seatec - Finnish marine technology review 2/2015 | Page 4

EDITORIAL 2/2015 COMEBACK KING   The Finnish marine industry is back – with a vengeance. Last year, the turnover for Finnish marine industry climbed from €5.5 billion to 6 billion, even though brisk winds still dominate the economy in Finland. For example, the Turku shipyard has been completely rejuvenated under German ownership as Meyer Werft wasted no time in turning the course of the shipyard around. The Meyer family – together with the State of Finland – acquired PUBLISHER PubliCo Oy Pälkäneentie 19 A FI-00510 Helsinki Finland Phone +358 20 162 2200 [email protected] www.publico.com Turku shipyard from STX Europe in September 2014 with the understanding that the state will make its exit in due time. “Due time” became sooner than later as Meyer Werft bought the remaining 30 % from EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Petri Charpentier the State in May 2015. Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, explains the move by saying that at the time of the purchase, Meyer was only operating shipyards in Germany PROJECT MANAGER Jaakko Lätti and investment in Finland was a big step for the family business. He credits the Finnish Government for making the deal possible – but now it was time for Turku to start sailing on her own. The new owner is looking to EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Liisa Hyvönen add some muscle to the operations: while the Turku shipyard capacity is 100 000 GT, there are plans to increase capacity to 180 000 GT in a couple of years. GRAPHIC DESIGN Riitta Yli-Öyrä Jan Meyer expresses a hope that the decision to acquire total ownership is received as a “sign of confidence” that Meyer Werft is looking to make Turku shipyard a long-term shipbuilding success. This message has, indeed, been heard loud and clear in the industry. The Finnish marine industry has been craving for some good news CONTRIBUTORS Sami J. Anteroinen Merja Kihl Ari Mononen for a while. After hitting rock bottom in 2011, the climb back towards respectability has been long and hard – and as the Finnish marine cluster covers around 2 900 companies, the impact of tough times is felt widely. COVER PHOTO Meyer Turku Oy Today, the marine cluster employs more than 43 000 people in operations directly related to the marine sector and of these, more than 21 000 people are employed by the marine industry. Spearheaded by PRINTED BY PunaMusta Oy excellent product development, these marine industry companies have reached a leading market position in several segments. During the last few years, as the pickings have been slim domestically, these subcontractors have ventured further out. For instance, 15 percent of the machinery, equipment and subcontracting of the Oasis 3 cruise ship – currently under construction in France – has been bought from Finland. PETRI CHARPENTIER All rights reserved. This publication may not be used in whole or in part to prepare or compile other directories or mailing lists without the written permission of the publisher. Measures have been taken in the preparation of this publication to assist the publisher protect its copyright. Any unauthorized use of the data herein will result in immediate legal proceeding. www.seatec.fi/magazine 2 seatec 2/2015