Category: Project management

Kosti Koski has started at Fimpec as Director of the energy business

Kosti Koski has been appointed as Director of Fimpec’s energy business as of August 2021. In his role, Koski is responsible for growing and developing Fimpec’s energy business and the internationalization of the energy sector. A key part of Koski’s assignment is to multiply the volume of project exports from the domestic, Baltic and Swedish energy businesses and the energy sector in co-operation with other business management.

The focus of Koski’s expertise is in strategic management and sales expertise. He says strategic management covers much more than business strategy planning. For example, developing a business management system and bringing a client perspective to the entire organization are missions that are close to his heart.

Special competence with strategic management and sales expertise

Kosti Koski has a Master’s degree in energy technology and a Master’s degree in economics. In addition to a diverse educational background, Koski has a diverse work history. He has most recently served as sales Director of a multidisciplinary design office. In the past, Koski has, among other things, led Helen’s refrigeration business in a period of strong growth and investment.

Fimpec was not already familiar to Koski, but he was impressed by the company’s growth goals and strong expertise in the energy sector.

“At Fimpec, I was particularly attracted to the ambitious growth target. Here nobody expects jobs to pop out of nowhere. It is extremely important for the success of the consulting business to have a client-oriented team that listens to the clients and genuinely provides services to the needs of the client. Fimpec already has a significant amount of expertise in the energy sector and an approach that sets it apart from the competition. The basis for growth is therefore excellent,” Koski sums up.

According to Antti Lukka, CEO of Fimpec Group, Koski strengthens Fimpec’s client-centric development and strategic client relationship management.

“We have set tough growth targets for our energy business for the coming years and to enable them, Koski was a natural choice to be the leader of our energy business. Fimpec is particularly known for its large-scale assignments in industry, but the growth potential created by the sustainable development of the energy sector has not yet been fully exploited. Koski’s expertise in client relationship management and business development contributes to achieving the growth goals of the energy sector,” says Lukka.

Projects flow with the help of Fimpec IPD and Lean

IPD i.e. Integrated Project Delivery is a project organization model. It forms a joint project team between the customer and other key players and sets common goals for the team. Each actor enters into their own agreement with the customer, but the roles and responsibilities are assigned individuals best suited to them, regardless of company boundaries.

Fimpec applies its own Fimpec IPD model in its projects. The main difference between Fimpec IPD and the traditional IPD implementation model is in particular the approach that Fimpec has developed for the industrial sector, which intensifies the project organisation’s cooperation at an early stage of the project. Eelon Lappalainen, Fimpec’s construction and design manager, says that in Finland, the traditional concept of IPD is rooted in alliance projects, which aim to commit key players to common goals and better cooperation through agreements.

“However, Fimpec IPD has emerged from industrial investment projects in collaboration with industrial companies. It has been developed especially for these projects. In the Fimpec model, co-operation starts at a very early stage, often already at different project and pre-study stages. The seed of cooperation is then sown with the customer’s team. We start towards common goals well in advance of the investment decision. At Fimpec’s IPD, it is essential that occupational safety, cost, schedule and quality targets are set together with the customer and that Fimpec has a truly “skin in the game” mentality”, Lappalainen describes.

Fimpec has successfully utilized IPD in numerous projects. The benefits of the IPD model have been seen especially in Metsä Group’s bioproduct plant projects in Kemi and Äänekoski. The lessons learned from the Äänekoski project have been further developed in Kemi with the customer, and the parties responsible for the plant’s design have also been involved in more in-depth cooperation. In both bioproduct factory projects, a joint project team consisting of key actors was built already in the project planning phase.
Fimpec IPD strives to ensure that important customer goals are met. Lappalainen says that in industrial projects, it is especially important that one’s own investment is launched safely, with high quality, on budget and on schedule.

