Finnish wind energy on the way up

Finland has one of the lowest amounts of wind energy capacity in Europe but the situation could be changing. Anni Mikkonen from the Finnish Wind Energy Association tells us why…

Finland’s target for 2020 is to meet 38% of the country’s energy consumption with renewable energies. The main renewable energy sources to meet this target are biomass, wind power and hydro power. In the national renewable energy action plan, the target for wind is 2,500 MW in installed capacity. It is not much compared to the leading wind energy countries in Europe, but it is an ambitious target for a country that has currently got a very modest wind energy capacity – only 198 MW.

So far construction has been extremely slow in Finland, but there will be a change in speed from this year onwards since the feed-in-tariff was implemented in March 2011 and work to remove administrative barriers has started. About 100 MW worth of wind power will be installed this year, which is a good start!

The rise in interest in the Finnish wind power market could also be seen at the EWEA 2012 Annual Event held in Copenhagen last month. There were at least 14 Finnish companies exhibiting – that must have been a record! There were also plenty of Finnish conference and exhibition delegates listening to the interesting presentations and making important connections. It seemed that wherever you went there was always a Finn around the corner!

The Finnish Minister of Economics, Jyri Häkämies, who is also in charge of energy issues, visited the exhibition on the final morning of the event. The visit was a very important signal to the industry showing that there is a really strong political will in Finland to reach the 2020 targets. Minister Häkämies talked about the importance of wind power in meeting the Finnish 2020 targets and said that administrative barriers will be removed.

Like in every other market, wind power in Finland still faces challenges. One of these could be local acceptance. However, public acceptance of wind energy is very high – according to a survey carried out by the Federation of Energy Industries in spring 2012, over 89% of Finns would like to see more wind power installed. The communications academy organised by EWEA after the conference gave participants excellent ideas on how to work with local people to gain local acceptance. For example, I was really interested to learn about a number of studies the Canadian Wind Energy Association have made on wind energy and health. Moreover, information I gained from wind farm developers and other national associations will help me write a code of conduct for Finnish developers later this year.

By Anni Mikkonen, Finnish Wind Power Association

source: http://www.ewea.org

Keep your landscape free of noise!

Soundim Rail innovative solutions are all about the noise barrier for the silent landscape.

In June 2013 the City of Tampere and the Traffic Authority of Finland completed the test project in Järvensivu, Tampere, Finland.

Soundim Rail is a new type of railroad noise barrier with innovative solutions, which revolutionizes the railroad noise prevention at various levels. The inclinable Soundim Rail facilitates the barrier installation and considerably simplifies special transportations and rail maintenance. The new barrier is only 85 cm high, so the railroad environment landscape stays almost undisturbed.

The barrier was built on both sides of the track, the other side being 0.85m high and the other side 1.1m high. The lenght of the barrier is 2*140m.

Source: http://www.soundim.fi/gb/

REPERCUSIONES POR EL POSIBLE AUMENTO DE PRODUCCION DE LA EX BOTNIA

El canciller Héctor Timerman advirtió que “las relaciones entre Argentina y Uruguay están por encima de los intereses de una empresa”. El intendente del departamento uruguayo de Río Negro, Omar Lafluf, dijo que “hay que tratar de acordar la solución” con los argentinos.

“Las relaciones entre Argentina y Uruguay están por encima de los intereses de una empresa”, afirmó ayer el canciller Héctor Timerman y ratificó así el rechazo argentino al pedido de la firma finlandesa UPM de aumentar la producción de celulosa en la planta que opera en Fray Bentos. El intendente del departamento uruguayo de Río Negro, Omar Lafluf, sostuvo que “Uruguay no va a resolver aisladamente” y consideró que “hay que tratar de acordar la solución” con Argentina. “No quiero que se corten los puentes de nuevo –manifestó–, ni que se llegue a la Corte de La Haya.

A la espera del visto bueno del Estado uruguayo, la pastera Botnia-UPM está temporalmente inactiva tras agotar la cuota de producción anual en el período en curso. “El reinicio de las operaciones está previsto para el 25 de septiembre, sujeto a la aprobación para incrementar la producción de 1,1 a 1,3 millón de toneladas”, anunció la semana pasada. Sin embargo, Argentina ratificó que no dará su autorización, la cual es necesaria según lo estipula el Estatuto del Río Uruguay, que regula las actividades que puedan afectar las condiciones ambientales en zona binacional.

En el gobierno de Uruguay consideran que la demanda de la pastera Botnia-UPM fue presentada ante la binacional Comisión Administradora del Río Uruguay y que a fines de este mes vence el plazo para que Argentina oficialice su objeción en el organismo. El presidente José “Pepe” Mujica adelantó el viernes pasado que tiene la decisión “en su cabeza”, pero que la hará pública una vez que la “comunique a las partes”.

Lafluf planteó como una solución intermedia “adelantar” el ciclo productivo de la planta de celulosa con el tope productivo vigente. “Que una vez que termine el mantenimiento, el 22 de septiembre, la empresa arranque a producir con el tope actual, hasta agosto del año próximo”, propuso. Explicó que es “para no mandar trabajadores al seguro de desempleo, como amenazó la firma, y que la empresa siga produciendo”.

“Se pretende que UPM no de-sarrolle su capacidad de producción, en una empresa que ha demostrado ser eficiente, seria y amigable con el medio ambiente”, criticaron comerciantes de Fray Bentos agrupados en la Acirn. Pidieron al Estado uruguayo que “defienda la soberanía” frente a “la prepotencia e intolerancia de nuestros vecinos argentinos”. “No aceptamos amenazas como el corte del turismo”, destacaron.

Fuente: Página 12 - Argentina

Wind Power Research in Focus 2013

TIME AND PLACE

16-17th of September, Chalmers kårhus, Gothenburg

PARTICIPANTSThe conference is aimed at researchers, administrators in planning and permitting processes, developers, consultants, operators in utilities and manufacturing companies.

PROGRAM
Day 1 has a Nordic theme and speakers from all Nordic countries are invited. The topics will range from ice on blades, electric power systems, maintenance offshore, wind power in forested areas, noise from wind power, effects on wildlife and golden eagles.

Day 2 will have two parallel sessions with technical and environmental focus respectively.

Overview program

Detailed program

PRICE
1000 SEK for both days. There will be an additional fee of 350 SEK for the evening buffet day 1.

