Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2017 | Page 45

in all of this , too : “ The various educational institutions are supporting industry by providing , for example , expert services .”
Gaining Momentum
Kari Koski , Mayor of Rauma , acknowledges that when the shipyard received the Danish order in June 2016 this was , indeed , big news for the entire city – and the Region , as well .
“ Beyond the marine , we have other local assets such as forest industry and food & beverage sector that are doing good , too .”
Koski also comments that while a couple of years ago the talk about “ regional collaboration ” still lacked substance , now there are a lot of exciting things going on .
“ With Turku , Rauma , Pori and Uusikaupunki all showing great improvement , it is up to us to the make the most of the situation ,” he says , adding that there is strength in numbers and great momentum to carry the Region forward . The Mayor sees education as one key area where the local cities can accomplish a lot : by pooling in resources , the local schools can help the companies get the high-quality workforce that will allow them to maintain their competitive edge .
“ I feel that the Southwest Region is just starting to make good on its promise – and that there are many great things still ahead ,” Koski says .
Carbuilders Wanted
Moving over to Uusikaupunki , one can see just what Koski is talking about . The Uusikaupunki car plant will start the series production of the Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV in early 2017 – and Valmet Automotive is recruiting over 1,000 new carbuilders and white collars for the plant .
Mikael Mäki from Valmet Automotive says that the company has never attempted recruiting on such a scale . “ This is unprecedented for us as it is for the whole country , you could say .”
Mäki sees Valmet Automotive as one of the regional gamechangers which have taken concrete actions to put the economy back on track – and he ’ s happy to see that there are others , too .
Upward Spiral
According to Mäki , the local companies which have had some success of late are very much on the growth path and that “ the faith is getting stronger ”. All this could lead to a domino effect where the whole Region makes a rapid climb to prosperity .
“ On the other hand , when things are going good , you have to mindful of how to
Photo : Valmet Automotive Inc . keep that streak going . Already some companies are saying that it ’ s hard to meet their recruiting needs .”
Valmet Automotive , however , is not short on job applications . The first wave of its recruiting campaign – calling for 250 carbuilders – yielded a record number of applications ( 2,597 ). At the moment , Valmet Automotive ’ s personnel at the Uusikaupunki plant totals 1,550 .
Copper Kings of Pori
Yet another seaside success story is Pori which also has plenty of industrial firepower under its belt . Luvata Pori Oy is one of the biggest industry employers in Pori , employing about 350 people . Manufacturing 40,000 tonnes of fabricated copper products every year , Luvata is big on exports : over 90 % of the production is going overseas .
Jussi Helavirta , Managing Director of Luvata , lists three things that contribute to the success of companies in the area , now and in the future .
“ First of all , one must take care of the local industries , since they provide jobs and wellbeing to the community . Also , it is important that state , city and municipality take care of infrastructure which enables basic services to industry .”
Big part of the magic formula is collaboration . For example , Luvata ’ s base of operations is in Pori ’ s Copper Industry Park where there are many like-minded companies . “ There are synergies that we are able to explore ,” says Helavirta .
Port Power
International industry is supported by the Port of Pori with its deep fairways and Finland ’ s first LNG import terminal . City of Pori is strongly invested in these measures that are pushing the entire Region forward , says Aino-Maija Luukkonen , Mayor of Pori .
“ We work in close co-operation with the Port as well as with the local industry ,” Luukkonen says . l
Photo : City of Pori
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