“For example, it is often important for industrial customers to have a reliable cost estimate and schedule based on knowledge of similar projects. Fimpec is a particularly strong expert here, because since the establishment of the company, post-calculation and scheduling information for industrial projects have been systematically collected and we always utilize this information in our customers’ projects. In addition, Fimpec IPD has clear policies for the different phases of the project. In particular, to manage the demanding interface between construction and installation, the company has ready-made and tested operating models. In this case, the work can proceed smoothly, and the client can focus on things that are important to them”, Lappalainen sums up.

IPD is based on improving flow efficiency in a Lean manner

The concept of IPD has emerged in the language of project activities through Lean. The Lean operating philosophy is based on improving flow efficiency. This is done by trying to remove obstacles to the flow of work through different methods and to reduce the waste of work that arises in different activities.

Tatu Kivinen, Fimpec’s design engineer, says that the core principle of Lean operations is to identify the added value and progress of the work. In Lean, it is important to identify what is actually valuable and, on the other hand, what hinders the work. Because of this one key feature is that the work is visualized in order to be able to anticipate future tasks and their conditions.

Another key principle in Lean is to limit unfinished work. A project becomes more flow efficient by focusing on essential tasks instead of increasing workflow. The third key principle of Lean is that work should not be done separately from others, but in open collaboration.

Kivinen describes that at its best, Lean brings the customer a more reliable delivery, where schedules are met, and operations are transparent to the customer. For employees, Lean is a motivating principle that brings a sense of success through a model of continuous learning and development.

Lean thinking has great potential in expert work, although it is not such a tangible model of action. However, the entire work community from management to employees needs to engage in Lean so that it integrates properly into everyday work. Lean is actually more of a culture or philosophy than just one strategy of action”, Kivinen explains.

Fimpec IPD and Lean provide the keys to project success

At Fimpec, Lean and IPD are implemented through skilled experts. Employees have experienced first-hand how Lean methods are useful in everyday project work. The company has grown strongly in recent years, but Lappalainen says that he has noticed that new employees are also adopting Lean methods in projects alongside older “veterans”. At Fimpec, Lean has been integrated into operations and has also had management support from the beginning.

In the case of Lean construction, one of the most common ways of organizing large and demanding projects is the IPD. Lappalainen explains that the traditional model, in which the actors sub-optimize their own business separately and manage the project mainly through contracts, is the opposite of IPD. Projects can be promoted in the same way, but such a model is no longer enough to manage the increasingly fast-paced and demanding projects in industry. This creates a need for an IPD-like approach.

“The pursuit of better flow efficiency is, of course, a kind of ideal that is never achieved, but without direction, operations do not develop. I am very confident that we will be able to incorporate Lean methods and Fimpec IPD in our new Metsä Group’s Kemi bioproduct plant project for our new employees, contractor representatives, equipment suppliers and that our customers will benefit from the methods we use. In this way, we will continue to ensure cooperation and the continuous development of our IPD model to meet the needs of our customers”, Lappalainen emphasizes.

Modern leaders of Fimpec, part 2: Sylvain Koivulampi

Project engineer Sylvain Koivulampi started working at Fimpec in 2015 when he was finishing his master’s studies in civil engineering. He was looking for interesting work opportunities and potential employers when he ran into Fimpec’s website. Fimpec’s expertise in construction and project management tasks for industrial and commercial projects as well as the firm’s international opportunities interested Koivulampi. So, he contacted the firm’s management directly. A job was found for Koivulampi immediately and he got to do quantity calculation in the Riikinvoima eco-power plant project.

Ever since his job assignments have developed and he has accumulated a handful of projects. After Riikinvoima Koivulmapi has in MetsäFibre’s bioproduct factory project in Äänekoski after which he was able to do his master’s thesis for Fimpec. After graduating he has advanced from site engineer to project engineer. Currently Koivulmapi is doing his first project abroad in Montevideo Uruguay, in the UPM port terminal project. Koivulampi’s project engineer tasks involve cost control and monitoring, quantity calculations as well as schedule planning and monitoring.

