EDITORIAL
2/2015
COMEBACK KING
The Finnish marine industry is back – with a vengeance. Last year, the
turnover for Finnish marine industry climbed from €5.5 billion to 6 billion,
even though brisk winds still dominate the economy in Finland. For
example, the Turku shipyard has been completely rejuvenated under
German ownership as Meyer Werft wasted no time in turning the course of
the shipyard around.
The Meyer family – together with the State of Finland – acquired
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Turku shipyard from STX Europe in September 2014 with the
understanding that the state will make its exit in due time. “Due time”
became sooner than later as Meyer Werft bought the remaining 30 % from
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Petri Charpentier
the State in May 2015.
Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, explains the move by saying that at
the time of the purchase, Meyer was only operating shipyards in Germany
PROJECT MANAGER
Jaakko Lätti
and investment in Finland was a big step for the family business. He credits
the Finnish Government for making the deal possible – but now it was
time for Turku to start sailing on her own. The new owner is looking to
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Liisa Hyvönen
add some muscle to the operations: while the Turku shipyard capacity is
100 000 GT, there are plans to increase capacity to 180 000 GT in a couple
of years.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Riitta Yli-Öyrä
Jan Meyer expresses a hope that the decision to acquire total
ownership is received as a “sign of confidence” that Meyer Werft is looking
to make Turku shipyard a long-term shipbuilding success. This message has,
indeed, been heard loud and clear in the industry.
The Finnish marine industry has been craving for some good news
CONTRIBUTORS
Sami J. Anteroinen
Merja Kihl
Ari Mononen
for a while. After hitting rock bottom in 2011, the climb back towards
respectability has been long and hard – and as the Finnish marine cluster
covers around 2 900 companies, the impact of tough times is felt widely.
COVER PHOTO
Meyer Turku Oy
Today, the marine cluster employs more than 43 000 people in
operations directly related to the marine sector and of these, more than
21 000 people are employed by the marine industry. Spearheaded by
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excellent product development, these marine industry companies have
reached a leading market position in several segments.
During the last few years, as the pickings have been slim domestically,
these subcontractors have ventured further out. For instance, 15 percent of
the machinery, equipment and subcontracting of the Oasis 3 cruise ship –
currently under construction in France – has been bought from Finland.
PETRI CHARPENTIER
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seatec 2/2015