Comatecnews 1 2012

Comatec Group, Customer Magazine 1/2012

news Alstom Grid

secures wind electricity for a German tourist island

Juho N채iv채

In biathlon, all the equipment must work smoothly Comatec news

Oucons Oy in Oulu Newcomer to the Comatec Group

Mika Kojonkoski

Passion to sports through technology

Honourable Mention to Comatec Employer of the Year 2011

news

Table of Contents

Editorial

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Alstom secures wind electricity for a German ................................................... tourist island In biathlon, all the equipment must work smoothly – Biathlonist Juho..................................................

Näivä Passion to sports through technology – Coach Mika Kojonkoski

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Comatec news – Oucons Oy in Oulu, Newcomer to the Comatec Group – New office in Järvenpää – New staff members .................................................

In the spotlight – Office Manager Tõnis Tiedemann – Mechanical Engineer Hugo Klaos ................................................

Employer of the Year 2011 – Honourable Mention to Comatec

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Editorial

Lappeenranta and started the opera ons of the company we established in Tallinn last year. Also exis ng loca ons have had their share of the growth through recruitments.

It is noteworthy that since last summer manufacturing industry jobs have moved out of Finland. Many of the machines and equipment that we design are manufactured outside Finland.

I

am wri ng this on the train from Helsinki to Tampere. In yesterday’s mee ng of the Consulta ve Commi ee of Self-employed Persons of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company there was a lively debate on the Finnish economy and expecta ons for 2012, as well as on the financial problems in the euro area and their impacts in the near future.

According to Varma’s Chief Investment Officer Risto Murto, the investors have now borne their share of Greece’s economic problems. From now on, the problems will fall on the taxpayers. The solu on will concern the debt problems and cleaning up their consequences in the Mediterranean countries in general.

It seems that to some extent, financial risks have decreased.

A er a short period of me, investments may revive at even a larger scale than before and bring the long-awaited growth in economy. That, if any, is the best medicine today.

Debate on the labour market rules is hea ng up and for a good reason, too. Swedish models, for instance the prac ce of employees not receiving sick pay for the first day of the sick leave, give our neighbour a big compe ve advantage.

Tax compe on between countries takes business to countries that support business through taxa on instruments. Estonia is a good example of this.

Serious discussion on incen ves to extend work careers should con nue. Although the direc on is right, current solu ons are not sufficient. I think people should be given more responsibility for securing their livelihood than our current systems allow. Labour market flexibility is far more advanced in Finland’s compe tor countries.

I wish you all the very best for the spring and summer season ahead!

In our company, interna onal financial problems have not affected investment ac vi es. The growth trend has con nued posi ve. Last year, the volume of our business opera ons grew by more than 25%. The pace has con nued this year, as well. I believe that we can even exceed last year’s growth percentages.

Aulis Asikainen Group CEO

Since last summer, we have completed one corporate acquisi on and one capital stock deal, opened an office in

Publisher

Edi ng and implementa on

Comatec Group, Kalevan e 7 C, FI-33100 Tampere, tel. +358 29 000 2000 www.comatec.fi

Insinööritoimisto Comatec Oy, Taina Syrjänen, tel. +358 40 5931 259, taina.syrjanen@comatec.fi

Cover: Alstom’s off-shore solu on: new genera on 6 MW direct-drive wind turbine. C/O: ALSTOM.

Feedback, subscrip ons, cancella ons Taina Syrjänen, tel. +358 40 5931 259, taina.syrjanen@comatec.fi

Heikki Harri Kirsi Huhtala Taina Syrjänen

ComatecNews 3

Alstom secures wind electricit German tourist island The Borkum Island in the North Sea in Germany is an extremely popular tourist des na on.

The island is highly suscep ble to power cuts caused by dal fluctua on. Alstom has supplied Borkum with a MaxSine Reac ve Power Compensator to ensure that problems in the electricity supply do not affect the lives of the inhabitants and especially the tourists. Germany is one of the countries that have invested heavily in wind power. New wind farms are built con nually in Germany.

Alstom par cipates in one of the latest projects in the Borkum West II Wind Farm located in the North Sea, about 45 km from the Borkum Island.

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The Borkum Island in the North Sea in Germany is an extremely popular tourist des na on. The number of inhabitants of the island and the Town of Borkum is slightly over 5000, but in summer tens of thousands of tourists come to this island of 30 km2. Borkum is the westernmost and the largest of the East Frisian Islands.