Openness at the heart of the action

According to Koivulampi, project work is based on the requirements and success of the project. That’s why he leads his own work, especially by prioritizing his work tasks and keeping the communication open. He organizes tasks according to which are most important for the progress of the project at any given time. In his work Koivulampi also strives to be absolutely honest to both his superiors and colleagues as well as to clients and other stakeholders.

“I want to be open, so that I can tell if I see potential challenges or problems in my opinion, but I’ll also be happy to express it if something feels particularly smart”, Koivulampi explains.

According to Koivulampi’s own experiences, it is particularly easy to be open at Fimpec.

“There has never been a situation where there is something I would like to talk about, but I would get a feeling that I shouldn’t even bother to say it. So, there’s always been such an atmosphere where I feel like I can raise an issue when it feels good to talk about it”.

Koivulampi aims to make the project a success through the management of his own work. It’s important for Koivulampi that his own tasks are progressing at the pace of the projectand that he is responsible for his own tasks so that they are handled in the best possible way. In addition, he contributes to the success of the project by creating an open atmosphere.

“For my part, I try to get along very well with all project members and support the success of other project members in their own work. I strive for this by sharing information proactively. If in my daily tasks I encounter such information that I think is important for somebody else in the project, I share it with them. This is how I try to create an open atmosphere and support others”, Koivulampi describes.

According to Koivulampi, modern leadership also appears to employees at Fimpec as openness, one of the benefits of a low-level organization. The threshold to reach out to supervisors and colleagues is low, or it doesn’t really exist. It is easy to talk about anything. Additionally, it’s easy to get along with coworkers and everyone is very professional. In projects Koivulampi has experienced the modern leadership arising from openness, especially through the project team.

“In the projects, the teams have been formed in such a way that there is a really good work environment. Not only between us fimpecians but in the whole project organization. This approach does not only look at one’s own pole, and we don’t isolate ourselves into one Fimpec-block, but we operate genuinely as a seamless part of the project organization to promote the benefits of the project”, Koivulampi sums up.

In addition to openness, insight and straightforwardness are important things for Koivulampi in his own work, and according to him they are more than just fancy words. The fact that they really come to fruition is one of the reasons he has enjoyed being at Fimpec for so long. According to Koivulampi they are implemented in projects so that communication is honest, direct and natural, between fimpecians and other members of the project.

“For example, here in the Montevideo port terminal project, they are visible and implemented in such a way that, although there are non-Fimpec employees in the project, we still operate in such a way that we are a seamless part of the entire project management organization. All activities are driven by the overall benefit of the project as the ultimate goal.”

A chance to develop

Alongside openness, developing one’s own competence has been an important part of Koivulampi’s career at Fimpec. He feels that he has been able to develop and update his own skills, because the tasks in each project have always been a little different than before.

“The job description and responsibilities in the projects have been partly similar, but there has always been some variation in the tasks. From each project I have learnt a lot of new and useful things. At Fimpec in particular, I have experienced how in such an organization it is possible to provide job opportunities for experts according to their own strengths and development aspirations.In fact, my entire career at Fimpechas been such that I have been offered assignments in projects where the job description and work tasks correspond to my own competence and support my development”, Koivulampi describes.

Koivulampi describes his passion for better projects also through his own expertise.

“I realize that in a project I am one block in a bigger machine, so to speak. I understand that my own role and tasks, whatever they may be, are important and that is why I want to do my own work as well as possible.”

Koivulampi feels that he has grown at Fimpec both professionally and as a human being. Professional growth includes a deepening understanding of specific industrial construction projects, as well as how the customer-driven subcontracting model and project management adapted to them work.

“In a sense I have also grown as a person, because I have been able to work with different people because co-workers and colleagues change with projects. I have learned tacit knowledge from them, but I have also got to know a lot of new people, from all over the world as well with the latest project. I find it really eye-opening”, Koivulampi sums up.

