Life in Estonia (issue Fall/Winter 2014-2015)

FALL / WINTER I 2014-2015

SPECIAL! Smart

Industry

land & people I state & society I economy & business I technology & innovation I culture & entertainment I tourism

Industrial Revolution

4.0

Laurentsius Inside And Outside The Frame

Anne SullingEstonia Is

A Smart Hub

Success Found In Niche Products

Estonia Contributes To Automotive And Offshore Industry

COVERAnne Sulling

Photo by Margus Johanson

Executive publisherPositive ProjectsPärnu mnt 69, 10134 Tallinn, [email protected]

EditorReet [email protected]

TranslationIngrid HübscherAmbassador Translation Agency

Language editorRichard Adang

Design & LayoutPositive Design

Partner

FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA 3

Ambitious EstoniansEstonia is a small country, with a population of about 1.3 million people. At the same time, there

are more than 110,000 enterprises in Estonia and about 65,000 of them are profitable.

We keep hearing that Estonians are not entrepreneurial, that only about 20% of us would like to

start companies. That’s a lot less than in most advanced countries with much bigger economies.

Yet, wherever you go, you’ll find Estonians who against the odds have pursued their dreams of

becoming successful entrepreneurs.

For example, the machinery manufacturing company Palmse Mehaanikakoda LCC produces forest

trailers and cranes under the trademark Palms. They are one of the biggest producers of this type of

forest machinery in Europe, with sales representations in sixteen EU countries. Their success is based

on specialisation and finding the niche in the market that suits them best. Today their average salary

is about 2,600 euros a month, more than twice as high as the Estonian average. There are several

similar niche products created here that have helped small Estonia stand out among big players,

from special life jackets made by Lade and footwear by Samelin to Meiren snowploughs, which are

a necessity in the Nordics.

Manufacturing is on its way to a new industrial revolution. The Germans have named it Industry 4.0,

Smart Factory development, where intelligent cells inside a company and between companies are

integrated through the Internet, and they are able

to communicate and make necessary decisions.

This is also the direction modern manufacturing is

moving in Estonia.

We’ve seen a great trend growing out of Smart

Industry. There are several successfully operating

industrial parks in Estonia, with remarkable syn-

ergy in different companies, accomplishing things

together like a family.

Those are only a few examples of the entrepreneur-

ship Estonia provides. Flexibility has definitely be-

come a new norm in business, where technologies

and new business fields open up very quickly. In

order to succeed, Estonia has to maintain the speed

it has gathered so far with the help of its ambitious

entrepreneurs.

Hanno Tomberg

Chairman of the Management Board

Enterprise Estonia

6 Where To Go This Season? Life In Estonia Recommends

10 Events

16 Anne Sulling: Estonia is an Attractive Hub for Testing New Technologies

In spring 2014, Estonia introduced a ministerial portfolio with a brand

new focus. The country now has a minister with specific responsibil-

ity for foreign trade and entrepreneurship, Anne Sulling. How does the

new minister see her main purpose and what are the main challenges of

the Estonian economy?

22 Industrial Revolution 4.0Industry 4.0 is Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things. This

new paradigm has led to an industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0,

which was publicly announced by Angela Merkel at the opening of the

Hanover Industrial Exhibition in 2013. Read about Estonia’s efforts to

implement Industry 4.0.

24 Small Company Set to Conquer the World

Skeleton Technologies, a Tallinn-based company which develops and pro-

duces ultracapacitors - extremely powerful energy storage devices - aims

to become the leading ultracapacitor manufacturer within five years.

26 Stoneridge – American Dream In Tänassilma Village

When Stoneridge Electronics in Estonia started work in 1998 under the

name Berifors, it was a small production unit which serviced one cus-

tomer in one product group. Today Stoneridge Estonia employs 270 peo-

ple. The factory in Estonia concentrates on the production of electronic

control units, telematics, switch modules, fuses and relay modules.

28 IPA Helps to Make Comfortable TrainsHundreds of trains around the world have roofs and cooling systems

made in the Interconnect Product Assembly (IPA). One of the products

that IPA manufactures is an HVAC (Heating Air Conditioning and Venti-

lation) unit for train manufacturers.

30 MS Balti Trafo Exports Millions of Transformers Annually Jaanus Luberg started producing transformers in the small town of Vän-

dra in central Estonia back in 1996. The small business has now grown

into MS Balti Trafo, a private limited company employing 150 workers.

As one of the biggest employers in Vändra, it collaborates closely with

educational institutions.

31 Norma’s Safety Systems for Cars Help Save 30,000 Lives a YearNorma was the first company in the Soviet Union to launch the first

industrial lot of car safety belts in 1973. Forty years on, the famous com-

pany in Estonia has grown into a valued unit of the Swedish corporation

Autoliv. It employs over 750 staff and its product range has grown far

beyond seat belts.

32 PKC Eesti AS Produces Nervous Systems for the Automotive Industry

It is highly likely that whichever commercial vehicle manufacturer you

ask, this particular wiring system has arrived from two small Estonian

towns where the factories of the international corporation PKC Group

have been in operation for years.

33 Pärnu-based Company Produces Lighting Equipment for Luxury Vehicles

When you sit behind the steering wheel of a BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar

Audi, Porsche or Land Rover, it is highly likely that a small part of your

car has been made in Estonia: these brands use glove box or door han-

dle lighting, number plate lighting or side markers produced by Oshino.

34 Estonia is a Good Place to Establish a CompanyIn order to keep the company’s costs down, Christian Testman, CEO of

Norway-based ICD Industries, decided to locate some of the operations

overseas. After some research and considering number of countries, Es-

tonia became that location for ICD in 2012.

