Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2010 | Page 50

REAL ESTATE SPECIAL REPORT

Get Connected – Lahti
combines smooth logistics with cutting edge
innovation industries
The global recession inevitably leads to changes in various
areas of international business. Flow of goods is one issue
which is already being scrutinised and reorganised – the
demand is for more efficient and sustainable logistics.
With the launch of the Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki,
Finland has a solid anchor in the field – but versatile
in-land logistics centres are also needed.

O

ne city which has made
considerable strides in developing logistics is Lahti. Erkki Karppanen, Managing Director of Lahti Regional Development Company LAKES, says
that the transportation business
comes quite naturally for Lahti
– and the three key reasons are
“location, location, location.”
“With Helsinki – and both
the international airport and
Vuosaari – only one hour away
and St. Petersburg two-and-ahalf hours away by train, one
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can say that Lahti is really centrally located.”
Actually, the fast connection to St. Petersburg won’t be
possible until the end of 2010
as Allegro is launched. Still, the
Lahti Region has fresh experience of how a quicker connection changes people’s mindset –
and the face of business.
“When the new rail connection between Helsinki and
Lahti was launched a few years
ago, it cut down on the travel time considerably and ener-

gised the entire region,” Karppanen explains, adding that especially retail units have come
to town in force.

Eye on
St. Petersburg
Logistically speaking, the key
hubs in the region are Kujala, Nostava and Henna, located
in Lahti, Hollola and Orimattila, respectively. Kujala logistics centre, for instance, combines great rail and road con-

nections with a highly conceptualised operative area. The centre was planned to maximise the
synergies inherent in the partnership concept and is equipped
with a full range of supplementary services. Kujala centre is
located only three kilometers
southeast of downtown Lahti.
“Henna, on the other hand,
is an area which includes also
residential activity,” Karppanen
says, pointing out that Henna subscribes to “pearls on a
string” ideology which calls for