Keys to leadership

When Koivulampi started at Fimpec his career was still in the beginning stages. Fimpec has since had a significant impact on his career and competence. Koivulampi has not yet been in a leadership role, but being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a title to go with it. Koivulampi sees that if there were an opportunity for a leadership position in the future, he would have gotten good examples for acting as a leader from Fimpec.

“At Fimpec, I have learned especially one thing about leadership. If I ever work in a supervisory role, I want to create a work atmosphere where subordinates and colleagues dare to raise issues.This, in my view, relates in particular to openness, honesty and straightforwardness, that I stand behind the things I promise and act as I require others to act. That’s exactly what happens at Fimpec.”

Welcome to our new website

We published the English version of the website of Fimpec on 10 August 2021. The site will introduce the new Fimpec Group, which is a project consultant for challenging industrial and energy sites 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 fully integrated martech service partner 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.

» Read more

Fimpec taking part in the construction of a pulp mill in Chile

A new pulp mill will be built in Arauco, Chile, with Valmet as one of the main equipment suppliers. Fimpec has an agreement with Valmet and Fimpec’s installation supervision experts are working as part of the project. Fimpec’s installation supervisors work on the project in areas of special technology that require industry knowledge and profiled expertise.

To participate in the MAPA project, and in particular to strengthen international growth, Fimpec established a subsidiary in Chile in 2020. Fimpec Chile S.a.P strengthens Fimpec’s foothold in South America alongside Fimpec Uruguay S.A.

Timo-Pekka Aaltonen, Fimpec’s operative manager, who has managed e.g. sales of the project and was involved in the establishment of Fimpec Chile S.a.P., says the MAPA project is a significant continuation of collaboration with Valmet.

“The long-term cooperation with Valmet is important and the project will involve a significant number of Fimpec experts. South America as the target area and our existing experience in Uruguay makes us a known, credible, and reliable partner for the project. For Fimpec, the project is significant as a continuum for our operations in South America.”

Saku Virtanen is currently in charge of the operational management of Fimpec Chile and works in the MAPA project for Fimpec’s part as project manager.

Fimpec and Valmet signed a global framework agreement

The long partnership and cooperation with Valmet have continued for several years. In 2020, Fimpec also entered into a global framework agreement with Valmet, which Aaltonen has been involved in negotiating.

“In the global framework agreement with Valmet we have agreed on general terms and conditions, so it is easy to transfer experts to projects. Only project-specific needs, costs and structures are left to be defined, which makes operations agile. This is how a good customer relationship with Valmet continues and we are best able to serve the customer”, Aaltonen describes.

“We have had good cooperation with Fimpec for a long time and this global framework agreement is a natural next step”, says Suvi Reinikka, Valmet’s global category manager for site works and services.

Finnish Fimpec has grown on an international scale – modern project management requires a bold attitude to collaboration

Fimpec is a project consultant for challenging industrial and energy industry sites and an expert in the property and infrastructure sectors, and it wishes to further distinguish itself as a modern leader in a traditional industry. In investment projects, this means the deconstruction of familiar roles on open and interactive problem-solving terms.

“We must be ready and genuinely willing to listen, collaborate, and discuss,” explains Antti Lukka, CEO of Fimpec Group Oy. “Traditional projects always involve certain roles, but we believe that better results are achieved by approaching problem-solving from a shared project perspective rather than a role-oriented one. Our business comes from projects that are by nature complex and challenging,” Lukka adds. “But we have the passion to succeed.”

In practice, service packages must always be adapted to meet the needs of the project and the customer. Flexibility applies to processes, the search for construction solutions, and a schedule that takes economic cycles into account. Lukka believes that the interface between packages and the willingness to collaborate set project management companies apart: there is often a fear that anyone proposing a new kind of solution will end up footing the bill. Everyone benefits from Fimpec’s integrated project delivery method, which also works with smaller packages – the operating method is key.

“All projects are always full of problems and challenges. One actor can create many problems, but no single actor can solve any problem alone,” explains Lukka. “Challenges are best solved by coming together around the same table, rather than shouting across from another.”