I CONTENT

FALL / WINTER_2014-2015

LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER4

51 Portfolio. Laurentsius: Inside and Outside the FrameThere is a certain dreamlike quality to the work of the artist known as

Laurentsius. His works leave us with fleeting impressions, dispersing in

the air like smoke. According to Laurentsius himself, “Art is a serious

thing, but not deadly serious”.

63 Kristiina Poska Turns Disadvantages into Advantages

A decade ago Kristiina Poska, from the small Estonian town of Türi, went

to study in Berlin. Today she has risen to the position of Kapellmeister of

the Komische Oper Berlin - the first woman to do so in the history of the

opera house. Last year she won the most reputable conducting prize in

Germany - also the first woman to ever do so.

69 Annely Köster - Shaking the Foundations of Art Education

Annely Köster is living her dream as an art teacher and the creator of

the first international youth contemporary art triennial Eksperimenta!,

whose mission is to nurture creativity, free thinking, caring and content.

72 Suur Tõll Opened Again! Welcome Aboard!

The icebreaker Suur Tõll is the oldest steam-powered ship in the Baltic

states. It is Estonia’s oldest and most dignified museum ship, whose

century-long story reflects the entire time-line of the fragile history of

the republic. During its 100-year history, it has sailed under five different

flags and four different names.

74 Lotte Village Theme Park – A Load of Goodness

The theme park dedicated to the girl puppy Lotte

and her family and friends is situated on twelve hec-

tares of land by the seaside near the summer resort

of Pärnu. The girl puppy Lotte is an unprecedented

phenomenon amongst Estonian children, and the

character created by the Estonian film-makers Janno Põldma

and Heiki Ernits has also won fans abroad.

78 Practical Information For Visitors

36 LDI Targets the Water Protection Market,

Worth Billions of DollarsLaser Diagnostic Instruments (LDI), an Estonian R&D company with a

long history, has developed the world’s most flexible and effective oil

spill detection sensor. The whole world is a potential market.

38 A Small Village Turned into a World Class Industrial ParkTogether is better than alone, an old saying goes. Bestra Engineering

has proven that even in the most remote village it is possible to create

an industrial park which produces complex appliances for very demand-

ing customers, a place where a group of companies accomplish things

together like a family.

41 Creativity and Trust are a Family Firm’s Capital Ensto, a cleantech company in the electrical sector that has gone inter-

national in small steps, is one of the best-known family firms in Finland.

Marjo Miettinen belongs to the second generation of the company’s

owning family. Ensto came to Estonia in 1993 and today has three fac-

tories here.

44 Skype Founders in the Process of “Replacing” e-mail The cream of the crop of former Skype employers are in the process of

developing Fleep, a brand new messaging system. Their aim? To make

traditional e-mail a thing of the past.

46 The Importance of Finding the Right NicheThere are several stories of companies in Estonia which have found suc-

cess on the international market. Often it has been due to finding their

own niche, to effective branding, smart marketing and active commu-

nication. Get acquainted with Trimtex, the Lappset Group, Samelin.

Fors MW, Lade and Meiren who have all successfully found their niche.



I WHERE TO GO THIS SEASON

Season opening concert

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor

ZUBIN MEHTAPiotr Tchaikovsky

Symphony No. 6 B-minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique”Richard Strauss

Symphonic poem A Hero’s Life Op. 40

Sat. 20. Sept 20.00, Estonia Concert Hall

Symphony No. 6 B-minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique”

Symphonic poem A Hero’s Life Op. 40

Sat. 20. Sept 20.00, Estonia Concert Hall

RINALDO

William Relton:

“When I first saw “Rinaldo”, nothing had prepared me for

the delight which I felt while watching this masterpiece for

the first time. It was his first opera written for London, not

only that, it was the first opera in the Italian language to be

written for the London stage. The premiere of “Rinaldo”,

loosely based on Tasso’s epic poem “Gerusalemme libera-

ta” (Jerusalem delivered), took place at the Queen’s Theatre

in the Haymarket in early 1711 and was a huge hit. Gor-

geous arias, a fabulous, extravagant plot, dramatic charac-

ters - all that one could wish for - were present. Conquest,

magic, deception, thwarted love, betrayal, sex, violence,

abduction, an heroic quest, battles; it seemed as if Händel

had thrown every single theatrical device in the book at it.

“Rinaldo” went on to be the most performed of Händel’s

operas during his lifetime. The opera was so successful that

it was given in a fairly extensively revised version in 1731,

however we are basing our performing edition on the origi-

nal 1711 score. And what of the music? Even for Händel

this opera has a large number of “hit” arias that leaves

one gasping. And then there is of course the incomparable

“Lascia ch’io pianga” sung by Almirena in the middle of

Act 2. One of Händel’s most beautiful and celebrated arias.

A treat indeed!”

Huunnnddreeeds oooff ccooonnceeertsss

allll oovveeerr Essstonnnia!

SSee the e prograrammmme!e!

coooncncerert.eeee

Seeasoonn 200144-22001155


VANA TALLINN GALA

On 25 SepTembeR aT THe eSTOnian naTiOnal OpeRa

Conductor: Vello pähn

Soloists: Dmitry Galikhin (tenor, Russia), Kurt Rydl (bass, Austria),

Rauno elp (baritone), Juuli lill (mezzo-soprano), Kristel pärtna

(coloratura soprano), Heli Veskus (soprano) and others.

Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra

The concert includes the most beautiful arias and ensembles from the

treasury of Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Mozart, Offenbach, Korngold,

Donizetti, Wagner, Richard Strauss, etc.

The gala features two guest soloists – one of the greatest bass singers

of our time, Kurt Rydl, nicknamed “The Mega Bass” and “The Bass”,

and a prolific tenor from Russia, Dmitry Galikhin, whose original inter-

pretation and particularly emphatic rendition has received worldwide

recognition.

Andres Mustonen

On 20 June, president of estonia Toomas Hendrik ilves

announced the winners of the contest for the architectural

design of the arvo pärt Centre (apC) building. in the unanimous

assessment of the jury, the first prize was awarded to

the contest entry “Tabula” by Fuensanta nieto and enrique

Sobejano from nieto Sobejano arquitectos, S.l.p. (Spain).

The first prize is 10,000 euros.

The objective of the two-stage international design contest was to find

the best architectural design for the creation of a building for the new

Arvo Pärt Centre outside Tallinn. The jury assessed the conceptual and

formal quality of the contest entries, whether they met the require-

ments of the centre, how well they would fit into the surroundings, and

the feasibility of the architectural designs.

According to Michael Pärt, the chairman of the jury and Arvo Pärt’s

son, the winning design is conceptually and architecturally fresh, and

best met the jury’s expectations: “‘Tabula’ creates a harmonious and

flexible environment for Arvo Pärt’s music. What deserves to be singled

out in particular about this contest entry is its spatial arrangement and

thoroughly considered thematic lighting.”

The architectural design contest was announced on 25 November 2013.

The objective for the first stage was to identify architects whose creative

output to date best fits with the concept and requirements of the APC.

Seventy-one applications for entry to the contest were received from all

over the world, with 20 entrants invited by the jury to the second round

of the design contest according to their rankings based on the results

of the assessment. In the second stage, the jury picked three main prize

recipients and three special prize recipients.

The APC was founded in 2010 by Arvo Pärt and his family with the aim

of creating opportunities to preserve and research the creative heritage

of the composer in his native land, Estonia, and in the context of the

Estonian language. The centre is situated in Laulasmaa, 35 km from

Tallinn, on a peninsula with magnificent natural surroundings: within a

pine forest near the sea. The new building of the Arvo Pärt Centre will

open its doors to the public at Kellasalu in 2018.

Architectural design contest for the Arvo Pärt Centre building won by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos

Fuensanta Nieto and the winning entry "Tabula Rasa" named after Arvo Pärt's famous piece.


I NEWS

Maestro Arvo Pärt together with Nora Pärt and Fuensanta Nieto … and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

Fortum planning 30 MEUR bio-oil plant in Estonia

The inauguration of the Finnish energy group Fortum’s combined heat

and power plant (CHP) was held in January 2011 in Pärnu, Estonia. The

new CHP plant in Pärnu uses such local fuels as wood chips, wood resi-

dues from industry and milled peat as fuels. “The production capacity of

the CHP plant is 24 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 50 MW of heat.

Its annual sales volume will be 110 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity

and 220 GWh of heat, which covers the district heating needs of all

Pärnu,” says Sulev Alajõe, from the Pärnu Business and Development

Centre. The new Pärnu CHP plant is highly efficient and environmentally

friendly. The environmental impact from the production process of heat

and electricity at the plant has been reduced to a minimum thanks to

its fluidized bed technology boiler and local bio fuels. The new plant

has created 16 new workplaces in the operation of the plant and about

300 indirect workplaces around Pärnu in the fuel purchase chain and in

other services for the plant.

The Estonian unit of Fortum plans to build a bio-oil plant in Pärnu by

2016. The annual capacity of the plant is projected to be 50,000 tons

of bio-oil. Bio-oil can be used at heating plants or in industrial steam

production as a replacement for fossil fuels. In the more distant future,

the production of bio-oil could be raised to the level where produc-

ing motor fuel becomes possible. “The new plant will provide work to

about 10 people but, considering that the raw material will be sourced

from Pärnu County, the launch of production might indirectly result in

300 new jobs,” says Alajõe. “That makes Fortum the top investor in the

Pärnu region, and we are happy to assist the company in finding both

skilled labour and subcontracting partners. The latest developments of

Fortum fit well with the county’s plan to establish an eco-innovative

Green Economy Competence Centre. Those developments will hope-

fully enable to find investors, willing to establish energy consuming pro-

duction, taking advantage from closeness of Fortum plants,” he adds.

The European Commission has approved 6.9 million euros for the con-

struction of a bio-oil plant using fast pyrolysis technology in the frame-

work of the second round of the NER300 funding programme. In fast

pyrolysis, biomass is decomposed in an oxygen-free atmosphere by

heat, and the produced gas is condensed to bio-oil. The side products,

coke and non-condensible gas, can be utilised fully and energy effi-

ciently in the boiler of the power plant.

BBC named Estonian handcrafted bike as one of the most beautiful bicycles in the world

bbC listed the ten most beautiful bicycles in the world. among

them was the handcrafted estonian bike called Viks.

According to the Earth Policy Institute, a US-based environmental ad-

vocacy group, bicycle production quadrupled between 1950 and 2007.

During the same period, car production merely doubled. It’s a trend that

continues to this day, accelerated by rising fuel prices and urban conges-

tion. Small manufacturers, custom shops and independent designers

are reinventing the humble two-wheeler with cutting-edge shapes and

technologies. “It was just a matter of time. Given single-speed cyclists’ pathological

fixation with minimalism, Estonia’s Velonia – a boutique studio founded

and manned by indrek narusk – has lopped off the seat tube right

where it stood,” states BBC. “The resulting bicycle, the Viks, is a noodly

abstraction fashioned from just two steel tubes, joined at the head tube

below the handlebar. Shown above in “Lamborghini Orange” powder-

coat, a Viks can be configured for either fixed or freewheel riding, al-

though Narusk cautions that handlebar-mounted brakes are a tricky fit,

given the bar’s unusual 30mm diameter. Best to go brakeless, in other

words,” maintain BBC editors.

