International Fimpec, part 2: Installation supervisor Esa Mäntykenttä, Chile 10.2.2022 Esa Mäntykenttä is an installation supervisor for Fimpec and is currently on assignment in Chile. Throughout his career he has had numerous postings abroad, working as an installation supervisor in various mill projects. All in all, he has close to 15 years of international experience under his belt thanks to these foreign assignments. Esa is currently part of Fimpec’s MAPA project (MAPA is the Spanish acronym for Modernización y Ampliación de Planta Arauco, i.e. Modernization and Expansion of the Arauco Mill), which involves the construction of a pulp mill in Chile. Esa joined Fimpec from Etteplan in 2020, specifically for this Chilean project. “In 2006, when my boss at the time first asked me if I would be interested in going abroad, my answer was, ‘You bet!’, even before asking where I would be going. The destination was Brazil, and back then, the farthest I had travelled was Sweden, but I was still very eager to go,” recalls Esa. His first foreign assignment was a drying machine project. He says it was the appeal of trying something new and the desire to see how people work in other countries that made him want to go abroad. It was the variety of the work, however, that made Mäntykenttä say yes to foreign assignments again and again: “When you’re on a construction site all the time, there is a different way of working. The days can be hectic, and in the morning you have no way of knowing what the day will bring. Plans can change completely without warning, and especially in this type of installation supervision work, the day’s tasks are not set in stone. It’s certainly never boring!” Experience gained in ten countries The list of countries that Esa has worked in is long. In addition to Finland, it includes Brazil, Australia, Sweden, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal and now Chile. Esa’s day-to-day life in Chile is mostly consumed by work, and his daily commute also eats up a lot of his time. “My morning commute takes roughly an hour, so I have to get up early,” he says. “Coming home can sometimes take as long as two hours, so I get home quite late. At the construction site, we have a meeting with the commissioning team every morning, and then we all scatter to our respective tasks. I work as an adviser, meaning I help the customer. The job involves a lot of troubleshooting, clarifying matters and trying to find information.” For Esa, exploring nature during his leisure time is an important counterbalance to his long work days and also a means of recovery. On his previous postings abroad, he was always accompanied by his family, but due to the pandemic, his family was unable to join him this time. “I don’t have time to do much in the evenings, but on the weekends I go for long walks. I like to explore the old forests nearby and admire the lakes. It’s a great place to think and recharge my batteries. Chile is quite a safe country, so I feel ok going for walks alone. I can’t say the same of all countries. On my previous assignments, when my family was with me, we used to visit more places and do more things,” says Esa. Every project and country is different Being involved in projects in ten countries has exposed Esa to a wide range of working habits. According to him, every project is different, and the customers and contractors bring their own flavour to each project. “As an installation supervisor, my work always involves BFB/CFB boilers, so in terms of processes, the construction sites are often similar. But the customers and contractors always change, and they can be quite different depending on the country. With work cultures and methods varying from country to country, there is always an initial period of getting used to the local way of working and the customer’s standards. That doesn’t bother me, though, because I know that it is part of the job, and I learn a lot that can be useful to me in my next project. Here in Chile, for example, many things are done the same way as in Brazil,” explains Esa. In addition to understanding different ways of working, Esa says that in his work, thorough knowledge of the machinery is key, especially during the commissioning phase, which poses its own challenges. In many projects there can be different types of equipment, each with their own measurements. It is thus important to be familiar with the settings or, if you are not familiar with the equipment, to have good information-retrieval skills. Knowledge gained in previous projects is always helpful, and Esa enjoys learning about new equipment, because if he encounters the equipment in his next project, he will already be familiar with it. Mäntykenttä’s solid background has also given him a certain calmness and assuredness: “There can be some hairy moments at the construction site, and emotions can get heated, but I know from experience that the best thing to do is to stay calm and not be rash. I know that working calmly leads to a good outcome, and when I know the course of things, it brings me confidence in what I’m doing.” “It’s worth trying out, I’ve never had any regrets!” His extensive experience working in international projects means it is likely that Esa will be asked to work abroad also in future. There are many international projects, which means work is always available. Esa will gladly accept more foreign assignments if and when the opportunity arises: “I still have so many places in the world to see, and with so many new mills being built, there is no shortage of projects.” Mäntykenttä’s advice to anyone considering working abroad is: “Give it a go!” He encourages people to boldly take the plunge, because it is the only way to know whether working abroad is for you. For Mäntykenttä, working on a construction site and being in a foreign country trumps everything else. “I have never once regretted going abroad to work, and I will continue to do this work for as long as my family wants to join me,” Esa sums up with a laugh.
