Vaasa has strengthened the partner network of the Gigafactory project. Considering the battery production the very central producers of raw materials, Keliber and Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta are participating in the network coalition that’s being built around the project.

The major international energy sector event, Vaasa EnergyWeek (20–24 March 2017) is almost here again and now larger than ever, with 10 different focal events. New events for the week include the Energy Business Forum, which focuses on international investments within the energy sector and is organised by Technology Centre Merinova, and the Cyber Security & Digitalization seminar organised by the Jyväskylä Regional Development Company Jykes and Merinova.

The biggest energy cluster in the Nordic countries offers both the vision and a proven ecosystem for the project. The City of Vaasa, on the Western coast of Finland, has announced it is preparing a proposal for the Tesla Gigafactory. Tesla Motor’s first Gigafactory producing lithium-ion batteries opened in Nevada, USA in July 2016. This factory will ultimately also build Tesla electric vehicles. Three weeks ago Tesla announced their intention to build their next Gigafactory in Europe.

Spotlight High–Low Coast’s project management group made a study visit in October to the Vega Archipelago, one of the Nordic World Heritage Sites. The archipelago was elected a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, a few years before the Kvarken Archipelago and four years after the High Coast.

The innovation voucher provided by Tekes is intended for SMEs wishing to launch innovation activities. Innovation activities refer to all measures employed by the company to develop its products, services or processes, or to acquire new knowledge and competencies required in innovation activities.

EnergyVaasa participates once again in the popular International Subcontracting Fair Alihankinta in Tampere on 27–29 September 2016. The EnergyVaasa exhibition space is coordinated by Expo Österbotten and it houses 14 companies and organizations: Wapice, Ukkoschnapps, Escarmat, Procons, Botnia Bolt, Veslatec, VAMM Steel, T-Drill, Leinolat Group, JV Nortech Metal, Valaja Works, Citec, Merinova and VASEK.

The E12 project got off to a flying start in spring 2016 when the cooperation partners organized the Kvarken Motorways of the Sea conference in Umeå and Vaasa. In mid-September, the project implementers and partners gathered in Vaasa for a GetTogether seminar, revising the project’s implementation and schedules. The project is set to be completed in May 2018.

The fall has started off at a fast pace,” says Hanna Alavillamo, who just started as Communications & Brand Manager, and Marketing Manager Mari Kattelus.

Many business owners who are just starting out are uncertain about how best to handle their company’s financial affairs. Should they outsource their bookkeeping and calculation of salaries or do it themselves? Should they adopt bookkeeping and invoicing software or settle for the traditional paper version at first?

VASEK’s Managing Director Pekka Haapanen and Senior Business Advisor Lasse Pohjala acted as hosts when the leaders of Beijing E-Town visited Vaasa on June 27. The aim of the visit was to promote cooperation between companies located in Vaasa and in Beijing. The Chinese visitors were interested in environmentally friendly and energy saving solutions, and it is exactly the companies of the Vaasa energy cluster that possess the skills and knowledge in these.