Other bicycles listed by BBC were made in

Great Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.

Designboom chose Viks to be among the world’s

top 10 bicycle designs in 2013.


Indrek Narusk

This spring the University of Tartu

opened a world class centre for

translational medicine (Sime), which

takes medical research to the next level

with its research activity and millions of

euros worth of scientific equipment.

According to eero Vasar, Head of the UT’s In-

stitute of Biomedicine and Translational Medi-

cine, opening SIME creates completely new op-

portunities for medical research. “SIME, with

its carefully designed utility systems, is situated

in the Maarjamõisa campus, allowing people

working in the field of medicine to gather

under the same roof and conduct research in

high-tech laboratories, which will one day lead

to benefits via drug development.”

The building is divided into medical laborato-

ries and an animal research centre, holding up

to 30,000 mice and 5,000 rats. There are labo-

ratories for physiological and pharmacological

studies and core facilities for the production

of transgenic animals and modern imaging

technologies. Physiological and pharmacologi-

cal laboratories are equipped with computer-

aided systems allowing for comprehensive

phenotyping of transgenic animals, as well as

preclinical screening of drug candidates. The

animal research facility allows for the handling

of infectious material at the BSL3 biosafety

level, including such dangerous viruses as HIV

and hepatitis C. The cornerstone of the imag-

ing facility is a 9.4 T magnetic resonance to-

mograph, making in vivo imaging studies on

laboratory rodents possible.

The research has been mainly focused on

neuropsychiatric and endocrine disorders,

as well as cancer biology and autoimmune

disorders, using a high number of differ-

ent transgenic disease models, involving

both mice and rats. Transgenic technology

is very instrumental for understanding the

role of genes with unknown functions, and

for the generation of animal models for pre-

clinical drug research. In terms of personal

medicine, the transgenic approach is highly

complementary with GWAS, adding func-

tional meaning to genetic findings. This is

an important step in the translation of ge-

netic data to human studies.

The centre is also open for study and research

activity for students, including genetic en-

gineers, veterinarians, medical doctors and

many others.

The University of Tartu is developing trans-

lational medicine and clinical research as a

member of the EATRIS consortium. EATRIS is

a consortium uniting 70 scientific research es-

tablishments across Europe, with the mission

of implementing scientific discoveries more ef-

ficiently in practical medicine.

The area of SIME is 4,790 square meters and

the total cost of the construction was 8.7 mil-

lion euros, of which 3.5 million euros was al-

located by SA Archimedes from the finances of

the European Union.

Centre for Translational Medicine Opened in Tartu

Mohamed Djemni Technology Sourcing Specialist

/ Europe IPC German Branch

LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER

I EVENTS

10

At the end of August the Estonian Investment Agency and the Samsung

Electronics hosted the pitching event “Get Global with Samsung“ in

Tallinn to connect tech companies from the Baltic-Nordic region with

the global player Samsung. It was a unique opportunity for local com-

panies, as such an event had never happened before in the region.

Samsung Sourcing in the Nordics

Samsung came to search for certain technologies in areas such as sensor

technology, material processing, battery & energy, security, healthcare

and artificial intelligence. Any market-ready technology that could be

integrated into Samsung’s future products was taken into consideration.

Altogether 14 tech companies from Estonia, Finland and Norway were

pre-selected by Samsung and got a chance to introduce their technol-

ogy. As a result, Samsung asked eight of them to discuss business in

one-to-one meetings: DigiFLAK, NUTITEQ, ELIKO Competence Centre,

YOGA AS, FlyDog Solutions, Canatu, Scannanotek and Navionics.

Samsung representatives were pleasantly surprised by the good match

with local companies. They particularly mentioned that they saw a lot

of great innovation happening in Europe and that they would take the

message to Samsung Headquarters in Korea.

In October 2014 there will be a Samsung Electronics Sourcing Exhibition

(SESE) in South Korea, for which only 30 companies from all around the

world will be chosen to discuss business opportunities with key decision

makers of Samsung and to have one-to-one meetings with Samsung

R&D engineers.

The thoroughly renovated energy Discovery Centre, with its

brand new exhibition, has become a popular family leisure

centre. During the first month after re-opening, more than

15,000 people visited the educational entertainment centre.

On 13 June the Energy Discovery Centre re-opened its doors to the pub-

lic in the Tallinn electricity plant, which has over a hundred-year history.

The building was renovated to restore its 1930s glory and today the

science centre offers entertainment for children and adults in its unique

industrial heritage building.

The star exhibit of the centre is the Tesla Generator in a Faraday cage,

unique in the Baltic states, which makes it possible to demonstrate up

to three-metre lightning bolts. “Regardless of the weather outside, we

see lightning strike here every day at 2pm,” Kertu Saks, Manager of

the Energy Discovery Centre, says to tempt visitors.

There are 130 “hands-on” exhibits at the Energy Discovery Centre, of-

fering activities and joy of discovery mostly to children. The seven per-

manent exhibitions introduce the history of energetics, the discovery of

electricity, electricity production, renewable energy sources and nuclear

energy, optics, voice and sound. In addition, there is an exhibition on

mathematics in the area for temporary exhibitions, with the possibility

of organising a 4D Frame geometry workshop. In October, a new exhibi-

tion, “Mission Possible”, will open, and will include interactive exhibits,

where people, young and old, can learn about the bioeconomy in a

simple way. The main areas of interest are agriculture and fisheries,

food and well-being, biotechnology and life science.

