to-shore (STS) cranes can be equipped for tropical conditions and hurricanes. Cargotec has delivered STS cranes to customers in Mexico and Guadeloupe, for example. The Kalmar STS crane in Port Autonome in Guade-loupe will extend crane capacity by pro-

viding sufficient hoisting height to load and unload the larger vessels that enter the port,” says Ahtola.

The STS has an outreach of 43 me-tres, 25 metres back reach and 33 metres hoisting height. It will also be equipped with a separating twin lift spreader. The crane is equipped for tropical conditions and hurricanes in the Caribbean, with wind speeds of up to close to 300 km/h.

www.cargotec.com

Understanding global trends also helps us to create safe and sustainable solutions in coopera-tion with our customers."

qCargotechasbeenatthefrontlinewithregardssafetyregulationsandbuildingsecurityintoproducts.

24 Business Finland 3/2011SI

24 25Business Finland 3/2011SISisuText: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Sini Pennanen, Sisu Defence Oy

All-Wheel Power by

Ahonen finds work at Sisu Defence very interesting. “The years 2010-2011 have seen substantial

changes. We have had relatively large deliveries, we have a new ownership structure, and there have

been some fundamental changes to our cooperation with other companies,” he says.

In mid-2010 Sisu Defence’s parent company, Oy Sisu Auto Ab, announced that it had concluded an arrangement with Daimler for the supply of Mercedes-Benz heavy truck compo-nents, including engines. This arrangement replaced the previ-ous agreement with Renault. As at the beginning of 2011, Sisu has been producing trucks based on Mercedes-Benz compo-nents. Vehicles produced use engines, cabs and transmissions from Daimler, but Sisu axles and an in-house chassis. And the conventional Fuller gearbox is naturally still among the options offered.

Sisu Defence has taken the mobility of heavy vehicles to a totally new level. “Combined with strong mine and ballistic pro-tection, Sisu can offer a wide variety of choic-es to its customers,” says Managing Director of Sisu Defence Oy, Jyri Ahonen.

During 2010 the ownership structure changed. Suomen Erikoisajoneuvot Oy, a company founded by Sisu Auto’s CEO, Olof Elenius, and Executive Vice President Timo Korhonen, ac-quired the entire share capital of Suomen Autoteollisuus Oy. It then became the ultimate owner of Sisu Defence.

Olof Elenius announced that the merger of the ownership of the company and its management meant the return of a strong-ly-led family business, experienced during the first decades after being founded in 1931. “This enables a rapid response to, and decision-making in, meeting the increasing requirements of customers,” says Elenius.

Thanks to fleet deliveries to the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) in 2010, Sisu Defence generated turnover of more than EUR 30 million. This year the turnover is expected to be slightly lower, below EUR 20 million. Sisu Auto cooperates with Komas, to which it has partly outsourced assembly and logistics functions.

Well-focused approach

Jyri Ahonen for his part notes that working in the new Sisu (the word means grit or guts in English) is well-focused.

“As a subsidiary of Sisu Auto, Sisu Defence designs, markets and delivers Sisu off-road trucks and special vehicles for mili-tary use. Main products include the Sisu ETP series, which is


26 Business Finland 3/2011SISa High Mobility Terrain Vehicle (HMTV) for military use. HMTVs are designed to operate under varying transport conditions,” says Ahonen.

“All our vehicles for the defence forces are designed for military purposes, tailored and developed closely with the end customers in order to respond to their capacity require-ments. For example, a large proportion of our products are mine, ballistic and NBC-protected, designed to protect peo-ple inside.”

The modular ballistic protection can be installed quickly, even in field conditions. It does not take more than a day for a crew of two men to install, or dismantle, the ballistic pro-tection kit. The development of protection systems for lo-gistic vehicles began a decade ago, and the demand has been huge for even heavier protection. In the name Sisu ETP, the ETP refers to ‘Tactical and Protected”.

“For example, the cabin of a Sisu ETP 8x8 is designed to be protected against mine, ballistic and NBC threats. The shell structure is completely welded and airtight, so the cabin can be pressurised, enabling protection from contam-inated aerosols etc,” says Jyri Ahonen.

An important feature is the basic chassis with a high load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for a variety of tasks. High top speed and high average speed in conveys means that the vehicle is not an easy target.

Excellent partners

Within a couple of years, Sisu Defence has gained some very notable orders. In July 2010 Sisu Defence Oy and Thales-Raytheon Systems Company SAS (a French company) signed a contract to deliver Sisu off-road military trucks.

“These will serve as platforms and support vehicles for Air Surveillance Radars supplied by Thales-Raytheon Sys-tems,” says Ahonen.

All our vehicles for the defence forces are designed for military purposes, tailored and developed closely with the end customers in order to respond to their capacity re-quirements. For example, a large proportion of our prod-ucts are mine, ballistic and NBC-protected, designed to protect people inside.”

ManagingDirectorofSisuDefenceOy,JyriAhonen.JyriAhonen


26 27Business Finland 3/2011SIS

2828 Business Finland 3/2011SQuite an experience

We had the opportunity to test the all-terrain vehicle 8x8, and it was quite an experience: the steep slope seemed first impossible for a truck to climb up, but the Sisu 8x8 succeeded easily in spite of an untrained driv-er. Even if we had minor challenge with snowdrift and slippery ice, the all-terrain vehicle managed everything well. Steering of a heavy military truck in demanding terrain felt surprisingly light.

The 8x8 has the ability to manage hard and soft sur-faces, and up to a 60 percent slope. With the use of interlocked primary brakes it can come to a complete halt, and from this position start moving either forwards or backwards. Fording capacity without preparation is 800 mm and with preparation, 1200mm. The equip-ment for high mobility vehicles includes a container handling unit (CHU), which is suitable for loading and unloading ISO containers (1 C and 1 CC). The height of an 8x8 truck with big off-road 14R20 tyres does not exceed 4 metres when carrying the 1 CC container – a feature not met by many of the competitors. A self-recovery winch is offered as an option on all vehicles. Ballistic protection is available up to level 3 (level 4 ex-cept windows) as per STANAG 4569, and mine protec-tion up to level 3 correspondingly.

Delivery consists of Sisu ETP 8x8 radar carrier vehicles, equipped with a Stabilized Truck System, STS, for ground master radars. Sisu A2045 4x4 ancillary vehicles, equipped with cranes and cargo platforms, are also included in the or-der.

“In the beginning of 2011 Sisu Defence Oy delivered the first batch of off-road military trucks for the NASAMS FIN air defence system. These heavy-duty four-axle Sisu 8x8 off-road trucks will be used in the subsystems forming the NASAMS FIN air defence system. Trucks are equipped with Multilift hook-lifts integrated into the truck chassis and with cargo platforms suitable to be operated with a hook-lift. The delivery also includes Sisu 4x4 off-road trucks to serve, for example, in logistics and support functions of the air defence system,” says Ahonen.

Trucks were first delivered to Norway’s premier supplier for defence and aerospace-related systems, Kongsberg De-fence & Aerospace AS, which is engaged in a turnkey deliv-ery of NASAMS FIN air defence system ordered by materiel command of the Finnish Army.

“We strongly believe that the ongoing co-operation with Kongsberg advances our move to offer other Sisu military trucks to a wider international market,” says Jyri Ahonen.

www.sisudefence.com


28 29Business Finland 3/201128S


Flexible, Cost-effective Launching Method by

Robonic

Tampere, Finland-based Robonic, part of the French Sagem DS group, is a leading engineering company engaged in the work of developing and producing pneumatic UAV/UAS launchers. In the view of CEO of Robonic, Juha Moisio, pneu-matic technology is an advantageous method to launch TUAV’s/UAS’s.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Sini Pennanen, Robonic


The efficiency of our pneumatic solutions has seen multiple UAS manu-facturers select our equip-ment as their preferred launcher for existing and emerging programmes worldwide."

JuhaMoisio,RobonicCEO



Robonic Ltd Oy is the premier UAS launch systems company with some three decades of operational experience in the

application of pneumatic technology to achieve zero point or short rail launch of unmanned aircraft and target drones.

UAVs/UASs – Unmanned Aerial Ve-hicles and Unmanned Aerial Systems – aircraft with no on-board pilot, are be-coming more common and can be used in multiple tasks with military as well civil aviation. (Industry and the regula-tors have adopted the term UAS rather than UAV as the preferred term for Un-manned Aircraft or Aerial Systems as UAS encompasses all aspects of deploy-ing these aircraft and not just the plat-form itself.)

One of the leading pneumatic launch solutions comes from Finland where the geography and climate present their own requirements for a UAS launch. Robon-ic’s UAS catapult launchers are used, for example, to launch aerial targets and tactical UAV’s for surveilance and rec-conaisance purposes. These planes can monitor enemy positions, provide mate-rial support for troops and so on. They

can also provide support to the police, fire services as well as search and rescue authorities.

“The military aspect is important in UASs but armed aerial vehicles are not as common as intelligence ones,” reminds CEO Juha Moisio. He points out that UASs should not be identified only as military planes.

“UASs have been used in forest fires, border surveillance, search and rescue operations – in cases where a human ob-server would be at risk, but also in police observation of traffic flow. The three D ideology applies (replace pilots on planes where it is dull, dirty and dangerous) UAS can carry sensors, like cameras, radars, even chemical detectors.”

There are many ways to launch UASs. The largest UASs use runaways or the booster systems based on rocket technol-ogy. With the tactical UASs, launchers



provide for an alternative for command-ers to choose from.

“The pneumatic system meets a tac-tical requirement. It allows the user to choose the launch location quite feely. This means flexibility and gives opera-tional advantages compared to runway and booster launch.

“Costs are also lower due to minimal personnel. Savings are large especially in terms of cost per launch. An advantage is also quick recovery for several consecu-tive launches. There is also no explosives-related storage or handling problems,” says Moisio.

“Besides, the launchers that we have designed are compact. Most of them can

be packed and transported in containers.“What’s also important is that the

whole system can be set up in 10-15 min-utes. The system is self-sufficient, hav-ing its own engine and compressor. The closed pneumatic system allows system pressures to recover quickly and safely,” says Moisio.

Customer approach

Robonic does not manufacture UAS launchers itself. The company designs, project manages and lends its engineer-ing experience to the manufacturing pro-cess. Manufacturing is done in coopera-tion with its partners.

The launchers that we have designed are compact. Most of them can be packed and transported in containers."



“One important partner is SKS Toi-jala Works. Milectria delivers electrifica-tion to systems designed by us. We have achieved good results with these compa-nies, their understanding of quality and the customer is paramount in producing a world class product,” Moisio says.

The Robonic family of solutions pro-vides a cost-effective and flexible launch method, meeting the current and evolv-ing requirements of the global UAS in-dustry.

“The efficiency of our pneumatic so-lutions has seen multiple UAS manufac-turers select our equipment as their pre-ferred launcher for existing and emerging programmes worldwide. We are open to a wide range of cooperation formats, including partnerships, consultancy or direct systems sales, rental and lease,” Moisio says.

“Our systems make use of a unique technology and constitute a preferred so-lution for many UAV systems and high-performance targets,” says Moisio.

Robonic can provide a complete prod-uct range for various UAS types, from 10 kg to 500 kg.

“Our launchers are designed to meet the various stringent requirements – take-off speed, UAS weight and maxi-mum acceleration – defined by the customer. The launcher performance is simulated before the design and the re-sults are carefully reviewed with the cus-tomer,” adds Moisio.

“However, launching the UASs is by no means routine work. It is important to analyse launches as well as flights. It can take weeks, even months, to analyse one flight. It is important to know how the plane and its various parts work,” he says.

Technically superior

Pneumatic launchers from Robonic are excellent in technological terms. When the French Sagem DS in the summer of 2007 acquired Robonic, it announced:

“This acquisition provides a key ele-ment with which to develop the new-gen-eration high-endurance catapulted tacti-cal UASs (TUASs) developed by Sagem Défense Sécurité. It also boosts the modernization of its Sperwer UASs, in operational service in five armed forces, through quicker deployment, a reduced logistics footprint and improved aircraft launching.”

Moisio says that being part of a large group opens up new opportunities:

“We will get a large network, through which to develop and market our prod-ucts. We at Robonic employ only 10 peo-ple, but our design and engineering skills have resulted in an absolutely premium product. For example, our launcher reaches top speeds. With a 250 kg plane the speed is about 55 metres per second, i.e. approximately 200 km/h; with the 500 kg aeroplane one can still reach more than 40 metres per second, ie over 140 km/h.”

The equipment Juha Moisio refers to is the third-generation pneumatic UAS launcher, called Robonic MC2555LLR.

The adjustable launching pressure of this third-generation version allows vari-ous types of UASs to be launched.

The operating temperature of Robonic UASs is between minus 30 and plus 50 degrees. The whole system can be packed and transported in a 20-foot container, which at the same time acts as a ware-house. The launcher itself is mounted on a trailer and alternatively can be mounted on a truck.

www.robonic.fi

Robonic can provide a complete product range for various UAS types, from 10 kg to 500 kg."



RATUFC in Kemijärvi

One of Robonic’s strengths is that it has its own excel-lent testing ground for UASs, together with the commu-nity of Kemijärvi in northern Finland. The Robonic Arctic Test UAS Flight Centre is called RATUFC.

“This centre is established to support the develop-ment and testing of UAS’s Mini up to the MALE (Me-dium Altitude Long Endurance) type. Kemijärvi is also an excellent training ground if one wants to learn how to use pneumatic launchers for UASs. Basic airfield in-frastructure with a 1,400-metre runaway helps support flying operations. In addition to our launchers, the cus-tomer can thus also use runway-launched UAVs.”

The Kemijärvi airfield is operational all year round. “The ground facilities are arranged when needed and the UAS launching equipment can easily be set up. In-frastructure, information systems and radars cover the whole area.” ”

Moisio emphasises that it is convenient to choose Robonic as a UAS partner not only because of its equipment but also because of its experience: “All per-mits with Finnish authorities such as FCAA, Finavia etc. will be arranged by RATUFC, as are all the everyday logistics and supplies.”


Accuracy and Precision by

Noptel “Noptel has very realistic and easy-to-analyse shoot-ing training products, which are in use in tens of coun-tries,” says Matti Tervaskanto, Marketing Director of Noptel.

Noptel is based in the high-tech city of Oulu, northern Finland. Noptel specialises in the design and manufac-

ture of innovative optoelectronic prod-ucts.

“Of these, shooting training systems are known to sport shooters, as well as to law enforcement and military profession-als. In training live ammunition is not al-ways needed. Profound shooting analysis is an essential part of the Noptel concept,” emphasises Tervaskanto.

