“Our vision is to allow the foreign market to enjoy Taiga Chocolates and take a piece of Finnish happiness with them,” said Mirja Palola, CEO of Taiga Chocolate Oy.

Due to its success, the company eventually received its first award at the Natural & Organic Awards Asia 2018 in Hong Kong for its line of dried fish dark chocolates.

“We were delighted to see Taiga’s Dark Chocolate with Smelt Fish win first prize for Outstanding Natural/ Organic Product,” said Palola.

This year, the company received its second award in time for its first anniversary, as it bagged the top spot in the confectionery category of the Speciality & Fine Food Asia 2019 trade fair held in Singapore.

Taiga Chocolates are currently available in Finland and Hong Kong. Taiga Chocolates has also been available in Singapore since late September via RedMart. The company also plans to export its products to Japan in the near future.

Taiga Chocolate’s Dark Chocolate with Smelt Fish   |  © Taiga Chocolate

Dark Chocolate, a powerful source of nutrients and antioxidants.   |  © Taiga Chocolate

“NordShield revolutionizes the way antimicrobials work by offering an outperforming natural alternative for hazardous antimicrobial substances,” explained the company’s CEO Kristoffer Ekman.

“Our technology forms a bioactive molecular net on treated surfaces, providing safe and long-lasting antimicrobial protection, that is highly effective against mold, bacteria and viruses,” he continued.

Kristoffer Ekman, CEO of Nordic BioTech Group Ltd.   |  © Nordic BioTech

Benchmarked to the automotive industry and its quality standards, Fortaco Group has become a trusted tier 0.5 partner offering technology, vehicle cabins, steel fabrications and vehicle assemblies to industry leaders such as Komatsu Group, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Cargotec and Sandvik.

“Close to 20 percent of Fortaco Group’s turnover comes from our business with Japanese customers,” said Lars Hellberg, president and CEO of the company.

Hellberg has practiced the value of paying close attention to details and giving the best service to clients through his many years of working with the Japanese automotive industry.

“Japanese companies have enormous engagement with their people. I try to build these values into Fortaco Group’s cultural DNA.”

What makes Fortaco Group different from other companies is that it oversees the entire process, from conceptualization up to the manufacturing of its products.

“It is important for us to be part of the conceptual phase so we can support the design and development of their products,” said Hellberg.

The company has adapted Toyota Motor Corp.’s people approach and production system.

Lars Hellberg, President and CEO of Fortaco Group   |  © Fortaco

Fortaco Group, the leading strategic partner to heavy off-highway equipment and marine industries, oversees the entire process, from conceptualization up to the manufacturing of its products.   |  © Fortaco

Oulu and Sendai in Japan became official sister cities in 2005 and have since been fostering closer cooperation.

“We are similar in the way we work, we take time to build connections and we appreciate long-term relationships,” said Takako Uchida, BusinessOulu’s coordinator for international affairs with Japan.

Some events held in Oulu, such as the Air Guitar World Championship, which will mark its 25th year in 2020, Polar Bear Pitching, and Race of Drones Oulu, have gained popularity with the Japanese community.

Oulu gained global recognition as Nokia’s research and development center. Today it thrives as a dynamic high-tech hub with a diversified information and communication ecosystem based on a deep knowhow in mobile network technology complemented by start-ups and innovators providing finance, health, gaming, automotive and other industry solutions.

“We are like Silicon Valley but faster, cheaper and more execution oriented,” said Juha Ala- Mursula, executive director of BusinessOulu.

Oulu’s success lies in the close cooperation and synergy between the city’s industry, academia and local municipality that work together toward common goals.

OuluHealth (innovative and proficient integrated health ecosystem in Oulu) organized Health Hack at the University of Oulu, focusing on digital transformation in health care.   |  © BusinessOulu

Photographer Juuso Haarala. Japanese air guitarist “Seven Seas” got the world title in 2014 and 2018 in the Air Guitar World Championship in addition to the world winner “Dainoji” from Japan in 2006 and 2007.   |  © Juuso Haarala

With a fleet of 14 vessels, the shipping company carries nearly 10 million passengers every year to different destinations in the Nordic region.