The centre’s virtual planetarium, introducing the science of stars with

the most up-to-date astronomy software Starry Night Pro Plus 7, is very

popular with visitors. Travelling over a billion light years, it is possible to

see thousands of expo-planets, millions of stars and 200,000 galaxies in

the planetarium. The programme is constantly being updated according

to new developments in knowledge about the universe.

The Energy Discovery Centre offers interactive science learning to chil-

dren and adult science fans. The founders of the centre are Eesti En-

ergia, Tallinn University of Technology, the City of Tallinn and Tallinna

Soojus. According to Kertu Saks, visitors have responded to the new

centre with great enthusiasm: “Both kids and adults will find hours

of activity here and the feedback from visitors on the exhibits and the

renovated building has been extremely positive.”

www.energiakeskus.ee

More than 15,000 People Have Seen Lightning At The Energy Discovery Centre Photos by EnErgy DiscovEry cEntrE


12 LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER

I EVENTS

Estonia is exhibiting at several international trade fairs in Germany this

season: at the international trade fair of electronics Electronica in Mu-

nich, at the international boat show Hanseboot in Hamburg and at the

watersports trade fair Boot Düsseldorf 2015. The participation of Es-

tonian entrepreneurs in German trade fairs is supported by Enterprise

Estonia through the European Regional Development Fund.

The close economic and cultural ties between Estonia and Germany

date back to the high period of the Hanseatic League, the medieval

political and trading alliance. However, Estonia and Germany are con-

nected by more than the historical union of the Hanseatic League.

Centuries of shared history and cultural exchange have left their mark:

Estonians are renowned for their exemplary work culture and “German

punctuality”. These Prussian virtues are not considered old-fashioned

in northern Europe. Indeed, they have transformed the country in the

brief period since the collapse of the Soviet Union and made it what

it is today: a small but strong and reliable partner, as well as a trusted

member of NATO, the EU and the Eurozone.

Estonian business culture is thoroughly Hanseatic: calmness, reliability

and trust are the highest virtues, a strong work ethic commands great

respect and the payment culture is considered exemplary. Estonians do

not see this as fusty: it has simply always been the right and proper way

of doing things. Keeping promises is a matter of honour: a handshake

is considered at least as binding as a contract, and content is more

important than form.

Estonia – Innovation Drives Us. Tradition Binds Us


Meet Estonian shipbuilders at German boat shows

The northern European boat construction industry will be showcas-

ing itself in Hamburg from 25 October to 2 November. At the 55th

International Boat Show Hanseboot 2014, seven Estonian compa-

nies will be presenting their new products. Estonia will be attending

the show for the third time with a joint booth. Last year exhibitors

at the 700-square-metre national pavilion of the partner country Es-

tonia featured innovative, high-quality boat building. The exhibition

space can be found at Hall B6, Stands B.120 and B.122.

Estonia is also, for the first time, participating with its joint stand

at the world‘s largest watersports trade fair boot Düsseldorf 2015

from 17-25 January. A total of nine Estonian companies will be ex-

hibiting together at the joint stand. Everything from innovative pad-

dle boats to luxury yachts and various shipping products and services

will be demonstrated.

As a maritime country with plenty of good berths, Estonia has been

renowned throughout history as a builder of small and big ships.

Long-term experience means that the quality of Estonian recreational

craft is high and the product range is diverse, from row boats to

luxury yachts and service crafts.

Estonia’s approximately 4,000-km coastline offers not only sailing

trips but also endless opportunities for surfing, water jetting, kayak

and canoe tours and diving. Being near and on the sea has become

a lifestyle for tens of thousands of Estonians, and for some tourism

enterprises it is their main business pillar.

additional information:

Mrs. Riina Leminsky

/ Enterprise Estonia Hamburg

[email protected]

Art lies in innovative electronics

For the first time, Estonia is participating with a joint stand at the world’s

leading trade fair for components, systems and applications electronica

2015, which takes place 11-14 November in Munich. Everything from

engineering and electronics manufacturing services to PCB production,

cables and radio frequency electronic devices will be displayed.

Electronica is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. As in the past,

it will showcase the electronics trends of the future and give visitors a

comprehensive look at the international electronics industry. This unique

industry event presents the state of the art in innovative electronics � a

diverse range of components, pioneering hardware and software solu-

tions and complete systems and applications � in 143,000 m² of exhibi-

tion space. It all revolves around the latest hot topics, such as electromo-

bility, energy efficiency and sustainability.

At the fair, Artec Design will introduce, among other things, a validator,

ticket-system equipment for public transport, which has been their big-

gest project in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, where public transport is

free for citizens. It’s worth noting that a bus ticketing system with 2000

NFC/RFID Validators was developed and installed in only nine months.

The Estonian electronics sector has been powered from the very begin-

ning by the need to communicate and get connected. In 1907 the first

telephone factory was founded in Estonia. Electronics is one of the fast-

est growing sectors in Estonia, with 200 companies and about 11,000

employees. A number of large international corporations produce

mostly for export, while smaller local companies develop innovative

products and solutions. The sector is dominated by industrial electronics

and electronic manufacturing services. 95% of the Estonian electronics

industry’s output is exported.

