The new Ambassador for Clean Water

Uruguay’s long screen project

50 years of IFAT

ASEAN trade in full swing HUMLOG studies supply chains

EConET GroUp CUsTomEr mAGAzInE1 | 2016

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Contents 1| 2016

Econet Group Customer Magazine AQ

New technology, innovative know-how

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3 Editorial: The power of example

4 On the surface: The new Ambassador for Clean Water, Wiser Oy, World Water Day,

8 HUMLOG supply chain studies for safe drinking water

11 DEWA: 30 years at the IFAT trade fair

12 Econet Group is growing globally

16 Uruguay’s long screen project

18 Dewaco’s representative in Malaysia

19 Bubbles: Sales work in Kazakhstan, Jenny Zhang from Beijing, Travel Shower, Ecoset

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Finns have nothing to be ashamed of in the international competition within the water industry. On the contrary, Finnish know-how and busi-ness practices can handle global com-parisons well. As a matter of fact, in many aspects, we’ve found ourselves to be ahead of many businesses that we previously considered to be tough competitors.

So what is stopping us in the way of becoming a major player in the global water treatment sector? The problem is the size of the business. The major-ity of international infra-projects financed by development banks are gigantic. Econet is irretrievably too small for these tenders. In these projects, the turnover should be twice or thrice the value of the contract, so typically 30 – 50 million Euros. Econet cannot reach these figures. However, we do have strong, even unique references in the Nordic countries, as well as sufficient, well-trained human resources. Finland needs a machinery and equipment contractor in the wa-ter industry that meets international norms. It will be a powerful example to others.

Over the recent years, we have focused strongly on the product development of our own equipment. The sales figures of our subsidiary, Dewaco, increased by 15 per cent last

year, which is a lot in this competi-tive market. In Malaysia, Dewaco also finalised its largest single deal so far, valued at nearly a half of the company’s annual turnover. Another subsidiary, Slamex, will be supply-ing 10 suction purifiers to a Russian forestry company in 2016 and 2017, in addition to the five purifiers supplied previously. That’s also a significant deal.

When new technologies are imple-mented, it’s also important to have innovative and unprejudiced people who have the courage and the profes-sional interest in developing some-thing new for the field. Membrane filtration technology is gaining a foothold in Finland, and together with Alfa Laval, Econet will be building Finland’s first membrane filtration plant, in Parikkala. The MBR process that will be included in the rock treat-ment plant to be constructed in Mik-keli is also a commendable decision.

Broadly speaking, humankind has two options when it comes to water treatment. We will either continue recycling and purifying water, or start making desalinated water from sea-water. Current developments support the former option. The latter option is hindered by high energy prices – the liberal market economy, i.e. us, the people.

A Strong Example

Econet’s Customer Magazine AQ

Issue no. 1 May 2016

Publisher: Econet OyMalminkaari 5, 00700 HkiPhone no +358 9 836 6250

www.econetgroup.fi

Editor-in-chiefMatti Leppäniemi

ProducerMagnolia Media OyEija Öhrnberg

Editing and layoutMagnolia Media Oy

Graphic design Kirma Visual

ImagesiStockPhoto

PrintingSP-Paino Oy, Nurmijärvi

PaperCover G-print 250 gr Pages G-print 90 gr

Print runFinnish version 5 000 copies English version 2 000 copies

TranslationsEnglish versio ABC Oy

ISSN 1799-7763

Editorial

ECONETWater for Life

Matti LeppäniemiCEO, Econet Group

Finland needs a machinery and equipment contractor in the water industry who would meet international

requirements.

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Essi-Maria Lillman (15) has felt at home in a pool ever since she was a baby. As she progressed from one coaching team to another, this member of Lahden Uimaseura has been participating in swimming competitions already for sev-en years. For her age, Essi has managed to grab bucketfuls of swimming medals.

– I feel like I’ve always been swim-ming. It’s always been a big part of my life, pondered Essi, as we met her at the Finnish Junior Championships.

Essi’s main strengths are the 200 metre breaststroke, 400 metre medley, and longer freestyle distances. She has also collected medals as a member of relay teams. All in all, Essi has won more than 40 Finnish Championships medals in various age categories. Last summer, in the European Games at Azerbaijan, Essi swam straight to the semifinals with a new personal record.

– My favourite is the 200 metre event, in which I did well at the European Games, as well. In the future European Championships, I aim to get to the finals, Essi smiled, having already qualified for this summer’s European Championships.

Great results are a sign of a lot of hard work. Essi trains on six mornings and five evenings every week, alto-gether 11 times per week. On weekday mornings, the training sessions start at six, and the evening sessions start after school.

Riikka Mäkinen Images Riikka Mäkinen, Satu Salmi

Essi is the new Ambassador for Clean Water

ling to competitions. In addition to vis-ibility, an Ambassador for Clean Water also makes Econet happy.

– The Ambassador will be doing sports in our colours, but we mainly wish to be involved in supporting a young athlete, and water sports.

– In the summer, everyone can swim in Finland, and there are extensive op-portunities at reasonable prices to keep swimming throughout the winter, as well. All in all, it’s a great sport, sum-marised Econet’s CEO, Matti Leppäniemi.

Elviira’s words of thanks! Having been injured during a pool train-ing session in 2013, Elviira Salmi has had to quit competitive swimming and her dear hobby. Despite her determination and plucky rehabilitation, the nerve pain caused by the injury remained a permanent obstacle for swimming practice. That is why Elviira will be transferring her Ambassador for Clean Water title to her successor, Essi.

– I still think that I was in a very privileged position, be-cause personal sponsorship agreements for swimmers aren’t

Econet’s new Ambassador for Clean Water, Essi-Maria Lillman.

Having been on loan at Econet, Matti Leppäniemi gives her first medal from the Nordic

Championships back to Elviira Salmi.

particularly common, especially for young athletes. Econet enabled me to focus on swimming completely, and gave me enough energy to swim a few fractions of a second faster, even more than you would think, Elviira was grateful.

After she had to quit swimming, Elviira has had to give up her dreams and to rethink her everyday life. It has not been easy.

– I’ve had to learn what other things I can do during the day besides trai- ning. I hope that my experience will in-spire young athletes to appreciate their talent, and to have strength for conscien-tious training, the 19-year-old said.

Elviira is planning to continue sprea-ding the message of clean water.

– I believe that with the help of Econet and developing technology, clean water can be supplied to developing regions even more extensively. Respecting nature and cherishing clean water will always be close to my heart.

Essi Lillman participated success-fully in the Finnish Championships that were held during the Easter weekend. She was awarded two Finnish Junior Championship gold medals, one silver, and two bronze medals. She also got a silver medal in the adult category, and a bronze medal as a member of the adult re-lay team.

Essi’s medals

– Training does make me tired some-times, but I always feel great after a session. It’s rewarding, ex-plained Essi, a member of Finland’s Ju-nior National Team.

Support for travelling to competitions Essi has great respect towards the task of being Econet’s Ambassador for Clean Water.

– Without water, I wouldn’t have a hobby. People have to know how to cherish clean water, it’s not found just anywhere. The contract with Econet is great, because sponsors like this can’t be taken for granted.

