On December 6th this year Finland will turn 100, and Wärtsilä is celebrating Finland’s birthday by participating as an official partner of the centennial programme.
The centenary of Finland’s independence in 2017 is the most significant commemorative year for the current generation of Finns. The centenary emphasises Finland’s strengths, such as equality and democracy, by offering Finns and friends of Finland a diverse and international centenary programme - both in Finland and abroad. The centenary year provides opportunities to better understand the past, experience the jubilee together, and set the course for Finland’s future success.
The theme of Finland’s centenary celebration year is ‘Together’. The organisation of the ‘Finland 100 Years’ project was established by the Prime Minister’s Office, and has responsibility for organising the official centenary year events.
Wärtsilä supports innovation by donating to research
Wärtsilä donates a total of EUR 1,300,000 to Finnish universities as a ‘gift’ for Finland in 2017. With this donation Wärtsilä intends to demonstrate its support for Finnish technology education, and in this way participate in promoting research in Finnish universities and strengthening Finland's global competitiveness.
Wärtsilä’s superior technological solutions are internationally recognised, but remain little known to the broader Finnish public. So in this special year, with our Finland 100 themes and actions, we will tell the Finns – and our global audience –about Wärtsilä’s long and successful history in developing Finland’s technology sector.
Future of the Seas
Wärtsilä has a proud heritage in Finland, with more than 180 years of experience. We have a wide range of operations here, and we have always been a pioneer in technology. At the core of our operations lies a continuous desire to improve, a passion to tackle new technical challenges, and an ability to look forward. We adapt to the changed needs of the surrounding world and collaborate in close cooperation with our sub-contractors, customers, and other partners. We develop our operations and products in line with sustainable development. Wärtsilä’s Finland 100 theme is the ‘Future of the Seas’, which combines all our key priorities: technology, environment and digitalisation. Our main message is that Wärtsilä leverages technology and digitalisation to help ensure a cleaner and more sustainable future for the seas of the world.
Through our Finland 100 themes and projects we want to highlight Wärtsilä’s image as a leading modern technology company, and try to change the larger public’s perception of the company as merely a traditional engine manufacturer. The objective is also to gain visibility and to improve brand awareness among a broader Finnish and global audience, and with potential employees and collaborators. We would also like to reflect on how Wärtsilä has grown and developed along with its homeland, surviving war, economic turmoil, and political crisis and overcoming financial and geographic obstacles.
Wärtsilä’s Finland 100 themes and examples:
TECHNOLOGY
Wärtsilä leads the way in gas and dual-fuel engine technology and in engine maintenance, particularly in promoting efficiency, fuel flexibility, and the reduction of environmental impacts. Our technology innovations are exemplified by such successes as the Wärtsilä 31 engine, LNG terminals and engines, and our hybrid and solar power plants. We also support the Vaasa Energy Business Innovation Centre (VEBIC).
DIGITALISATION
Wärtsilä has used digital technology for many years in the remote monitoring of ship or plant engines, and in the optimisation and planning of operations. Wärtsilä envisages the future of shipping, and is deeply involved in the development of the world’s first system of autonomous ships for the Baltic Sea.
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS
Product development at Wärtsilä is guided by energy efficiency and environmental values. Wärtsilä supplies technologies that reduce exhaust gas emissions and waste (including LNG engines, scrubbers and catalyst systems, and solutions for the treatment of ballast water, wastewater and dry waste).
Written by: Anne Manner