REGISTRATION
Register to the conference at vif2013.axaco.se

Last day to register is the 4th of September.

ORGANISERS: Research program for Cold climate, Vindval, Vindforsk and Swedish Wind Power Technology Centre (SWPTC)

Analysis of wind turbine statistics in Finland

Few years ago Anders Stenberg has written a Master´s thesis on the development of wind power until today (2010) and the future wind power scenario in Finland. Pointing out there will be a large increase in wind power according to the target. This development will also have an influence on compiling of statistics as the amount of data grows. 

The thesis also deals with the operational principle of a wind turbine and the most important components of the system.

Main finding is probably that the main causes of downtime are failures in the gear and the hydraulic system. The largest number of failures arises in the hydraulic system. The downtime is spread evenly over the life time of a turbine with about 200 hours of downtime per year and turbine with the exception of the oldest turbines
in the survey. This was due to an increase in downtime in the hydraulic system and tip brakes of older turbines. This result indicates a rise in downtime as the turbine reaches an age of 15 years.

Statistics of production have been compiled since 1992 and the failure statistics since 1996. The failure statistics between years 1996 and 2008 are examined and contains data from 72 wind turbines.

The thesis (in Swedish) is available here: (pdf) 

Summer holidays...

We are enjoying the summer time until 31.7
info@cuevasconsulting.fi

The SmartGrids ERA-Net launches a new call for applied research projects

In order to support joint European research on smart grid issues, the SmartGrids ERA-Net launches its 3^rd call for research projects. The following countries are taking part in the call: Croatia, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. The total funding budget is set at € 3 600 000.

Focus areas of the 3^rd SmartGrids ERA-Net call are:

• Efficient operation of active distribution networks;
• Smart retail and consumer technologies and services, including smart metering hereunder costs & benefits, customer aspects, user behaviour, and flexible demand and energy management strategies in an energy market environment;
• Information and communication technology (ICT) tools for smart grids;
• Interface between the grid and the end-users, including aspects related to security, privacy, regulation and business cases;
• Storage and balancing.

Who can apply?

Within the framework of the national limitations, the 3^rd SmartGrids ERA-Net call is open to any resident researcher/eligible institution/business within the participating countries – complying in each case with the national regulations on public funding, unless specified otherwise by the specific programme. The call has a distributed fund where each country funds its own researchers.
The projects should involve cooperation/task sharing between the project partners. The project proposals must include partners from at least three of the countries participating in the call (Croatia, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey).
The call has a two-step application process:

1. Each consortium submits a pre-proposal. These will be evaluated by experts in the funding bodies or involved programmes. Some pre-proposals will be selected for the second stage.
2. The chosen consortia are then invited to submit full proposals. Final selection is made by the national funding agencies after the full proposals have been evaluated by independent international experts.

Deadline for submitting pre-proposals is 2 September 2013, 17:00 CET.
The pre-proposals and the full proposals are to be written in English and submitted via an electronic form available on the SmartGrids ERA-Net website. Proposals will be rejected if they have not been submitted correctly in due time.


More information can be found in the published call text, and on the SmartGrids ERA-Net website www.eranet-smartgrids.eu.

Source: Nordic Energy Research

Pöyry appointed to deliver EPCM services for concentrating plant expansion project at Kittilä gold mine

Agnico-Eagle Finland Oy has awarded Pöyry a services contract, for the expansion project for the concentrating plant and leaching process at Kittilä gold mine. The contract is for the provision of a total EPCM service and Pöyry will be responsible for project management, engineering and procurement and construction management. The project is an expansion to the existing operational mine. Pöyry also provided engineering and construction management services for the initial development of the existing concentrating plant. Locally, the project will employ around 100 people at the construction stage and 30 people in the concentrating process.

The Agnico-Eagle Kittilä mine is one of the largest known gold deposits in Europe, with a gold reserve of nearly 5 million ounces. Currently, the mine employs 400 people and 180 contractors. The Kittilä mine area contains several open pit deposits and deep-lying ore is excavated from an underground mine. The mine processes 3,000 tons of ore per day, and is expected to produce approximately 150,000 ounces of gold per year. The gold is separated from the ore by pressure leaching. The expansion will increase the production by 25 per cent.

Pöyry has extensive global experience of executing demanding projects. For the mining industry, we deliver consulting, engineering and project services, as well as ongoing operational services for the mine itself. Services include mine feasibility, environmental impact, geology and beneficiation of ore.

The value of the order is not disclosed. The order was recognised within the Industry business group's order stock in Q1/2013.

Finland selects Finnish-Estonian Nortal for new tax system

Finland rejects IBM's "abnormally low" offer for new tax system, and selects Finnish-Estonian Nortal.

The Finnish Tax Administration is reforming their information systems, replacing seventy tax systems with a single one. Selected was the Fast Enterprises’ Gentax taxation software, along with Finnish-Estonian Nortal, who plans to implement the project for €62 million with the overall price of procurement running around €226 million over 15 years.

Also competing in the bid was IBM, whose bid of €38 million with a total value of €143 million over 15 years was rejected. The Finnish Tax Administration was able to do so under the public procurement laws, which says the contracting authority may reject abnormally low tender.

“For us, it is essential that the operational reliability and success of the taxation will be ensured also in the future,” said the Chief Information Officer of the Tax Administration, Markku Heikura.

The story isn't over yet. After being rejected, IBM is appealing the decision to the Finnish Market Court, who may reverse the decision.

Without any real baseline to compare it to, I don't know how to interpret this news other than to shake my head. On one hand, IBM's offer could have been purposefully low to win the contract, and could "discover additional costs" later, or to spit out a shoddy delivery. But at the same time you hear about the insane amounts of money governments pay to build a barely usable website, and you have to ask yourself where they think the baseline is for ICT spending. Take for example California's $2 billion court management system, which was eventually scraped.

Perhaps I'm again showing my naiveté, but since they're just implementing Fast Enterprise's Gentex software, it seems IBM's upfront of €38 million will buy you a moon-shot worth of man hours, even for a difficult problem like reliably putting together seventy tax systems into a new system. But I look at that winning bid and think, man, the number of entrepreneurs that would fund to build an even more badass tax system says  Greg Anderson.

In order to deliver quality results, the Finnish government should be able to reject bids that are too far south. But with the number of clown consultants driving up prices in these ICT procurements, it should be interesting to hear the Tax Authority's reasoning in court.