Econet’s support to the ambassador will go through Finland’s athletes’ coac-hing fund, and in Essi’s case, it will mainly be used for covering the costs of travel-

Over the course of 30 years, Dewaco’s products have been exported to 84 countries.

Bosnia Herzegovina

Belarus Australia

Brunei

Burkina Faso

BulgariaBrazil Angola

Algeria

Austria

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Belgium

Canada

China

Chile

Burma

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Did you know that the years 2005-2015 were the UN International Decade for

Action “Water for Life”.

Did you know that ...the salinity level of the Baltic Sea is only about a fifth of the salinity level of oceans.

A diluter or a diluting device is an accessory used in polymer manufacturing. Its goal is to dilute the liquid polymer solution to its optimal concentration. The use of a diluter also enables to use smaller polymer manufacturing equip-ment, which is particularly useful if the sludge volume is high, or if the use of space is other-wise limited.

Diluter

Matti Leppäniemi and his son Antti were wal-king along the beach road Hikkaduwa in Malay-sia. The boys got thirsty and they started searc-hing for a café to pop into. They happened to spot a sign that read “Dewasiri” – had Siri from Dewa established a side business here?

They simply had to drop in at this otherwise modest place, to find out what the name means. The owner of the café said that “Dewasiri” means the bright light of God. It turned out that the “dewa” part had nothing to do with the term “dewatering”, after all…

However, there is a connection with Hikka-duwa from when Dewaco first started. The uncle of Markku Sihvonen, the founder of Dewaco, visited that road to purchase fish to sell at Helsinki’s first pet shop in the 1950’s. But that’s already another story.

The EIP, the European Innovation Partnership, is a forum organised by the EU, which aims to de-termine the development possibilities of innova-tions in the water industry, while considering the European and the global markets. Matti Leppä-niemi, the CEO of Econet, is the only representa-

tive of Finnish SME-s who is a member of the EIP’s steering group.

The role of the EIP is to improve the emer-gence of innovations and new business opera-tions related to the water industry, by providing money from the EU’s framework programmes,

and by establishing task forces related to various fields. The task force strives to promote water in-dustry development by identifying the best prac-tices, and by developing measure recommenda-tions and communication strategies. Antti Herlevi from Econet is a member of the Task Force.

Finland involved in decisions about the EU’s water issues

Herring Clupea harengus

Thriving schools of fat herrings can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean, with up to several billion individual fish in a single school. The largest herrings can grow to almost half a metre in length, and they can weigh a kilo.

Traditional herring fishing countries include Iceland, Norway, and England, with eager fishermen catching herring also in the United States, off the coast of New England. Herring schools are tracked with sonars, and the fish are mainly caught by trawling. About two million tonnes of herring are caught every year.

The herring is a commercially important food fish. Herrings are salted in barrels already on the fishing vessels, and the actual packaging into jars or vacuum packs takes place on land. In the Nordic countries, people eat a lot of marinated and seasoned herring; fresh herring is available more rarely. The best herring season is summer, when new potatoes are available in the shops.

Dewasiri at HikkaduwaIS

TOCK

PHO

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Denmark

Czech

Colombia

Croatia

Cyprus

Estonia

Egypt

Ecuador

DominicanRepublic

Finland

FranceGermany

GreeceGeorgia

Hungary

Hong Kong

Guatemala

The terms

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Myanmar

Luxemburg LebanonJordan

Ireland

Did you know that...the oxygen situation in the Gulf of Finland is better today than throughout the past ten years.

ISTO

CKP

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ISTOCKPHOTO

The World Water Day is celebrated annually on 22 March. Since 1992, the role of water in our world has been discussed from the perspectives set by the UN. The Water Day is a reminder about the importance of clean water. Clean drinking water is every person’s basic right. Sanitation, sewerage, and hygienic toilets are essential for people’s well-being, and developing these reduces poverty, diseases, and child mortality.

The goal of the Water Day is also to increase awareness about the effect of water resources on economic productivity, and on the social well-being of nations. The themes for the year 2016 are water and work. This theme gives a great opportunity to look back and see how the themes of previous Water Days have been addressed in terms

of sustainable development. In collaboration with the International Labour Organization, the UN held a Water Day seminar, which addressed the effect of water on employment, the economy, and human rights in various cultures.

The World Water Day’s themes are water and work

Wiser Oy now a part of Econet Group Specialised in the purification of industrial and municipal gases and water, Wiser Oy’s business operations were transferred in February to the ownership of Oy Slamex Ab, a member of the Econet Group. Having operated at Kerava since 1986, this family business creates customised solutions for increasing productivity, improving working conditions, and managing environmental emissions. Wiser offers internationally patented products for water treatment, and the purification of flue gases, quarrying and crushing dust. These patented technologies are reliable, require no maintenance, and use little energy.

– The Wiser trade is a part of Econet’s strategic growth plan, confirmed Matti Leppäniemi, CEO of Econet.

– In the future, we will be focusing on part processes and device trading, and we want to be a systems supplier. Wiser has the strong know-how that we need, and we hope that the synergistic advantages of the group will help Wiser’s products to reach the rest of the world.

Already for a few years, products manu-factured in the Econet group have been grouped under the WaterHow by Econet brand name. This harmonises marketing communication for the entire group. All of the products and services of the group

WaterHow by Econet

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Japan

ItalyKazakhstan

Kuwait

Latvia

Lithuania Malaysia

India

Indonesia

In April, Tomi Martikainen from W-Rix Oy participated in the inauguration of the Paper Machine 3 at the UPM factory in Changshu, China.

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can be found under the same roof.

WaterHow by Econet is visible not only in the equipment manufactured by the group, but also in various communi-cation tools. The group’s online store is located at www.waterhow.fi.

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Did you know that the UN General Assembly declared

22 March to be the World Water Day in 1992.

TERO

PA

JUKA

LLIO

Launched in spring 2015, the goal of the Archipelago Sea Local Fish project is to support the emission reduction measures of the Archipelago Sea by recycling a considerable amount of nutrients from the Archipelago Sea marine ecosystem to land, for human nutrition. During the pilot stage, the recycling will occur by target-ed fishing of the under-utilised common roach in the Archipelago Sea area.

The majority of the common roach catch will be processed further for the food industry, with the rest used as fodder or in energy production. The goal of this project is to create a permanent food chain, as well as a demand for fish products made from the common roach. This project is implemented in collaboration with contractual fishermen who commit to adhere to the strictly defined framework conditions for fishing.

Visible changes in a short time

Riikka Mäkinen

Marjukka Porvari, the project man-ager of John Nurminen Foundation’s Clean Baltic Sea projects, is satisfied. The condition of the Gulf of Finland has visibly improved in just a few years. As far as its environmental ef-fects are concerned, the Foundation’s participation in the improvement of St. Petersburg’s wastewater treatment was one of the most significant water conservation projects ever carried out in the Baltic Sea region. Another large project that Porvari highlights is the re-duction of phosphorus emissions from the fertiliser factory at Laukaanjoki.