Fimpec’s Turku-based operations will be merged into Pitkämäenkatu in preparation for the merger 4.2.2022 Fimpec’s Turku-based operations moved to the new office in January. The new office space was acquired by Fimpec following the acquisition in the autumn. Steps towards the final merger have been taken for the various activities since October. Last week, Fimpec’s Turku-based employees moved to Focusplan’s premises. The expansion of the premises was completed in January and the official moving day was 26 January. From 1 February 2022, Fimpec’s Turku office address is Pitkämäenkatu 6, 20250 Turku, Finland. The phone numbers and contact persons will remain the same. The merger of Focusplan with Fimpec has been prepared internally since the transaction was completed by getting to know each other’s operations. Finding a common tune has gone well. Focusplan’s expertise strengthens Fimpec’s technical design and industry expertise, especially in the food, material and pharmaceutical industries. Focusplan will be merged into Fimpec Engineering Oy, which is part of the Fimpec Group. Joint projects that started before the acquisition have been continued seamlessly, and joint additional sales have been made towards existing customers thanks to the good cooperation and initiative of the Turku team. “It’s good that we are able to have all our experts under one roof and make Turku consistent with other Fimpec locations in Finland. In addition, we are now also able to be closer to local customers in the Turku region with Fimpec’s range of services and ensure the best possible customer service,” says Harri Soininen, Director of Engineering Services. “The merger of functions is on a good track, and we are pleased that we are now able to offer Focusplan’s customers even more extensive engineering and project management services and to manage larger projects with our own team,” says Joni Heino, Area Manager for the Turku region. From the Turku office, Fimpec produces both engineering and project management services with the help of a new, larger team. For our local customers, we now have strong expertise in the fields of energy and infrastructure construction, as well as industrial and property development. Fimpec is a leading specialist in the field of project management and engineering. We act as project consultants in major investment projects in the industrial and energy industries, and as experts in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. In 2020, our turnover was EUR 25.7 million and we employ more than 260 top experts in Finland and abroad. Focusplan Oy is a Turku-based engineering agency founded in 1988. We offer high-quality services for several different industries. We work in close collaboration with our customers and focus on finding solutions that will last long into the future.
Fimpec expands its operations in Finland and Sweden with the acquisition of Byggnadsekonomi 1.2.2022 Established in 2010, Byggnadsekonomi is a forerunner in its industry, providing building information modelling and time and cost management consultancy services. The company has a total of 15 employees, 10 of whom are based in Finland and 5 in Sweden. Byggnadsekonomi Oy has won, for instance, Tekla BIM Awards for the Easton Helsinki (2017) and OP Vallila (2014) projects. Fimpec, seeking strong domestic and international growth, acquired the entire share capital of Byggnadsekonomi Oy and its Swedish sister company Byggnadsekonomi AB in a transaction confirmed on 31 January 2022. With this transaction, Byggnadsekonomi and Fimpec aim to ensure opportunities for continuous development and growth for both their business operations and their employees. For the companies’ customers, the transaction will mean a wider array of services. The arrangement will strengthen Fimpec’s offering of cost management and information modelling and at the same time give Byggnadsekonomi’s customers access to comprehensive project management and engineering services from a single service provider. Byggnadsekonomi will be merged with Fimpec PMO Oy by summer 2022, forming a new cost management unit. Byggnadsekonomi AB will become part of Fimpec AB. All current customer orders and contracts will continue normally. Johan Appelqvist will serve as the CEO of Byggnadsekonomi until the companies merge, and thereafter he will continue as the director of Fimpec’s cost management unit. The acquisition will have no other employee impacts in Finland or Sweden, and going forward, the aim is to grow the units’ head count and business. The collaboration will bring new potential and opportunities to both companies. Byggnadsekonomi’s achievements include leading expertise in BIM, steering the largest and most challenging real estate projects in the Nordic countries, and implementing Lean methods. “When Byggnadsekonomi was founded, we had clear goals. We wanted to show the world that technology can genuinely improve the steering and predictability of construction projects. We have now achieved those goals, and this transaction will enable us to strengthen and continue the development with new, shared targets together with Fimpec. Merging with Fimpec is a natural continuation of our company’s and our entire personnel’s development