A total of nine Estonian companies, along with the Estonian Electronics

Industries Association, will be exhibiting together at the Munich elec-

tronics fair. The exhibition space can be found at Hall A3, Booth A3.270.

additional information:

Mrs. Tiina Kivikas / Enterprise Estonia,

Export Advisor in Germany

[email protected]

See the video “land of Resourceful people“


I EVENTS

Come for Nordic-Baltic innovation @Latitude59

The 24th Subcontracting Trade Fair alihankinta 2014 will take place

16-18 September in the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, in Fin-

land. Alihankinta, which has the largest attendance in the Nordic coun-

tries, presents the key areas of industrial subcontracting, namely the

metal, electronics, plastics and rubber industries, as well as industrial ICT

solutions and consulting services.

Alihankinta will feature approximately 1,000 exhibitors from 20 coun-

tries. Every year some 17,000 industrial specialists visit the event to ex-

plore the latest products, services and innovations. For companies, the

event offers a unique opportunity to build networks and customer rela-

tionships. The three-day event will include interesting seminars focusing

on a wide range of topics related to industrial activities, economics, the

future of subcontracting and factors leading to success in the subcon-

tracting business.

Explore the Industry of the Baltic Sea Region

Ruth Vahtras, FDI project manager, and Irene Surva-Lehtonen, Export Advisor in Finland,

standing by Estonia's stand at Alihankinta 2013.

The speakers and panelists are all leaders in their fields, with long ex-

perience and insight into the chasm facing young companies, which

must look beyond their local markets if they are to fulfil their dreams

and ambitions of providing sustainable solutions to business “pain

points” and consumer demands.

Last year’s Latitude59 was bigger and better than ever, with a full house,

several demo rooms and such keynote speakers as the legendary Vice

President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google Vint Cerf, the found-

er and MD at Draper Fisher Jurvetson Tim Draper, the founder and

Operational Chairman at Kiosked micke paqvalen, the IBM Venture

Capital Group member Deborah magid and many others.

The latitude59 conference is happening again this spring, from

14-15 May 2015 in Tallinn. The networking conference is a perfect

meeting place for innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capital partners,

angel investors and others who support the global expansion of inno-

vative companies.

Vint Cerf


FOllOW On

#latitude59 @latitude59 Latitude59

Latitude59 is a partner of estonian iCT Week, the single

most eventful week at the centre of the sizzling Nordic-Baltic

ICT powerhouse, illuminating innovative ideas that connect

the brightest minds. This year it takes place from 8 to 15 May.

You are very welcome to join!

estonia.eu/ictweek/

On 15 September, one day before Alihankinta, Enterprise Estonia

Helsinki is organising a high level Estonia-Finland business seminar

in Tampere. The seminar will be attended by the Minister of Foreign

Trade and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Estonia, Anne Sulling.

“Although cooperation between Finland and Estonia is remarkably

lively, there is still room for new opportunities: for example, the Tal-

sinki Bay Area. There is a natural economic zone on the shores of the

Gulf of Finland. We have to prove that we can be better together

than separately, and this cooperation can be extended to the whole

Baltic Sea Region, ” says Valdar Liive, the moderator and man behind

the seminar. The partners of the seminar are the Estonian Embassy

in Helsinki, Business Region South-Estonia, the Finnish-Estonian Trade

Association and the foundation Ida-Virumaa Industrial Areas Develop-

ment (IVIA).

This year, electronics, machinery and metal, and plastics companies

from Estonia will participate in the Alihankinta Trade Fair. These fields

of industry all share an orientation towards export markets and open-

ness to comprehensive cooperation with the leaders of their respective

fields all over the world. Estonian companies participating: Plastone OÜ,

Hissmekano Estonia OÜ, Tech Group AS, Eolane Tallinn AS, Konesko AS,

Radius Machining OÜ, Frog Plastic OÜ, Greenforce OÜ, Efekt AS, Metre

OÜ, Aamex OÜ and BHC AS.

Welcome to meet Estonian companies in hall D, stand D220!

www.alihankinta.fi

Gil Dibner, Partner at DFJ Esprit, London tweeted his appreciation:

“Amazed, not surprised, by the strength of tech and talent in Tallinn,

Latitude59. Looks like I’ll be back!”

One highlight of Latitude59 is the start-up pitch contest Silicon Val-

ley Style, introducing the most promising start-ups from the Nordic

and Baltic region to well-known investors from around the globe. Last

year there were over a hundred applicants, surprisingly many of whom

were hardware start-ups.

The topics for 2015 are Fintech, Medtech and the Internet of Things.

And, as a proper networking conference, every year Latitude59 pro-

vides reasons to celebrate. There will be a vibrant start-up party on the

eve of 14 May. Stay tuned!

latitude59.ee

Micke Paqvalen

Taavet Hinrikus

Richard Allan Homing


I COVER STORY

Anne Sulling:ESTONIA IS AN ATTRACTIvE HUB FOR TESTING NEw TECHNOLOGIES By HolgEr roonEMaa

Photos by Margus JoHanson and MEEli KüttiM


Anne Sulling:ESTONIA IS AN ATTRACTIvE HUB FOR TESTING NEw TECHNOLOGIES By HolgEr roonEMaa

Photos by Margus JoHanson and MEEli KüttiM

During the change of government which took place in spring 2014, Estonia introduced a ministerial portfolio with a brand new focus. The country now has a minister with specific responsibility for foreign trade and entrepreneurship. The person who took up the position is even more interesting: Anne Sulling did not have any previous experience in politics.