– The reduction in the nutritional load is visible in the water samples tak-en for monitoring the Baltic Sea, but the improved condition of the Gulf of Finland is also visible to the naked eye, just by looking at how clear the water is. I have a summer cottage at Virolahti, and the blue-green algae situation

has radically improved over the past few years.

– People are always sad about the condition of the Baltic Sea, but they should also be happy that we have achieved a positive environmental change, with the public sector and many businesses all working together, Porvari reminded us.

In the past few years, wastewater treatment has considerably improved in the entire water catchment area of the Baltic Sea region. Using EU funds to update the wastewater treatment plants in the new EU member states Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia considerably reduces the nutritional load of the Baltic Sea.

– The constantly improving treatment of wastewater could also improve the condition of the Baltic Sea basin.

However, there could be new prob-lems, for example with biogas produc-tion that is currently experiencing rap-id growth, and where nutrients bound to wastewater sludge could, at worst, end up back in the water system.

– People have encountered this problem in many countries in the Bal-tic Sea region. For example, Germany might have to limit biogas production, as the groundwater is starting to get polluted. However, there is a sustai- nable way of producing biogas, if people are aware of the risk related to nutrient runoff. The Foundation plans to influence this in the near future.

Econet s contribution to St. Petersburg s wastewater treatment

After the implementation of a collector tunnel for St. Petersburg’s wastewater, the wastewater load of the Baltic Sea will reduce considerably, considering that almost all of the wastewater from the St. Petersburg region will be within the treatment area.

The collector tunnel lies at a depth of about 80 metres, and the connected pumping station has a diameter of 22 metres. The waste is collect-ed with screens that are nearly 60 metres high. The throughput capacity of the screens supplied by Econet is five cubic metres per second.

The material lifted by the screens will be crushed with crushers, whose capacity is five cubic metres per hour. Screw conveyors will transfer the crushed residue from the screen to the output well, from where it will continue its journey with the wastewater, to the wastewater treatment plant.

Econet has delivered two crushers and six screw conveyors to Vodokanal, as well as other project equipment, such as lifts, special doors, and closing hatches made from acid-proof steel, which can be used to close the suction channels, if necessary.

In the early 2000’s, already before the collec-tor tunnel was built, St. Petersburg’s Southern wastewater treatment plant was built as an in-ternational project, which had a considerable ef-fect on the clarification of the Baltic Sea. Through business acquisitions, the majority of the core Finnish experts in that project became Econet’s employees in 2009.

Anja Berdov

The first Clean Baltic Sea project of the John Nur-minen Foundation was launched in St. Petersburg in 2005. Its goal, to have an annual reduction of more than 1000 tonnes of phosphorus, was reached in 2011. All in all, the phos-phorus load from St. Pe-tersburg into the Baltic Sea has decreased by 70% since 2004, which corre-sponds to an almost 30% reduction in the phos-phorus load of the Gulf of Finland.

Local Fish project – the most recent Clean Baltic Sea project

The project manager of John Nurminen Foundation’s Clean Baltic Sea projects, Marjukka Porvari.

The John Nurminen Foundation has participated in several Baltic Sea projects, and is constantly developing new methods for improving the condition of the sea.

Moldova

Mexico

NamibiaNew Zealand

Nicaraqua

NorthernIreland

Paraquay

Oman

Panama

Netherlands

NorwayNigeria

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Qatar

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Safe drinking water – a supply chain question

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Safe drinking water, and overall, water and sanitation, are essential for humanity, as water is needed not only for drinking but for hygiene and cooking, as well as for

growing crops. Yet access to water, especially safe drinking water, is not always straightforward. Not only is it a question of human rights and development,

but water and sanitation are also important aspects of disaster relief.

Linda Annala and Gyöngyi Kovács Images HUMLOG, iStockPhoto

T he supply chains behind establishing and maintaining access to water and sanitation, and to water purification are crucial enablers of human development.

Not surprisingly, the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Research Institute, or HUMLOG Institute for short, has many projects in the areas of water and sanitation – whether it concerns the security of supply in the water sector in Finland, supply chain design for the maintenance and re-pair operations of water points that had been set up in various rural areas in Ethiopia, or the use of water filters in India.

The HUMLOG Institute focuses on supply chains in disaster relief and development aid, all with an aim “to research the area of humanitarian logistics in disaster preparedness, response and re-covery with the intention of influencing future ac-tivities in a way that will provide measurable ben-efits to persons requiring assistance”. It is a joint institute between the Hanken School of Econom-ics and the National Defence University, and it serves as a hub for humanitarian logistics research-ers around the world.

Here are some insights from the latest project focusing on water and sanitation that looked into the use of household water filters in Ahmedabad, India. The project was carried out jointly with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), un-der the umbrella of a Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE).

Household water filter evaluation in Ahmedabad, IndiaThe CITE project is dedicated to developing methods for technological product evaluation in the Southern hemisphere. The project draws upon diverse expertise to evaluate products and develop an understanding of what makes products suc-cessful in developing markets. The evaluations provide evidence for decision-making by develop-ment workers, donors, manufacturers, suppliers, entrepreneurs and consumers. So far, the evalua-tions have covered a range of products: solar lan-terns, malaria rapid diagnostic tests, water test kits, educational technologies and post-harvest storages. In summer 2014, a CITE research team evalu-ated household water filters available on the mar-ket in Ahmedabad, India. Linda Annala, a PhD student at the HUMLOG Institute, was part of the research group. The team worked closely with students and faculty at local universities to assess water filter products’ suitability – how well does filters perform their intended purpose, sustainabil-ity – are the filters used correctly, consistently, and continuously by users over time, and scalability – how well do the filters’ supply chain effectively reach consumers. The supply chains that enable manufacturing and distribution of water filters, and the extent the supply chains are “scalable,” play a critical role in determining success of prod-

ucts in the market and have an impact on improv-ing water quality for Indian households.

With a population of around 6 million, the ur-ban Ahmedabad proved to be an interesting con-text for the study in terms of water supply. His-torically, groundwater was the dominant source of water for the residents of Ahmedabad. In the last 30 years, the city experienced scarcity of wa-ter and the main source of supply was changed from groundwater to surface water (Bhatkal et al., 2015). This shift was enabled by linking the Narmada river to the city of Ahmedabad. Today,

Safe drinking water – a supply chain question

People washing clothes in the Narmada.

Water and sewerage are essential when talking about emergency relief.

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water supply per capita within Ahmedabad city is estimated at 170 liters per day, but in terms of wa-ter quality, the picture becomes more complex. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation monitors sev-eral water quality parameters within their centralized water treatment plants, but this does not guarantee the water flowing out of household taps to retain the same quality.

Contamination of water can take place through leakages within the water supply network infrastruc-ture of Ahmedabad. Moreover, private bore wells built in residential areas with the aim of increasing the quantity of water mix brackish groundwater with the municipal water supply, thus creating undrinkable water with high amounts of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). The mixing of high-level TDS ground water with municipal water supply, coupled with distrust in the water supply network infrastructure, appears as a

key driver for citizens to opt for household water fil-ters provided by the private market.