The training of firearms professionals in the police and security bodies, as well as in special forces, has become a major issue in the modern word. Even one miss can be costly and the damage perhaps ir-reparable.

“At the same time, however, shooting with live ammunition is becoming more and more difficult due to many environ-mental, safety and financial reasons. This has resulted in more widespread use of simulators. Noptel’s products are well suited for outdoor use, and are by no means only simply indoor simulators.”

Noptel is known for its ST-2000 shooting training product family, which originates from the 1980s. It has many versions and serves as a platform for the training of armed forces, among others.

Soldiers in numerous countries use Noptel-2000 products for teaching shooting skills at various levels, from recruits to specialists such as snipers."

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Sini Pennanen, Noptel

MarkkuHellsten,Exportmarketing


The concept covers the whole chain of exercises needed to develop a satisfactory level of shooting skills.

“Soldiers in numerous countries use Noptel-2000 products for teaching shooting skills at various levels, from re-cruits to specialists such as snipers. For example, the US Army elite unit AMU

and South Korean armed forces use Nop-tel systems,” says Tervaskanto.

“Today the Noptel system is naturally much more advanced than it was when we started. For example, the ST-2000 Expert follows the shooter in each phase of the training from the beginning to the end. The unit can be mounted on any

military rifle. Most of the shooting can be done safely using optical training devices instead of live fire.”

Indoor marksmanship training

The ST-2000 Expert can be integrated into the three-phase integrated Rifle

MattiTervaskanto,MarketingDirectorofNoptelJouniHänninen,Technician



Markmanship (IRM) programme. Levels are basic, advanced and field training.

“The training programme starts with basic training indoors and continues with more advanced training at the shooting range or with manoeuvring exercises in field conditions. The main goal is to master shooting skills in any shooting situation. The ST-2000 Expert is just one example of our products,” notes Tervas-kanto.

There are also solutions for pistols. The ST-2000 PistolTrainer is an indoor marksmanship training and analysis unit attached to the pistol’s Picatinny or rail adapter.

The ST-2000 MilTrainer is a training and analysis device designed to be used indoors and outdoors. The instructor can easily monitor the whole group through his or her PC.

“One clear advantage is that the Nop-tel shooting training system can be taken along and set up in minutes. The units are typically delivered in a double unit pack-age, where two shooters share one PC.”

Sport shooters

Sport shooters also use Noptel training systems to improve the quality of their training.

“Noptel training systems allow easy understanding of shooting performance using objective high precision analysis. Active learning in real-time and immedi-ate feedback results in efficient correction of faults in technique,” says Tervaskanto.

Juha Hirvi, silver medallist at the Syd-ney 2000 Olympic Games, is one of the

users of Noptel training systems.Matti Tervaskanto notes that people

often speak of a laser system or laser-shooting device but they actually mean an optical or electronic analysis system.

“There is this misconception but we do not use laser technology or laser beams with the ST-2000 Sport II. Instead, we use a special patented LED light technology which is eye-safe and allows the use of simple and conventional targets at several distances without electricity or cabling in the target.

“There is an optical measurement de-vice in the gun barrel. With this system it is possible to measure how the gun moves just before and during the shot. The es-sential shot factors can be divided into holding, aiming and trigger control."



Noptel's TOF distance meas-urement technology origi-nates from the University of Oulu, which is still Noptel’s

most important research partner, even today.

“Research has led to the design of laser range finder devices. These products are based on two technologies: measurement of ‘light beam flight time’ and position determination,” says Tervaskanto.

“A very efficient distance measure-ment method is based on the flight time of a short, eye-safe laser pulse to the tar-get and back.”

The principle is known as pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement.

“The main advantages of TOF meas-urement include its non-contact, non-disturbing nature, high speed and ac-curacy, high spatial resolution and wide measurement range,” describes Tervas-kanto.

The accuracy of TOF is from a few millimetres to a few centimetres. The maximum range without a special reflec-tor ranges from tens of metres to several kilometres, depending on the accuracy needed.

Position-sensitive laser measurement devices are already being applied to the measurement of deflections and vibra-tion in girders, bridges, towers and other metal constructions, and to alignment measurement of railway track.

“Railway tracks often move vertically quite considerably because of heavy traf-fic. We have designed the whole measur-ing system for Finnish Railways, VR, for their work machines.”

These machines are built by Austrian company Plasser & Theurer, through

Industrial applications In addition to shooting training equipment the company is in-volved in civilian applications in many fields. Products include laser range finder devices for various areas of application like profile measurement, industrial scanners, traffic control, etc.

which our systems are also in use all over the world.

“The products use highly integrated technology, and a number have been pat-ented. In a business like this it is impor-tant to protect your intellectual property,” says Tervaskanto.

“We are a relatively small company

compared to large companies in Ger-many, for example – at the moment we are 27 persons. We have employees who are committed to their work, and loyal towards the company. Just over half of our employees are specialists who work in R & D. We have also been successful in commercialising our products.”

www.noptel.fi



Shield products are made by us-ing Konto’s patented production method, which enables combin-ing natural fibers together with

shielding fibers. Thus, Konto’s method enables binding peat moss together with recycled Aramid by using different bind-ing fibers.

“To optimize the final product, it is vital to identify the most suitable fibers with the best characteristics regarding the end product. Using recycled Aramid in the shielding products enables a very cost-effective end-product,” says Mika Nieminen, Managing Director of Fincon Oy

Fincon Oy has strong own expertise in the protection business. “We produce light and heavy bullet shields, tailor-made ballistic assembles and metallic re-fines, VIP vehicles, money transport cars and, and armor glass.”

Fincon also has proven record and standardized methods. “In the product testing, standardized methods are used. For example, shooting test, body armor, splinter shield, window pane and doors as well as glass and window panels are en-sured with standardized methods,” says Nieminen.

Perfect combination

The combination of Konto’s patented method and Fincon’s vast expertise in the shielding business, enables develop-ing cost-effective and innovative shield products. The products combine bullet and splinter protection with insulation and acoustics.

“We have found materials developed by Konto very interesting and promis-ing,” comments Nieminen. “The compos-ite material developed at Konto resists

moist and mold, since the natural fiber used, peat moss, is a sour ingredient. Therefore the protection panels can be used outside and in moist constructs, as splinter shields,” adds Heikki Rantanen, the Research and Development Director of Konto Ltd.

“The Konto protection material de-veloped is light. The protection panels are qualified to be used in vehicles, con-structs and buildings. For example, the bullet proof boards are easy to handle and used in different circumstances.

Recycled aramid

Fincon is also studying other materials as well in addition to those provided by Konto, says managing director Mika Ni-eminen.

“The price of the end-product is play-ing a huge role behind this development

In cooperation with Fincon Oy, Konto Ltd. develops protection shields, where natural fibers together with shielding fibers form a durable solution.

Bullet and Splinter Shields and Ballistic Solutions by

Fincon and Konto



work between our companies. Tradition-ally protective shields cost 1000-2000 euros (depending on the shield level) per square meter. Prices are going up. One fact less known is that Aramid products last only 5-10 years in prime shape. The material will thus have to be destroyed af-ter several years of usage. Nowadays Ara-mid is recycled only as brake and clutch friction surfaces. This also brings prices up.”

Nieminen also says that threatening situations have increased in our society. “We are constantly reading about attacks on daycares, schools, offices and corpora-tions, not to speak of civic unrest in some countries. There is an increasing need for civil as well as military protection.”

Konto Ltd. and Fincon Oy have coop-erated with the aim to offer protection to ordinary people.

Self-sealing walls

In bullet and splinter shields and ballis-tics analysis, Fincon has worked together

Gunsmith experience One of Fincon’s owners, Ola Åberg, is a gunsmith by profes-sion, which has given him profound expertise in ballistics and protective solutions. He still has Aseola Oy firm, but does not re-pair or manufacture hand weapons any more. Nowadays his son Vili Åberg does gunsmith work under the father’s control.

“Fincon company was established in 2004. We use classi-fied security experts in installations,” says says Ola Åberg.

Fincon Oy has quality systems based on ISO: 9001 and AQAP 2110, certified by DNV. (NATO AQAP certification in 2008 for supplying ships, boats, vessels and armoured vehicles.)

Aromatic polyamide

Aramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthet-ic fibers. Aramid is also known as Kevlar, and is commonly used in bullet vests and protective shields. Aramid fibers are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic rated body armour fabric and ballistic composites, even in bicycle tires, and as an asbestos substitute.

The name Aramid is derived from “aromatic polyamide”. They are fibers in which the chain molecules are highly ori-ented along the fiber axis, so the strength of the chemical bond can be exploited.Aromatic polyamides were first introduced into commercial applications in the early 1960s, with a meta-Aramid fiber pro-duced by DuPont under the trade name Kevlar and Nomex. This fiber, which works similarly as normal textile apparel fib-ers, is characterized by its excellent resistance to heat.

with Finnish navy and defense forces, Finnish police technical centre, boat manufacturer Marine Alutech, Interma-rine S.P.A. Italy, Sisu Defence, Profile Ve-hicles, Oy FY Composites, etc..

Fincon has also been developing safety fuel tanks with “self-sealing walls func-tions”.

The external surface of these fuel cells is coated with self-sealing walls, to pre-vent fuel leaks. The inside is filled with anti-explosion materials. The structure is interesting. From outside, there is ex-ternal retainer layer, intermediate self-sealing layer, internal layer of fuel cell and fuel.

All Fincon’s materials have undergone ballistic tests with many types of bullets, for example, cal. 7.62 NATO AP, 12.7 NATO AP, .38 Special and cal 9 Para-bellum, as well as with OD 82 hand gre-nades.

www.fincon.fi


Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto, Konto

Varied Peat Applications

Konto Ltd. manufactures blan-kets, boards and shape pressed products from natural fibres, such as peat moss and shield fibers, like recycled-Aramid.

“We offer protection with pat-ented production methods and composite solutions, which com-bine bullet and splinter protec-tion, insulation and acoustics,” tells Piia Alatalo, the marketing manager of Konto.

PiiaAlatalo,themarketingmanagerofKonto.


The surface peat has a unique capacity of either absorption or insulation depending on the treatment. This kind of

peat moss is also a very durable material to shape.

“Konto’s products combine and op-timize these capabilities and offer new and ecological peat moss products for oil absorption, insulation and for acous-tics purposes. Moss and other natural raw materials have in fact been used to

insulate buildings for a long time.“However, the modern construction

business requires more from insulation than what old raw materials are able to deliver. Therefore lots of products with different materials have been developed to meet the business needs.”

The preliminary test results prove that Konto’s products are competitive in comparison with similar products al-ready on the market.

“A great difference from similar prod-

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Klaus Susiluoto, Konto

ucts is that Konto’s products are ecologi-cal – the surface peat regenerates and is a recyclable and safe natural fibre. And the capability to shape pressed products enlarges end-use possibilities,” says Ala-talo.

“Peat moss, our main raw material, comes from different Finnish companies raising and converting peat, like Vapo, Kekkilä and Biolan. We purchase the peat moss that is already processed ac-cording to our production standards for

our different products. We use the peat moss that is only 10-30 years old. That is, the peat classification is in a group 1 to 3. So the raw material we use is regen-erating faster than trees.”

When visiting Konto, it seems that I am on the way to nowhere – just lots of marshland and trees. The factory is located literally in the middle of marsh-land, in a little village called Karvia.

Excellent oil absorption

One end-user application is oil absorp-tion. The product was tested by Emergen-cy Rescue College in Finland in June 2010. The results prove that Konto Oil Absorp-tion blanket is an effective tool to absorb oil from water. The blanket can be used to absorb oil from the ground as well.

The absorption capacity was excel-

lent in laboratory, even 12-13 times the blanket’s dry weight. Furthermore, the absorption time can be very short.

“One clear advantage, according to tests, is that the peat moss blanket floats well, whereas pure peat can stay in water for hours, is difficult to collect and can rather easily sink. In oil spill prevention it is really essential that the product still keeps afloat.”



Konto has already commercialised the absorption blanket, booms and oil spill kits. In the fresh water version the diam-eter of a boom is 10 cm and in sea version 18 cm. The boom’s length can be adjusted from 45 cm up to 10 m.

The oil can even be pressed out from the blanket. The product can be used again, even with 75 percent of the full ca-pacity. All in all, it is reasonable to use the product 3-4 times.

The absorption ability is an advantage also in the context of heavy work ma-chines, which sometimes may have large leakages. For example, the forest ma-chines must, according to regulations in Finland, have 50 kilos of absorption sub-

stance. These machines have hydraulic oils that from time to time leak out.

Recycled aramid

Konto is also developing a splinter and bullet shield boards using recycled-Aramid fiber and peat moss. “By using recycled-Aramid fiber in our patented production method, we are able to offer very cost-effective and ecological splinter and bullet shield boards,” comments Piia Alatalo. Recycled-Aramid is otherwise waste, unless re-used.

“The results have been great and we are able to offer these Konto-protection boards, which not only shield, but also

have the insulation and acoustic charac-teristics of peat moss,” Alatalo continues.

This development work in defence products is very innovative and well suit-ed to Konto’s ideology.

Feel the peat

Konto manufactures surface peat materi-als also for insulation and acoustic pur-poses, for insulating heat or absorbing sound.

“Hemp with peat is used in Konto’s in-sulation solutions. The heat insulation ca-pacity is the same as with stone wool. Our product can be used, for example, in log-made huts as insulation between logs.



“In acoustics we cooperate, for exam-ple, with Soften company which is based in Turku.” Soften provides a wide range of innovative acoustic panels and elements designed to provide enhanced interior appearance and excellent acoustic per-formance. The company has studied the use of peat products.

“Another acoustics company we have had product development is Decocoat, whose product is a seamless acoustic sur-face on top of Konto-acoustic panels.

“The Konto peat moss boards convert-ed to the right thickness offer an excel-lent option even as loudspeaker materi-als. The materials used for loudspeakers should not ‘make sound’ and this can be

avoided by using peat board converted into a composite material,” says Piia Ala-talo. Thus, Konto has developed a “Feel the Peat” loudspeaker made from peat moss, which is a quite unique and inno-vative way to convert this raw material.

Ecological, innovative

The Research and Development Man-ager of Konto, Heikki Rantanen, says that there will be new peat moss products in the future.

“Research and development is the heart of our company. Operations are built on strong product development know-how and on a tested and patented

production process. The Konto-products offer an ecological, non-toxic, organic and high quality choice.

