Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2019 | Page 21

Get in the Ring!
Helsinki Ring of Industry keeps attracting
smart companies
There’s an entire “industrial belt” surrounding the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
The local municipalities are attracting especially companies from the fields of
hi-tech, manufacturing and logistics. United under the brand ‘Helsinki Ring of
Industry,’ the ten municipalities are eager to enlist even more potent players.
D
irector Antti Kuusela from Helsinki
Ring of Industry says that the pre-
sent-day success has not material-
ized over night: the local municipalities have
been working together to boost the regional
economy since the early 2000’s.
“It is clear that we can achieve more
together than alone. International compa-
nies, for example, have responded well to
our message.”
One example of the international trend
is the Russian search engine company Yan-
dex which found a home in the Ring in 2015.
Arrival of Yandex has really put the “eco” in
the local ecosystem, since the excess heat of
the company’s servers is used to warm up the
surrounding industrial park – and beyond.
”In 2017, we produced 17 gigawatt
hours of heat and this year we’ll reach 20
GWh. We feel that this is a good way for us
to integrate into the community,” says Data
Center Manager Ari Kurvi.  
 Analyzing the appeal of the Helsinki
Ring of Industry, Kurvi says that being
linked to the regional ecosystem is a big
plus. “These municipalities are right next
to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, so there’s
talented workforce to hire, services and good
connections all around.” 
Solid Investment
Antti Kuusela points out that the main oper-
ating costs of a, say, regional HQ in the area,
appear to be far lower than in many North
European capitals. “In addition, Finland has
one of the best-educated workforces and the
Ring of Industry municipalities are a great
example of this.”
“Many manufacturing industry lead-
ers have their product development and pro-
duction of customer tailored hi-tech prod-
ucts right here,” says Kuusela. “We have
supply chains that are both agile and com-
petitive – and this is helping companies to
introduce new products to markets faster and
with less risk.”
It is clear that international companies
“feel right at home” in the Region, since
the process has been carefully constructed
to support their business operations, what-
ever their needs may be.
Another company nesting in the area
is Hetzner Online. Daniel Biller, Head of
Development, cites affordable electricity
and reliable infrastructure as the main rea-
sons for the move.
“The Capital Region provides us with
skilled workforce and Helsinki-Vantaa Air-
port enables our customers to visit us fast
and efficiently,” says Biller.
Ball Packaging Europe
In fact, the airport is only about
30 minutes away from most municipal-
ities, providing you with the fastest route
between Northern Europe and Asia. The
main harbor of Helsinki, Vuosaari Port, is
also within easy reach. “Between the air-
port and Vuosaari, we really have the keys
to a great logistical situation,” Antti Kuu-
sela says.
Smart Momentum
But what’s in the cards for the Ring of Indus-
try in the 2020’s – and beyond? Well, since
80 % of the data between Western Europe
and Russia flows through Finland, it makes
sense to expect more IT companies to find
their way here. Finland is also a forerunner
in the 5G revolution, for instance.
“Considering this background, it’s no
wonder that world-leading network com-
panies already have research and product
development organizations in the region –
and more are on the way,” Kuusela says. l
Helsinki Ring of Industry
–  Regional municipalities involved: Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kirkkonummi, Kerava,
  Mäntsälä, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Sipoo, Tuusula and Vihti
–  total number of inhabitants in the municipalities: 320,000
–  tech industry turnover in the Region: over €25 billion
Yandex
Hetzner Online
Nordicum 21