Companies and small-scale entrepreneurs find op-portunities for private profiteering in the business of improving drinking water quality. Household level filters that use a variety of different technologies have had a tremendous market growth in recent years. Large corporations such as Kent, Eureka Forbes and Unilever dominate the market for branded house-hold water filters.

Adding to these powerful market actors, there is the booming sector of informal water filter ven-dors as well: more than 7 000 small-scale entrepre-neurs sell low-cost water filters for middle and up-per middle class residents of Ahmedabad. These low-cost filters are characterized by the elimination of certain features and the utilization of cheaper ma-terials. Nonetheless, in terms of performance, the

CITE research found that the low-cost filters showed similar if not better results than their more expen-sive, branded counterparts. The entrepreneurs selling these low-cost models assemble filters themselves and provide quick and reliable maintenance services to their customers.

In fact, postponed assembly at the retail level can be very effective in scaling the supply chain due to the embedded responsiveness. Moreover, these entrepreneurs customize their products and services to the needs and price expectations of their customers. This process, which has been facilitated by the proximity of the user to the local entrepreneur, has not only reduced private costs borne by users, but has also been as successful as their more expensive counterparts in meeting the diverse needs of end users.

We should bear in mind, however, that despite their technological performance, none of the current

What is scalability?

Within CITE, scalability is defined as the capability of the supply chain to reach consumers, taking into account issues of supply chain configuration, manufacturing, distribution, sales channels, and aftermarket support. Three key aspects characterize the scalability performance of a manufacturer’s supply chain for a product:

Availability: the product’s market presence and stock levels for consumer purchase.

Affordability: the product’s total cost of ownership, combining initial purchase and ongoing maintenance, and availability of financing across the supply chain.

Aftermarket: the support system to maintain the product after purchase by the consumer, including service and repairs. (CITE Water Filter Evaluation – Scalability, 2015; p. 5)

The more affordable water filters produced similar or even better results than more expensive brand products.

Household water purification device in a kitchen. Drinking water must be filtered before use.

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As the heading implies, IFAT is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The first IFAT trade fair was held in Germany on 3–9 September 1966. It had 151 businesses from ten countries, with a total of 7 500 visitors from forty different countries.

Throughout these five decades, IFAT has been one of the world’s best-known meeting places of the specialists of the environmental industry, and it has grown into an exhibition of 3 081 companies, “cramped” onto premises spanning 230 000 square metres. In 2014, there were exhibitors from 59 countries, with 135 000 visitors from 168 different countries.

All self-respecting, internationally operating companies in the environmental industry will show their know-how at IFAT, either as newcomers or veterans who have already secured a place on the international market. Presence at the trade fair is a sign that we are still closely involved in the business of this field, and strive to develop on the global market.

My first personal visit to the trade fair took place already in 1978, when I was able to get a visitor’s in-depth view of the technology of the time. Ever since that time, IFAT has been a forum where we have been exhibitors for more than ten times.

The entire DEWA brand was created on the international market: IFAT has been one of the best, if not the best part of this process. For Dewaco Oy, IFAT has been a springboard for international business operations, as particularly in the 80’s and 90’s, the majority of business partners was found namely from this fair. With many of these partners, collaboration has lasted already for several decades.

Over the past IFAT decades, surprisingly few Finnish companies have chosen this global showcase opportunity. Is this a sign of the small size of the environmental sector in Finland, or of the fact that Finnish environmental

companies are so small that their wings cannot really carry them even to such a significant event; or maybe a bit of both?

In addition to Germany, IFAT trade fairs are also held in China, India, South Africa, and Turkey, for example. This development indicates that it is a very renowned and important event, which environmental specialists all over the world have selected as their preferred showcasing method.

Pork shank, sauerkraut, fresh asparagus, and maybe some beer? At the end of a tough exhibition day, it is a great idea to reward yourself and your partners with these treats, which are available in almost every restaurant in Munich. One very popular “small” beer house that stands above all the rest is called the HOFBRÄUHAUS. All self-respecting trade fair visitors are familiar with the place, as

this tavern is more than 500 years old. This beer house was established

by Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, on 27 September 1589. Long live his memory.

A frothing stein in hand, a heady buzz of conversation, drinking songs paced by a brass band – what could be more relaxed? Us, Finns, also have room for improvement regarding beer. We do reasonably well in one-on-one races, but due to the small presence of Finns, we cannot really compete in teams, so it is important to have more Finns attending in the future, for us to be able to enjoy great results also on this front.

Column

Markku Sihvonen

50 yearsof IFAT meetings

In addition to Germany, IFAT trade fairs are

also held in China, India, South Africa,

and Turkey, for example.

Conclusions of the CITE Household Water Filter Evaluation (2015) report: Postponed assembly at the retail level for certain water filter products can be very effective in scaling the supply chain. The locally branded reverse osmosis water filters assembled by the distributors and retailers are promising from a scalability perspective.

Water filters offer a good retail entrepreneurial opportunity since the assembly process is straightforward and requires few technical skills.

A low-priced water filter is not sufficient for reaching rural populations. The more affordable models are not readily available in rural areas, where they may be needed most; investment in the supply chain is critical.

Companies and small entrepreneurs find new business opportunities for improving the quality of drinking water.

filters – not even the low-cost ones – are affordable to the economically weaker section. In a democratic state there is a danger that once middle and upper middle class citizens receive good quality water through their commercial filters, public pressure towards the government in improving the water quality would diminish in the future. In Ahmedabad, more effort and work needs to be put in improving the public water supply to guarantee an equal access to the basic human right of clean drinking water.

More about the HUMLOG Institute: http://www.hanken.fi/humloginstitute

Read more about CITE: here: http://cite.mit.edu/

Gyöngyi Kovács Linda Annala

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U nderstanding and managing the whole picture is important to ensure the quality of work. Under the shared umbrella brand, WaterHow by Econet, we provide

solutions from design to implementation. All of us are committed to our shared goals that involve clean water.

Over the past few years, Econet has strongly developed its own products. Dewaco has particularly focused on increasing the tensile strength of its chain scrapers, resulting in a 15 per cent increase in sales. In turn, Slamex has been commissioned by a Russian forestry company to deliver a total of 15 suction clarifiers, in addition to the previously delivered five.

Econet is available all over the world

E conet started its attempt to con-quer Russia in 2009, when a busi-ness merger meant that there were

employees who had long-term experience with Russia. Before that, export to Rus-sia mainly happened through other Finn-ish companies, with Econet or Slamex, its subsidiary, acting as their subcontractor.

Russia is a big country where it is dif-ficult to get business exposure. That is why Econet group decided to promote the sales of the group companies primarily using Econet’s name, while keeping the already established brands of DEWA, Slamex and Waterix. Indeed, this has proved to be suc-cessful. For example, DEWA chain scrapers and Slamex suction clarifiers have been sold to the same large client, with talks about Waterix products, as well.

Successful business operations in Russia require local knowledge and good networ-king. In this case, the most efficient option is to use local sales agents, who are very fa-miliar with the operating environment.

Indeed, Econet has agents focusing on dif-ferent customer groups or different prod-ucts, thanks to whom the business opera-tions in Russia have a sturdy foundation.