Aiming at a turnover of EUR 50 million and the best talent in the industry in the next few years

Fimpec has its roots in Finnish companies whose owners have been involved in operations right from the start. Committed ownership has provided a stable funding base and has strengthened Fimpec’s wide range of skills.

“Our growth strategy has fallen into place naturally as a result of corporate acquisitions and business development. Thanks to the uniform Fimpec brand, our outer appearance now corresponds to our daily service provision. We are already very close to what we were aiming for a few years ago,” says Lukka.

“Growth through corporate acquisitions supports organic growth if the strengths of the different companies complement one another. Fimpec’s roots are in our different companies, which have very few overlaps: our range of services naturally cover both a project’s life cycle and the services required for the project. Now we’re seeking strength from a unified and common goal, and we are also providing added value to existing services.”

Having tripled its turnover in three years, the Group is now aiming at a turnover of EUR 50 million and international growth in the next few years, especially in the Baltic countries, Sweden, Germany, and South America. In addition to project exports, the company is seeking growth directly from foreign customers. Around one third of business currently comes from abroad, and in 3-5 years the aim is for that share to be around 50 per cent.

In Finland, project management is under way on the construction of MetsäFibre’s new bioproduct mill in Kemi, where Fimpec has been involved in seeing the project through right from the early engineering phase.

The availability of experts in a growing industry has forced Fimpec to think about how to replace retiring aging groups with the best talent using a job description that attracts today’s experts. So far, Fimpec has managed well, which Lukka puts down to Fimpec’s flexible culture, its rapid pace of development, and the company’s status as an industry challenger. Nevertheless, a growth company continuously needs new people.

“Growth and a major shake-up of working life have required a clear change to how experts are individually managed and motivated. There’s a lot more to it than simply working long hours with your nose to the grindstone. Fortunately, those times are behind us. Work should be interesting, and tasks must involve the same modernity and agility as the company,” Lukka explains.

For more information and interviews, please contact:

Antti Lukka, tel. +358 (0)40 535 0626
CEO, Fimpec Group Oy

More information:

The Fimpec Group comprises Fimpec Engineering Oy (CTS Engtec Oy), Fimpec PMO Oy (Fimpec Oy), Fimpec Energy Oy (Fundacon Oy), Fimpec Energy AB (Fundacon AB), FimpecDeutschlandGmbH, Fimpec Uruguay S.A, Fimpec Chile SpA, SystemTest OÜ and Fimpec Group Oy (Smaragdus Oy). The name changes will not result in any direct changes to the companies’ operations or customer relationships.

Fimpec is a top 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 property and infrastructure sectors. We employ 260 professionals in 7 countries, and our turnover in 2020 was €25.7 million.

We can lead your project to complete success

Read more at: www.fimpec.com

Saku Virtanen to become installation management service manager at Fimpec

Mechanical and production technology engineer Saku Virtanen was appointed as Fimpec Oy’s installation management service manager for the industrial sector from January 2021. He is responsible for the sales and resource allocation of installation management services. In addition to his tasks as an installation management supervisor, his job description also includes project management, budgeting, and scheduling. Virtanen’s role also increasingly includes the operative management of Fimpec’s subsidiary in Chile.

Virtanen has over 10 years of experience in the industrial sector working with the automation, marine, energy, bioindustry, and chemical industries. Before joining Fimpec, he worked at a consulting firm where he was responsible for installation supervision, project management, and sales.

Virtanen was familiar with Fimpec from previous projects. He says that in the competitive field, Fimpec’s installation management services place particular emphasis on customer orientation and years of ironclad experience. Fimpec genuinely listens to the customers it works with. Virtanen also wants to work determinedly, with the same attitude.

“I will bring perseverance, expertise, and my energy to Fimpec. I always want to find the best possible solution for the customer through open communication and the genuine will to ascertain the customer’s needs. Fimpec offers installation management services that are customised to meet the needs of the customer. The company’s approach is customer-oriented and cost-efficient. Fimpec’s strategy is to safeguard the customer’s interests and act accordingly.”