arc. With this transaction, we will expand our service offering to all areas of the construction industry globally and secure our place as a forerunner in technology use,” says Byggnadsekonomi’s CEO, Johan Appelqvist. “It will be great to offer Fimpec’s customers Byggnadsekonomi’s solid expertise in BIM, BIM-based cost calculation and project scheduling management. The transaction is a natural reinforcement of Fimpec’s project management organisation. It allows us to offer Byggnadsekonomi’s existing customers a stronger organisation, more resources and services covering all areas of project management. Our companies share similar values in terms of how we operate, and that was an important factor in realising this transaction,” says Fimpec PMO’s CEO Mikko Turunen. “The acquisition of Byggnadsekonomi strongly supports Fimpec’s strategic growth in terms of both services and internationalisation,” sums up Timo Hyvönen, Chairman of Fimpec Group’s Board of Directors. For more information, please contact: Mikko Turunen, CEO, Fimpec PMO Oy tel. +358 40 844 7566 e-mail: mikko.turunen@fimpec.com www.fimpec.com Johan Appelqvist, CEO, Byggnadsekonomi Oy and AB tel. +358 50 466 0907 e-mail: johan.appelqvist@byggnadsekonomi.fi www.byggnadsekonomi.se/fi Fimpec is a leading specialist in the field of project management and engineering. We act as project consultants in major investment projects in the industrial and energy industries, and as experts in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. In 2020, our turnover was EUR 25.7 million and we employ more than 320 top experts in Finland and abroad. Byggnadsekonomi is a Nordic consultancy company specialized in the implementation of BIM for production. With the experience of more than 300 projects delivered, we provide professional BIM-coordination, cost calculations, scheduling services and training. In 2020 we employed 15 experts with a turnover of 1,6 M Eur. The company was formed in 2010 and is active in Finland and Sweden.
Product warehouse successfully completed in the Port of Kokkola 11.11.2021 At the end of May 2021, Fimpec completed a product warehouse in the Port of Kokkola, marking the successful conclusion of yet another real estate project for the company. Oy Adolf Lahti Yxpila Ab was Fimpec’s client in the venture, and Fimpec was involved throughout the entire process. Oy Adolf Lahti Yxpila Ab is a logistics company that belongs to the KWH Group. The project included the construction of a 4,000 m² product warehouse. The warehouse was tailored to the needs of Oy Adolf Lahti Yxpila Ab’s clients, and Fimpec was involved in the project right from the initial engineering phase. The building stores the end products of client factories, as well as the consumables used in production. Fimpec’s Olli-Pekka Salomaa, who was the project manager and technical construction supervisor during the construction phase, explains that Fimpec had an extensive role and significant responsibility in all phases of the project. “We got involved in the Port of Kokkola’s new product warehouse from the very start. We were already involved in the needs assessment and project engineering phases of the project two years ago. After that, we were responsible for the building permit phase, for tendering contractors and for site supervision and construction. During the construction phase, the building services supervisors for the electrical and HVAC work were also from Fimpec,” Salomaa clarifies. Project completed with smooth cooperation The project also came with its own challenges, for which Fimpec was always well prepared thanks to its solid project management expertise. The ground conditions of the construction site in particular added their own special characteristics. “The ground conditions at the site were more challenging than usual because the groundwater was close. The site had also previously been used for soil composting. This meant more phases had to be added, for instance soil replacement and groundwater reduction,” explains Salomaa. Despite the challenges, the project was successfully completed. Salomaa says it has brought Fimpec more visibility in the areas of Kokkola and Western Finland. The most important measure of success for Fimpec, however, is always a satisfied customer. The product warehouse in the Port of Kokkola is a testament to the successful partnership between Oy Adolf Lahti Yxpila Ab and Fimpec. Antti Ylitalo of Oy Adolf Lahti Yxpila Ab is positive about the co-operation between his company and Fimpec: “Collaboration works well when you are surrounded by good people and the dialogue is straightforward.” The coronavirus pandemic brought some challenges to the collaboration and success of the entire project, and with the construction site in Kokkola and Fimpec’s team in Jyväskylä, Ylitalo did have some concerns about the distance between the two companies. “However, those concerns turned out to be in vain: the geographical distance was never an issue and the pandemic forced us all into remote meetings anyway. It was easy to trust in Fimpec’s team and it was nice to work with them. We also look to the future in a positive frame of mind and will consider potential new collaboration projects on a case-by-case basis”.