In Russia, Econet has completed wa-ter and wastewater treatment projects. The water treatment projects include deminer-alization plants supplied to thermal power stations, in addition to condensate purifi-cation units which are based on the ion exchange process.

Wastewater treatment equipment, in-cluding screens and clarifiers from Slamex, and belt filter presses and chain scrapers from Dewaco, have been supplied to mu-nicipal treatment plants as well as to the industrial sector, such as the forestry sector, receiving positive feedback from the clients.

Recently, marketing has been expanded also to former Soviet countries, such as Kazakhstan, and finding a reliable local representative there is opening up extremely promising prospects for device sales by the Econet group.

Econet Group over the world

Water is a worldwide natural resource. Climate change is a harsh

reality: it changes the operating models of the water industry, and

highlights the significance of new construction objects. Extreme

weather events and the increasing global population constantly

create new challenges for this industry. Consumers’ water quality

requirements are also becoming stricter. The water industry must

also correspond to people’s changing value choices.

Econet´s operations in Russia

Anj

a Be

rdov

Anj

a Be

rdov E conet’s long-term plans have included access to the Kazakh-

stan market. At the end of 2015, these plans finally came into fruition, with the start of negotiations on entering into an

agency agreement with TOO WL-Astana. The agreement was pre-ceded by both parties’ overview of their business operations.

Igor Tskhe, the director of WL-Astana, visited Econet group, and the factories of its companies Dewaco Oy, Oy Slamex Ab and W-Rix Oy, whose products will hopefully reach the Kazakhstan market. Igor Tskhe also gave a detailed overview of his company’s business opera-tions. WL-Astana has many years of experience in collaboration with Western companies, including Finnish ones. On the other hand, as a local operator, it has an extensive business network in Kazakhstani, and it is familiar with the laws and practices of the country.

At the meeting, it became clear that collaboration interests both parties: for Econet, finding a local sales company familiar with the water industry is an important step in conquering Kazakhstan, and for WL-Astana, Econet’s products are a great choice, as they complement other products that they represent and expand the operation area in Kazakhstan.

The co-operation agreement between Econet and WL-Astana was signed in early 2016, and the collaboration has started well and in very good spirits. WL-Astana has submitted queries about several Econet products, and there have also been negotiations about the first actual equipment deal.

Operations inKazakhstan have started

12 13

V ietnam, a country with a population of over 90 mil-lion people, is a potential

market for any business person who intends to expand their busi-ness activities. Its economy with a GDP growth of up to ten percent annually, sustainable political sys-tem and young labor resource are the main conditions attracting foreign investors to Vietnam.

With the current growth of economic development, the infra-structures of Vietnam are at a shortage and weak. In particular, the Government of Vietnam has realized that environmental issues are a serious threat when the econo-my is in the development stage.

Econet entered the Vietnam-ese market in the post-war period. Ever since the reunification, the in-frastructures of Vietnam have been severely lacking. The requirement of drinking water, a basic demand for people, has not been met to the full-est. The support that the Govern-ment of Finland has offered to Viet-nam in the water sector from the 1980s up to now has made today has made a an impact, and when people talk about clean water, they talk about “Finnish water”. Hanoi also has a street named the Finn-ish Water Road, which is how Viet-namese people honour the valuable help and support of the Govern-ment of Finland to Vietnam in the most difficult period.

With the long experience in the environmental and water sec-tor such as wastewater treatment, drinking water and solid waste mar-ket in Vietnam since the 1980s, a lot of water works in Vietnam bear the imprints of Econet and our Finnish experts. However, we also found that business in Vietnam has never been easy. In Europe, having the same technical specifications, if you offer the best price to the customers, it is understood that you have won the bid. But in Vietnam, a good price is not necessarily everything, as there are thousands of reasons why the competitors might win over you, despite your offer of the lowest price.

Econet returns to Vietnam after a certain time with a team who has many years of experience working

in Vietnam and a new organizational structure consisting of well-known Finnish companies speciali-zing in the water and environmental sec-tor that were bought and merged by the founder of the company Mr Matti Leppäniemi, CEO of Econet Group. Having won three construc-tion projects of water supply and wastewater treatment and one con-sulting project of water and sanita-tion, Econet is bringing know-how, advanced technology and experien-ce with water treatment to Vietnam. Of those, one water supply project has been launched effectively and is ben-efitting the local people, and others are in the process of construction.

Successful implementation and indicating the brand name in a project is a really big challenge for a foreign company operating in Vietnam. However, the most im-portant key for success is to have a good local partner for implementa-tion and support in all legal issues in Vietnam. In addition, many other problems that may become poten-tial risks for business also need to be predicted, for example complicat-ed billing procedures, which need to be approved by several levels and authorities for the public project to go ahead, or delay in the payment if the project belongs to a private customer. For public infrastructure projects, quality control is not only in the customer’s hands but is also controlled by many other agencies who are able to inspect, test and approve the design, quality of con-struction, work safety and payment.

Having overcome all the challenges mentioned above, the name Econet has become familiar in the environmental and water sectors in Vietnam. Products manufactured by the member companies of the Econet Group such as the Dewaco sludge belt press, W-Rix aerators and the mechanical equipment of Slamex were supplied for many projects in Vietnam. The Representative Office of Econet was opened in Hanoi in 2014 to support Econet, and its subsidiaries are in charge of demonstrating the strategy and targets of the Econet Group in Vietnam, a market with obvious potential.

2011, the CEO of Econet Group Matti Leppäniemi acquired ownership in Landskrona Vatten & Miljöteknik AB together with Håkan Persson and Andreas Dahlner (CEO and Sales manager respectively), creating Econet Vatten & Miljöteknik AB. Landskrona VMT was, before the transition, a smaller firm, run by Risto Arminen. The company has gone from being largely aimed towards biogas upgrading to being able to increase its area of expertise to include waste water treatment.

With the help of Econet Oy as well as collaboration with, among others, Dewaco with their chain scrapers which help to maintain a competitive price level, and to deliver a reliable product, VMT has been able to win several projects against other major competitors in the field.

Econet VMT is currently going through an expansive phase meaning an increase in the number of employees, as well as revenue and sales, and the goal is to continue this growth.

One of past year’s goals for the company has been to submit tenders for larger projects and to become

a major contender on the market, up to this point the company has managed projects up to around three million euros each. The company has had success in doing this, and to manage all these projects, Econet VMT has employed project managers, project engineers and a constructor and and we now have seven full time and one part time employees.

Econet VMT attended its first Water and Wastewater Fair, with an own booth in 2014. Invited into the booth was also Robert Tunturi from W-Rix Oy to showcase their aerators and other mechanical equipment. The Water and Wastewater Fair in Elmia, Jönköping is Sweden’s largest fair of its kind with over 8 000 unique visitors in 2014, and is therefore a perfect forum for networking with people and companies in the business for possible collaborations, but also for exposure. Today the fair is held alongside the Waste & Recycling Fair and the District Heating Fair. The next fair is held between the 27–29 September of this year and a booth is already booked, so we look forward to seeing you there!

Water business in Vietnam

Waste water treatment expertise in SwedenText and image Håkan Persson

CEO Håkan Persson, Risto Arminen, Andreas Dahlner, Claes Rudenholm and Natasha Montes attending the Water and Wastewater Fair in Jönköping 2014.