“Our company values ecological thinking throughout the process from product development to manufacturing and end-use. We also value high quality to ensure successful end-use experiences and material optimization to innovate the most suitable products for a specific end-use. Konto Ltd.’s aim is to develop new ecological products for different end-use purposes, in which the best characteris-tics of natural fibres are combined to gen-erate fascinating products,” says Heikki Rantanen.

www.konto.fi

Within five years period the company has gained fairly large individual orders for export."

JuhaniHärkönen,ExportManager.

Saurus -An Expert in Firefighting and Rescue Vehicle Technology

Over 1,000 Saurus firefight-ing and rescue vehicles have already been supplied to various parts of the world. The Finnish-based company has taken also its military customers well into account.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Klaus Susiluoto

Sammutin Oy is an expert com-pany that produces firefighting vehicles in Jyväskylä, central Finland. Manufacturing Saurus

vehicles started in 1982. In slightly less than 30 years its premises have grown four-fold. Sammutin Oy belongs to the Kiitokori Group (see side story).

Export Manager Juhani Härkönen started in Sammutin Oy in 1995 and says: “Our production is 70-100 vehicles a year, and the average share of export (of our turnover) is 30 percent.

We follow EN 1846, which is a Europe-an standard for firefighting and rescue ve-hicle requirements compatibility. We also have the AQAP 2110 MIL standard, which complements the 9001 certification.”



Within five years period the company has gained fairly large individual orders for export.

“Last year we delivered 28 vehicles to Vietnam. Before that, there was a delivery of 22 vehicles to Latvia and 21 to Hun-gary,” Härkönen says.

“The domestic market forms the base for our activities and existence. We are deep in the market and all the customers; regional fire services, military and indus-try are all important to us.”

Saurus products include: fire engines, water tankers, rescue vehicles, airport firefighting and mobile command post vehicles (MCPVs) The latter is, for exam-ple, the Sisu E11 385 6x2/5550 (1+1) with a 20 kVA generator, UPS antenna mast, air condition-ing, personal computers, mobile phones,

weather station and NBC indi-cators,” Härkönen adds.

“Finnish Railways VR has ac-quired four special rescue vehicles

for railway conditions. The vehicle has varied hydraulics, with which the loco-motive can even be put on the track again after a derailment. The vehicle is a six-wheel drive (6x6).

“At airports, 4x4 and 6x6 units are standard chassis types – strong pulling power is needed. In air accidents planes will in many cases drift away from the runaway, so the vehicles also have to be able to operate in rough terrain condi-tions.

“Among the latest deliveries are the CBRN decontamination vehicles to the Finnish Defence Forces. These custom-ized multipurpose units meant for de-contamination, firefighting and rescue operations offer high technology in the field with Saurus CAN BUS control sys-tem processing.”

NATO standard

Sammutin Oy follows the EN 1846 stand-ard in its production of Saurus vehicles, which is a European standard for the requirements compatibility of firefighting and rescue vehicles.

“We also have the AQAP 2110 MIL standard, which comple-ments the 9001 certification. The

MIL standard is important since the armed forces are also customers of Sammutin Oy. Whether civilian or military ver-sions, we aim at innovative solu-tions. For example, we have used



KIITOKORI GROUP

Sammutin Oy is part of the Kiitokori Special Vehicle Group, which was founded in 1948. There are more than 1000 Saurus units in operation all over the world. The parent company, Kiitokori, designs, manufactures and markets buses and aircraft de-icing vehicles and other special vehicles. The company has manufactured more than 100 aircraft de-icing vehicles, 500 special buses and coaches, 600 library buses etc. For example, last year Kiitokori delivered de-icing vehicles to Poland. Delivery consisted of three de-icing units. EFI4000 is Kiitokori's latest design and is delivered with an articu-lated telescopic boom and SDMS -system, which con-trols spraying and ensures a safe and effective de-icing operation. At the same time, it meets stringent environ-mental requirements. The vehicle is equipped as a one-man drive, enabling the most economical operation.

composite materials in water tanks.” The tanks’ outer composite shell is

manufactured by a so-called coiling technique, making it possible to control composite materials’ thickness according to the level of stress applied at strategic

points. This technique resulted in weight reduction. The composite materials also have high resistance to chemicals.

Saurus is innovative by also being part of the wider group. Another subsidiary company of Kiitokori Group, Vema Oy,

has expertise in high-rise solutions for firefighting vehicles. Vema firefighting platforms and foam towers reach a work-ing height of 55 metres.

www.kiitokori.fiww.saurus.fi


“The core business idea of DA-Design is the production of cost-effective design and

projects for their customers in co-oper-ation with the company’s strategic part-ners,” tells Business Development Direc-tor Kauko Helevirta.

DA-Design Oy specializes in electron-ics and software engineering. The com-pany has a wide competence, especially

of embedded system-related software, electronic, mechanical, RF and micro-wave engineering. DA-Design produces, for example, industrial automation, radar calibrators, waveguide components and mobile radars intended for different uses.

“Our customers consist of space, de-fence, industrial, medical and telecom-munication operators, as well as media research institutes,” tells Helevirta.

“DA-Design is able to offer all the

premises and facilities that are needed for design, testing and production. The company owns the complete office and manufacturing area within one building with 1,500 sq m floor space in Jokioinen. The main facilities include an accurate machine shop, clean room and electronic laboratory equipped with latest digital, analogue and RF measurement equip-ment,” he says.

DA-Design is also headquartered in

KaukoHelevirta,BusinessDevelopmentDirector


Connecting Globally

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Klaus Susiluoto, DA-Design

The word “global” to DA-Design Oy even means equipment with which to send information in outer space. At the same time the company can offer GPR radar technology to view underground objects and atmosphere radiometer technology, just to mention few of the expertise of DA-Design.



Jokioinen, but the company has a rather big branch office in Tampere. “All in all, 28 DA-Design experts work in Tampere and 40 in Jokioinen.”

Exports count for almost half of the company’s turnover. The share could even be bigger in the future, believes Helevirta.

“Large companies can do much of what we do, but we can do it with smaller fixed costs and a more cost-effective pro-cess. Our test equipment range is premi-um class. We just want every single piece to be tested thoroughly. We aim to turn ideas into products and solutions.

“The focus of DA-Design’s business is to offer integrated turnkey solutions to our customers. As a basic principle, we sell solutions according to which we aim to fully understand the critical business issues of our customers. Solution-selling covers everything that our customers need, starting from an analysis of their requirements to drawing up specifica-tions, planning and product development to final product manufacturing. In our services the key objective is to combine embedded systems and RF/microwave technology in a solution-oriented way.”

Atmosphere measuring

DA-Design offers research and product development services for industry and electronics equipment manufacturers, military industry and different branches of the Finnish Defence Forces.

“Navy, army, air forces and the defence forces’ technical research centres have all utilised our expertise,” says Helevirta.

On the civilian side, Metso, Nokia, Teleste, ABB and other industrial leaders are on the customer list. DA-Design part-ners include Vaisala Oy, the global leader in the weather measurement business. DA-Design has designed critical radio equipment for Vaisala's weather radars.

DA-Design is strong in radar technol-ogy. Whether it is about antennae, ped-estals, pulse transmitters, power dividers, filters, RF digitalising, radar computers, correlators or complete radars, it has so-lutions to offer.

“In antenna positioning systems DA-Design Oy is at the forefront. Azeli is an integrated compact ready-to-use system. The design is a robust, wide temperature outdoor use system, which is relatively light, less than 50 kilos. The system has a continuous 360-degree azimuth rota-tion. The elevation rotation is up to 210 degrees.”

Atmosphere radiometer technology indicates local weather and atmosphere conditions up to 10 kilometres in height. For example, it indicates dew point and freezing point. As a whole, the system can provide data for wind turbines, road driving condition systems, UAV (UAS) flight paths, missiles etc. This is a port-able unit, weighting less than 60 kilos.

Radar for underground objects

DA-Design has also developed the tech-nology that is called fake target genera-tor – as the name suggests, a non-existent moving or motionless target for radar is made with the use of electronics.

A hiding area generator is also an op-tion.

“In a way, a kind of grey or blurred area is created around the target to elimi-nate SAR radar monitoring etc.”

Kauko Helevirta says that one inter-esting application under development is the 3D GPR radar technology to view un-derground objects.

“This technology can be used to detect mine and cluster bombs, to find under-ground constructions, even for grave or mass grave detection.”

Viewing underground objects can be made in real time and in a running vehi-cle. The technology is based on intelligent algorithms, very fast digitalising and ultra high computing speed methods.

DA-Design has experience of com-munication links such as microwave links (strongly encrypted MW links).

DA-Design is one of the few Finnish companies involved in space technology. Two 15 GHz radar altimeters were devel-oped by a staff of DA-Design for Huygens probe on an ESA/NASA mission. There

was a flawless operation during landing on Titan, the moon belonging to Saturn, in January 2005.

The company has measured cosmic microwave background radiation for ESA.

“We have several space-approved so-lutions delivered and many are under de-sign,” Helevirta says.

Detecting on sea and lakes

On shore and off-shore, the company can offer expertise in the form of oil spill detection systems (OSDS). The RSSL sys-tem, based on OSDS technology, is a res-cue system on sea and lake to detect float-ing and swimming objects in all weather conditions. The RSSL can estimate the size and temperature of an object.

“AD-Design also has expertise of radar testers and radar calibrators on-site,” says Helevirta.

“This saves money and time and speeds up radar maintenance and tests performance. “Radar functions can be measured and generated over air, no RF cabling or waveguides are required.”



Large companies can do much of what we do, but we can do it with smaller fixed costs and a more cost-effective process."

Audience metering

An interesting detail is that DA-Design Ltd offers broad-casters and media research companies an independent TV audience metering system. The system consists of an unlimited amount of household iMeterTM sets and one DCSTM Data Collection Server. The only things required of media research operators are recruiting the panel, data analysing software and reporting server.

Some milestones

DA-Design was founded in 1995 by four enthusiastic en-gineer students, Sami Kotiniemi, Kari Vainio and Antti Aaltonen. The partly technical heritage, however, is derived from the 1970s. DA-Design’s original business plan was to provide an electronic design service for Finnish companies. The very first significant product was a tram door control card, which was designed and prototyped for Mitron Oy. This was the start of a long and successful business arrange-ment.

In 2006 DA-Design bought the media research equip-ment business unit from Mitron Oy and began to design products in that area suitable for large-scale production.

At the beginning of 2007, DA-Design merged with the business from Ylinen Electronics via SF-Design Oy. Ylinen was founded in 1972 and has several space-craft systems flying (ODIN Radiometers), successfully flown (Huygens Radar) on to be launched (Planck & SMOS subsystems). In addition Ylinen had maintained extensive technology devel-opment activities with ESA and NASA.

This merger provides the compatible combination of ex-pertise in the RF/Microwave and SW/Processor technology areas and the combination of commercial and high reliabil-ity space craft practices.

And lately the company has grown by acquisitions and mergers. The Tampere functions of CC Systems Oy were acquired in 2009 and in autumn 2010 DA-Design purchased all the shares of Finnelpro Oy and merged the company’s operations as a separate activity from October 2010 on. Helevirta started in DA-Design in the summer 2009. He believes that in spite of huge technological expertise, even DA-Design cannot rely only on engineering.

“No-one is going to find your solutions if you do not do the marketing in the right way and be known to customers.”

www.da-design.fi





Savox Communications

Savox Communications prod-ucts improve the effectiveness of individuals operating in de-manding environments and the

enhanced range includes headsets, skull and throat mic’s, voice amp’s, push to talk units, remote speaker mics and surveil-lance kits.

“The products are premium quality and being lightweight and rugged, have a track record of serving the law enforce-ment, fire and rescue, mass decontami-nation, military and industrial markets around the world,” says Mikael West-erlund, Head of Sales and Marketing of Savox.

“Our products are designed to en-able reliable communication and data

transmission in conditions that place extraordinary demands on both people and their equipment. We have special expertise in providing solutions to chal-lenges presented by noise, extreme heat, mechanical stress, toxicity and explosive atmospheres.”

Communications products are de-signed around a modular system concept.

“This means that each product can work with others in the range, providing an ideal solution for team communica-tions where interchangeability and scal-ability are important. For example the Savox voice amp’s work on a standalone basis or can be connected to a throat mic and headset, typically worn under Per-sonal Protection Equipment (PPE) cloth-

Personal Protection Equipment by

Savox Communications is focused on providing professional radio accessories and communications equipment that im-proves the performance of individuals working in highly de-manding environments around the globe.

ing to provide a fully intrinsically safe so-lution,” says Westerlund.

Savox Communications has a unique combination of in-house design, engi-neering and manufacturing resources.

“This, in addition to its own range of branded products, applies to making ra-dio accessory products for many of the leading radio and PPE manufacturers in the world.”

Savox is working in partnership with several radio manufacturers and distribu-tors to provide customers with a total professional radio communication so-lution where reliability, ease of use and functional performance are paramount.

“For example, Savox is experiencing significant success in the TETRA roll out

Text: PerhemediatPhotos: Sini Pennanen



within the German Police authorities and is committed to building on this success. Serving the police, security, fire, rescue, defence, maritime and industrial sectors, Savox caters for the needs of the total spectrum of professional radio user.”

User environment

According to Westerlund, Savox thor-oughly examines a customer’s require-ments before beginning a new project.

“We prefer to begin by carefully study-ing the user environment, user case sce-narios and possible user interfaces. Co-operating with universities and end users on technological development plays an important role. We focus on issues such as soldier survivability through situ-ational awareness, better communication and data collection as well as analysis and delivery of, for example, biometric data, position data and environmental infor-mation,” he says.

Savox Communications has also had

an important role in making the Tetra public safety network more efficient.

“We were the first in the world to in-troduce a GPS feature to Tetra and our products are used in many Tetra net-works in different countries.”

Rugged and watertight

Savox Communications has designed several products for military use, with its special expertise in rugged, watertight and ergonomic bone conduction head-sets that leave the user’s ears uncovered.

According to Westerlund, Savox does not only manufacture audio products but is working to integrate those products with other features.

“Increasingly, verbal communication will be supported by other kinds of data such as positioning information and tele-metric and biometric readings. New radio technologies will be utilised for versatile communication. Savox Communications is finely tuned to these developments in

order to create applications that further enhance the performance of profession-als working in hazardous environments,” says Mikale Westerlund.

“Our products are intrinsically safe. This means that it is safe to use our prod-ucts in premises and environments like chemical production plants, offshore oil and gas drilling rigs or any other site where easily explosive materials can be found.”

Westerlund emphasises that Savox Communications not only designs hard-ware; software is becoming more and more important too.