Before entering the political arena, it was Sull-

ing’s job to sell Estonia’s “emission allowanc-

es”, aimed at achieving reduced carbon emis-

sions as part of the Kyoto Protocol. To a great

extent, it is thanks to her work that Estonia can

boast the world’s first nationwide network of

electric car charging stations, that more than a

thousand electric cars are now driving on the

roads of Estonia, that hundreds of public build-

ings have been renovated to become energy

efficient, that outdated public lighting systems

are being replaced with energy efficient light-

ing in seven towns, that theatres have been

equipped with modern energy-efficient stage

lighting systems, that more than a hundred

new efficient public transport buses have been

procured and that the capital Tallinn will soon

receive new trams.

You have now been a minister for half a year. How would you characterise the field you are responsible for?

Estonia has a small open economy with ex-

ports of goods and services constituting more

than 80% of its GDP. The main purpose of the

Minister of Foreign Trade and Entrepreneur-

ship is to help support Estonia’s exporters at

home and abroad and help attract foreign in-

vestors to Estonia.

what is Estonia’s export portfolio like?

Estonia’s export portfolio is very diverse. We

have a number of large multinational com-

panies that make up the largest share of our

export portfolio, the main articles being ma-

chinery and equipment, electronics, and in-

formation and communication technologies.

We build sea vessels, from kayaks to yachts

to large ships. We stand out for our excel-

lence in IT. Everybody probably already knows

that Skype was developed in Estonia, but

now many new interesting companies have

spun off in the IT sector that are aiming to go

global: Transferwise, GrabCAD, Erply, Signwise

and Fortumo, to name only a few of them.

We have a strong wood sector—which is no

wonder as more than half of our territory is

covered by forests--producing everything from

paper pulp to furniture to log-houses, which

are all exported. We boast a large variety of

high quality foodstuffs, a result of Estonia’s

clean nature and environment.

During your time in office you have already received many foreign delegations and also made various business trips abroad to promote Estonia. How do foreign entrepreneurs perceive Estonia?

I have asked many foreign investors who have

already settled here why they chose Estonia to

be their production base. They all usually an-

swer that it is because we have a very trans-

parent and efficient business environment, a

low level of corruption and a simple tax sys-

tem. It is easy to file one’s taxes oneself. Our

e-government solutions make communication

with the state very simple and extremely ef-

ficient; this all saves businesses a great deal of

time and money. We have a qualified, reliable

and competitive workforce. We are logistically

well-connected by sea and are working to im-

prove our air connections, and of course being

an electronic hub we are very well connected

to the world.


I COVER STORY

It seems that we have come to a crossroads; the cost of our labour force has risen, yet we still have a competitive advantage over western Europe when it comes to labour costs. what is your opinion?

Estonia’s challenge is to continue to climb up

the value chain and that means over time lower

skilled and lower paid jobs will be replaced by

higher skilled and higher paid jobs. Indeed, we

have seen some jobs on the lowest end of the

wage scale leave the market and jobs requiring

higher skills and qualifications replace them. Es-

tonia’s average wage level is currently still only

about 40% of the EU average. In the long term,

it is important that the price/quality relationship

offered in the labour market remains attractive.

That means we need to keep investing in our

people’s education and skills.

One of the greatest assets Estonia has is its very

good education system. According to the PISA

tests carried out by the OECD, the results of

Estonian primary school students rank among

the best in the world, along with Finland, the

Netherlands and Japan. Our universities also of-

fer very high quality education. Different multi-

national companies make use of the fact that

our universities have world-class scientists in the

fields of biochemistry, IT, material sciences and

electrical engineering, and they cooperate on

projects of research and development. In recent

years, our universities have been working with

such well-known companies as Ericsson, Mit-

subishi, Mercedes and Nestlé, among others.

In addition, Estonia remains an excellent and

attractive manufacturing location; we have a

skilled and committed workforce that can pro-

duce quality goods at very competitive costs,

with easy access to large markets. That is why

such large multinationals as ABB and Ericsson

have set up their manufacturing facilities in

Estonia.

Let’s talk about the business en-vironment of Estonia. How do you explain to Norwegian or German entrepreneurs what it is and why it is so incredibly simple for us to communicate with the state?

It is our e-government solutions which have

helped to shape our simple business environ-

ment. Our communications with the state are

online and this guarantees a high degree of

efficiency and transparency. This efficiency

allows companies to get on with their core

business without incurring high administrative

costs. In addition to e-government, we benefit

from the small size of our country: everybody

knows everybody, which makes business deal-

ings simple and fast. The cooperation between

ministries and the government is very fast and

efficient. Let me give the example of selling

emission allowances to other countries: we

clearly stood out from competing countries

because all of our processes were much faster.

Whenever there was a need to put together a

programme within a limited time frame, they

came knocking at our door, as they knew that

no other country would be able to react as

fast. Governmental decisions which may take

months somewhere else took just a week or

two in Estonia. We are fast and efficient, and

our e-communication channels make commu-

nication with the state simple and efficient.

In a previous issue of this magazine, Taavi Kotka expressed his belief that e-residency could be the very thing to make Estonia unique in the world. It could be Estonia’s unique selling point in the world. Is this something you consider important enough to target foreign entrepreneurs with?

It is our goal to have 10 million e-residents by

2025. Obtaining an e-residency means obtain-

ing an Estonian ID card from one of Estonia’s

representations. This ID card has two func-

tions. Firstly, there is the authentication func-

tion, which provides a guarantee at the high-

est level of security that the owner of the card

really is the person s/he claims to be. Secondly

there is the digital signature function, which to

date does not exist in most countries. The digi-

tal signature enables one to give a secure sig-

nature at a distance. Business dealings thereby

become much easier. It is impossible to forge

a digital signature; thus in web environments

where a high degree of security is important

our ID-card is a great advantage. This could be

a reason for foreign entrepreneurs wishing to

have our e-identity. In my talks with foreign

entrepreneurs who already have business deal-

ings with Estonia, it has become clear that they

are eagerly awaiting this opportunity. But there

is also potential interest among those entrepre-

neurs who currently have no links with Estonia.