Econet Vatten & Miljöteknik AB in Malmö, Sweden, provides solutions for water

treatment and biogas production.

Quynh Le Nhu

14 15

Dewaco Oy has had a strong foothold in Malaysia since 1996 – and this year we are celebrating our 20th year of presence in Kuala

Lumpur.With our strong branding and value proposition,

we have managed to successfully enter the local water and wastewater market. Today, we are known as an innovative quality equipment and solutions provider with a customer-focused approach to business.

During our two decades of history, we have managed to install and commission both DEWA sludge removal systems as well as DEWA dewatering solutions throughout Malaysia. This includes some prestigious projects, which were executed by well-known global water companies.

Dewaco has recently secured two largest-ever orders in the company history viz. to deliver and install DEWA sludge removal systems to some of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Already over three decades, the cli-ents of Oy Slamex Ab, a subsidiary of Econet, have included towns, munici-

palities, industrial facilities and contractors around the world. Slamex is a global provider of high-end Finnish water treatment know-how in a reliable and cost-efficient way. It

helps clients during the entire process of water treatment, throughout all of its stages.

New products in our range include the Wiser technology: top-quality methods and equipment for the treatment of liquids and gases, odour control, and the purification of harmful gases.

Strong contribution in Malaysia

A safe and efficient way to get clean water

Dewaco Oy provides solutions for challenging water treatment, for towns, municipalities, industrial facilities, and contractors.

Pentti Nuutinen Image Oy Slamex Ab

Siri Dahanayake Image Dewaco Oy

Slamex bar screenThe Slamex bar screen is a result of many decades of development. The unique screen is suitable for shallow channels as well as very deep (up to 20 metres in depth) chan-nels. The width of the screen can be up to four metres.

The slot width of the screen can be selected as anything from 10 mm for waste-water, and from 5 mm for water. The screen slots are tear-shaped. The shape of the slot prevents waste from getting stuck in the slot.

The maintenance equipment of the screen has been positioned on the floor level, so that they are easy to maintain without separate maintenance levels. The screens are manufactured completely either from stain-less steel 304 or 316. The automatics in the screen’s control panel have been developed so that it can give an overview of many dif-ferent things to the operator.

Slamex sludge pumpThe Slamex sludge pump is a hydraulic piston pump. The operating pressure of the pump can be selected within the range of 15–30 bar, and the pump can move dry

sludge along a pipe for a long distance. A sludge pump does not have similar limita-tions as screw or blt conveyors; instead, it is also able to ove the sludge directly upwards.

The sludge pump is great as a transfer pump, for example, to transfer dried sludge from the sludge dewatering unit to sludge tanks. The sludge pump and its pipes cons-titute a completely enclosed system, and therefore a clean solution.

Slamex clarifierThe Slamex clarifier is suitable for round sedimentation tanks, but also for rectangular tanks. The Slamex clarifier is a result of many decades of development. These clarifiers are manufactured for all sizes: from small tanks to tanks with a 70-metre diameter. It has a drive mechanism, fitted with a so-called wading wheel. Thanks to this, the clarifier also works in winter and in subzero temperatures, with-out a risk of slipping.

The clarifier scrapers are available in several types, depending on the application: multiblade, logarithmic spiral, and suction clarifier. The clarifier scraper is manufac-tured completely from stainless or acid-proof steel.

Dewa is conquering the world

I t has been a great start of the year for Dewaco Oy at Laitila, Finland.

In January, Dewaco completed its largest-ever chain scraper system order, consisting of the delivery of nearly one hundred units to Langat, Malaysia. Considerable deliveries are also due to be made to China and Africa. Customers all over the world have realised that Dewaco manufactures high-quality and reliable products. Europe is still a considerable

market area for Dewaco. This year has started off brightly, with European trade growing steadily.

A good start to a year does not happen only because of one product. In addition to DEWA chain scrapers, DEWA filter belt presses have also been sought after.

Forecasts for the rest of the year look promising, but it would be wise to keep our heads out of the clouds, even though the colour of the sky looks to be DEWA blue.

Oss

i Iso

talo

Econet Group

14 15

T he first WATERIX® product was imple-mented in 2003. Today, equipment is designed and manufactured at Parainen,

Finland, at the premises of TunturiTec Oy. The move to Parainen happened in early 2012, when TunturiTec Oy and Econet group purchased the Waterix business. The design office and the me-chanical workshop at Parainen enable the com-pany to react quickly, and to have flexibility in changing conditions. 3D and flow modelling programmes are used in the design and develop-ment processes.

W-Rix’s key products in the Waterix product range are the AIRIT® aerators, MIXIT® mixers, and COOLIT® spraycoolers. As a result of constant product development, W-Rix has applied for Finnish and international patents for the COOLIT spraycoolers, for example. COOLIT is quick and easy to install, and thanks to its un-blockable structure and exceptional cooling capac-ity, it is the future solution for cooling hot water.

Why is water aerated during wastewater treatment processes? The biological treatment of wastewater happens by using the bacteria in the wastewater. The water is aerated and mixed, for example with AIRIT aerators. In this case, the bacteria in the wastewa-ter start to grow and multiply. This results in acti-vated sludge, and as bacteria grow, they will use up the organic matter in the wastewater, i.e. they will clean the wastewater.

How are COOLIT spraycoolers used? COOLIT spraycoolers are used for cooling the hot wastewater of paper and pulp mills before the

biological treatment stage. COOLIT spraycoolers are also used to cool the process water of industrial facilities and power plants, for example.

Why should wastewater be cooled? In case the water is too hot, the bacteria will not start to consume the organic matter in the waste-water. For example, the wastewater of the forestry industry is generally too hot for bacteria, and the water must be cooled down before the biological treatment process can begin.

Does COOLIT do anything other than cooling? In addition to efficient cooling, COOLIT aerates and mixes water. Mixing is particularly beneficial for forestry industry wastewater equalization basins, where wastewater has to be kept at a similar quality level before the biological treatment stage. Simultaneous aeration, mixing and cooling mean savings for the client, as the need for equipment purchases and maintenance is reduced.

Is COOLIT more efficient than other cooling methods? The efficiency of COOLIT spraycoolers is gene-rally clearly better than that of cooling towers, for example. In all of the efficiency comparisons of industrial objects, COOLIT has been able to cool hot water with lower energy consumption than cooling towers.

Is COOLIT otherwise better than a cooling tower? COOLIT spraycoolers have a wide and unblock-able structure, which means that any impurities in the water will not clog up the device, or reduce its efficiency. Thus, the unblockable structure consi-derably reduces the need for maintenance.

Solutions for optimising energy consumption

Tomi Martikainen Image W-Rix Oy

W-Rix Ltd designs, manufactures and supplies equipment under the WATE-RIX® brand, for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater, for cooling process water, and for the well-being of natural water. The supply solutions are mostly focused on the optimisation of energy consumption.

W-Rix Oy designs and produces solutions for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, as well as for the well-being of natural waters.