“Typical software work involves em-bedded software for bluetooth or other module adaptation and integration, and application and user interface develop-ment for PCs or other displays. The de-sign can also include pre-programming alarm messages and addresses into the products. GPS integration is becoming more and more important.”



CON-SPACE CO OPERATION Through the acquisition of Canadian Con-Space Communications business base of Savox Communicatrions Group in North America is even stronger. At the same time, products of Con-Space can have a stronger foothold in Europe and elsewhere outside of North America.

Con-Space manufactures the world’s foremost technical search gear: the Delsar Life Detector, the SearchCam 3000, the Con-Space Rescue Kits and the Con-Space Radio Gear - all created to seek out and preserve lives. Con-Space Communications started in 1991 by responding to the needs of customers and people working in haz-ardous, confined spaces. This led to the creation of a complete line of intrinsically safe, rugged and reliable communications gear now used by first responders throughout the world.

With Con-Space Communications, the combined resources mean that there are multiple sales and service centers in the US with in-house engineering and manufacturing in the USA, Europe and China. This, combined with a network of experienced distributors, means a focus on products and support second to none.

Savox Communications and Con-Space Communications also both have significant in-house design and engineering resources which they provides to many of the world’s leading professional ra-dio and personal protection equipment manufacturers in the world.

Henrik Wikstrom, President of Savox Communications says: “A wider range of Savox Communications products are now avail-

able in North America. It is a strategic market for us. With Con-Space we have significant resource here with local sales and service capa-bilities. We design, make and sell premium communication devices and accessories under our own brands via distribution and for other manufacturers. Savox is a global, growing company, open for busi-ness and we want to speak to ODM customers and radio distributors to see what we can offer.”

Also Iqua Ltd belongs to the Savox Communications Group. Iqua develops innovative handsfree headsets and other mobile accesso-ries for personal, active or professional use. From athletes to business executives, our range of products combines style and first-rate wire-less technology to meet the varying needs of our customers world-wide.

www.con-space.com www.iqua.com


Helsinki-based Mirasys offers video monitoring systems which support hundreds of camera models. “Mira-sys actively seeks partnerships with distributors and integrators in each market to make the most of rich lo-cal business opportunities,” says Jukka Riivari, the CEO of Mirasys.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Sini Pennanen, Mirasys

JukkaRiivari,theCEOofMirasys

Mirasys develops and supplies software that helps organizations manage the in-formation captured by video cameras. It facilitates remote monitoring and system

management,“Digital technology has become immensely more cost-

effective than analogue technology, as it means that video recording can be integrated with traditional IT functions,” says Riivari.

Mirasys’ digital video surveillance is an efficient tool for various homeland security sectors, such as law enforce-ment and counterterrorism, border security, critical infra-

isSeeing

Believing


Cameras can be the first responder in situ-ations where there is no access to the site."

structure protection and emergency preparedness. Com-mercial applications are also multifold.

“Mirasys does not deliver video hardware. The inte-grated products are based on common PC hardware pro-vided through partnerships with Dell and HP. The camera portfolio we support comprises the largest and most well-known technology providers such as Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Bosch and Axis Communications, Arecont Vision and IQinVision.

“We are a vendor of the open platform for IP video surveillance software which can be installed in any com-mercial-off-the-shelf computer. Our product portfolio in-cludes software solutions for entry and enterprise video surveillance markets alike. Integrated video recording network can be built and maintained by us or our part-ners.”

The first responder

In Riivari’s view, the introduction of more intelligence provides end users with improved security, ultimately minimizing the total cost of ownership.

“It is about security. Cameras can be the first responder in situations where there is no access to the site. For exam-ple, if there is a dangerous leak in a chemical factory or a large flood, it is naturally better to observe the situation from a longer distance, through cameras.”

The city of Bangkok relies on Mirasys systems. “Thai-land’s capital city suffers from time to time from floods. With the camera system it is easy to see where the critical points are – for example where water has cut off roads – and guide the traffic accordingly.

“In case a forest fire is approaching an ammunition store, the situation can be monitored and necessary warn-ings given. Often a combination of sensors is used. Many sensors are used together, measuring, e.g., the quality of air, possible chemical agents, radiation, or seismic vibra-tion in the case of forthcoming earthquakes. We have a large customer in Iceland, with whom we have developed earthquake observing systems.”

The systems do part of the analysis automatically. For example, if an object draws away from the protected site,



there will be no alarm, but if it approach-es, an alarm is given. There are even self-learning video systems, which act cor-rectly in unexpected situations.

“It is also about costs. Video surveil-lance naturally is used in a traditional way. With improved technology prices go down. If a security officer personally goes and checks the situation, the cost can easily reach 150 euros. With up-to-date video equipment a personal call is not necessary at all, if the system clearly indicates that nothing is wrong there. With cameras alarms can be verified or created.”

Future black box

One important advantage of video moni-toring systems is the ability to investigate later what actually has happened.

“Video systems with long-term mem-ory and high resolution feature will re-semble the black box of an aircraft in the future. Documentation and evalu-ation will become easier. In most cases, streams of images as well as sound from microphones can be gathered from sev-eral sources and be displayed in a syn-chronised way. In case of critical situa-tions, the overall sequence of events can be reproduced with integrated video sys-tems.

“Cameras together with associ-ated sensors will be the third important source of evidence in finding out what re-

ally happened, alongside with DNA and fingerprints. Even more often, recorded video will be the ultimate source of evi-dence,” believes Jukka Riivari.

“There is a need to regulate video re-cording more effectively in order to pro-tect individuals’ privacy and to prevent unintended and inappropriate use of the footage.”

Today’s storage technology copes bet-ter with the searching, managing, view-ing and archiving of much larger data sets than before. “With our intuitive and sophisticated software tools, we intend to facilitate a very long storage time for critical data and a fast retrieval of huge amounts of unstructured data.”

Increased image quality

The resolution of analogue cameras is only 0.4 megapixels. With IP cameras much higher resolution is achieved. Fa-cial identification, for example, is easier with improved resolution.

“The future is in IP cameras. However, we also support legacy analogue cameras, thus serving also customers who wish to expand their existing analogue system with digital cameras,” emphasises Riivari.

“Our system supports the H.264 compression which builds further on the megapixel benefits. It dramatically reduces the need of network bandwidth and storage space without compromising image quality. H.264 makes it economi-cally possible to deploy megapixel tech-nology much more widely.

“Digital technology, the advent of meg-apixel cameras, the new H.264 encoding and the introduction of more intelligent management software will transform the effectiveness of video surveillance in the years ahead.”

In larger terms, video surveillance in-dustry is expanding rapidly due to the ris-ing security needs combined with a spate of technological innovations — including the migration to digital, fully networked systems.

The Helsinki underground system will in the future have only cameras, no driv-ers. But through cameras there is a visual connection to rails and platforms.

Cameras together with as-sociated sensors will be the third important source of evidence in finding out what really happened."



Strong business background

Mirasys Oy was founded in 1997 and remains privately owned, independ-ent of large concerns. Mirasys software controls over 500,000 video surveil-lance cameras across the world. It employs 80 members of staff, based in offices in Finland, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK and USA. It also has a network of sales partners across the world. Jukka Riivari has over 20 years’ experiences from the public and private sectors and knowledge of superior product and restructuring complex businesses. Riivari began his career as the Vice President of the Emerging Products Group for Teamware, part of the Fujitsu/ICL corporate family. He then worked for five years at Nokia, during which time he became the Director of Corporate.

Sales and Marketing for Nokia’s Global WAP and also for Terminal Soft-ware Sales of Nokia Mobile Software which competed successfully with Microsoft. He then became the Vice President of Terminal Platform Sales for Nokia Technology Platforms. Jukka Riivari has worked for Mirasys since August 2007.

“Seeing indeed is believing – any-way we get 60-70 percent of information through our vision ability.”

An ideal solution

A little more than a year ago, Mirasys introduced Carbon Video Management System (VMS), the next generation de-manding video surveillance tool.

“Mirasys Carbon VMS offers the ideal solution for high-input surveillance sys-tems such as those used in the protection of critical infrastructure, law enforce-ment, city surveillance and crisis man-

agement. It is also an efficient tool for video surveillance applications in retail chains, large logistics centres, and other global enterprises. This intelligent system integrates all of the flexible solutions Mi-rasys provides and supports, making it highly scalable and efficient to best suit our customers’ needs”, says Jukka Riivari.

Scaling virtually limitlessly from a single site to wide-area surveillance, the Carbon VMS can support a wide network of recorders and cameras in a single sys-tem with easy central management.

“By supporting a broad range of IP and analogue cameras, it enables fast and effi-

cient video presentation on video walls and large numbers of monitors in com-mand & control centres, alarm receiv-ing centres and remote video monitor-ing centres.”

Carbon VMS utilises the intelligence offered via the Mirasys Open Video An-alytics Platform, enabling easy integra-tion of practically any analytics function compatible with the platform. Mirasys Carbon VMS includes a comprehensive Metadata Database to store the results of video analytics for data mining and retrieval at a later date.

www.mirasys.com


DEFENSE & SECURITY 2011

Defense & Security … your window of opportunity to Asia Pacific, one of the fastest growing regions in the world today!

2011 will mark the eighth successful year for Defense & Security which has risen to become one of the leading military exhibitions in the ASEAN region. Starting with modest aspirations in 2003, the show attracted a surprising number of international exhibitors and has continued to grow with each bi-annual event. With the addition of the special Security section in 2007, however, the show rose to become a prime attraction for major manufacturers and top military brass from around the world.

BE PREPARED…for business!"

One of the key factors in the success of the exhibition is no doubt due to the booming ASEAN region, now one of the fastest growing areas in the world. The Thai government recently increased its defence budget and a new modernization plan covering all three military services will provide excellent opportunities for Defense & Security exhibitors. The Thai Ministry of Defense is a key supporter of the exhibition and top brass will be present throughout the show.


The 2011 event - the largest yet - will occupy over 13, 500 square meters at the ultra modern IMPACT exhibition center in Bangkok. Exhibitors will include famous names such as: Saab, Am General, Harris, MBDA, IMI, Rafael, Brahmos, Thales, Lockheed Martin, Ukrspecexport, Atlas Elektronic GmbH, Oto Melara, Norinco and many others. Total exhibitors as of this writing number over 300 and will be arriving from 32 nations. There will also be a record number of National Pavilions - some 15 in all, hosting over 150 national companies.

“Defense & Security has proven to be a perfect venue for manufacturers to showcase their latest developments,” said General Kit-tipong Keskowit, the Permanent Secretary for Defense, at a recent launch ceremony. “The show has enhanced our engagement and networking links with manufacturers, experts and academics as well as delegates of various defense ministries and security agencies,” he said. “We extend our official invitation to all companies in defence & security related businesses to join with us in Thailand this November.”

The climate for great business couldn’t be better and its worth noting that Defense & Security has a very high return rate with exhibitors, some of whom have been with the show from day one.

Networking opportunities at the 2011 exhibition will be the best ever and include the Opening Ceremony, Executive Luncheon, Official Lunch-eon, Cocktail Party and Gala Dinner, along with the highly popular VIP Golf Tournament.

Defense & Security 2011 will also feature numerous Technical and Spe-cial Seminar presentations including a conference on ‘The Role of the Armed Forces in Disaster Reduction

“The conference aims to act as a neutral platform for ex-change of information and knowledge so that the armed forces can assume a dual pur-

pose role at all times,” Mr Gandhi said.

With over 200 official and non official delegations representing more than 25 countries,Defense & Security 2011 is set to be one of the major exhibitions of the year.

So as the promotional theme says: “Be Prepared”.

www.asiandefense.com


Airport Cluster Finland

Airport Cluster Finland (w w w.airportcluster. f i ) is a non-profit clustering organisation that aims

at creating new turnkey solutions for airports. The organisation gets fund-ing both from the public and private sources and works with Vantaa Inno-vation Institute to promote and devel-op its members’ products and services.

China, India, Russia and some East

European countries have especially strong needs for new or renewed air-ports. According to estimates, in Chi-na alone, 100 to 130 airports will be built.

Russia needs new airports as well. During the Soviet time many airports were built, but many are located in wrong places, built for military use rather than for civil aviation. But also military airports need upgrading.

Snow-how and much more

Practical work of the Finnish airport clus-ter marketing is done by Mikko Sjöberg. He had been working in aviation busi-ness for 12 years before entering Airport Cluster Finland organisation in late 2009. Sjöberg says that it is important to see the big picture:

“Modern airports are not just airports. Some airports like the Frankfurt or Dubai

AirportClusterteam:MikkoPunakivi,MinnaNiskanen,MikkoSjöberg,RistoArttola

Text: Klaus Susiluoto Photos: Sini Pennanen, Airport Cluster


Airport Cluster Finland There were good grounds to form Finnish airport cluster as a non-profit marketing organisation, with Finland having few doz-ens of companies that can offer services to airport renewals and new airports.

airports are important shopping centres. Frankfurt airport gets 60 percent of its income from retail rents, more than from passenger fees

“It has been interesting to see how avia-tion and airport businesses have devel-oped. In Finland we have strong compa-nies related to these issues, and the cluster at the moment has 24 members. We have firms in security solutions, construction, chemicals, electronics, services, etc.”

Airport Cluster Finland is one of the few cluster-type actors in its field of exper-tise. In Germany there is a project GATE – German Airport Technology and Equip-ment programme – to promote German expertise.

“In Denmark the Danish Export Group has an airport division, but it is not the same approach that we have. There is much expertise related to airports in Fin-land. For example, the so-called snow-how is one of these,” says Mikko Sjöberg.

In Finnish airports, snow removal and de-icing (for existing ice) as well as anti-icing (preventive) are done in a skilful way, and there are firms that construct machin-ery or chemicals related to snow-how.

“To compare with, Europe’s largest air-port Heathrow has 50 machines to remove snow and ice. The Helsinki airport has 250, and it has right types of vehicles, chemi-cals and heaters for melting the ice, and other equipment. It is natural that they do not have so much machinery in Heathrow, since British or Central European airports even do not have a snowy winter every year. But the winter 2010-2011 proved that they have too little snow-how and too few machines,” says Sjöberg.

In addition to people flow and snow-how, it is also important to know where important vehicles and machines in the airport area are located at a given time.

It is also important to know where weapons used to eliminate or scare ani-

mals are located. Big animals do not enter the airport, since it is fenced, but smaller ones like foxes and raccoon dogs can cause troubles. The biggest problems are from birds. Some birds come in swarms of hundreds and like to rest in open plac-es like airfields.