Source: http://www.arcticstartup.com

Åker Solutions receives contract award notification from Husky

Åker Solutions has received a contract award notification (last 10 May 2013) for offshore engineering services to support Husky Energy's activities at the offshore White Rose field in Canada.

The scope of work includes studies, modifications (EPCI) and campaign maintenance services. The duration is five years with an option to extend the contract for as many as 10 one-year periods.

The estimated contract value is NOK 900 million for the five-year period.

"We are delighted that Husky has chosen us as their preferred partner for offshore engineering services at the White Rose field," says Tore Sjursen, head of maintenance, modifications and operations at Aker Solutions. "Our presence in North America is increasing and the award will be a good foundation for further growth in Canada."

The project will employ about 70 management and engineering employees onshore, as well as 20 people on rotation offshore.

The White Rose field is located 350 kilometres southeast of St. John's, Canada, and consists of a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Source: Reuters

Report of Confidence Indicators (March 2013) from the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK.

The Confederation of Finnish Industries released the report of Confidence Indicators for March, 2013.

Finnish manufacturing confidence stayed unchanged in March. However, the confidence indicator is clearly below its long-term average. The latest indicator figure is -9 (revised figure -9 in February, too). Its long-term average is +3. Production growth is expected to be weak in the coming months. Order books are well below their normal levels. Stocks of final goods have decreased somewhat but they are still slightly above average.

Construction confidence recovered somewhat but is still rather weak. The confidence indicator scored -22 points (revised figure -27 in February). Confidence is well below its long-term average (-6). Order books are smaller than average and personnel is expected to decrease during the next few months.

Service sector confidence indicator climbed to +4 points in March from 0 points in February. Despite the increase, confidence is rather weak as its long-term average is +15. Sales growth gained a little speed in March but only moderate growth figures are forecast for the next few months. The overall business situation has deteriorated further in the first quarter.

Finnish retail trade confidence indicator scored -7 points in March, down from -3 in February. The long-term average is 0 points. Sales growth became negative and expectations for the next quarter are also fairly weak.

Source:
Confederation of Finnish Industries EK

KONE elevators to ease flow of people in Delhi Metro network

KONE has won an order for 143 KONE MonoSpace ® elevators to be installed at stations in the third phase of the Delhi Metro network extension in Northern India. 

The contract follows previous orders for 395 elevators and 75 escalators in the first two phases of the expansion of the Delhi Metro.

The new order includes 70 stainless steel elevators with glass doors and a further 73 elevators with stainless steel doors. Braille buttons and a voice announcement system are included to improve accessibility for all passengers while elevator mirrors ease accessibility for wheelchair users. The vandal-proof elevators also feature additional door photo-sensors, fire-rated glass and fire retardant low smoke cables to maximize passenger safety.

"We have a long-standing relationship with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and we understand the passenger requirements in the public transport sector. This has helped us provide the best possible solutions for the Delhi Metro, and we are delighted to continue our involvement in this, the third phase of the project," said Neeraj Sharma, Managing Director for KONE India.

KONE has been involved in the Delhi Metro extension project from the start, and the third phase is currently under Indian government construction. Once completed, the network will be some 330 kilometres long.

The Delhi Metro, which aims to cover the whole of India's second-most populous metropolis by 2021, has operated since 2002, bringing relief to the city's congested transport network. To address the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's environmental considerations, the ordered machine-room-less KONE elevators include ecologically sound features such as energy-saving regenerative drives, LED lighting and low energy consuming motors.

Source: www.kone.com

Northern Europe takes first step for a fully integrated European energy market

A strong regional integration of the energy markets in Northern Europe is the first step towards a fully integrated European market. This should urgently be speeded up by delivering the necessary investment in energy infrastructure and power generation. This was the main message from the north European energy industry on the North European Energy Dialogue Business Meeting in Brussels today.

With this starting point a strong  group of representatives from the northern European energy industry shipped a clear message to the North European Ministers before their North European Energy Dialogue in Copenhagen Wednesday 21st of November. The discussion about creating a strong regional integration of energy markets in Northern Europe is the first important step in making a fully integrated European energy market.

- The European energy industry is facing major challenges the coming years due to replacement of a vast number of aging power stations and massive investments in grids. We have to create an integrated European market, but to do so we have to facilitate the right conditions for investing in generation capacity and energy infrastructure. And we have to act now. Energy systems whether infrastructure or generation take years to build and are in operation for decades. 2020 is just around the corner and reducing the regulatory risk is crucial to secure the needed investments, says Lars Aagaard, CEO of Danish Energy Association.

He emphasizes that it is a huge challenge to integrate all the markets in Europe simultaneously, but points out that the Northern European countries in this respect have a strong foundation to build on to pave the way for the rest of Europe.

- Despite the economic crisis, investments in modernising our energy system are needed. Therefore the energy industry warmly welcomes the NEED-initiatives taken by Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Climate,  Energy and Building. But there is an urgent need to focus on common solutions and avoid inward looking national policies. We need an internal energy market without price regulation, with a true market coupling and open and equal access to all transmission grids with no capacity restriction.  Clarity about the future investment in power generation through an agreement on a long-term policy framework will be an important starting point to maintain a high security of supply and affordable energy prices. Furthermore, this will send the necessary long-term price signal to investors , says Mr. Aagaard.

Source: The Danish Energy Association

Record-high electricity generation from Vattenfall

Despite a challenging year for the energy sector Vattenfall presents a stable 2012 full year underlying operating profit for comparable units. Vattenfall will continue to streamline its operations, strengthen its financial position while maintaining its focus on sustainability.

Figures for year 2012 were:

• Net sales for 2012 decreased by 7.6% to SEK 167,313 million (181,040). For comparable units sales increased by 2%.
• The underlying operating profit decreased by 9.9% to SEK 27,747 million (30,793). The underlying operating profit for comparable units decreased by 1.6%.
• Reported operating profit rose 12.8% to SEK 26,175 million (23,209). Profit for 2011 was affected by net charges of SEK -7.6 billion. Profit for 2012 was affected by capital gains, impairment losses and other items affecting comparability amounting to SEK -1.6 billion, net.
• Profit for the year (after tax) rose 65.4% to SEK 17,224 million (10,416), of which the reduced corporate income tax rate in Sweden contributed SEK 3.5 billion.
• Electricity generation increased by 7.3% in 2012, to 178.9 TWh (166.7). 2012 was record year for Vattenfall’s electricity generation.
• The Board proposes a dividend of SEK 6,774 million, corresponding to 40% of profit for the year after tax. The dividend for 2011 was SEK 4,433 million.

