Press release

Federation of Finnish Technology Industries also promotes economic growth by offering forums for debate and learning

Promoting Finland’s economic growth on all possible fronts is vital at the moment. A broad range of measures on various levels is also required in the long term. Investing in research and development is an important means of promotion, according to Ilkka Niemelä, Director at the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries.

To engage in product development and create new markets, products and services, companies must have access to the skills they need and a sufficient supply of skilled employees. The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries and its member companies carry out wide-ranging co-operation with the Finnish educational system to ensure that companies’ needs are taken into account in the education provided.

The Federation’s member companies are currently working on the challenges brought about by digitalisation, for example. Ilkka Niemelä says that while the arrival of the industrial internet offers excellent opportunities for Finnish industry, its full-scale exploitation and creation of new service and product concepts is also a challenge for companies’ research and development capacity. Digitalisation is nothing new in industry. In fact, it has been around for decades. Digitalisation and the industrial internet will allow us to create new and competitive business concepts to develop both products and services.

The market is global and the best sounding boards for development projects are often on the other side of the planet. Research and development projects can also support each other in their aims while also questioning each other’s practices and contents. To help companies talk to and learn from each other on a global scale, the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries has decided to sponsor the Manufacturing Performance Days 2015 seminar organised in Tampere this summer by becoming its strategic partner.

The seminar will deal with the core issues of industrial-scale manufacturing through a variety of themes, one of which is entitled Industry 4.0. The goal is to find answers to the following questions: how does the industrial internet affect the industry and businesses and how is the manufacturing industry fostering innovation and creating value?

Information on the seminar and speakers can be found at www.mpdays.com.

For more information, please contact Ilkka Niemelä, Director, branch networks, Federation of Finnish Technology Industries, tel. +358 40 545 2213