PART OF AVIAPOLIS ACTIVITIES

Airport Cluster Finland started its op-erations in Helsinki-Vantaa in Decem-ber 2009 with 12 member companies. Today the cluster has 24 members. Ac-tivities and operations are executed by Vantaa Innovation Institute Oy and the main financier is Uudenmaan ELY-kes-kus for the starting period of 2010-2011. All Finnish companies and other actors in the field of airport business, airport technologies and solutions and related R&D are invited to join the community. Cluster activities are also expected to strengthen the development of the air-port city Aviapolis, which is the dynamic business environment around. Premises of the airport cluster are just next to the Helsinki-Vantaa terminal buildings.

The airport cluster companies we in-troduce on these pages are Pöyry, Arctic Machine, Efla, Rostek and Sensor Center Ltd/ Anturikeskus Oy.

The total list of members and main exper-tise, see www.airportcluster.fi.

Modern airports are not just air-ports. Some airports like the Frankfurt or Dubai airports are important shop-ping centres."


Designing urban life

“Pöyry operates on a turnkey basis. The customer may have, for example, land or buildings for which he wants re-use. Pöyry then comes up with ideas and plans for a new look for the target and the construction is made on the basis of the drawings. Pöyry supervises and manages the construction – always until the con-struction project is complete,” states Jukka Kettunen, president of Pöyry’s architectural services.

Text: Susanna RinkinevaImages: Anders Korhonen and Pöyry

Airports in the Direction of Multipurpose Activities

Airport and railway stations are no longer mere places to pass through, but are increas-ingly centres for multipurpose activities. In these centres the passenger enjoys the jour-ney without feeling bored. Pöyry is investing in creating both commercial and cultural facili-ties at the airports. Pöyry is a Finnish consult-ing and engineering company that designs airports, among other things, always bearing in mind the comfort of the passenger. Pöyry’s goal is to design airports, where it is easy and quick to get around. Pöyry manufactures short routes from point A to point B instead of long corridors.


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airport cluster finland


Pöyry has expertise in many different sectors. It has excep-tionally wide know-how in airports and transport hubs. “The biggest sector is currently urban and mobility, which refers to the urban transport planning and real estate development. And Pöyry is heavily involved in industry sectors, especially the for-est industry. Other key areas of expertise are in the energy in-dustry and environmental planning. In environment planning, water plays a big role,” says Jukka Saarenpää, the president of infra project management.

Jaakko Pöyry established Pöyry in 1958. The first project was a sulphate mill in Äänekoski. Over the years the company has expanded and gained international success. Pöyry has opera-tions in 50 countries and has a total staff of about 7,000. “Pöyry’s trump cards are in its fields of expertise, both locally and glob-ally. Our strengths are in know-how, especially the transport and building design,” states Kettunen.

Serving clients locally and globally

“At this moment Pöyry’s largest projects are, to name a couple, China’s high-speed railway lines and the Brazilian metro in São Paulo. In Nepal a new water tunnel construction has been built. In Vattenfall, Sweden, Pöyry has about 400 employees in Pöyry’s hydro and wind power projects,” says Saarenpää.

To mention some completed projects, the railway between Lahti and Luumäki was a major one. Pöyry planned the Lahti-Luumäki railway, which shortened the railway distance between Helsinki and St Petersburg, Russia. Another big project was linked to an international architectural competition, which was accompanied by Pöyry. The competition concerned Zurich train

station and its surrounding design.

Major competition in China

In 2010 Pöyry participated in an international architectural competition in China. The participants competed to get the chance to build a new airport in Harbin. Harbin is the 10th big-gest airport in the world and there are 10 million visitors per month. Finnish Pöyry entered the competition as one of 25 con-testants. Invitations were sent separately to each competitor. The task was to create a safe airport, where the passenger can enjoy leisure activities.

“We created a position where the safety and transparency are carefully taken into account. Security checking wasn’t in just one place, the airport was circular at every point of entry. Another important factor in the airport was that there were no long cor-ridors,” says Stefan Ochsner, the architect of the project.

Instead of walking and searching for the right check-in point, passengers could enjoy the entertainment at the airport. “Chi-nese passengers appreciate the comfort and leisure facilities in stations when they spend time there. There is a need to travel as smoothly and efficiently as possible,” says Ochsner.

The leisure activities included shops but also culture. Ochsner says that they planned the decoration as a nature theme. We brought the nature inside so the passenger could enjoy the envi-ronment without going out in Harbin. The cold weather was, for example, one dimension of the art work.

Pöyry has a good representation in China. The Beijing of-fice employs 300 Pöyry employees who market and make Pöyry known. “Participation in a major competition was the one of the


We created a position where the safety and trans-parency are carefully taken into account. Security check-ing wasn’t in just one place, the airport was circular at every point of entry. Another important factor in the air-port was that there were no long corridors"

JukkaSaarenpää,JukkaKettunenandStefanOchsner

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first major steps in the marketing in China. The competition also gave a lot of valuable know-how of Chinese architectural cul-ture,” says Ochsner. Pöyry has participated in the same kind of competitions in Italy and Germany.

Building on a strong heritage

Pöyry is dedicated to responsible business. In 2009 it published a new vision. According to the vision, Pöyry’s goal is to be global leader in engineering and balanced sustainability. Sustainability is placed at the heart of everything Pöyry does. Balanced sus-tainability includes three aspects: economic, environmental and the social dimension.

In the economic dimension Pöyry thinks how solutions im-pact local and global economies. In environmental considera-tions Pöyry considers the impacts of its work on nature and the environment. The social dimension includes thinking how so-lutions affect people, institutions and different cultures. Pöyry contributes and makes a real difference with these dimensions. Engineering and balanced sustainability is about improving re-source efficiency. It involves finding solutions to improve energy, water, material and supply chain efficiencies.

Airport cluster

Pöyry is currently involved in a two-year development project called Airport Concepts. There are 20 different aviation com-panies involved, including one light and one elevator company. “The project is aimed at designing an urban concept for the air-

port. Central planning is the fact that the airport is seen as a place that is not a mere transit point. The most important thing is that passengers will enjoy the station while waiting for flights. The airport is planned as a place which offers a wide range of services around the clock,” says Kettunen.

“In the airport cluster all the companies will benefit from each others’ expertise. Among other things, Pöyry brings its own expertise to the project in order to achieve common goals. After ideas are generated, they will be taken around the world,” Kettunen states.

www.poyry.fi


In the airport cluster all the companies will benefit from each others’ expertise. Among other things, Pöyry brings its own expertise to the project in order to achieve common goals. Af-ter ideas are generated, they will be taken around the world”


ostekRPermanently Installed Access Systems by

Airports, railway terminals and control towers are typical applications where facades, glass roofs and skylights need regular maintenance and cleaning. Rostek Oy in Finland has created innova-tive systems for safe access to high places requiring clean-ing and maintenance.

The equipment that Rostek design and manufacture is usually permanently installed for a particular building. The

Managing Director of Rostek, Markus Roschier, says that this requires a high level of engineering for each project.

“Our systems often form only one per-cent of the value of buildings construc-tion, but the systems are essential to en-able architects to create exciting, efficient and energy-saving solutions.”

Glass facades and skylights became popular in the late 1980’s. Since then, double facades have further changed ar-chitecture. New 3D- design software have enabled architects to design more and more exciting buildings.


It is very clear that the manage-ment of airport and railway termi-nals require access solutions that do not disturb passengers and clients moving in these buildings.” ostek

ManagingDirectorofRostek,MarkusRoschier



“We see no signs of this glass façade trend slowing down. The need for clean-ing and maintenance of these surfaces has increased and the use of permanent access systems is now a very obvious ne-cessity.

“We have good markets in wealthy big countries like Germany and UK for our products, but there has also been huge growth in the Middle East and Asia. Many countries that have devel-oped during the last two decades are important for us. I can mention Malay-sia and Estonia as two typical examples. Now the market in Vietnam is growing very well.”

Finding the best solutions

Markus Roschier admits that from time to time, there are long discussions with architects and building owners about the best possible solutions. “But nor-mally we find good solutions that suit all parties.

“Of course we sometimes have differ-ent opinions with architects who mainly think about aesthetics and want to ‘hide’ our systems as much as possible. We are sometimes skeptical because they make our life difficult with such demanding projects, but we also love them because they really need our equipment! We just love the challenge of finding solutions that first seem impossible.

The building owners and main con-tractors on the other hand want to save money. They often look for the cheapest solutions for the initial investment but also for future operating costs.

“In most cases we can prove that a permanently installed access system is much cheaper to use than mobile scaf-folding or hydraulic machines. In many cases, the better safety and efficiency of the permanent system is more impor-tant than cost-saving.”

In Roschier’s view, safety can never be compromised. “We work very hard to make the equipment safer all the time. Installation and use of the equipment



must be made simple and easy to avoid human errors. We follow the European Standard EN1808 and many other inter-national safety standards, and it is our goal to offer the safest access solutions on the world market.”

Airport and railway terminals

Rostek has delivered more than 3000 pro-jects. Several dozens have been related to airports.

“We were one sub-contractor for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia some 10 years ago. The control tower is 130 m high and has a huge 28 m long box ladder traversing around the tower.

“We are now producing three similar box ladders for the new air traffic control tower in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.The Bangkok Airport has our monorail system all around with the 3 km perim-eter of the terminal building. For the huge terminal 5 at London Heathrow we de-livered a special walkway system for the external rain water system. This is a new requirement for the modern, light roof structures of such buildings,” says Markus Roschier.

The airport business seems good form Rostek’s point of view. There are some 200 airport projects around the world now and maybe as many railway projects. Half of these are in China and India.

It is very clear that the management of airport and railway terminals requires ac-cess solutions that do not disturb passen-gers and clients moving in these build-ings. Hydraulic machines are big and heavy and would obstruct passenger flow very much. The same applies to mobile scaffolding. “Therefore a permanently in-stalled gantry in the ceiling of a terminal building is the ideal solution."

Similarly, it can be impractical to clean external facades with hydraulic machines, as they would very much obstruct air-craft, etc and create other disturbances.

“A suspended cradle traversing along a monorail around the building is a very



attractive solution. Maybe we are most famous for our monorail systems. The monorail is a very cost-efficient solution to get people safely up to do service tasks on a façade,” says Roschier.

Avoiding scaffolding costs

The use of the Rostek systems can often enable big savings during construction. This requires good coordination with the main contractor.

“We have had many examples of pro-jects where savings in scaffolding and ac-cess platform rentals have been the same or even more than the price of a Rostek system. Therefore we say the price of our systems is practically zero!

“When in use, energy consumption of our systems is extremely small. The big-gest energy saving comes from the actual architectural design of the building, and the permanently installed access system is just a small part of the whole concept, but it is necessary to enable this kind of energy-saving buildings to work."

“Most gantries and ladders traversing below or above skylights and glass roofs are moved manually, but we also do many motorised solutions. Most machines that move vertically (lifting people) are mo-torised.”

Smart aluminium

Aluminium systems have clearly taken over the market.

“Aluminium is a smart material. We have created some fifty special alumini-um profiles and we optimise safety, func-tion and efficiency to create good-looking products. The relatively high price of the raw material (compared to steel) can be compensated by much cheaper installa-tion and smoother function. Naturally, the non-corrosive aluminium products have a very long life span,” notes Markus Roschier.

“Some other companies do similar systems using standard steel profiles, but then it is very difficult to reach the same



level of aesthetic appearance and func-tion.

“In fact, the very high quality of Finn-ish Aluminium Extruders is a key factor in our world-wide success. Subcontrac-tors Purso and Mäkelä are extremely im-portant partners for us.”

R&D and installation

“We are very proud of having an active R&D department of 3 to 4 qualified engi-neers. We constantly keep improving our products and designing new ones. “We developed and patented the Roslift climb-ing trolley in 1993. This is a machine that traverses along an inclined monorail that follows the shape and curvature of the roof. The Roslift can climb even vertically along the aluminium monorail.”

We also have a special quality manage-ment system where special wishes, com-plaints, etc. from our dealers and clients are taken very seriously.

“We have our own installation team for the neighbouring countries in North-ern Europe and we frequently send our Supervisors overseas countries as well. Although our products are relatively simple, we have learned that our Dealers and Installers do require training and as-sistance to ensure the best function and safety of the systems.”

“We have our own factory in Espoo, Finland and the vast majority of compo-nents and materials are from Finland or other EU countries.”

For Rostek, it is important to have close cooperation with project manage-ment and design companies like Pöyry

and construction companies like Lem-minkäinen and SRV. For the terminal buildings the synergy with Kone elevator and escalator manufacturer is obvious: Kone provides equipment for moving passengers and customers, and Rostek provides systems for moving and lift-ing service people to do service tasks at height, all in the same building.

“An important partner for us is Airport Cluster Finland, which I believe offers an excellent way of cooperation between those about 20 member-companies We know it will take some time to get the first orders together, but we are confident that all Airport Cluster members will benefit from this special set-up.”

www.rostek.fi


The ubiquity

of sensorsSensors are a fact of life. They govern all our lives, from our work to our rest; our lives are reliant on sensors and sensor technology. Automotives, for instance, could not function today and our se-curity could not be guaranteed to the level it is without sensors. Our lifestyles today could not be maintained without sensing technology and its application. SenCe – The Sensor Center, is a Finn-ish company founded in 2009 and located in Van-taa. The company has a broad range of excel-lent sensors. “The core thing is to develop sensors for real world needs and applications,” says Risto Orava, top dog of SenCe – The Sensor Center.

Text: Susanna Rinkineva Photos: Anders Korhonen

Creating value – Linking research to the market

“The value of any science is when it is applied to a real problem,” says Risto Orava, professor of high energy phys-ics at UH. He illustrates how one of the aims of SenCe – The Sensor Center is to crystallize this value by building spin-off companies centred around some

particular need. SenCe – The Sensor Center is built

around a worldwide concept of excel-lence. The company has a partnership in the global sensor network called Eco-System, which creates a concept for all the sensor services. All the partners in Eco-System benefit from the exper-tise of others. The partners are original equipment manager companies, indus-

trial companies and research institu-tions.

SenCe – The Sensor Center’s role in Eco-System is to be the company whose know-how guides other compa-nies. Other companies can benefit from SenCe – The Sensor Center’s expertise in commercial market understanding and prototype sensor manufacturing. Eco-System helps SenCe – The Sensor


Center in turn to generate a platform in the form of a spin-off company. “We are judged by our commercial exploitation of research,” says Orava.