Source: Vattenfall press release

Ericsson and SAP presentation on Mobile World Congress, Barcelona

ERICSSON AND SAP ANNOUNCE NEW COMBINATION OF CLOUD-BASED MACHINE-TO-MACHINE SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE ENTERPRISE EFFICIENCY


BARCELONA, Spain - In an effort to meet the growing demand for machine-to-machine technology, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) have signed an agreement to jointly market and sell cloud-based, machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions and services to enterprises via operators around the globe.  The solutions will be based on a combined software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering from Ericsson and SAP within M2M.

The combined power of Ericsson's services, solutions, technology and network operator infrastructure, which are powered by Ericsson Device Connection Platform & Service Enablement Platform, and enterprise business solutions from SAP powered by the SAP HANA® platform will allow businesses to find better and more innovative ways to respond to customer needs even more quickly than they could before.  The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress, held February 25 - 28, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain.

Enterprises have faced barriers toward the adoption of M2M solutions, such as lack of complete multi-industry end-to-end offerings and deficiency of suitable global coverage connectivity solutions that are needed by multinational enterprises. Ericsson and SAP are teaming up to deliver a connected cloud-based offering to operators that will remove those barriers, while at the same time adding the benefits of minimal up-front investment and faster time-to-market. These new solutions and services will also help enhance enterprise efficiency in key business processes such as maintenance, remote service, inventory, logistics and road transport management, vending and customer experience management.

The joint M2M infrastructure and industry specific solutions will be provided by operators as a service to enterprises, and Ericsson and SAP are already discussing the model with operators.

Per Simonsen, CEO, Telenor Connexion, said: "At Telenor Connexion we see that M2M is becoming an increasingly strategic and integral part of our customers' operations and products. This joint collaboration between SAP and Ericsson is key in facilitating customers' implementation of M2M, increasing the value proposition and enhancing the customer experience. In addition, this will provide great opportunities to reach new customers in different industries and markets."

Lynda Burton, Director of Wholesale at Three UK, said: "We are seeing a growing demand for turnkey M2M solutions. This partnership, combined with Three's market leadership and experience in mobile data, delivers a powerful solution to enterprise customers."

SAP is well positioned to offer enterprises market leading mobile, cloud computing and big data analytics, as well asin-depth experience in combining those technologies to create unique and powerful solutions across 24 industries.

Jim Hagemann Snabe, Co-CEO of SAP AG, said: "Today's announcement is a first step toward delivering on a shared vision that SAP and Ericsson have for co-innovating with our customers worldwide to help them deliver on the promise of M2M. Together, we will break down the barriers that prevent customer adoption of M2M solutions by delivering a simple, affordable and fast-to-implement solution.  Enterprises will benefit from an offering that provides them with everything they need to connect to machines, and helps turn high volumes of data into real-time knowledge and decision-making.

In addition to solutions and technology, Ericsson will lend its consulting, systems integration and managed services, and complementary device and applications testing, as well as verification services to facilitate a faster time-to-market, efficient use of mobile network resources and an optimized user experience. Operators, such as M2M connectivity providers, may choose from different levels of ambition, ranging from a full enterprise M2M prime supplier to an ecosystem partner.

The Ericsson Device Connection Platform and Service Enablement Platform operator community is growing rapidly, with recent announcements by 3UK, Megafon, Swisscom, TeliaSoneraand XL Axiata.

Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: "The global M2M service revenue is estimated to reach more than 200 BUSD by 2017. This partnership gives us a chance to unlock some of that potential. By accessing services and controlling devices with solutions leveraging Ericsson experience from the communications industry and SAP from the enterprise segment, businesses will find better and more innovative ways to respond to customer needs more quickly. Building an ecosystem also allows our operator customers a new way to address new markets and enterprise needs."

The joint go-to-market model combines the assets of SAP, Ericsson and mobile operators, making it possible for enterprises to effectively connect their enterprise assets across multi-country operations with full integration to existing business processes, along with support for mobile and real-time scenarios.

This means that an enterprise needing a full end-to-end logistics solution - including M2M connectivity, applications and cloud services - can get a comprehensive solution from a mobile operator leveraging the SAP/Ericsson partnership.

In another example, an enterprise needing a smart vending machine solution including M2M connectivity, applications and cloud services, would be able to contract the SAP and Ericsson offerings as a service through a mobile operator leveraging the deal. Other components and vertical applications from both companies can also be included in order to offer value-add and increase the scope of the solution offered to the customer.

Is Banco Santander on the future for electronic payments?

iZettle Solves The Visa Problem: Launches A Bluetooth Chip & Pin Device

The VISA issue was one of the biggest hurdles for iZettle in Finland and pretty much everywhere else. They were unable to allow VISA transactions (For several reasons as outlined by VISA Europe) and since it is the major credit card brand in the country, many of the vendors were simply not motivated enough to use iZettle. They did try to solve the problem by introducing "a solution", however it was more of a hassle than a real solution.

Today, iZettle announced that they are introducing a new device based on Chip & Pin technology that will accept all major cards, including VISA. The Financial Supervisory Authority regulates iZettle and its services, which are EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) and it approved and confirmed compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).The way the device is going to work is by connecting to your smartphone or tablet via bluetooth, where the customer can then insert his or her card. The payment is then processed on the screen.

The device is said to be working with VISA, Visa Electron, V Pay, MasterCard, Maestro and American Express. Personally, I think that the bluetooth solution is much better than the previous version, as I was able to witness how the process worked using the old device since my wife used it at her Lakshmi Yoga Club. It was a cumbersome task to hold an already bulky iPad with one hand, while trying to manipulate the clients card into the iZettle reader. So with the new bluetooth solution, the device can just sit on the registration desk.

The new Chip & PIN device works with the free iZettle app. This time around, iZettle is not offering the device for free but the price is not something to be afraid of as he new card reader can be purchased at iZettle.com, for €49.