The electricity supplier of the island is Ewe Netz, an electricity supplier that operates in an area that stretches from Hamburg to the Dutch border in northern Germany. In Borkum, the company’s main aim is to ensure the availability of electricity also in excep onal situa ons due to the special nature of the island. The dal fluctua on in the North Sea area is so large that the sea level of the 25 km wide passage between the island and the con nent is so low at low de that ships, trawlers or ships’ anchors may damage or even cut the two power cables that connect Borkum’s power distribu on network to the grid on the con nent. Electricity can be transferred in the cables in both direc ons, depending on what

the power genera on/consump on situa on is on the island.

– Alstom’s task in this project is to ensure that problems in the electricity supply do not affect the lives of the inhabitants and especially the tourists.

We have supplied Borkum with a MaxSine Reac ve Power Compensator developed at our factory in Tampere, Project Manager Lauri Kähkönen of Alstom Grid states.

In Tampere, the tradi on of electrical design goes back tens of years: Alstom Grid started its opera ons as Nokia Capacitors in Tampere. The company, which was part of the French Areva Group for a me, has been owned by Alstom for two years now.

Alstom Grid specialises in power distribu on networks. It has more than 20 000 employees and more than 90 produc on plants throughout the world. The annual turnover is more than four billion euros. The total number of Alstom’s employees is 93 500 and the annual turnover more than 20 billion euros.

ty for a MaxSine Compensator for special stabiliza on needs The SVC MaxSine Compensator developed in Alstom Grid’s Tampere unit is designed for industrial and wind farm applica ons that require especially fast stabiliza on. It efficiently compensates reac ve power, stabilizes voltage, filters harmonics and reduces flickering. The compensator consists of ± 2 Mvar power electronics units, incoming feeder, step-up transformer and cooling unit, as well as a control and protec on system. The compensator produces both induc ve and capaci ve reac ve power.

– The MaxSine Compensator operates as part of Borkum’s power distribu on network. In a fault situa on, it maintains the voltage within the limits determined by the electricity company by feeding either capaci ve or induc ve reac ve power into the grid. The capaci ve current increases the voltage whereas induc ve current decreases the voltage of the grid, Project Manager Kähkönen explains.

Coopera on with Comatec The MaxSine Reac ve Power Compensator is located in an electric equipment room made of a 40-foot sea container. The room was designed

by Comatec and the conversion of the container took place in Estonia, a er which the components were installed in it at the Alstom factory in Tampere.

– The design of the compensator and installing all the components in the container requires high-level mechanical planning. As Alstom does not need mechanical planning exper se regularly, we turn to outside experts when necessary. In this case, the exper se was acquired from Comatec, Project Manager Kähkönen con nues. We have already cooperated with Comatec and delivered a similar compensator to a wind farm in Ireland.

The manufacture of the compensator required coopera on between several actors. The container came from Estonia to Tampere, where all the necessary components were installed in it. The layout design of the container was carried out by Comatec’s Asko Sireni, whereas the mechanical planning was performed

by Comatec’s Henri Ollila, whose place of work is actually at Alstom’s Tampere factory. Ollila also designed the basic structures for the container on its site in Borkum.

A er tes ng, the container was transported to Germany in December, and the local Alston Grid’s unit installed it and connected it to the

The MaxSine Reac ve Power Compensator is located in an electric equipment room made of a 40-foot sea container.

grid. Alstom’s staff from Finland went to Borkum to par cipate in the commissioning and final tes ng of the equipment. By now, the compensator has already been handed over to the client.

The number of wind farms con nues to grow According to researchers, one fi h of the world’s wind power poten al is sufficient to meet the whole world’s need for electricity. At the moment, wind power represents just a few percent of all electricity on average, but there are great differences between the various countries. The largest share of electricity is generated by wind power in Denmark, a total of 20 percent. It is therefore no surprise that wind power is developed and wind farms built con nually.

Germany, too, is one of the countries that have invested heavily in wind power, although the share of electricity generated by wind power is s ll just a few percent. New wind farms are being built there all the me. One of the latest projects is Borkum West II. The wind farm is located in the North Sea about 45 km from the Borkum Island. The total number of turbines is 80, and Alstom’s share in the electrical equipment deliveries in the project is significant.

ComatecNews 5

In biathlon, all the equipment According to biathlonist Juho Näivä, the ski poles, skis, rifle and cartridges would not work properly without technology and product development. Technology can also be u lized in training: you can use a heart rate monitor, perform a treadmill test or model shoo ng. Even clothing has become more and more technical.

– Finding the right equipment is the biggest challenge. Biathlon is an equipment-oriented sport, says 20-year-old biathlonist Juho Näivä.

– The most important thing is that there are no weak links. Every single piece of equipment has to work right, Juho sums up.