The advantages of a low-hierarchy organisation, like agility, interested Virtanen.

“My move to Fimpec went well and I received support and guidance right from the start. Fimpec offered me the opportunity to challenge myself with tasks involving greater responsibility, which really motivate me. People are easy to approach, and we can communicate openly with colleagues and supervisors. Fimpec is run flexibly.”

Fimpec and Metsä Fibre sign a contract to build a bioproduct mill in Kemi

Once complete, the Kemi bioproduct mill will be the largest wood processing plant in the northern hemisphere, and the Finnish forest industry’s largest investment, totalling 1.6 billion euros. The environmentally, energy, and material-efficient mill will run entirely on renewable fuels and will have an electricity self-sufficiency rate of 250 per cent. After completion, the mill will produce 1.5 million tonnes of spruce and birch pulp, energy, and numerous other bioproducts each year.

“We want to partner with the industry’s best professionals to build a modern, renewable bioproduct mill in Kemi, and we require them to commit to the project’s safety, scheduling and quality requirements. Our long-term partnership with Fimpec operates in accordance with these principles, and we have all the prerequisites to collaborate and implement a successful large-scale industrial project in Kemi”, says Jari-Pekka Johansson, Metsä Fibre’s project manager for the bioproduct mill.

“The Kemi bioproduct mill is an investment that utilises the latest technology, with equipment deliveries based on the most environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions. This commission will significantly strengthen the long-term and fruitful collaboration between Metsä Fibre and Fimpec, which openly seeks new and effective operating methods. Our experts will work as a tight-knit part of Metsä Group’s Kemi bioproduct mill implementation organisation. Our collaboration with Metsä Fibre already played a significant role back when Fimpec’s growth story was written. We are very pleased and touched that we are now able to add new pages to our story,” says Pekka Salomaa, Chair of the Board at Fimpec.

Metsä Fibre is the world’s leading bioproduct manufacturer. The company is the world’s largest producer of market spruce pulp and a significant actor in sawmill production. In 2020, Metsä Fibre’s turnover was 2.2 million euros and the company employed around 1,300 people. Metsä Fibre is a part of Metsä Group.

(In the picture)
The contract concerning Metsä Group’s Kemi bioproduct mill project was signed by bioproduct mill project manager Jari-Pekka Johansson from Metsä Fibre (left), Metsä Fibre Oy’s CEO Ismo Nousiainen, Fimpec’s Chair of the Board Pekka Salomaa, and Fimpec’s CEO Mikko Turunen

Fimpec’s turnover rose to over 10 million euros as it became increasingly international

Fimpec’s growth and internationalisation continued in 2020 as part of the company’s strategy. Its turnover rose to 10.2 million euros (7.9 million euros in 2019), an increase of around 30 per cent on the previous year.

Fimpec’s CEO Mikko Turunen says that the company’s growth is the result of determined work to achieve set goals.

“The numbers show the determined work we’ve carried out to implement our strategy. Our results indicate that there is demand both in Finland and abroad for a flexible and competent company implementing top international operating methods like Fimpec.”

Particular to 2020 was a significant increase in turnover from outside of Finland, which rose to around one quarter of the total turnover from a share of less than 10 per cent in 2019. Outside of Finland, Fimpec operates in particular in Uruguay, Chile and Germany, where it has subsidiaries.

“A large part of the growth in turnover came from our international operations. Large projects are under way in both Uruguay and Germany, and other projects are in the pipeline.

Turnover in Finland also increased, which indicates that our operations have become consolidated and that our customers trust our competence in our domestic market area, too,” says Turunen.

According to Turunen, 2021 has started as expected, and he believes that the company will see strong growth this year, too.

“2021 has got off to a promising start. The projects that are under way are progressing at full speed both in Finland and abroad, and we are starting new projects which will see us far into the future,” states Fimpec’s CEO Mikko Turunen.