“Our vision from Day One has been to simplify and democratize payments, said Jacob de Geer, co-founder and CEO of iZettle. “Small business deserves a simpler, more mobile and affordable way to accept card payments. Adding a Chip & PIN device to our product offering will play an important part in making that happen.”

That's not the only news from iZettle today, they also announced a partnership with Banco Santander, one of the world’s largest and leading banks. So as of today, iZettle will be available to Santander banking customers in Spain.

Rejlers' Year-end Report 2012

Rejlers is a Nordic group offering technical consultancy services in the fields of electrical engineering, energy, mechanical engineering, automation, electronics, IT and telecommunications, for the the following markets; Industry, Infrastructure, Energy, and Construction and property. 

Strong growth - increased profit margin target / January-December

• Revenue totalled SEK 1,332.7 million (1,146.0), an increase of 16 per cent
• Operating profit was SEK 79.4 million (100.3)
• Operating margin amounted to 6.0 per cent (8.8)
• Profit after tax was SEK 58.5 million (64.3)
• Earnings per share were SEK 5.17 (5.68)
• The operating profit includes non-recurring items in the amount of SEK 16 million
• The Board proposes a dividend of SEK 3.00 per share (3.00)

Fourth quarter

• Revenue totalled SEK 388.6 million (322.7), an increase of 20 per cent
• Operating profit was SEK 24.1 million (26.4)
• Operating margin amounted to 6.2 per cent (8.2)
• Profit after tax was SEK 18.1 million (13.7)
• Earnings per share were SEK 1.60 (1.21)

Statement from President and CEO Eva Nygren:
Rejlers continues to experience growth. During 2012, growth was 16 per cent, two-thirds of which was organic. With a strong position on markets such as Energy and Infrastructure and despite indications of a weaker market within both Industry and Construction and property, we have continued to see a good inflow of orders during the fourth quarter.

Source:  Rejlers press release

Tuesday's updates on Nordic Business...

Nordic markets are securing bases... 

1) SinterCast secures new order for commercial vehicle series production installation
• Major European commercial vehicle OEM orders SinterCast process control technology
• SinterCast System 3000 to be installed in captive foundry during first quarter of 2013
• Product development and series production of heavy-duty CGI cylinder blocks
(http://www.sintercast.com/corporate)

2) According to Statistics Finland, the wages and salaries sum of the whole economy was 2.3 per cent greater in the past October to December period than in the corresponding period twelve months earlier. In December alone, the wages and salaries sum of the whole economy fell by 0.8 per cent year-on-year. In the October to December period one year ago, the wages and salaries sum grew by 3.4 per cent.

3) Ericsson sign USD 1 billion managed services contract for wireline and wireless networks for North and West India
• Covers 100,000 km of fiber and mobile infrastructure in 11 telecom circles, across North and West of India, including Delhi and Mumbai
• Will lead to productive integration of 5,000 employees by moving them to Ericsson - providing them global opportunities
• Integrated management to deliver world class customer experience using global expertise and bringing in operational efficiencies and cost optimization


4) Swedish Orphan Biovitrum
- Recombinant Fc fusion proteins show potential to transform care by providing long-lasting protection from bleeding with fewer injections than the current standard of care -
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) (STO: SOBI) released data that confirmed the ability of investigational recombinant factors VIII Fc fusion protein (rFVIIIFc) and IX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) to provide long-lasting protection from bleeding with fewer injections than are required with the current standard of care for people with hemophilia. The data, from the largest phase 3 registrational studies conducted in hemophilia to date, were presented this week at the 6th Annual Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD).


5) Presentation of Telenor's fourth quarter results 2012. Telenor will present its financial results for the fourth quarter 2012 on Wednesday 13 February 2013 at 09:00 hrs Norwegian time/CET. The presentation, which will also be broadcast live over the Internet, will be held in Auditorium Voice, Telenor Expo Visitor Centre at Fornebu near Oslo. The figures will be published on Telenor's website at 07:00 CET. CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas and CFO Richard Olav Aa will present the results. The presentation will be held in English.

HKL and CAF entered into contract on the procurement of metro trains

HKL- the Metro Operator in Helsinki - and the Spanish manufacturer of rolling stock Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A. i.e. CAF) signed a contract on the procurement of 20 new metro trains on Wednesday 6th of February.

HKL’s Executive Board chose CAF as the supplier of the new metro trains of Helsinki in October. CAF’s tender was the most affordable in terms of overall economy as the acquisition price and the commercial terms, operating and maintenance costs, level of the train technology, design and innovativeness as well as co-operation capabilities and the reliability of deliveries were taken in the account in the evaluation.

After signing the contract the procurement project of metro trains will continue by drawing up more detailed technical designs. Also a life-size mock-up will be made of the new metro train that enables the assessment of the structural details of the new trains with different user groups.

The total length of the new trains is 90 metres, corresponding to the train units currently in use at off-peak hours and with a passenger capacity of 576.

The train is accessible in its entirety from one end to the other, making it easy to move between cars during the journey. In terms of their visual appearance, the trains will resemble the M200 series, the exterior and seat colour being orange also in future.

The trains will at first be equipped with a temporary driver’s cab, necessary in the transitional stage towards the automation of the metro traffic control system. Once the automation is completed, the temporary cabin will be dismantled and the space converted for passenger use.

CAF is one of the major manufacturers of metro vehicles in the world. In recent years CAF has delivered metro trains for example to Madrid, Rome, Washington, Barcelona and Brussels.

The new metro train fleet is required for the West Metro. The delivery schedule of the new trains is planned so that the operation of West Metro can be started according to the schedule. The first train will arrive in Helsinki for test runs in the turn of January-February 2015. In total 15 trains will be delivered by the end of the year 2015 and they are needed for starting of the operation of West Metro. The remaining trains will be delivered in spring 2016.

In addition, the procurement is part of the preparation for the potential extension of the West Metro from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti. The procurement also covers the opportunity to exercise the second option, should the so-called East Metro to Sipoo be realised sooner than expected.

Source: Helsinki City Transport

Statoil: 2012 fourth quarter results

Operating and Financial review

Statoil's (OSE:STL, NYSE:STO) fourth quarter 2012 net operating income was NOK 45.8 billion. In 2012, net operating income was NOK 206.6 billion.

Statoil delivered equity production of 2,004 mboe per day in 2012, increased by 8% from 1,850 mboe per day in 2011. Adjusted earnings increased by 7% to NOK 193.2 billion in 2012, from NOK 179.9 billion in 2011. Statoil achieved an organic reserve replacement ratio (RRR) of 1.1 in 2012.

