Sweco in Finland investing in the forest despite the crisis

Times are tough for the forest industry, but Sweco’s EPP (Energy, Pulp and Paper) business area in Finland is investing in the future and initiating an entirely new division and new office in Kouvola, which is located close to the Russian border.

“We are well known and competent in the area of pulp, but have not had the same level of competence when it comes to paper and energy production,” explains Veli Kainu, who is the manager of the pulp and paper division at Sweco in Helsinki. The division is part of the EPP business area.

The new consultants at EPP in Kouvola

New recruitment is an investment measure to leave the crisis behind. Sweco is currently opening a new office in Kouvola, which is located 100 kilometres north-east of Helsinki at the Russian border. Russia is a growing market, as are Eastern Europe, the rest of the EU and Brazil.

“We decided to expand our expertise to include paper production so that we can offer our customers a broader range of services.”

“Strategic recruitment has been initiated. However, finding competent specialists within such a specific area is not easy, even if our contact network is extensive and headhunting is a possibility. We have advertised both on the Internet and in industry publications.”

Luckily enough, a number of consultants working for a competitor were happy to switch employers when it was decided that their company should relocate.

In just a short amount of time, Sweco was able to recruit 20 new consultants with specialist skills specifically within the paper industry.

“Everyone is satisfied and pleased. We are initiating an entirely new division, and our new consultants need not relocate. We have gathered additional employees for the office from a nearby town; there are currently 40 employees.”

The business area now consists of 250 employees.