Jussi-Pekka Kuivala has been appointed Fimpec’s Director of Consulting and Process Engineering 13.10.2021 Jussi-Pekka Kuivala has been appointed Fimpec’s Director of Consulting and Process Engineering as of September 2021. In his role, he will focus strongly on energy and aim to develop consulting from the perspective of the entire Fimpec Group while developing process engineering from an energy industry perspective. According to Kuivala consulting plays an important role in supporterting of other Fimpec services. “Consulting is how you get a foot in the door. We want to get involved with projects, semi-finished products and technologies that we can bring to our customers’ attention at an early stage. This is how we and our customers and stay up to date”, explains Kuivala. A strong background in consulting Kuivala has a master’s degree in energy technology and has also studied applied thermodynamics. In is career, Kuivala worked for a long time at Greenfield Consulting, first as a consultant and later as a partner and CEO. Kuivala says that he quickly gained responsibility in consulting as well as interesting international experience. The subject of his thesis, which he completed as a consulting assignment, became his specialty. District cooling was still new to Finland, so he quickly became a specialist in it. Kuivala has also worked for Granlund Oy, where he was the Regional Energy Solutions team leader. At the time, a significant part of his job involved energy solutions specifically tailored to the needs of end users. Motivated by growth goals and new challenges The transition to Fimpec is natural for Kuivala. He says his work quickly became interesting and felt right. Fimpec’s focus on energy industry projects, strong growth targets in the energy sector, internationalization opportunities and familiar faces convinced Kuivala. “The fact that Fimpec had identified the energy sector as a strong growth sector sparked confidence. We are not yet a very well-known player in the energy sector, but we have a strong capacity to succeed. The company’s international experience was also impressive. The company also has some familiar faces, which was a nice addition”, explains Kuivala. Kuivala says that he is already excited about working with the goals and challenges of the energy sector. “I already anticipate that we reach our goals and it’s great to be a part of the growth development. A good challenge for us is to increase Fimpec’s name and visibility in the energy sector, which will be interesting”.
Fimpec at Yhdyskuntatekniikka 2021 in Turku this week 11.10.2021 Infratech 2021 -exhibition is the largest event focusing on infrastructure sector in Finland. The program includes seminar and exhibition. They expect over 5 000 visitiors and over 200 exhibitors to the event. Come and meet Fimpec’s experts at the stand Cc3 and discuss how our experts can lead your projects to a success, which services the new Fimpec can offer and to familiarise yourself with Fimpec as an employer. See you in Turku! » Register yourself as a visitor (free of charge) » More information about the event
Welcome to our Swedish website 8.10.2021 We published the Swedish version of the Fimpec website on 5. October 2021. The site gives Swedish introduction to Fimpec, which is a project consultant for challenging industrial and energy projects and an expert in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. Fimpec aims at strong international growth in an industry where flexible problem-solving in project management significantly reduces project risks and costs. The website has been developed in co-operation with Avidly from Finland. Project implementation took place in spring 2021. During the first stage, the Finnish version of the new website was published on May 25th. Our English website was published in August. » Swedish website » Read more
Fimpec is expanding operations in Western Finland by purchasing Focusplan Oy’s entire share stock 7.10.2021 Founded in 1988, Focusplan Oy is a Turku-based engineering agency that offers high-quality technical engineering, project management, and consulting services to several different industries. The company employs 30 people and its turnover for 2020 was EUR 2.7 million. Focusplan has been involved in projects such as the investment project for Vihervakka’s ThermoSeed plant, where it was responsible for the project’s cost estimate and project management, and in several Chemigate projects, where it was responsible for technical engineering and supervision. The cornerstones of the company’s success and long-term customer relationships are reliability and customer-oriented approach. Focusplan’s owners wanted to procure a strong owner base to enable the growth and continuous development of the company, and to retain its high level of customer satisfaction. Fimpec, which seeks strong domestic and international growth, took over as owner when it purchased Focusplan’s entire share stock in a transaction that took place on 30.9.2021. The aim of the purchase was to strengthen Fimpec’s technical engineering and competence, particularly in the foodstuff, construction supply and pharmaceutical industries. In the near future, Focusplan will be merged into Fimpec Engineering Oy, which is part of the Fimpec Group, and the company will form the Turku region’s engineering unit. The company’s owners Vesa Ranta and Kyösti Meriläinen will continue to work for the company and will become Fimpec shareholders. Vesa Ranta will continue as CEO of Focusplan until the merge, after which he will take on a role as senior expert at Fimpec. Focusplan’s current deputy CEO Joni Heino will become