Business Finland’s sustainable manufacturing program aims to raise the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry

Business Finland launches the Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program, which aims to strengthen innovation and production of manufacturing companies in a sustainable way. The program supports the business development and growth of these SMEs.

The manufacturing sector plays a key role in the Finnish public economy. The technology industry accounts for more than half of Finnish exports, and the sector as a whole employs as much as one third of the Finnish workforce, and generates more than 28 per cent of gross domestic product.

The Finnish manufacturing sector is a driving force in exports, but a decade has passed since the last dedicated national program.

– The Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program seeks to strengthen innovation and production in order to promote exports in the sector. As an indirect effect, up to 20,000 new jobs can be created in Finland for industrial SMEs. This has been evaluated by companies that have previously received funding for cleantech projects, tells Jarmo Heinonen, Senior Director, Bioeconomy, Circular Economy and Cleantech at Business Finland.

The launch event of the program will be held on March 5th at Hotel Scandic Park (Mannerheimintie 46, Helsinki). At the event you will hear about some of the related successful business cases and you can network with new partners.

The program of the event:

• 12.30 Registration and coffee
• 13.00 Welcoming words, Nina Kopola, Director General, Business Finland
• 13.15 How does the future of the Manufacturing Industry look like? Matti Mannonen, Executive director, Innovation and economic policy, Technology Finland
• 13.30 Making Finland fit for Digital, Ilona Lundstöm, Director-General, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
• 13.45 Business Finland Sustainable Manufacturing Program, Toni Mattila, Program Manager
• 14.00 Companies on the floor:
  • Data management as a part of semiconductor production process development, Atte Haapalinna, CTO, Okmetic Oy
  • Digital platforms in manufacturing industry, Jyrki Keskinen, Director of Sustainable energy solution, Wapice Oy
  • Sustainable manufacturing – current developments and future opportunities, Harri Nieminen, Head of Research & Innovation, Fastems Oy
• 14.30 Break
• 14.45 EU Funding for the Manufacturing Industry, Elina Holmberg, Senior Director, Business Finland
• 14.55 Growth from international talents, Ulla Hiekkanen-Mäkelä, Development Manager, Business Finland
• 15.05 Panel: How to respond to the challenges of the manufacturing industry, Matti Mannonen, Toni Mattila, Harri Nieminen, moderator Kaisa Hernberg
• 15.30 Networking and cocktails
• 16.30 Event ends

Read more about the program at Business Finland’s website and register for the launch event.