"2012 was a year of strong strategic and operational progress for Statoil. We grew our production by 8% in 2012, in line with the target we announced in 2011, and we deliver strong earnings growth. We are well underway to deliver profitably on our ambition of producing more than 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalents per day in 2020," says Helge Lund, Statoil's president and CEO.

"Statoil's strategy remains firm. We continue our strong exploration performance, adding more than 1.5 billion barrels in new resources, and we are maturing our high quality project portfolio, including the Johan Sverdrup and Skrugard fields. We continue to manage our balance sheet and enter 2013 from a robust financial position," says Lund.

Statoil's Board of Directors will propose to increase the dividend to NOK 6.75 per share for 2012. This is in line with the company's dividend policy and an increase from NOK 6.50 in 2011.

Statoil maintains its ambition of producing more than 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalents per day by 2020 and estimates organic capital expenditures for 2013 at around USD 19 billion. The company will complete around 50 exploration wells in 2013 with a total exploration activity level at around USD 3.5 billion.


Capital Markets Update

Today, Statoil presents the Capital Markets Update, focusing on our position as the leading oil and gas operator in Norway and the second largest gas supplier to Europe.

"On the Norwegian continental shelf, we announce that we are on track to meet our ambition of producing more than 1.4 million barrels of oil equivalents per day in 2020," says Lund.

"We also announce that Statoil's gas sales in the European markets were all-time high in 2012, at solid prices. We see a strong outlook for the European gas markets and are well positioned to capture value as the markets develop," says Lund.

Statoil also announces today increased gas volumes for the Block 2 discoveries offshore Tanzania to 7-9 Tcf in total recoverable resources.

Fourth quarter results 2012

Statoil's net operating income was NOK 45.8 billion compared to NOK 60.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Adjusted earnings were NOK 48.3 billion, compared to NOK 45.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Adjusted earnings after tax were NOK 15.1 billion, up from NOK 14.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Net income was NOK 13.0 billion compared to NOK 25.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Toyota is the Latest Major Automotive Brand to Leverage Best-in-Class Nokia Mapping Technology using its Local Search for Automotive.

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that Toyota Motor Europe is the latest automotive brand to select the HERE platform's Nokia Local Search for Automotive to power its next generation Touch & Go  navigation and infotainment systems. Nokia Local Search for Automotive is a specifically designed solution developed to fulfill the requirements of the automotive industry.


By leveraging Nokia Local Search for Automotive, Toyota drivers will have fast and easy online access to the latest high-quality industry mapping information and community-generated content - including millions of ratings, reviews and images fed directly into their cars.

The introduction of this service demonstrates how Nokia's HERE business is continuing to extend its industry-leading portfolio of products to meet the needs of its automotive customers.

"The ability to deliver comprehensive and driver-relevant content tailored to automotive requirements makes the Nokia Location Platform an interesting proposition," said Derek Williams, General Manager, Telematics & Multimedia, Toyota Motor Europe. "It is an excellent basis for creative location-centric concepts and we are delighted to bring this technology to our customers. Nokia Local Search for Automotive is expected to be commercially available in Toyota systems from early 2014 in Europe, Russia and the Middle East."

Moving forward, Toyota Motor Europe will collaborate with Nokia to study more services that leverage the Nokia Location Platform, including best-in-class content. Nokia is currently the leading company providing end-to-end mapping, navigation and location solutions for the automotive industry.

"Nokia and Toyota share the same vision of what the in-vehicle location experience should be - immersive, always on. Today's announcement underlines Nokia's commitment to providing fresh content and services to the auto industry so it can deliver innovative consumer solutions," said Eric Fumat, Vice President Sales & Business Development EMEA, Nokia Location & Commerce.

Hints on global and regional economy growth from Nordic Financial Group

POHJOLA'S ANALYSTS: YIELDING RETURNS IN A SLOW GROWTH ENVIRONMENT

There is a fragile global economic recovery underway. Emerging economies, led by China, will once again remain the main engines of global economic growth while developed countries will plod along. The US economy will slow to around 2% and the euro area expects zero growth. The fiscal policy is still a drag on growth in developed countries. Fiscal policy adjustment has advanced more in the euro area than in the USA. The current extremely easy global monetary policy will help compensate for the negative effects of fiscal policy on growth.

- In asset allocation, we will overweight equities and corporate bonds and underweight government bonds. Our recommendation for the allocation of commodities is close to neutral. According to the analysts, the recommendation is affected by reasonably positive attitude to risk appetite, return potential in equities supported by accelerating profit growth and dividends, expectations of higher long-term rates in the USA and the higher return/risk potential of high-yield corporate bonds in dollars than bonds in emerging markets.

The overweight equity exposure is justified by the fact that the gradual global economic recovery will give some support to companies' profit performance. Companies in Europe and the USA are revising down their profit forecasts to a lesser extent.

- Stocks have gained considerably but the continued decline in equity risk premiums as the euro crisis eases, declining trend of corrections to negative forecasts and low return expectations of alternative investments argue for our positive view of equities, explains Jarkko Soikkeli, Equity Strategist.

- Our favourite sectors for early 2013 are energy, consumer goods and construction. When it comes to other sectors, we take a more cautious view of media, forest industry and healthcare. Our favourite stocks for early 2013 are Metso Corporation, Metsä Board, Neste Oil Corporation, Nokian Tyres Plc and YIT Corporation. At the same time, we recommend avoiding the following stocks: Orion Corporation, Pöyry PLC, Sanoma Corporation, Tieto Corporation and UPM-Kymmene Corporation, continues Soikkeli.

In the bond market, Pohjola's analysts expect the Riksbank to cut its key rate twice by 25 basis points and the ECB once by 25 basis points. Economic fundamentals in both Sweden and the Eurozone also argue for lower money market rates and short swap rates. With respect to long-term rates, the greatest upward pressure is on US interest rates. According to the analysts, the recommended duration in the Eurozone is seven years.

- We expect corporate bonds to continue to gain momentum and risk premiums to continue to decline moderately. In our asset allocation recommendation, we shift to an overweight in high-yield bonds and, to a moderate extent, Investment Grade bonds. We recommend maturities of over three years. When it comes to Finnish corporate bonds, our view is that Nokia Corporation and Nokian Tyres Plc exhibit the most attractive the risk/return potential, says Jukka Ruotinen, Head of Fixed Income and FX Research.