The ski poles transmit the power The ski poles must be durable and sufficiently s ff. S ffness is needed to transmit the skier’s power into the movement.

The product development compe on of the equipment manufacturers has ensured that the ski poles are generally good regardless of the manufacturer.

– The ski poles are quite advanced. They have a layer structure and the material is mainly carbon: fullerene and diamond. Quite o en they also contain tanium.

The skis are individuals – In principle, every ski is an individual, says Juho.

The skis are made as individuals, not as pairs. The pairs

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are selected from among individual skis. You have to find suitable pairs of skis for different weather and snow condi ons. It is not enough that waxing is done right; the profile and structuring have to be spot on, as well.

– The aim is to find a profile that suits the condi ons. It affects the gliding proper es and contact with snow. The way the ski contacts snow depends on its s ffness.

On a so ground, the pressure areas are longer and so er than they are in wet condi ons. If the track is frozen, long and even pressure areas create stable skiing proper es and the ski should be s ff.

The pressure areas and s ffness can be defined by pressing the skis against each other with skier-specific pressure. This

t must work smoothly can be done manually. The importers and ski manufacturers use devices that define what skis suit each skier best.

Structuring affects gliding proper es The structuring of the ski base has a significant effect on the gliding proper es of the ski. In structuring, a pa ern that suits the condi ons is sanded on the ski base.

– At the elite level, skis are structured a er each compe on. In wet condi ons, the ski is loose and the areas that press on the ground are short. The p of the ski should be fairly loose. Sanding devices are available in some sports equipment shops.

Weather affects waxing – If the compe on takes place in the weekend, you spend the early part of the week monitoring the weather forecasts, Juho describes the feelings before a compe on.

Waxing depends on the temperature, humidity and wetness, snow type and the length of the event. The upcoming compe on is analysed carefully. The main ingredient of ski wax is fluorine.

The amount of fluorine and the other ingredients vary.

– The exact composi ons are big secrets. The wax may be in the form of paraffin, powder, gel or block.

When training, Juho waxes his skis himself. In important compe ons the job is done by a waxing specialist friend. For a compe on, the skis are given 5-7 layers of wax.

The rifles have individual stocks Biathlonists use a 22 LR calibre rifle that weighs a minimum of 3.5 kg. A straight pull bolt ac on is faster than the earlier lock types. Juho’s rifle is an Anschutz Fortner, which is used by almost all Finnish biathlonists.

Every biathlonist’s rifle has a custom made stock, usually made of

wood. You also see stocks made of aluminium.

– There are a few carpenters who specialize in rifle stocks. If you give them good instruc ons, they can make a stock that meets your requirements.

The shape of the stock depends on the shoo ng posi on and the length of the shooter’s arms. By varying the dimensions and weigh ngs you will find the best stock for the person using the rifle.

The ver cal support underneath the trigger for shoo ng in the standing posi on is a feature introduced in the 2000’s. The form of the support piece depends on the posi on of the fingers.

In general, the stocks are extremely durable.

Cartridges for different condi ons – In biathlon, you use cartridges that are designed for cold condi ons, Juho states.

There are significant differences even between the various loading series.

Target hi ng accuracy also varies. The loading series have to be tested for each rifle at the factory.

– You have to find an op mal cartridge-rifle combina on. Training

cartridges can be bought off the shelf, but the cartridges you intend to use in compe ons should be tested at the factory.

Power and future in the youth Juho Näivä is a young 20-year-old biathlonist. He graduated from high school in 2011. He has been a medallist in about ten Finnish Youth Championships, and his best achievement is the silver medal in the Finnish Junior Championships (under 21 years old).

– In Comatec, we respect the perseverance that is needed to reach the top. Suppor ng young athletes is therefore a ma er of heart for us, says Aulis Asikainen.

– Biathlon is a sport that requires perseverance, stamina and highly technical competence. Besides, compe on at the elite level is extremely tough. In this respect, the similari es between biathlon and Comatec are obvious, Asikainen con nues.

– We follow closely how Juho’s career in biathlon develops – by means of top level technology as well, Asikainen finishes.

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Passion to sports through technology Coach Mika Kojonkoski knows how to make an athlete succeed in compe ons. Mere technology does not help anyone to reach the top, but used in the right way, technology can provide ways to mo vate athletes and make them passionate about their sports.

Kojonkoski, whose coachees have reached the top in ski jumping, is a member in the elite sports transforma on working group.

Right technology plays an important role in the mo va on of athletes.

– The ques on is of how to prepare such an environment for young people that they commit themselves to it.