“We operate daily on five routes between Helsinki and Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn, Turku and Stockholm, Stockholm and Tallinn, and Stockholm and Riga,” said Nina Tähtinen, international sales director of the company. “Each of our ships can accommodate up to 3,000 passengers.”

Not only has Tallink Silja Oy been making a name in the local market, but also with foreign clients.

The Silja Serenade in Helsinki   |  © Marko Stampehl

Moomin on the promenade of one of Tallink Silja Oy’s ships.   |  © Juho Huttunen

“Patria has been a strategic partner for Finland’s defence, security, and aviation sector for nearly 100 years,” said Petri Jokinen, senior vice president for sales and marketing in Patria’s Land business unit.

Patria has been the leading provider of armored wheeled vehicles in the country and in other regions such as Sweden, Norway and Poland.

The company rose to fame internationally in the ’80s when the U.N. acquired its XA-series 6×6 armored wheeled vehicles for peacekeeping operations.

Since then, Patria became the market leader for modern 8×8 wheeled vehicles, with its Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) selling more than 1,600 units in several countries across the globe. The biggest customer for Patria AMV has been Poland, which has close to 1,000 AMV’s called Rosomak. The Polish program has been carried out through wide manufacturing and life cycle support technology transfers to local company Rosomak S.A. Patria has also transferred technology to Croatia, Slovenia and the Republic of South Africa. These countries have significantly increased their security of supply for the life cycle support of the vehicles.

Petri Jokinen, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Patria Land Business Unit  |  © Patria

Patria is the market leader for modern 8×8 wheeled vehicles, with its AMVs (Armoured Modular Vehicle) selling more than 1,600 units in several countries across the globe. |  © Patria

The company has been export-oriented since its establishment in 1973, expanding its market and operations from Europe to other regions, such as the Middle East and Asia, which is nowadays the main source of growth of its business.

Metsä Fibre began its close collaboration with ITOCHU Corporation early on, which enabled the company to develop its business throughout Asia.

The bond between these two companies became even stronger as ITOCHU Corp. acquired 25 percent of shares from Metsä Fibre in 2012.

“ITOCHU’s deep knowledge of the market and extensive network allows us to expand the market areas and make more strategic investments, respond better to customer demands, and stay ahead of the trends,” said Ismo Nousiainen, chief executive officer of Metsä Fibre.

Metsä Fibre also wants to further strengthen its position on Japan’s sawn timber and pulp markets.

“Traditionally, Europe and Northern Africa have been strong markets for our sawn timber, and our market in China is growing strong, but we also want to continue to foster our relationship with our Japanese clients,” he added.

Moving forward, the company is aiming to develop sustainable solutions to address the issues concerning the current state of the environment. “Sustainability is in the core of all our operations. Resource efficiency saves raw materials, and our aim is to utilize 100 percent of wood raw materials. We see that wood-based solutions will replace fossil-based raw materials in, for example, packaging,” Nousiainen said.

The company went through a milestone in 2017 when it replaced its old pulp mill, located in the town of Äänekoski, and invested €1.2 billion on a modern bioproduct mill, making it the largest investment in the history of the Northern Hemisphere forest industry.

By shifting to more ecofriendly solutions, Metsä Fibre also aims to become the top producer of bioproducts all over the world.

Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of  Metsä Fibre  |  © Metsä Fibre

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, is running a pre-engineering project to create conditions for adding a bioproduct mill to Metsä Group’s current mill site in Kemi. In addition to pulp, the mill would produce various other bioproducts. This mill would be the biggest wood processing facility in the Northern Hemisphere. The final investment decision will be made early in the summer of 2020. (Illustrative picture of the mill area.)  |  © Metsä Fibre

Metsä Fibre’s high-quality products are made of renewable raw material coming from northern forests. The wood raw material is acquired from areas where forests grow more than they are used.  |  © Metsä Fibre