- Although we believe that the euro will strengthen against the US dollar in the long run, we expect the currency pair to weaken in the next few months, sent down by lowering euro rates. We also expect heightening expectations of interest rate cuts to weaken the Swedish krona. In the meanwhile, the Russian rouble will benefit from higher crude oil prices and the stabilisation of capital flows.

Our favourite commodity is crude oil due to geopolitical risks and the constrained demand/supply picture. A positive macroeconomic sentiment is also a driver for movements in crude prices. It is possible of investors to benefit from this because the forward curve for crude oil market price development is declining. The change of power in China will, for its part, foster developments in investments in the country and thus demand for base metals too. Pohjola's analysts keep, however, commodity allocation neutral because of the risks associated with the prices of natural gas and agricultural products.

Pohjola Bank plc

Pohjola is a Finnish financial services group which provides its corporate and institutional customers with a diverse range of banking, non-life insurance and asset management services and private individuals with an extensive range of non-life insurance and private banking services. 

Pohjola Bank plc (Pohjola) is part of OP-Pohjola Group, the leading financial services group in Finland. Pohjola acts as the Group's central bank and is responsible for the Group's international operations. OP-Pohjola Group consists of over 200 member cooperative banks and the Group's central institution, OP-Pohjola Group Central Cooperative, with its subsidiaries and closely-related companies, the largest of which is Pohjola.

source: Thomson Reuters One

Economic Outlook - Sweden 2013: Unemployment and business climate.

The significant decline in industrial production seen earlier in the fall continues. The business cycle will bottom out by summer 2013 followed by weak recovery. Unemployment will rise despite an unused labour market potential corresponding to one million jobs. Forecasted GNP growth for Sweden in 2013 is 0.3% lower. All this according to the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise economic outlook report for the fourth quarter entitled ‘The Million-wide Gap’.


”Exports to Europe shrink significantly due to cutbacks many countries have implemented to address their run-away national debt problems. Swedish manufactures were first out with redundancy notices, but this wave has spread to domestic sectors as household spending is negatively impacted by fears of rising unemployment,” noted Stefan Fölster, Chief Economist for the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

The current forecast shows increasing unemployment, which will remain high even as GNP growth begins to recover in the fall.

The report outlook also shows that Sweden has unused labour potential comparable to a million jobs annually. This potential includes currently unemployed, part-time underemployed, or those forced into early retirement. The unused potential in the Swedish markets is greatest in Örebro County and least in Gotland.

”The level of structural unemployment in Sweden has increased in every recession over recent decades. Unfortunately, redundancies issued today will also lead to lost jobs that never return. This trend can be reversed, though. To ensure these jobs remain after the current downturn, Sweden should invest in further legislative reforms promoting work and improving the business climate,” concluded Mr. Fölster.

An international review shows that a wave of such reforms is on the way in many countries Sweden competes with. The debt crisis has created the basis for significant structural reform throughout Europe, and in connection with debt reduction plans, many of these countries are preparing structural reforms to improve their international competitiveness and capability to create growth and new jobs.


Source: Svenskt Näringsliv

Sweden To Charge TV Tax For Anyone With A Computer or Tablet

Laugh your way to the bank: Sweden's SVT public television network is transitioning to the digital age and now offering all of its content free of charge, online. Unfortunately this also means that anyone with a computer or tablet will now have to start paying television license fees.

Tax supported broadcasters across the Nordics have been looking for ways to collect new income in recent years as more and more people cut cable and watch content online. The fee rings in at 2,076 SEK (€240) a year, and is enforced by Radiotjänsten.Thelocal.se reports that there has been a law in place since 2006 that states that a person who can access an entire TV channel on any device is required to pay the fee.

SVT's content is also available on mobile, but it sounds like they will not be collecting fees from everyone with a smartphone.

"The spectrum of mobile phones is so broad and we don't see their primary use as being watching a single TV channel," Radiotjänsten spokesman Johan Gernandt told Computer Sweden.

Finland essentially did the same thing starting January 1 of this year. Perviously Finns had a similar system of a TV tax enforced individually for anyone that owned a TV. But under a new law, the public service broadcasting tax is now collected from general taxes, rather than on an individual basis.

Are these new revenue streams logical or too broad? Personally I'm on the fence. Let us know in the comments.

By Greg Anderson

Source: ArticStartUp

Guidelines on Hygiene of Food for exporting to Norway

If you export processed food products to Norway, you have to make sure that your products meet all hygiene requirements. The Norwegian legislation on hygiene of foodstuffs is based on EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004. This legislation is based on the methodology of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

The full content of the regulations for download is here:
http://www.cbi.eu/marketintel/Norway%20legislation:%20Hygiene%20of%20foodstuffs%20(HACCP)/159458

Source: CBI - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Netherlands

Finland hopes to sell power to Russia to make cables pay

Up to 350 MW of Finnish exports to Russia technically possible - Russian capacity payments skew price differentials.



OSLO/HELSINKI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Finland's grid hopes within a year to be able to sell power to Russia, partly to earn more from underused interconnectors between the two countries, but the two markets are so different such exports may be tough to achieve.

Fingrid reported earning 6 million euros ($7.8 million) less on Russian interconnections in the first half of this year than a year earlier, as a rise in Russia's electricity prices made it less attractive to send power to its neighbour. Total revenue was 264 million euros in the first half.

The Finnish and Russian grid operators last year made technical changes to also allow power flows from Finland to Russia - a development the companies hope will boost trading volumes on their three connecting cables.

"Some trading (of exports) to Russia may well be possible within the next 12 months. But we still need to agree on the terms," Juha Kekkonen, the executive vice president of Finnish grid operator Fingrid told Reuters.

Russian power prices jumped this year partly due to an increase in payments to guarantee power plant availability, which has created a commercial need for imports and sharply reduced electricity transfers to Finland.

The technical changes have made it possible to export 350 MW of electricity from Finland to Russia, but different factors that determine prices in both market still make it unattractive for traders to send electricity to Russia, experts said.

TRADE VERY COMPLICATED

"Exports to Russia are technically possible, but as long as the designs of Nordic and Russian power markets remain so different, the trade will be very complicated," said Satu Viljainen, a professor at Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland.