regional manager of Fimpec’s Turku engineering unit. The corporate acquisition will have no other effects on personnel and the unit’s staff and business will grow in the future. “Long-term customer relationships have formed the backbone of our operations, but due to our current size we’ve been unable to meet demand for larger projects. The corporate acquisition means that as Fimpec, we’re able to provide our customers with more extensive project management services and offer more comprehensive resources for larger engineering projects,” sums up Focusplan’s CEO Vesa Ranta. “Focusplan’s corporate acquisition is part of our domestic growth strategy and a step towards our more expansive international commissions. The corporate acquisition will also strengthen our regional growth goals in West Finland, together with our existing local units,” explains Timo Hyvönen, Chair of the Board at Fimpec Group Oy. Fimpec Group’s CEO Antti Lukka says the corporate acquisition will further strengthen Fimpec’s engineering services and act as a growth platform for expansion into new industries, which aligns with the Group’s strategy. “We have followed Focusplan’s positive development in recent years, and the company’s committed staff have shown solid competence in industries that are interesting to us. The corporate acquisition will provide both Fimpec and Focusplan customers with better-quality services and specialist expertise in demanding projects and major commissions,” says Lukka. For more information, please contact: Antti Lukka, CEO, Fimpec Group Oy tel. +358 40 535 0626 e-mail: antti.lukka@fimpec.com Timo Hyvönen, Chair of the Board, Fimpec Group Oy tel. +358 400 975 838 e-mail: timo.hyvonen@helmetcapital.fi Vesa Ranta, CEO, Focusplan Oy tel. +358 400 783 329 e-mail: vesa.ranta@focusplan.fi Fimpec is a leading specialist in the field of project management and engineering. We act as project consultants in major investment projects in the industrial and energy industries, and as experts in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. In 2020, our turnover was EUR 25.7 million and we employ more than 260 top experts in Finland and abroad. Focusplan Oy is a Turku-based engineering agency founded in 1988. We offer high-quality services for several different industries. We work in close collaboration with our customers and focus on finding solutions that will last long into the future.
Fimpec participates in the Naistenlahti power plant project in Tampere 15.9.2021 Tampereen Sähkölaitos’ Naistenlahti 3 power plant project is a replacement investment in which the existing Naistenlahti 2 boiler will be replaced with a new CFB boiler. In connection with the boiler renewal, the power plant’s fuel reception, screening and storage and conveyor equipment, as well as other necessary systems serving the new boiler, will also be renewed. The new steam turbine will not be implemented during the project, but the existing old steam turbine will be utilized. The old Naistenlahti 2 power boiler is nearing the end of its life after more than 40 years of operation and will be shut down permanently in the spring of 2022. After that, the new power plant will be commissioned in the autumn and should be ready for production in December 2022. The project is related to the Tampereen Sähklaitos’s energy turnaround, which began 10 years ago. With the energy revolution, work has begun to reduce CO2 emissions and introduce renewable energy sources. Tampereen Sähkölaitos is familiar to Fimpec. Fimpec Energy, formerly known as Fundacon Oy, has a long history with Tampereen Sähkölaitos. Fimpec’s Pasi Lehtonen has worked for Tampereen Sähkölaitos for about 10 years in various projects and in various positions. Due to this long history together and his strong experience, Lehtonen was selected for the NSL3 project. Lehtonen works in the NSL3 project as the client’s procurement manager and is responsible for procurement coordination and procurement negotiations and agreements. The project is progressing despite challenging conditions Project preparation started already in 2017 and project planning continued until 2019. Construction of the plant has started in the spring of 2020. Lehtonen says that the project is progressing on schedule. “The construction phase of the project is now almost at its peak. The boiler plant is currently being built and construction work is also being carried out on the fuel receiving side. In the autumn, pipelines, equipment installations and electrification will begin,” Lehtonen clarifies. Lehtonen says that the project is challenging due to certain special features, but it has also progressed well despite of them. “This is a challenging project to build. It is a very cramped site, it has a running power plant next door and the site strength at its best is almost 400 people. For these reasons, coordination of work with other contractors and a good spirit of cooperation are important. In addition, lake Näsijärvi is right next door and the plant will be completed in a really visible place and close to the center of Tampere. That is why the plant will be made spectacular and will have an effect wall and great lighting when completed. Despite the special features and the coronavirus epidemic, the project has progressed well and the pandemic situation has not affected the schedules at all at the moment, ” Lehtonen describes. According to Lehtonen, the project is significant for Tampere and the Tampere district, because the power plant will use renewable biofuels. In addition, the project is an excellent demonstration of the customer’s long-term trust in Fimpec’s Owner’s Engineering services.