SenCe – The Sensor Center offers spin-off companies material and imma-terial support, which is difficult to get anywhere else. “Thanks to Eco-System we have access to a diverse and rich in-ternational pool of expertise in house

and in our gene pool. We provide know-how and guide, coach and encourage our team to find ways of exploiting their ideas and to do so in an economically vi-able manner for the company. We also help other scientists and colleagues globally to work with us to maximize their creativity through commercial en-deavours,” says Orava.

In addition, SenCe – The Sensor

Center benefits its spin-offs by acting as a showcase in the global market. “We combine the best of Finland with the best in the world to create world-class companies,” says Orava. The access to world markets is extensive and is gained by partnering and collaborating with synergistic organizations. The markets range from medical to energy and are huge and extremely small and focused.

SenCe – The Sensor Center is built around a worldwide concept of excellence."

RistoOrava



Know-how for sensor companies

The core value of any innovative worth is initially the intellectual property (IP) and intellectual capital (IC) in the thinking or team that develops concepts. “How-ever, the real value is in the team that is brought together to exploit the opportu-nity,” says Orava. It is thus of paramount importance that one is able to initially protect the ideas and then build a busi-ness proposition around the technology and team.

SenCe – The Sensor Center helps the nascent companies to protect and patent their inventiveness. “First, we evaluate the inventions from a technological and commercial point of view and then we take care of the intangible rights of the ideas and then vest them through the in-ventors in a company and make sure that they are tangible,” tells Orava.

Sensor companies are both conceived and created by SenCe – The Sensor Cent-er. One example of a spin-off company, which Sensor Center has been involved in creating, is FinPhys Oy, which devel-ops neutron radiation detection capabil-ity for the security market.

“We find out what kind of demand there is in the world and in the field and then we work to identify customers. In addition, we work to determine the eco-nomic viability with the inventors in a way to balance innovation with business pragmatism,” says Orava.

The University of Helsinki, Metropo-lia college and the city of Vantaa are the partners of SenCe – The Sensor Center. Metropolia and University of Helsinki take part in work and research in Sensor Centre and the City of Vantaa supports the sensor companies in the Vantaa area.

“We are proud to represent our stake-holders on an international platform, showcasing the best of Finnish technol-ogy and offering collaboration with our global contacts,” comments Orava, who is echoed by the board members of SenCe – The Sensor Center, such as Heikki Kal-lasvaara of the University of Helsinki.

Safety and security – Ensuring our environment

SenCe – The Sensor Center has a par-ticular interest in the subject of environ-mental security. This importance is high-lighted every day whether that is from a radiation leak in Japan or Ukraine or a chemical release in the Czech Republic.

Such issues can be forced by nature like earthquakes or tsunamis, or by an ideologically driven terrorist incident. SenCe – The Sensor Center focuses on monitoring or surveillance but both de-pend primarily on the development and testing of sensors. The company has specialized, inter alia, in exploiting envi-ronmental technology in the homeland security and defence environment, and vice versa.

Sensors are used, for example, in secu-rity equipment at airports to identify the mass of nuclear material and to identify contraband and explosives. It can also be used in less threatening environments such as food processing to screen for fish bones in Sushi. Sensor methods and sen-sor systems are evolutionary and thus can be completely unique and new. The

We are proud to represent our stakeholders on an international platform, showcasing the best of Finnish technology and offering col-laboration with our global contacts.”

AlexWinkler



company is the only centre of excellence in northern Europe which exploits and develops sensor capability and allows it to be exploited commercially.

SenCe – The Sensor Center works in collaboration with a number of institutes to enhance the global value proposition in its core areas of interest. “Environmen-tal security is one of the most important goals of SenCe – The Sensor Center. The company takes part in international ecosystem research through the Uni-versity of Helsinki and collaborates with institutes all over Europe in Barcelona, Milan, Prague and San Sebastian,” says Orava. “We are linked with, and can draw on expertise from, other high profile in-stitutions such CERN and Fermi Lab in the USA through personal relationships,” says Orava.

The future is rosy

SenCe – The Sensor Center, managed by CEO Michael Anderson, is developing its reach into new areas: its territory is expanding into the energy industry sec-tor. The next big cooperative venture is with the oil industry in Malaysia. “Next month, in the second week of May, the representatives of Malaysia will arrive in Finland. SenCe – The Sensor Center’s goal is to work collaboratively with Univer-sity Teknogi Petronas to find and develop sensing solutions for a variety of applica-tions in the energy industry. The first area of the collaboration is to concentrate on the imaging domain.

SenCe – The Sensor Center’s strong area of expertise is in providing technol-ogy solutions to real world problems and in prototype manufacturing of solutions, especially in semiconductor manufactur-ing process technology. SenCe – The Sen-sor Center allows spin-off companies to be able to offer reliable solutions with cred-ibility.

Sensors can be produced in large vol-umes thanks to semiconductor technol-ogy, and therefore be offered in a competi-tive manner. Innovations here in SenCe – The Sensor Center are born global and there is a great demand for its sensor methods and other services. “Our market areas are in Asia, the USA and Europe. Customers include large multinational companies,” says Orava.

SenCe – The Sensor Center is heavily involved in a wide array of leading edge technology, much of it unexplored com-mercially. It encompasses nanotechnol-ogy, coating semiconductor and other ad-vanced technology. Its partners in Finland, and global partners’ production, are the best in class and best in breed offering.

Combining technologies to provide solutions, such as wireless, software and computer initiatives allows a solution-ori-ented answer to a number of open issues of the day. “SenCe – The Sensor Center is proud to exploit and commercialize Finn-ish innovative and technical expertise combined with our international Eco-Sys-tem partners to help solve problems in a commercial context,” enthuses Orava.

www.sence.fi


Convincing Snow-How

We have equipment that can simultaneously remove and load snow during snow clearance."

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Arctic Machine

Arctic Machine has been in the airport business for over 10 years, mainly in Finland, but also in other colder parts of the globe. “With our vehicle snow-how it is easier to make sure that runa-ways are open for air traffic,” says CEO Juha Jääskelä.


Convincing Snow-How

In central Europe and the British Isles children may be excited when more snow falls from the sky. How-ever, airport operators and airlines

are less happy with snow and ice, since it may completely disrupt air traffic for many days. With Finnish snow-how, run-ways are easier to keep in operation.

“We also have references abroad. In addition to our Finnish home market, we operate in all the Nordic and Baltic coun-tries as well as in Russia and several other CIS countries. Central Europe, the USA, Canada and northern China will play a certain role,” Jääskelä says.

“We have renewed our strategy lately and the basis of the strategy is growth from abroad. Today we are evaluating several countries to open new markets. In these efforts we are getting assistance from Airport Cluster Finland.

“ACF has combined companies that earlier have made their own efforts to develop business at airports. Now ACF has been recognised as one of the most important organisations in this industry.”

One of the cornerstones of Arctic Ma-chine is ‘snow-how’.

“As a company, we had our 30th anni-versary in April 2011. However, through



acquisitions, we have been in the snow business for over 60 years. We are proud of these decades of experience, together with long and close co-operation with our customers. Good partners combined with skilled R&D are a good mix to de-velop a world-class product. Customers always play a big role in new inventions,” Jääskelä says.

The Snow-how from Arctic Machine is simple yet convincing:

“We have equipment that can simul-taneously remove and load snow during snow clearance. For example, our AM 2500 is a very cost-efficient snow loader.

“Arctic Machine will never be the cheapest manufacturer when it comes to acquisition costs. The main driver

in our operation is to offer solutions which are the most cost-efficient for our customers in the long run. A good example of this is our snow loader and road maintenance truck with a working width of over eight metres. This means two lanes in one drive, which naturally gives some savings in fuel consump-tion,” he adds.



Noise prevention

Environmental aspects such as noise re-duction play an important role.

“Arctic Machine’s silent ploughs use state-of-the-art polyurethane blade ele-ments, and this is one innovation by us. These are suitable for highways, airfields and urban areas. Polyurethane allows the blade to flex without additional mechani-cal parts. This protects road markings

and reduces ploughing noise – making snow removal considerably less disturb-ing in residential areas. Flexible blades are also easy to maintain and they don’t have any parts that wear easily, such as springs,” Jääskelä says.

“Too often noise is not counted as an emission or pollution, although noise has a big influence of the environment of road and street maintenance. One factor in noise is the surrounding houses and

people living in them. “Even more important is the noise in-

side the truck and the importance for the driver of having less noise at the ‘work-place’. There have been studies of plough-ing noise carried out by universities. The results have been that Arctic Machine silent ploughs have registered over 10 dB less noise compared to traditional ploughs. The difference is huge even in-side the truck cabin!” Jääskelä says.

Arctic Machine’s silent ploughs use state-of-the-art polyurethane blade elements, and this is one innovation by us."



AM intelligence

Brand management and maintenance are cornerstones in the business approach of Arctic Machines.

“Arctic Machine is our brand name but we are using AM in the names of products,” Jääskelä says.

Efficient after-sales services ensure that the company gets the best out of its solutions throughout their lifecycle.

“Service has always been the basis of our operation. The awareness of costs as well as the requirements of having equip-ment available for work makes a higher demand on services. Arctic Machine is

continuously developing a service offer-ing to respond to these requirements. We require high-quality service from our own organisation as well as our dealers in different countries,” he says.

Arctic Machines has intelligent sys-tems for snow removal and other vehicles.

“We are the only producer in northern

We are the only producer in northern Europe that has the possibility of building whole road maintenance trucks using our own equipment like ploughs, side-ploughs, scrapers, spreaders, hydraulics, steering and control systems."



Europe that has the possibility of build-ing whole road maintenance trucks using our own equipment like ploughs, side-ploughs, scrapers, spreaders, hydraulics, steering and control systems. There is lots of information available from the equip-ment to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Intelligence is also one important

part of our offering and it is at the same time one aspect that is developing the fastest.”

The role of anti-skid (slip prevention) operations at airports is essential for many reasons.

“Anti-skid operations are designed to make flying safer regardless of weather

conditions. Our target is to develop anti-skid operations in a more environmen-tally friendly direction. By having cleaner surfaces on runaways before spreading anti-skid liquid, there will not only be less pollution but also a great savings poten-tial from using less liquid,” Jääskelä adds.

www.arcticmachine.com


Efla

- Strict Quality Standards

Efla Oy is a leading manufacturer of high-quality aeronautical ground lighting (AGL) transformers, connector kits and prefabricated cable assemblies for aeronautical ground lighting.

“During 20 years the products have been developed to meet the conditions of the most demanding environments,” says Jarmo Virtanen, Managing Director of Efla.

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Efla


Our business is quite a small niche although the market is, however, global."

JarmoVirtanen,ManagingDirectorofEfla



Efla Oy is part of EM Group, which was previously known as Ensto Oy.

“Our business is quite a small niche although the market is, how-ever, global. Most of our business comes from dealing with airfield lighting manu-facturers who do airfield lighting projects throughout the world.

“In this business strict quality stand-ards are a necessity. Most of our prod-ucts are approved by the FAA, IEC and MAK. Electrical products for airports

have to meet the requirements of stand-ards issued by various authorities around the world. The ones most commonly re-quired are standards by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) of the United States of America. MAK is the Russian equivalent and the IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission - as more than 20 member countries.

“The environment where our prod-ucts are placed, is very demanding, even hostile: ice, water, kerosene (paraffin), various types of defrosting and antifreeze



liquids, salty soil etc – and we are talking about electrical products with a voltage up to 5000V when in use,” says Virtanen.

Efla’s primary connector kit packages are for screened or unscreened cables. These are called primary connector kits. Efla also has secondary connector kits, to be assembled into a secondary cable or airfield lighting unit.

“We also have AGL series transform-ers, which are high-quality products. They comply with the majority of inter-national standards and requirements,” says Virtanen.

The toroidal shape of the transformers is optimum for the sizes regularly used in

supplying lights to airfields. Transformers are approved by the IEC and/or the FAA and also comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) an-nex 14 and several national standards. AGL series transformers are available with or without earthing.

Big growth potential

Efla is well prepared for competition. “Our main competitiveness comes from high-quality products in the form of re-liable and timely deliveries of standard products as well as tailor-made solu-tions,” says Virtanen.

Efla always provides its products with detailed installation instructions."



“We do not do installation work by ourselves, but sometimes we supervise the correct installation and ensure proper service.”

Efla always provides its products with detailed installation instructions.

“Our customers are the world-leading manufacturers and turnkey suppliers of aeronautical ground lighting, but in addi-tion to this, we do quite a lot marketing especially in the areas having big growth potential. We usually do about three ex-hibitions a year world-wide. Occasionally we also advertise in magazines,” says Vir-tanen.

Co-operation within the promotion organisation Airport Cluster Finland is important for Efla.

“It is beneficial to be a member of an

organisation that combines the efforts of Finnish companies under one ‘marketing’ roof, even though the business in-roads to individual projects varies a lot among the members.”

Enduring materials

The main competitors come from North America.

“However, we are doing quite well. Our products have been serving airfields worldwide, at locations such as Ghangi in Singapore, Schiphol in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris (Charles de Gaulle), Sydney and Dubai. But Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Italian, Russian and Spanish airports have also relied on our expertise.”

All our products, such as insulation materials, metal parts, connectors and AGL transformers are designed and manufactured according to the EU directives”



Environmental policy and proper material handling are important corner-stones for Efla.

“ISO 9001 and 14000 have been in place for about 15 years and the environ-mental issues especially are becoming more and more important. We quite of-ten get enquires about our environmental policy from our customers.

“All our products, such as insulation materials, metal parts, connectors and AGL transformers are designed and man-

ufactured according to the EU directives” Virtanen says.

Materials used by the company are also extremely enduring. For example, Efla’s thermoplastic elastomer, TPE, is a modern engineering material with excel-lent electrical and mechanical properties and has good resistance to the chemicals used at airfields. TPE also has very good resistance to weathering, and its insula-tion withstands UV radiation and ozone exposure.

www.efla.net



INTERNATIONALINNOVATION

HUB

AVIAPOLIS



INTERNATIONALINNOVATION

HUB

AVIAPOLIS


Vantaa Innovation Institute Ltd has established Finland – China Technology Coop-eration Committee together

with China Development Bank, City of Vantaa and Uusimaa Regional Council, with strong input from Ossi Savolainen.

China Development Bank (CDB) will make their expertise of the Chinese mar-ket available for the member companies as well as open their wide network of contacts all over country.

Ritva Alatalo, CEO of Vantaa Innova-tion says that the China focus is impor-tant thanks to many opportunities in China.

