Businessmen’s pride and joy evolves into an everyday product

The mobile age began with the Nokia Mobira Cityman 900. When this novelty appeared on the markets in 1987, quite a few businessmen exchanged their 4.5-kilogram car phones for the less-than-800-gram Cityman, which they were proud to show off on bar counters. For many, the model was an out-of-reach dream due to the phone’s steep price of 24,000... Read more

Top Finnish chef expanding his restaurants to Stockholm

A top Finnish chef and a judge in Master Chef programme, Tomi Björck, is expanding his restaurant operations to Sweden. Björck and his business partner Matti Wikberg own in Helsinki a top-class Asian restaurant Farang. In an interview with Taloussanomat Björck reveals that he is opening a new Farang restaurant in Stockholm together with... Read more

Jolla to revive Nokia’s MeeGo

Finnish startup Jolla is hoping to release a smartphone, which runs on Nokia’s abandoned MeeGo operating system, before the end of the year. The company is in talks with hardware manufacturers and has already signed deals with several partners. Made up of former Nokia employees, Jolla was a product of Nokia’s Bridge scheme which aims to help... Read more

Viola – a big cheese in Russia

Few Finns know that Valio’s Viola processed cheese was the first foreign cheese on the Soviet markets. Viola made its debut on the shelves of Soviet shops in 1956, just three years after Josif Stalin’s death. During the subsequent 56 years Viola has made its way into the hearts – and stomachs – of Russians. Influential business leaders who... Read more

Kone delivering elevators to London ‘s financial district

Kone is delivering 31 eco-efficient elevators to 5 Broadgate, a new office building under construction in City of London, the main financial district of London. The new building is going to be completed at the end of 2014. The office building is currently being developed as a joint venture between British Land and Blackstone. British Land is... Read more

Moody’s outlook earns Finland acclaim

When credit ratings agency Moody’s left Finland as the only eurozone country with a stable triple-A credit rating last week, commentators went into overdrive to try and explain the country’s financial stability. Finland escaped a negative outlook partly because of its small banking system focused on domestic customers, its fiscally... Read more

The shaping of a classic

The simple and functional Aalto stool (stool 60) was first introduced almost 80 years ago in 1933. The product, the brainchild of Alvar Aalto, has been deemed the quintessence of functionalist furniture design and around 8 million of them have been sold. The stool’s status as a classic is based on the patented method for creating its wooden... Read more

Stonesoft launches free Evader against cyber attacks

Security firm Stonesoft has released a new defence system and testing tool against cyber attacks. The company has released Evader, the world's first software-based testing tool that enables companies and governments to test their network security solutions' ability to withstand advanced evasion techniques (AET) increasingly used in... Read more

Researchers locate Northern Lights sounds

For the first time, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have located where the sounds associated with the northern lights or Aurora Borealis are created. The auroral sounds which have been described in folktales and by wilderness wanderers are formed about 70 meters above ground level.They are similar to crackles or muffled bangs.... Read more

The Jopo bicycle keeps on rolling

— Finland’s and perhaps the world’s most modern bicycle, declared the 1965 advertisement for vehicle manufacturer Helkama’s new bicycle model, built for the Everyman. 28,000 suggestions were sent in for the bicycle naming competition. Its name became Jopo, short for the Finnish JOkaisen POlkupyörä (Everyone’s Bicycle). Eero Helkama wanted to... Read more

Mind Spa aiming to challenge Coca-Cola

Mind Spa, a well-being drinks manufacturer, is thinking big. The company is planning to launch to the international markets and challenge Coca-Cola’s dominance in vitamin waters. The company is launching its own Acti Water vitamin water this summer. It is already selling its non-carbonated, calorie and sugar free beverage Mind Spa Relaxing... Read more

Finnish startup simplifies smartphones

If you find smartphones confusing to use, a Finnish startup may have the solution. Oulu-based Simplofon believes it has developed an easy-to-use interface. Research shows that most smartphone owners use their device for phone calls, text messages and taking photographs but they are often faced with a wide range of applications and menus.... Read more

Trusted heaters for cold climates

Ensto, specialising in electrical systems, began manufacturing electric heaters in the 1980s. The company’s heaters keep the cold at bay, not only in Finland, but in many other countries with freezing cold winters. — In addition to Finland the heaters are successful in Russia, where the icy cold climate requires efficient and reliable heaters,... Read more

Valmet Automotive to produce Mercedes A-Class

Valmet Automotive is to begin manufacturing Mercedes Benz A-Class cars at its plant in the western coastal town of Uusikaupunki in Finland. The company is starting work on the project immediately and expects to finalise the contract during the autumn. More than 100,000 A-Class vehicles are set to be manufactured by Valmet Automotive in... Read more

Finnish energy efficiency project piloting in Egypt

Finnish energy companies and Egyptian companies are starting a joint energy efficiency pilot project in Smart Villages technology park in Egypt. The companies involved in the project are Nour Consult from Egypt and Valtavalo, Finnenergia and Smartautomation from Finland. According to a Smart Villages release, energy efficiency is attractive in... Read more