One differences is that Nordic power generators are paid for producing electricity, while in Russia producers get income both from selling power and having plants available for generation.

These so-called capacity payments are meant to guarantee that sufficient generating capacity is available to the market, but also to give incentives for investors to build new plants.

When Russian power export monopoly Inter RAO buys electricity on the market, it has to pay capacity payments on top of energy costs, and that can double prices.

Traders wishing to sell Nordic electricity to Russia, however, do not receive a capacity payment, leaving them with a high discount to prices national generators receive.

Kekkonen said capacity payments in Russia can add about 25 euros a megawatt-hour on top of the electricity price in Russia, driving total cost up to 50-60 euros a MWh during peak hours.

Wholesale power prices in Russia rose by 15 percent to 1,143 Russian roubles ($37.14) per MWh during the third-quarter from a year ago, Finnish utility Fortum, which owns power plants in Russia, said last week.

During the same period, the Nordic power prices fell by 42 percent to 20.8 euros ($27.23) per MWh, dented by abundant rain that increased supply of cheap hydro-power, it added.

The rise in Russian prices and fall in Nordic power reduced electricity imports from Russia to Finland to 3.0 terawatt-hours (TWh) in January-September, from 8.5 TWh during the same period a year ago, Finnish Energy Industries statistics showed.

"At the moment it makes no sense for Inter RAO to buy electricity from the Russian exchange and to export it (to Finland)," said Kekkonen.

Viljainen estimated that Russian exports to Finland could be profitable when prices in the Nordic market rise to at least 50 euros a MWh, an average level unlikely to be hit this winter.

In the opposite direction, Nordic power prices would have to fall below 20 euros a MWh, also unlikely as year-ahead power prices are currently trading at 38 euros a megawatt-hour.

"That creates the "dead-band" in flows when power prices in the Nordic market is between 20-50 euros a MWh," Viljainen added.

Inter RAO said power imports from the Nordics could be possible in future, but expected the impact to be modest.

"Clearly, imports (from the Nordics) might be economically feasible in certain periods," Inter RAO's spokesman Anton Nazarov said in an email to Reuters.

"In the long-run, even considering the recent exports decline, we do not have negative forecasts for future trade (balance) w i th the Nord Pool," Nazarov said, adding that the fall in the Nordic prices was seen as "cyclical".

"In a way, it's a test case that reveals a lot of how two markets of different designs can interact or not," Viljainen said of two-way power trading between Russia and the Nordic market. ($1 = 30.7750 Russian roubles) ($1 = 0.7638 euros) (Additional reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova in Moscow; Editing by Anthony Barker)

Source: Reuters
By Nerijus Adomaitis and Terhi Kinnunen

Outokumpu becomes global steel leader with acquisition of Inoxum from ThyssenKrupp

Outokumpu completed the acquisition of stainless steel company Inoxum from ThyssenKrupp. The deal makes Outokumpu the new global steel leader.

Outokumpu now has roughly a 40 per cent steel market share in Europe and 12 per cent share globally. The company has the broadest portfolio in the industry and unparalleled technical expertise and customer knowledge.

“The rationale for building this new industry powerhouse remains as strong as ever; optimizing our production structure, expanding both our product portfolio and market presence to growth markets in the Americas and Asia and reaching annual synergy savings of approximately 200 million euros,” says Mika Seitovirta, Chief Executive Officer of Outokumpu.

Source: Outokumpu, Deutche Welle

¿Qué será de Finlandia después de Nokia?

El país escandinavo enfrenta el difícil panorama que tiene la compañía en el mundo móvil de la mano del desarrollo de nuevos emprendimientos tecnológicos, con Angry Birds como uno de los exponentes de esta etapa

Hasta hace muy poco, Nokia dominaba el mercado de los teléfonos móviles en el mundo. Pero la compañía finlandesa está pasando por momentos complicados, y el sector tecnológico en el país que la vio nacer podría verse afectado.

Entre 1998 y 2012 la firma finlandesa fue la mayor fabricante de teléfonos celulares en el mundo y, en 2011, ocupó el puesto número 143 en la Fortune Gobal 500, la famosa lista de las 500 compañías más ricas del mundo.

Con la llegada de fuertes competidores como Apple y Google, el precio de la acción de Nokia cayó desde 40 dólares en 2007 a menos de 3 este año.

Tras el declive la compañía de teléfonos, ¿hay vida en Finlandia después de Nokia?

La conferencia de tecnología The Slush -que tuvo lugar en la capital Helsinki el pasado noviembre- fue una demostración de lo que puede ser el futuro de la tecnología en Finlandia.

"El futuro está muy presente entre las start-ups. Para mí es obvio que de aquí van a venir los trabajos del futuro. Tenemos que romper con el pasado y mirar dónde invertir".

"La confianza y el entusiasmo es palpable en The Slush", dice Mark Bosworth, periodista de la BBC que estuvo presente. "Y el gobierno finlandés reconoce que la creación de nuevas empresas es importante para el futuro económico del país".

En abril pasado, Nokia comenzó un proyecto para ayudar a los empleados altamente cualificados que habían salido de la compañía a crear sus propias empresas, ofreciendo ayuda financiera y capacitación.

Hasta el momento, el antiguo personal de Nokia ha lanzado 220 nuevas empresas en Finlandia.

Los proyectos que se ven en la conferencia, cuenta Bosworth, van desde una aplicación móvil para la pesca hasta un servicio de comida y ejercicio para perros.

"Vamos a darle la vuelta a su salud", afirma uno de los emprendedores.

"La que estamos viendo en este momento será la marca más reconocida en el mundo", afirma otro.

La aplicación que ganó el concurso del mejor proyecto el año pasado en The Slush fue WildChords, un juego para iPad que le enseña al usuario a tocar guitarra.

La compañía creadora, Ovelin, pasó en el último año de tener cuatro trabajadores a emplear a 12 personas. Y recibe financiación que llega desde Silicon Valley.

¿Y NOKIA?

Nokia ha anunciado recientemente planes para vender su sede central en la ciudad Espoo para ayudar a recaudar dinero.

La venta se produjo mientras la gigante compañía china de telecomunicaciones Huawei reveló que pondrá en marcha un nuevo centro de desarrollo en Finlandia para aprovechar la experiencia del país en tecnología móvil.