By making Malaysia its regional stronghold to tap at the markets in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Dewaco has succeeded in opening up market expansion opportunities for fellow distributors by extending its operations to Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Despite the global slowdown and economic downturn, Dewaco foresees an increasing demand for water and wastewater equipment and solutions in the region. Dewaco strongly believes that it has the capacity to contribute to the further strengthening of its brand as well as the reputation of Econet Group in the region.

New DEWA Belt Filter Press and thickener is on its way

In 2015, Dewaco initiated a product develop-ment programme, which aims to bring DEWA dewatering and thickening product line totally to a new level. The new machine is expected to replace FPD model in the near future. The new model will differ from the previous model sig-nificantly. It will provide more value for DEWA users without excluding the benefits gained from the previous models.

The main goals of the product develop-ment have been to make the machine more user-friendly, and to improve dewatering effi-ciency. Extra attention has also been paid to the physical configuration of the unit. The new design enables to achieve remarkable savings in logistics, and creates an astonishing out-look. The new DEWA dewatering equipment will be the preferred choice in every aspect. The model will become visible for public in IFAT 2016. For existing DEWA customers, the model will be available already in March. www.dewaco.com

DEWA VDP-combo 21.

16 17

Jaakko Takalainen Images Hilkka Partanen

Slamex’s screen removes solid matter from the water used by a pulp mill in Uruguay.

Water management on the other side of the ocean

W ater know-how of Oy Slamex Ab, Econet Group’s subsidiary, is being imported all over the world. In South America, Slamex’

screens ensure the inlet of process water in Fray Bentos and Montes del Plata, two gigantic pulp mills in Uru-guay. Secure water management ensures that there are no disruptions in pulp production at Montes del Plata.

We were able to monitor the work of the mainte-nance-free bucket screen at the Montes del Plata pulp mill in Punta Pereyra, 220 kilometres from the capital, Montevideo. But let’s go a few years back in time.

In November 2011, Montes del Plata placed an order for a bar screen for a new pulp mill project that had just started. The dimensions of the screen had to take into consideration varying inlet conditions and the screen had to be maintenance-free.

This project was Pöyry Ltd’s project management contract, where Slamex was hired as a subcontractor. The contract included the screen’s design, manufactur-ing, delivery, installation supervision, implementation and training.

The bar screen started its over 12 000 kilometres journey from Rauma in Finland to Punta Pereyra in Uruguay in May 2012. Hilkka Partanen from Slamex went to the site as the project manager and supervisor.

– This job was supposed to last for three weeks. But there had been a fatal work accident on the site, and the workers were on strike. We returned to Fin-land after one week, and went back to Uruguay after five weeks. Then, the installation process began prom-isingly, Partanen said.

The next problem was the installation of 1 400- millimetre inlet pipe in the Uruguay River with its greatly varying water levels. This pipe was 400 metres long, and it was delivered on site in one piece, afloat. The low water level of the river delayed the final placement of the pipe.

Partanen and the Finnish electrical supervisor returned to Finland. In May 2013, the inlet pipe was installed, and Hilkka Partanen set off towards Punta Pereyra for the third time, and now the work started to go well.

– We handed the equipment over to the client on 14 June 2013. A three-week job ended up lasting for three months, but we got the work done. We gained valuable experience in a large project, working on Pöyry’s team. The team spirit was great, Partanen praised the situation.

Water and miscellaneous items from the river We were able to visit the pulp mill of Montes del Pla-ta in spring 2015 – in the middle of the Uruguayan

Reliable water treatment ensures uninterrupted

pulp production at Montes del Plata.

Water level in the Uruguay river can vary up to four metres.

16 17

summer. After about nine months, the mill which was launched in June 2014 was able to produce 800 000 tonnes of short-fibre eucalyptus pulp in a year. The goal was to reach the production level of another large pulp mill of the country, UPM Fray Bentos (owned by the Finnish UPM). Now, that goal has been achieved: at the beginning of 2016, Montes del Plata’s production is 1.3 million tonnes of pulp per year.

Our current guide was Harri Markkula, a Finnish expert of water treatment. He remem-bers Hilkka Partanen, who had been at Montes del Plata already in 2013. On his international second-ments, Markkula had previously been working for the equipment supplier as a freelancer, but now he is employed by Montes del Plata. The pulp mill is a joint venture, half of which is owned by the Finnish-Swedish Stora Enso, and half by the Chilean Arauco.

The bar screen manufactured by Slamex removes all solid matter from the water that flows to the pulp mill. All of the untreated water of the pulp mill flows through it. In order to demonstrate the work of the automatic screen to us, Markkula retrieves its bucket manually. The material carried here by the river, a length of rope and a piece of plastic, falls into the waste container.

In the container, there is a wide variety of things carried here by the river: dead fish, plastic bottles, bits of wood, rope, and rubbish. But considering the amount of water, Markkula thinks that the amount of solid matter is rather small.

– The river is 50 kilometres wide, and at its deepest, the depth is ten metres. In this section, the river is lower, which is why the pipe is so long.

– But there are no problems with getting enough water. The screen is able to clean 7 200 cubic metres of water per hour. Considering that the mill’s water consumption is about 5 000 cubic metres of water per hour, the sizing has been gener-ous. No mill processes have been interrupted due to a lack of water at the inlet, said Markkula.

The total height of the screen is 17.57 metres, and its width is 1.8 metres. It takes its water from 6.5 metres below the normal water level, as the water levels of the river vary greatly, by more than 4 metres at the most.

– This is the largest screen I’ve ever been in-volved with. The northern wind lowers and the southern wind raises the water level, if the wind direction remains unchanged for days.

The screen sizing took into consideration the effect of tides and wind direction on the water level of the river. Of course, precipitation also has a great effect on the flow and the water quality. According to Markkula, this change might not be particularly fast, but the variation of the water level can well be very great.

According to Markkula, the screen is practi-cally maintenance-free, and the level sensors are accurate. In just under a year of operation, there have been no critical standstills or alarms. Only the planned routine maintenance measures.

The river water is turbid with clay, which is why algae is not a problem. Occasionally after storms, huge rafts of algae float down from Central Brazil, which increase the amount of solid matter on the screen.

Schedules become delayed, as normal According to the original schedule of the Montes del Plata pulp mill, Harri Markkula’s work should

have been over in one and a half or two years. By spring 2015, the project had lasted already for four years. After the mill started operation, his employment contract has focused on the op-timisation of various water treatment processes since the summer of 2015.

– I will be here until the end of 2016. Schedule changes are normal. People here keep working until the process functions as required.

What lessons can be learned from the “nor-mally delayed project” now that the work is be-ginning to reach the home stretch? What about future plans, have you had enough of working?

– This project has been later than usual. There have been many reasons for this. All of the worries that were prominent during the project are already behind us, and I can now focus on transferring my process know-how to be the responsibility of the local young and competent engineers and operating staff, Markkula said.

– The process must be honed in such a way that the mill’s current smooth production does not become disrupted due to the availability or quality of water.

Harri Markkula, 52, thinks that the ques-tion about the end of work is premature. He talks about the Chilean workers at Montes del Plata. These people have retired in their home country, the oldest among them being near 70 years of age.