“However, we aim at realistic targets. Just to mention that the Chinese market is vast and because of that offers oppor-tunities unseen, does not hold true. Your really have to study Chinese market- or markets actually, since there is no single market there. You have to be prepared for setbacks, or at least many hindrances, rapidly changing legislation etc.”

Alatalo recommends lots of self-stud-

ying on legislation, business practices, etc. To be able to speak some Chinese is also an advantage, but a good interpreter is a must.

“It is good to remember that even if he or she would speak almost perfect Eng-lish, the interpreter does not necessarily understand your business logic. Talented young girl from the countryside is not a right choice for an interpreter.”

Mrs Alatalo has studied some Chi-nese.

“This certainly helps in evening ban-quets that are so essential to Chinese business and friendship networks. But I am glad that also many Chinese today can speak Finnish.”

“Vantaa Innovation Institute pro-motes Finnish business in China and vice versa. I believe that we will see major Chinese investments also in Finland. At the same time, Finnish service exports in the fields of architecture, engineer-ing, ICT business consultancy could be enlarged.”

“Because of all these issues, our insti-

tute is offering a training programme for understanding Chinese culture and busi-ness.”

Service exports

One of the keynote lecturers in the new Business In China training programme by Vantaa Innovation Institute will be Sakari Oksanen, CEO of Pöyry Finland Oy. In a seminar preceding the training programme ( which starts in autumn 2011) he described Pöyry’s experiences of Chinese markets, especially from the point of view of “immaterial exports”

“Pöyry group has been in China since 1994 with representative office, but after that many changes have taken place.”

“In the 1990s large business delega-tions with even ministerial and presiden-tial help visited China. This was a good choice, since many Chinese companies are state-owned. Back then, the Pöyry group could get some large engineering projects, the value of the biggest Nan-ning Phoenix Pulp & Paper mill was as

Service Business to (and from) China Expanding The City of Vantaa has taken the “Chinese challenge” in ear-nest. Through the non-profit organisation Vantaa Innovation Institute, together with its partners, a wide training programme is tailor-made to firms.


much as 90 million USD.” “However, today our focus is in direct

contacts with Chinese companies. The role of expert consultancy is growing, and since 2007 “service exports” to China has been easier.

“The previous legislation that set up some limitations, was made inefficient by a new decree. So, the situation is now better.”

But when entering the Chinese mar-ket, the legal framework should be stud-ied anyway, reminded Oksanen.

“Chinese are also very price-con-scious. This has to be taken into account. Positive thing about this is that if you can do it in China, you probably succeed elsewhere. On the other hand, Chinese service companies like engineering of-fices will certainly enter Western market too.”

One interesting Finnish success story of service exports is that of small mobile game application Angry Birds, made by Finnish company Rovio, it made a break-through also in China.

Strategic emerging industries

In the pre-training seminar Wang Gui-jan, Director of Finnish branch of China Development Bank lectured on China’s 12th 5-year plan and about the business opportunities it will offer to Finnish companies. He said that the formation of “strategic emerging industries” will promote the basic pattern of industrial restructuring and upgrading.

“By 2020 these industries strive to achieve 15 % of GDP. Energy saving, new generation of IT, biotechnology and high-end equipment manufacturing in-dustry have become important corner-stones of national economy.”

As some examples Wang Guijan said that there will be 18 000 km of high-speed rails in China in 2020 – more than half globally.

“In solar energy applications, China’s global share may rise to 70 percent. New energy automotive industry also devel-ops strongly, even with pure electric ve-hicle concept,” said Mr Wang.

Service Business to (and from) China Expanding

Training programme

Vantaa Innovation Institute has Business

in China training programme for com-

panies seeking contacts in industry and

services. The course is arranged during

autumn 2011.

When measured in working days,

the course requires about 15-20 days.

An important part of the course is a

study and work trip to China, which lasts

7-10 days. In Finland the studies require

four modules , altogether 7 working

days.(three modules, each two days.)

An introductory workshop was held

in April to promote the upcoming pro-

gramme and amongst the keynote

speakers were

PhD Matti Nojonen from the Finnish

Institute of International Affairs,

Professor Kauko Laitinen, Director of

the Confucius Institute in Helsinki

Director Wang Guijun, representing

China Development Bank and

Director Sakari Oksanen, Managing

Director of Pöyry Finland Oyj.

Also a video lecture on the need of

intercultural competence was held by

professor (emerita) Liisa Salo-Lee.

for more information:

www.vantaainnovation.fi

WangGuijun, OssiSavolainen,RitvaAlatalo



In Finland, the Helsinki Airport and the Aviapolis sub-city of 42 km² have developed hand in hand, and the real airport city is on formation. Lentoa-semakiinteistöt Plc (LAK), a subsidiary of Finavia Corpo-ration, has an important role in this development.

N owadays airport surroundings are the most dynamic part of the larger business or adminis-

trative city. However, there are still rela-tively few airports, around which a real airport city – not only warehouses and terminals – has been developed. In Fin-land, strong steps have been taken to the right direction.

Airport land owners, real estate de-velopers, the City of Vantaa and Finavia have worked together to make the Hel-sinki 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 busi-nesses that are part of the air traffic ser-vice chain. However, we do not own pas-senger terminals, multi-storey car parks or buildings that are directly related to Finavia's own operations.”

“Our portfolio includes logistics build-ings, 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 larges-scale projects.”

“Our customers are companies that seek out airports and for whom a loca-tion at an airport or within its immediate vicinity provides a significant advantage for the business. Their operations may be linked directly to air traffic, or the loca-tion advantage is based on exploiting the high volume of cargo or passenger traf-fic.”

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 Aviapolis area by us and our partners.”

“The plot which owned by us is 15-16 hectares. In addition to this, developers have their own areas and projects. ”

Airport city Aviapolis will include living areas as well

“The area where we operate is the central part of Aviapolis. Residential housing, a

Text: Klaus Susiluoto

Railway boosts property developmentAirport city Aviapolis will include living areas as well

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hotel, shops and other services and kin-dergartens will be constructed, in addi-tion to the office space.”

“I could imagine that people could acquire the second apartment from this neighbourhood, or people working at the airport would like to live close to their workplace.”

There are already a large Technopolis complex and some minor offices in the area.

“Our aim is to create a real lively sub-urb 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

multiple. Of course to bring services. There is always the discussion, whether the services should be the first to attract people, or the services follow after people move to the new residential areas.”

“However, contrary to the common belief, there can be living areas just a few kilometres from the airport. Modern air-craft are environment-friendly and flight noise is surprisingly low.”

Urban rail line boosts development

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

Railway boosts property development

connect Helsinki Airport and the adja-cent 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 fu-ture. The journey time from the airport to Helsinki Central Railway Station will be about 30 minutes.

“This will further facilitate the growth of Aviapolis airport city which is emerg-ing around the Helsinki Airport. Two new train stations will provide further acces-sibility – one at the airport and the other exactly in the centre of Aviapolis. The lat-ter station will locate in the middle of the emerging new commercial and residential concentration.”

LAK is also managing the WTC Hel-sinki Airport, the highest building at Hel-sinki airport, and owns the hotel property of Hilton Helsinki Airport. The extension of the Hilton Helsinki Airport is being completed by May this year, offering 84 new guest rooms.n

www.lak.fi

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The Boeing 717 is a modern aircraft to operate short- and medium-haul flights, making it the perfect

type for flights between Europe and Fin-land.

“All of the aircraft are manufactured during 2000’s and equipped with mod-ern 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 four-engine planes, three ATRs and two SAAB 2000 planes. Old MD 90 airplanes will not be used any more.”

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

The New Look of

Blue1

TomChristides


Blue1 Premium

Blue1 has only two classes, Econo-my 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 in-cluded. 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 tick-et, the choice is Premium Holiday. It means seating in the Premium Cabin, but without the flexibility to re-book and cancel. Econ-omy Class offers good basic service.

Part of SAS Group

Blue1 has been part of SAS Group

since 1998, which supports com-pany’s operations in a good way. “We are also member of Star Alliance. Be-ing 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 Scot-land. In France we have Nice and Marseille as a new one, In Croatia Dubrovnik and Split. Pula is a new destination. To Edin-burgh we also fly in the summer time only.”

“Flowing"

Stockholm and Copenhagen play an im-

portant role in Blue1’s strategy: “We have Vaasa-Stockholm, Tam-

pere-Stockholm and Turku-Stockholm routes, where we have established po-sition.” Copenhagen ensures connect-ing flights to North America and Asia. “SAS is launching Copenha-gen Shanghai route in addition to Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing.” Blue 1 operates in Helsinki in the ter-minal 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.”

www.blue1.fi

Juha

niS

uom

alai

nen

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Palace Kämp Group is a modern and multifaceted group of lifestyle businesses and services. It includes a col-lection of the most renowned hotels and restaurants.

Hotel GLO

T he group has three luxury hotels in the Helsinki city centre, one business-class hotel in connec-

tion to the Sello shopping centre and one smaller, extremely practical hotel at Hel-sinki-Vantaa International Airport.

Hotel GLO Helsinki Airport at Hel-sinki-Vantaa International Airport is the only hotel located in the airport build-ing itself, on the service floor of Termi-nal 2 and with direct indoor access from Terminal 1. The small intimate hotel has 37 rooms, including single and double rooms and two special rooms with sau-nas. Small meetings up to eight persons can be arranged, and naturally the airport has larger meeting rooms as well.

For many business travellers the air-port hotel is the best solution. The need for car or taxi services and airport com-muting is eliminated due to the location at the heart of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Traveller can enjoy extra sleeping time, without wasting time for commuting. The perfect location makes it convenient when travelling with small children, large quantities of luggage, or when the flight is departing very early, or arriving very late.

In addition to its ideal location, com-

fort and personal service are guaranteed when enjoying the exclusive service at the new Hotel GLO Helsinki Airport. GLO also optionally offers day rooms. These are made available, depending on the booking situation, between 9 am and 7 pm.

Guestrooms offer every comfort you need - the modern rooms have no win-dows and are therefore whisper quiet. All rooms were renovated in the autumn 2010.

There are a variety of things to make travelling easier including premium TV

- Enjoy additional sleep time channels, pay movies, minibar and wire-less high-speed. Internet access is for free. Hotel GLO Helsinki Airport offers also complimentary breakfast 24 hours a day. You can check the flight information at the comfort of the hotel’s lobby.

GLO Bar at the hotel offers a variety of beverages and a perfect spot for a relax-ing time away from your room. The ho-tel bar is a great place to meet with your friends or to wait for the arriving passen-gers due to the location right next to the arrivals hall. n

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Palace Kämp hotels in the city centre

If you need high-quality hotel in the Hel-sinki city centre, you can choose from three hotels in the Palace Kämp group. Hotel Kämp has been listed on many lux-ury hotel categories, and Hotel GLO City Centre is the epitome of what you would call a modern and urban lifestyle hotel. Hotel Linna (“Castle”) is the most unique chateau hotel in Helsinki, where the word average is simply not in the vocabulary. The uniqueness of the Art Nouveau building of Hotel Linna is evident from its beautiful façade and its intricate details which so aptly reflect its long history.

All Palace Kämp luxuriously have com-fortable rooms, suites are both spacious and stylish, and the restaurant services are unequalled in the whole Helsinki.

More about Hotel GLO Helsinki Airport and other Palace Kämp hotels and restau-rants at www.palacekamp.fi

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ScanWings

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

Text: Juhana HurulaPictures: Sini Pennanen, ScanWings

–Almostthere

ScanWings Ltd is a Finnish com-pany that offers first-class busi-ness 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 work-ing 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. Fur-thermore, there’s no need to worry about time-consuming flight transfers and traf-fic, 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

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ScanWings

SalesManagerYrjöJussila

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 pro-vide the best possible facilities required for an in-flight business meeting. Profes-sional 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 ur-gent transplant deliveries.

One of the company’s specialities in-cludes weekly flights to measure the ac-curacy of aeronautical radio navigation equipment that is in use, for example, on airport runways. ScanWings has been a partner of the Finnish Aviation Author-ity for many years when conducting these special flights.

ScanWings also does cargo deliveries.

www.scanwings.fi

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Text: Juhana HuurulaImages: Sini Pennanen, Sokos Hotels

Sokos 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 mar-

ket. 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 signifi-cant number of our clients come from within an hour’s driving distance. Nearly 80 percent of our clients are Finns; eight per-

Sokos Hotel Flamingo cent Russians; then come the Brits and the Swedes.”

Sokos Hotel Flamingo is located in the Flamingo entertain-ment 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 play-ground 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 par-adise. Many business people bring their families to enjoy quality

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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 Corpo-ration and its subsidiaries in addition to 22 regional co-opera-tives. It has 1.9 million customer owners.

www.sokoshotels.com

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Wireless internet in your car

Avis opened in Finland in 1969 and currently operates in over 110 locations across the country, making it Finland’s largest car rental chain.

“Avis service is based on a safe and dependable fleet of ve-hicles,” says Avis marketing manager Marko Haakanen. “Rental periods range from a single day to several months depending on the needs of the customer. We can also provide different services and products for travellers on business or for pleasure.”

These services include GPS navigation, roof racks and the op-tion of having the car dropped off at a specific location and being picked up again. “Our concept also includes a 24-hour service number in case of unforeseen problems while you are on the road,” says Haakanen.

Avis’ latest service is mobile internet in the car, which in-cludes all data traffic in the fee. The service is provided by re-cently established Finnish company Zonga. Comprehensive fleet

Customers can reserve a car on the internet by calling the ser-vice centre or from their travel agent. They can also contact their nearest Avis branch.

Although cars are usually dropped off or picked up from par-ticular Avis locations, the company can deliver to a hotel or busi-ness and arrange for it to be collected again afterwards.

The Avis fleet consists of a large variety of makes and models, from compacts to minivans. There are also specialities such as vans and luxury cars. The majority of the fleet has manual gears, but automatic compacts, mid-sized and large cars are available.

The fleet is changed and renewed throughout the year so spe-cific brands or models cannot be reserved. Instead, customers can choose a particular class of car.

Things to consider

In order to rent a car, customers need to provide an interna-tional credit card, drivers’ licence and have over a year of driving experience. There are also age restrictions to consider that apply to different classes of car.

www.avis.fi

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H ertz was originally founded in 1918 in the United States. It has operated in Finland since 1966 and cur-rently has 70 locations across the country.

The core of the company’s business is short-term passenger car and truck rental for holiday and business trips, mini-leasing services and service loan cars. In addition Hertz offers support-ing services such as drop off and pick up, online check-in and additional insurances.