Passion is based on mo va on, and one has to understand where mo va on originates from. When athletes understand why things are done in a certain way, they can commit themselves to the training process.

Monitoring the development Elite sports involve con nuous learning and search for new things.

Measurement, assessment and development of equipment can enhance the performance and mo vate athletes to train and adopt be er techniques than before.

– The athlete is explained why things are done in a certain way. The goal is set fairly close and itemized into control points on the path to the goal.

Then, a er two months for instance, the performance is reviewed to see if the goal has been reached. In order to turn interest into enthusiasm, it is important to measure and assess one’s work. You have to choose the right measures to assess the achievements, and here, too, technology helps us.

Measuring and analysing results is important for the development of an athlete in terms of both commitment and maintenance of mo va on.

Technology is a good handyman Know-how and technological development play an important role in the crea on of mo va on. According to Kojonkoski, however, technology is not the master but a good handyman.

It will help gain an overall picture of the situa on and its importance increases all the me. Technology provides the knowledge and informa on that fuel the pursuance of one’s goals.

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– In Finland, sports scien fic research is highly valued and its level is high, but applying the results to prac ce in training s ll needs improvement.

Help in training Technology helps in training.

Kojonkoski uses the take-off in ski jumping as an example.

– The ski jumper has 0.3 seconds for the take-off. In that me he moves 10 metres. In a training session, the ski jumper does 10 jumps, which means he trains take-off for 10 x 0.3 seconds.

– That amount of prac ce is obviously not enough. Therefore, the solu on is simulated exercise.

A force pla orm has four points which measure the pressure in the ball and the heel of both feet in each movement. The results are used to calculate the resultant force. Vector graphics show how the pressure should be distributed in the various phases of the movement.

As each moment of the movement is also filmed, the ski jumper gets immediate feedback. He gets a be er and deeper understanding of how to repeat the movement to improve the end result.

– Li le by li le, a er several repe ons, he can apply what he has learned to real life situa ons.

Kojonkoski is Finland’s best known ski jumping coach Mika Kojonkoski has coached ski jumpers as well as ice hockey, volley ball and Finnish baseball players.

Kojonkoski is, however, best known as a ski jumping coach. He has never counted how many medals his coachees have won. However, the Norwegian na onal ski jumping team won 23 championship medals during the nine years that Kojonkoski coached it. In the previous seven years, Norway had not won a single medal.

Comatec news Oucons Oy in Oulu, Newcomer to the Comatec Group Oucons Oy in Oulu is the latest company that has joined the Comatec Group. Engineering Office Comatec acquired the majority of Oucons Oy’s capital stock on 21 February 2012.

Oucons Oy will operate as an independent, development and growth oriented company in the Comatec Group. It will supplement Comatec’s exper se and add to our resources in the design and project management of Bulk material conveyor systems and thereby help us serve our clients especially in the north of Finland.

Oucons Oy is an engineering office that specialises in machine and process design. The company was established in 1985 and it employs 9 people. Oucons Oy’s provides machine and equipment design services to leading industrial enterprises.

New office in Järvenpää The number of Comatec’s offices increased in January 2012, when Engineering Office Comatec Oy and Engineering Office Keijo Kärki Oy located in Järvenpää concluded a corporate acquisi on deal in which the design business and personnel of Engineering Office Keijo Kärki were transferred to Comatec. In Comatec’s organisa on, the Järvenpää office belongs to the southern area and con nues opera ons in the same premises as before under Office Manager Keijo Kärki.

The corporate acquisi on is part of Comatec’s expansion strategy, and the competent and experienced staff of the Järvenpää office strengthens Comatec’s client rela onships in the Central Uusimaa area and the Capital Region. The corporate acquisi on strengthens Comatec’s exper se and posi on as one of Finland’s leading providers of design and exper se services in the metal and engineering industry.

Veli-Ma Kaunismäki, M.Sc. (Eng.) started on 1 February 2012 as Head of Mechanics and Industry Department in Vantaa.

Mikko Parikka, M. Eng. started on 1 February 2012 as Design Manager in the Electricity and Automaon Department. His responsibili es cover project management, supervisory tasks, and the development of business opera ons.

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Comatec Employees in the spotlight Comatec Estonia Oü started opera ons in Tallinn Estonia last autumn. Tõnis Tiedemann works as Office Manager and Hugo Klaos as Mechanics Designer in the Tallinn office. How have things been so far?

– We have a really open work atmosphere. At the moment, I feel we have good possibili es for growth and stability. The Comatec Group offers an excellent opportunity to work in a company with strong growth poten al.