– It’s not a bad thing, if you like the job, and you don’t have any health issues, Harri Markkula stated.

– At this age, it could be great to do some volunteer work abroad, related to my own skills and know-how. There is a demand for clean water everywhere in the world.

The screen secures the process water

intake of the pulp mill.

The screen at Montes del Plata is practically maintenance-free. A lush route in Punta Pereyra.

The process must ensure stable production for the mill.

19

POreiTA

In 1991, I graduated as a machine auto-mation engineer from the Pori Technical College, currently known as the Satakun-ta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK). Back then, Finland was experiencing the worst economic depression of its history and getting a job was really difficult, so I continued my studies in various courses. During my studies, I had a summer job as an apprentice doing various jobs around Finland. In 1995, I became acquainted with Dewaco through the International Business Studies employment course, and I managed to become Dewaco’s sales and marketing apprentice. That was the be-ginning of my career at Econet Group.

I have been constantly developing my professional skills during my 20 years at Dewaco. From the very beginning, I have been responsible for international sales and marketing tasks. During this time, I have acquired many good “buying” foreign customers, and the majority of these customers are still active. I dare say I have helped to bring international visibility to DEWA products, among others water and wastewater treatment equipment brands that are known best in the world. Today, the DEWA brand is internationally known and approved.

In the late spring of 2013, Econet Group established a sales office in Malay-sia, and then I made the move to Kuala Lumpur.

I am mainly involved with sales and marketing work in the Asian and Pacific region. My tasks include providing quotes, participating in trade negotia-tions, finding customers, consultation, and maintaining contact with officials, as well as participating in various relevant seminars and trade fairs. If necessary, I also act as a technical support represent-ative. Customer relationship maintenance is very important in this market area, be-cause relationships are highly significant when closing a deal, unlike in Finland.

My work is interesting, challenging, and relatively independent. I have the op-portunity to influence what I do, and to a great extent, I can also decide how to do it. Long-term dealings with people rep-resenting different cultures have helped to develop me into a better and humbler

person. Over the years, I have become acquainted with many customers all over the world, and I’ve become very close to some of them.

Without challenges and hardships, no job is interesting. Like other inter- national jobs, this also has its challen- ges. The work environment, the require-ments set by the customers and the officials, and the changes to the legis-lation, the increasing competition and the economic instability all affect work. However, I believe that the experiences obtained over the years help to achieve positive results.

The business potential and the growth prospects of the water sector are spec-tacular in the Asian region. This is clearly evident in many countries in this region, both in the public and in the private sector. Industrialisation and the related improvements in the standard of living have rapidly increased water consump-tion. Accordingly, there is an increasing

demand for efficient and reliable pro-cesses and equipment. In many cities in this region, there is still no proper water management, not to mention wastewa-ter treatment. Half of the world’s urban population already lives in Asia. Half of all major cities with over 10 million inhabi-tants are situated in Asia. In other words, the future of the water industry looks promising.

I think that Finland’s strong water in-dustry know-how has a great chance of being successful all over the world. By striving towards excellence and solution models based on new innovations, Finland can get an advantage in this narrow sector. For a business to be successful on the glo-bal market, it must improve its internation-al operations and brand awareness. They also need networking and taking risks. Those businesses with functional opera-ting models who consciously try to go the extra mile are more likely to succeed in the world compared to others.

ASEAN region offers spectacular prospects

Text and Image Siri Dahanayake

Siri Dahanayake talks about his role in the global conquest

of the Econet Group. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he is responsible

for sales and marketing in the Asian and Pacific region.

“Econet has a great chance of success in the huge ASEAN market area. However, success will depend on Econet’s readiness to meet the ever-increasing requirements

of the market and skill to find customised solutions suitable for this region.”

Switzerland

Sweden

Spain

United Kingdom

Ukraine Russia

Sri Lanka

South AfricaSaudi Arabia

Thailand

TurkeyVietnam

USASingapore

U.A.E

Taiwan

Venezuela

BUBBLeS

19

Tiesitkö, että ...suomalainen käyttää keskimäärin

150 litraa vettä joka päivä.

Jenny Zhang joined Dewaco in summer 2004 when Dewaco opened their office in Beijing. She tells about her daily work:

– My daily work involves assisting the Chief Representative in handling office matters, fulfilling orders, drafting documents (including primary layout drawings), and keeping in touch with the Econet headquarters in Finland. I compile tender documents, handle the spare parts business, and follow contract execution between the buyer and the Dewaco office in Laitila. I also do bookkeeping, and send the accounts to Finland at a monthly basis.

I mainly keep contact with custo-mers via telephone or, I seldom visit

them in person. Often, I keep in touch with Marja in Finland for all the contract documents and and financial matters; and with Heidi for the local spare parts business in Laitila. Teemu in Laitila is my contact for contract operation manuals and local contract drawings. I am seldom in contact directly to Econet Group in Helsinki.

I focus on office matters and commercial issues, that is what I am good at. For technical know-how I should pay more attention. This will be my future challenge. The best part about my job are my colleagues here in Beijing and in Laitila. We have spent happy times together during last 11

Jenny keeps keeps contacts in China

Text

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Imag

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– In Kazakhstan, Finland is known as a country where high-quality products are manufactured. A positive image of Finland gives a good head start to Econet, and is a competitive advantage against the manufacturers of cheap products. The people of Kazakhstan are keen and wealthy enough to pay for quality, said Noor Korpipää, Econet’s Marketing Director, Central Asia. Her responsibilities include accessing new markets in Central Asia, acquiring new clients, and the sales and marketing of the group’s products and services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Noor Korpipää – sights set on Central Asia

Jenny (41) is the mother of Steven (8). They like spending time together; walking outdoors, reading books together and travelling.

The next issue will be published in September 2016

Well, your actual task was to build a fairytale castle.

One morning in Finland A few hours later in Germany. Meanwhile in Finland.

I’ll make it just in time, though I stayed up so late with my son’s school craft project. My boss would’ve been upset if this small-scale

model of the water treatment plant had been late for the expo.

Quick! Set this model up. I have to register at the expo office;

the international press will be here soon.

Wandering through forests and hiking in the wilderness can make you sweat. Sometimes, you have minimal washing opportunities in the wild. The wine bladder inside a wine box can be a convenient solution for this problem. An empty wine bladder is light to take along, and easy to use when necessary.

Travel shower1. Empty the wine bladder.

2. Rinse the bladder with water, using detergent if necessary, and then remove all air from the bladder.

3. Fill the bag with water.

4. Place the water bag into an old mesh bag.

5. Hang the mesh bag up at a suitable location, for example on a branch.

An ingenious solution for getting washed is ready! It also works wonder-fully at cabins, for example for washing hands after using outdoor toilets.

Crafting with Econet

years, also facing many challenges but solving them successfully. By this kind of communication I learn a lot from my colleagues and enjoy the time when we share opinions.

To my understanding, water business will be a very good field in China for the coming decades since both the Chinese Government and the citizens are paying more attention to environmental issues. More and more companies would like to take part in sharing the booming development of environmental business. It is an opportunity and also a challenge for Dewaco and Econet Group.

www.econetgroup.fi

®ECONET