“You can reserve a car online by calling the service centre or by visiting a Hertz location,” says Jaakko Haikonen, market-ing manager for Hertz Finland. “You can also pick up your car from the Hertz location, in case of a loan, from the dealership or it can be delivered to you. It is possible to return the car to the same location or to any other Hertz location in Finland.”

During the peak season Hertz has a fleet of 2,000 vehicles. The most common brand in the fleet is Volvo, but the company also has Ford, Peugeot and Nissan cars, all of wich are equipped with manual gears.

Always check the rental agreement

Customers should always be aware of what is stated in their

rental agreement and should check thevehicle for pre-existing damage. Comprehensive super cover insurance is worth consid-ering when renting a vehicle in an unfamiliar country.

"Renting a car allows you to be flexible and to go as you please during your stay. Hertz can provide you with a car for a short perioid of time, or up to a year with the mini-leasing service. Hertz canalso provide competitive rates to corporate custom-ers. From our wide selection of cars, everyone can find a vehicle tosuit their needs," says Haikonen.n

- Cars for Vacation and Business Trips

www.hertz.fi

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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, cus-tomers 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 cus-tomers can simply enter their reservation number, sign the rent-al 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 avail-able 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 limou-sines and lease vehicles, and it is Mercedes-Benz’s biggest cor-porate 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 custom-ers 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 pro-vide 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 book-ing in your home country where you can ask questions from a local Sixt representative in your own language. In Finland, dur-ing 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

Sixt Finland

Sixt Finland began operating in 2005 and has grown rapidly despite the economic down-turn. 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.

- Committed to Customer Service

www.sixt.fi

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L apponia Lakka cloudberry liqueur makes an excellent gift to bring back home from Finland. This exotic drink is made from hand-picked cloudberries and can be enjoyed

just as it is, but it goes particularly well with coffee and desserts. Lapponia’s tradition of liqueur-making goes all the way

to 1867, when Russian Tsar Aleksander II granted rights to Turku-based merchant Anders Nordfors to manufacture alcoholic beverages. The production of Lapponia Lakka li-queurs has remained in Turku in southern Finland to this day.

Lapponia Lakka, a golden, delicate and aromatic liqueur, is made from hand-picked cloudberries from Finnish nature.

Part of a global group

Lapponia is now part of the Pernod Ricard group, a world-lead-ing wine and spirits producer known for its premium brands. Pernod Ricard’s portfolio includes well-known brands such as Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, Absolut Vodka, and Scotch whiskies Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet.

Cloudberry (rubus chamaemorus) is often seen as a Nordic berry, but it grows in northern Russia all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Cloudberries also grow wild in northern Canada and Alaska. Cloudberry is a marsh plant with many different names in Finnish. Its berries can be found in open and wood-covered marshlands all over the country.

The leaves of the cloudberry are very sensitive to harsh grow-ing conditions, such as heavy rains or night frosts. In Finland, the plant’s white flowers are in bloom in June and the golden berries ripen in July/August. A ripe berry is yellow, juicy and

tasty. Cloudberries are one of the most valued wild berries in Finland.

Cloudberries contain more fibre than other Finnish berries, and their vitamin A and C content is high. They also contain more vitamin E than many other fruit and vegetables. Cloudber-ries are even used in skincare products made by the cosmetics industry.n

- Experience the Northern Wilderness

Lapponia Lakka Cloudberry Liqueur

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www.pernod-ricard-finland.com


Boots and shoes by

Pertti Palmroth

Text: Klaus SusiluotoPhotos: Sini Pennanen, Pertti Palmroth

MikkoPalmroth,managingdirectorofPalmrothfamilybusiness


Pertti Palmroth all-season boots have been known for luxuri-ous materials and fashionable designs for many decades. The

company is known also for fashionable summer shoes.

“Blue and green are this season’s col-ours. Light beige is also one of the colours of the season.

What we call animal prints is also popular,” notes Mikko Palmroth, manag-ing director of Palmroth family business.

“We use mainly best Italian leather, but manufacture shoes ourselves right from the beginning.

Our products are designed by a 5–6 persons design team, in which youth, fashion and the company’s long tradi-tions are combined. We do not use free-lance designers.”

Pertti Palmroth collection has been divided into three different segments: classic, fashion and casual. This can also be seen in the summer collection.

“Palmroth boots and shoes are sold abroad our shops are in Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin and Maastricht, but through de-partment stores there are many more sales point. We sell through Stockmann in Finland and Russia. Sokos and some other renowned department stores Fin-land sell our shoes, boots and bags,” tells

Mikko Palmroth. “More and more tourists and busi-

ness travellers visiting Helsinki buy Pertti Palmroth shoes directly from outlets. The Helsinki shops are in the city centre ( three shops) and Itäkeskus.We have out-let also in Tampere and Turku.”

One of Pertti Palmroth’s strengths is that the company can offer also bags, which often complement the shoes.

Compared to high quality, Pertti Palmroth shoes are not expensive. Typi-cally prices are 150–200 euros, and only rarely more than 300 euros.

- summer collection goes in green, blue and light beige

Manufacturing is in own hands. “Pertti Palmroth-products are manu-

factured in our own production units in Finland. Company’s factories locate in Tampere and Virrat. We manufacture 80 000 pairs of shoes every year.”

Today, the focus is on exclusive foot-wear made of soft leathers and warm lamb skins along with the famous all-weather boots. All-Weather material and Waterproof-suede that have been designed for the demanding, cold and slushy weather condition of the North.” n

www.palmroth.com



Intimate and insecure

The sculptural approach of Heli Ryhänen is multi-faceted. At the first glance, Ryhänen’s figures, often made of canvas or artificial leather, seem to be robust, yet the atmosphere as a whole is in-timate. Finnish artist Hanna Vihriälä has explained her relation-ship with Heli Ryhänen’s art:

“I can still bring back to my mind the first time I saw Ry-hänen’s work ‘Evil Shepherd’. Faceless, humanlike creatures with the size of children are gathered around the light. One of them is an adult. This should evoke pleasant memories of school camps, the guardian students and the gatherings around the camp fire, where stories become common experiences as the night falls, evoking memories of which you can never exactly tell whether they happened to you or someone else…

“I cannot quite focus my attention on anything, not on my own feelings, not on whatever is happening inside the work. The only thing I am sure of is the fact that something very insecure has taken over me.

– Bringing in Slow Motion and LightPositive Insecurity Taken Over

Heli Ryhänen studied painting and graphics before entering sculpture.

“The three-dimensional world is so impres-sive that in a way it would be difficult to re-turn to the two-dimensional approach,” says Ryhänen.

Heli Ryhänen

History Repeating(2009)

Text: Klaus SusiluotoImages: Heli Ryhänen, Patrik Rastenberger



“Little by little Heli’s works get the upper hand of the viewer. They portray something familiar, something I’ve seen and ex-perienced for hundreds of times. Still, just when I’m about to get a grip of things, everything changes. Soft become hard and twisted. Mirror reflects only vague images and those who wait are forgotten. The works reveal insecurities in the human struc-ture, the possibility of displacement, the shame. All that I try is to cover up and dismiss – all that connects us together as a species, as humans.”

Slower attitude

Hanna Vihriälä's analysis is well-formulated. “Evil Shepherd” (2007) indeed is, in spite of insecurity and twisted feeling, also a peaceful, intimate artwork, as is “Slow Motion” (2010). In the latter, an “ugly” male figure sits on the swing. There is little, even no, motion or dynamism. Like “slow eating” movement, Ryhän-en favours slower attitude towards life, more time to consider and re-consider, having time for yourself and others. At least in a subconscious level she dislikes gluttons as her artwork “Big Eater” reveals.

Slow Motion(2009) Slow Motion(2009)

PatrikRastenberger

PatrikRastenberger



Balancing



In Malmö exhibition her “Evil Shepherd” gained much atten-tion. In Finland the public artwork “Balancing” (2010) was in-stalled permanently in Sinetti government building in Jyväskylä. “Balancing” has got media coverage.

Prisoners of life

Heli Ryhänen seems to indicate that we might be prisoners of our habits. But she also warns about the danger of putting peo-ple in a box or cage – literally, like in “Transportation”. But again, the situation is not totally pessimistic. Maybe the figure is even meditating too? At least he does not grab the bars of his prison.

Ryhänen’s works are against or at least in opposition to the throw-away society and consumer culture. Civilisation has come to feel the nightmare of its own vulnerability of destruction. But let her explain herself – she describes her artworks as follows:

“My art is based on the observations of life. Choices, right or wrong ones? Opportunities, used ones, or lost ones. Confronta-tions, with open arms or fist in clench? Old-age questions, with answers from your own personal experience. In making art, I trust in reason and feeling. I trust that with the time passing, an

inner thought in my head will lead to a concrete form. All you need is time and welding seam, several metres of cloth, many kil-ometers of thread. In art I find it important that contents and the way to express things work together seamlessly. Surprise, unex-pected shade, or crack brings something unsolved, something that may wake up new thought.”

A large work “History Repeating” (2009) radiates human fragility, but a figure under the big burden is not only negative in tone. Again, the viewer can reach many levels. Why is the small figure just watching? Is he too small to help? Is the figure burdened just moving? Or does it contain a symbolic message, being a kind of Sisyphus character, punished to repeat the same work again and again? Sisyphus has to carry a stone up to the hill, rolling down, and up again. Maybe the figure shaped by Heli Ryhänen is a modern-day Sisyphus? Also dark-sided is “Escape” (2007), describing floating and transparent emotions, the shad-ow of which reminds us of our childhood nightmares.

But with Ryhänen’s art, it is no use to go too deep down to pessimism. Some of her bronze statues like “Light Bringer” is just an homage to light. The “Connection in Confidence” (2007) contains some hidden humour, with a kind of Buddha attitude.

Evil Shepard



Loneliness

The “Wait” (2006) consists of nine “bags”, hanging on the ceiling. “In ‘Wait’, I try to depict one of the ways to protect oneself

against life’s hardship: withdrawal from life, stepping aside from the limelight. In this work vulnerable creatures, newborns, crip-ples and the elderly, have been brought to the limelight, where they float in the worlds of their own, apparently safe, yet unable to see their own vulnerability. Eventually everyone is alone.”

“Encapsulation”(Kotiloituminen, 2007) is a study of couples’ relationship. An elderly couple is either hugging or shoving each other.

“The figures live in a symbiotic relationship, entangled in the ever growing threads of emotions. Sexual distinctions are vague, and the primitive side is getting the upper hand. However, the grip is gentle, yet fumbling and a bit tipsy. Figures seem to be involved in an endurance game or in a plain old hug,” says Heli Ryhänen.

Also uncompromising

Although Ryhänen accepts a wide variety of interpretations of her art and uses many materials, in some issues she is uncom-

promising. For example, she does not use real leather, or in gen-eral, substances that are harmful to humans or animals. (Hiber-nation, 2007) is made of artificial leather.

“This is just my approach. Recycling materials are close to my heart.”

Not only art

Heli Ryhänen graduated in 2006, and is a Master of Science in Arts (Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki). Her husband Matti Kalkamo is also a sculptor, and a professor in this field.

“We criticize each other’s works. I have lived in Tampere since 1995 and in this artists’ house since 1998.”

In the summer the artist pair will have an exhibition in the famous man-made cave of Retretti.

Artists’ life is not only about art. The couple started diving 11 years ago with snorkeling. Now they also do scuba diving.

“Last year we dived one day in Belize and three days in Mex-ico. We have been keen on taking the advanced course and un-derwater photographing courses,” says Heli

www.heliryhanen.fi

Plan-B (2011)



CURRICULUM VITAESELECTED PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS:

2011 ”Suruparvi ja suursyömäri”, Retretti, Punkaharju Out of blur, Kunst Gallerie Fürth, Fürth, Germany Gallerie 21 (with M. Kalkamo) Malmö, Sweden2009 Gallery Husa,Tampere Art and Design gallery, UH Galleries, Hatfield, UK2007 Gallery Sculptor, Helsinki2004 KU-galleri, Art Hall of Tallinn, (with A. Meskanen) Tallinn, Estonia 2002 Mältinranta Art Center, Tampere 2001 Gallery Sculptor, Helsinki 2000 Gallery Titanik, Turku 1999 Gallery Katariina, Helsinki 1998 Gallery Saskia, Tampere SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2011 Fear!Fear? Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Vestfossen, Norway2009 Får ej övertäskas , Contemporary Art in Finland and Sweden, Arthall of Eskilstuna, Sverige2008 Breaking The Mould, Panicos Maurellis Art Center, Limassol, Cyprus 2007 Garden, Art Museum of Lönnström, Rauma2006 Breaking The Mould; 1st Cypriot – Finnish Art Exhibition, City hall of Helsinki Shiftscale, KUMU, Tallinn 2005 Muutostiloja, Art museum of Amos Anderson, Helsinki Holy/Unholy, Turku Biennale, Ars Nova & Aboa Vetus, Turku ’Fuzzy Set’, Kunst& Kultur, BaneGården, Aabenraa, Denmark Nord Art, KiC, Budelsdorf, Germany 110th annual exhibition of Finnish Artists, Arthall of Helsinki 2004 Art Container, Trondheim, Norway and Odense, Denmark Sculptors, Art festival of Mänttä 2003 Art Container, Kunstforum, Norrköping, Sveden 2002 In and Out, Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio 2000 1. triennale of Pirkanmaa, Vapriikki, Tampere Realm of Sences, city art from Turku 1999 ”Indoors-outdoors”, Art Museum of Lönnström, Rauma ”Heaven as the limit”, city art from Tampere 1998 ”Dalga”, Centre square of Cesme, Turkey 1997 ”Phone”-project, Art Museum of City of Helsinki 1996 Gallerie Municipal Mitra, Lissabon, Portugal 1995 48th annual exhibition of the Young Artists, Art Hall of Helsinki XL Art Fair, Turku PUBLIC WORKS:

2010 Balancing, Sinetti, Jyväskylä2004 Appletree Arm, (Kalkamo-Ryhänen), Open air art museum at Pedvale, Latvia Landscape, Sculpture park of Lake Wrnvy, Wales, UK 1997 Hindrances, (Kalkamo-Ryhänen), Huittinen 1996 On the Way, Huittinen 1995 Time, Kankaanpää 1994 Clown, (Kalkamo-Ryhänen), Jalava daycare center, Kankaanpää

FINE ART STUDIES:

Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, MFA 2004-06 Art School of Kankaanpää 1991-94 Liminka Art School 1990-91

MEMBERSHIPS

Accosiation of Finnish Sculptors since 1998 Tampere Artists´ Accosiation since 1995

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