For me, Comatec Estonia has been a good move, says Hugo.

Hugo Klaos has worked as a mechanics designer for 12 years. For the first five years a er gradua on, Hugo worked in medical companies and

Tõnis Tiedemann Office Manager

designed a lot of different devices, for instance periscopes. Later on, he moved to industrial automa on. Tõnis Tiedemann has worked in the industry since 2000. To begin with, he designed bridge cranes but later expanded his scope of exper se to engineering design.

– When I joined the Comatec Group, I was looking for new challenges and I wanted to work for an interna onal company. I like my work very much. It is interes ng and challenging. I can see that things have developed in the right direc on and the company has a solid basis, says Tõnis.

– My job as Office Manager is to make sure that things run smoothly.

I meet a lot of clients, and I also look for new ones. When necessary, I also par cipate in the design work, Tõnis con nues.

– I am social by nature and have several years’ experience of interac ng with clients. My background experience has developed the technical and analy cal a ributes of my brain. It is actually brainwork that we offer to our clients, a er all.

According to both Hugo and Tõnis, me management is the most important aspect of their work. For Tõnis, it means the management of large en es, and for Hugo, the priori za on of machine part design.

– I am an idea generator, says Hugo.

I like inven ng completely new things but I also like to process my previous work further. Some mes I entertain myself by thinking of my previous projects and trying to find be er solu ons for them. This kind of brain gym helps me encounter new challenges.

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– My job is mechanics design consis ng of preliminary design and all the phases of design. I am involved in the project from the beginning to the end. Our projects range from small connec on boxes designed for the electronics industry to large automated warehouses equipped with elevator systems.

Hugo is the father of three, the oldest already at school age. Hugo lives in Tallinn, although he does not par cularly like living in town.

– I do, however, like the loca on of my home by the sea. It gives me many possibili es for outdoor ac vi es.

– I don’t have a special hobby, but I try to keep myself in a good physical condi on. The best way to do this is sports. I read a lot and I also like to listen to music, says Hugo.

Tõnis, who is s ll single, lives in a beau ful area of the Nõmme District of Tallinn, where the forest is right outside the front door.

– I like endurance sports and fast team sports. I keep myself busy by doing a li le bit of sports, Tõnis says with smile in his eyes – he has completed several triathlons.

Hugo Klaos Mechanical designer

Employer of the Year 2011 - Honourable Mention to Comatec In 1983, Junior Chamber Tammerkoski granted the first “Employment Provider of the Year” Award to draw public a en on to the importance of employment provision. In 2002, the name of the award was changed to describe be er the spirit of the mes. This is how the “Employer of the Year” Award was created.

The “Employer of the Year” Award is granted to a company that operates in the Tampere economic region.

Special a en on is paid to the rela ve increase in the number of employees, employee turnover, net increase in the number of employees, and job preserva on during the review period. The age of the company,

field of opera on, profitability and financial standing are also taken into considera on. The members of the jury represent employment authori es, Ministry of the Employment and the Economy, Tampere Chamber of Commerce and the City of Tampere.

An honourable men on was granted to Engineering Office Comatec Oy, which started its opera ons in Tampere in 1986. The company is a leading expert organisa on in machine and equipment design. It is an excellent example of a growth company that exports Finnish exper se to global markets.

- Comatec Oy ac vely invests in the development of its products and in the competence of its personnel. The company has succeeded in crea ng a lot of posi ve atmosphere around it, says the Chairman of the Jury, Erkki

Lydén from the Pirkanmaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

- I am extremely happy of this recogni on, says Managing Director Aulis Asikainen. The whole personnel of the Group has reason to be proud of it. We have undergone a very challenging period of three years, but we have worked hard and believed in the strength and growth poten al of our company.

The Employer of the Year Award was granted to Santen Oy, which specialises in eye medicines.

The other company that was granted an honourable men on was Bitwise Oy, which specialises in challenging so ware solu ons.

In the picture from le to right: Managing Director Jyrki Liljeroos and Research and Product Development Director Kari Lehmussaari from Santen Oy, Jarno Hovi and Kirs Puus nen from Junior Chamber Tammerkoski, Managing Director Tomi Mikkonen from Bitwise Oy, and HR Manager Tuula Korkeemaa and Managing Director Aulis Asikainen from the Comatec Group.

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Comatec’s mining knowhow includes all sectors from the technical design of the project to installa on supervision and project management.

We will par cipate in the Kaivos Mining Exhibi on in Oulu in May 2012.

Our stand is 605. Welcome!

SOLUTIONS. PROJECTS. EXPERTS.

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