The e-resident ID will provide entrepreneurs

with access to the Estonian Business Registry

and enable them to easily create a company in

the European Union from a distance. It would

be their easiest and most efficient access to the

EU business environment.

Minister Sulling at the seminar of the Confederation of Finnish Industries.


In addition to simplicity, what are the reasons that foreign entrepre-neurs should consider Estonia?

We have a competitive workforce, a great busi-

ness environment, and a simple and motivat-

ing tax system, where no income tax is paid on

profits reinvested. The level of corruption is ex-

tremely low. We have a Nordic business culture,

where promises are kept. Estonians have the

reputation for getting things done. We speak

English well. Those aspects are already sufficient

for entrepreneurs to give Estonia some serious

thought.

Besides that, the Estonian government has in-

vested a great deal in the business infrastructure

in recent years, setting up incubators for start-

up companies, and founding industrial parks for

companies to set up their production facilities,

as well as science and development centres to

help facilitate cooperation between businesses

and research institutions. I have met foreign

investors who say they like Estonia because it

seems everybody here is developing something.

That is an additional argument for foreign inves-

tors to take a look at the possibilities in Estonia.

One interesting new trend we have observed

lately is that multinational companies are bring-

ing their service centres to Estonia, such as ac-

counting, back office management and treas-

ury functions. This is helped by the fact that

we have a disproportionally high share of the

workforce educated for the needs of the finan-

cial services industry, which is looking for new

outlets after the consolidation of the financial

sector. A few multinationals have also brought

their IT development and engineering R&D cen-

tres to Estonia.

The Estonian government has also created a

support scheme to motivate investments in

Estonia. The state adds 30% to investments

of more than 3,000,000 euros, with a maxi-

mum support of one million euros. Investments

receiving state support must create at least

15 new jobs with wages above the Estonian

average.


I COVER STORY

How are the arguments in favour of investing in Estonia working?

To date they have worked very well. Estonia’s

share of foreign investments per GDP is al-

most twice that of the other Baltic states: by

the end of 2012, Estonia had 84.2% of for-

eign investments per GDP, whereas the share

in Latvia was 46.1% and in Lithuania 36.7%.

This shows that our business environment is

very attractive.

when a foreign investor decides to consider Estonia as a potential investment location, but does not have a local partner, what are the first steps that should be taken?

Enterprise Estonia (EAS) is the central contact

point both for local entrepreneurs who wish

to enter foreign markets and for foreign en-

trepreneurs who wish to come to Estonia.

Enterprise Estonia has a strong foreign direct

investment (FDI) advisory team, which works

specifically with foreign investors. For potential

investors, it is therefore a good idea to first ap-

proach Enterprise Estonia, which will provide

them with an advisor who will help fulfil their

information requirements, present the op-

portunities available to them and bring them

into contact with the necessary people. It is a

very personalized approach. I have heard from

many investors that the FDI advisory team of

Enterprise Estonia does great work, and that

confirms what I have witnessed myself.

It is also worth noting that Enterprise Estonia

coordinates the network of County Develop-

ment Centres, which provide advisory services

to local entrepreneurs and possess a very good

overview of the local level. They are therefore

in a good position to help foreign investors

find interesting investment opportunities in

the regions.

where do you see the largest potential for growth? what could become Estonia’s trademark in the world?

Given our competitive edge on the IT side, we

need to exploit that. Currently our e-solutions

are mostly tailor-made and do not constitute

a large share of our export volume. Thus, it is

important to move into areas that allow larger

volumes. One such area where we could ex-

ploit our IT potential is that of the smart city.

The smart city field is experiencing rapid global

growth. There is increasing concern about how

to make the city space more comfortable and

sustainable. The solutions range from energy-

efficient lighting systems to smart building solu-

tions to smart apps helping to orientate in city

environments. Estonia can expand into this field.

Another aspect which we could exploit more

in Estonia is our openness to using new tech-

nologies. The small size of our country enables

us to easily test various solutions nationwide.

In other words, Estonia could position itself

as a testing ground for various technologies

where, on one hand, companies come to test

new technologies and, on the other, people

come to get acquainted with new technolo-

gies. E-residency is a good example of the pos-

sibility of using Estonia to test unique solutions

that can be rolled-out to the whole world.

Estonia possesses all the attributes to be an in-

ternational testing ground: we are a creative,

efficient, progressive EU member state with a

well-educated and hard-working population.

Anne Sulling and Alexander Stubbs, Finland's sitting PM (Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade at the time)


Can you give any other examples?

Yes. We conducted the world’s first country-

wide pilot project in electric cars in Estonia.

This is something we did in collaboration with

Japan and the Mitsubishi Corporation through

the sale of emissions allowances under the

Kyoto Protocol.

We created the world’s first country-wide

quick-charging system for electric cars and

provided some 500 electric cars to social work-

ers for use across the country. In addition, we

created a grant scheme for the general public

to support purchases of electric cars. Today

there are more than one thousand electric cars

driving on Estonian roads, which is one of the

highest concentrations in the world.

In addition, we introduced another innovative

project as part of the electric car programme:

the car sharing programme. Since last summer

it has been possible to rent an electric car in the

two biggest Estonian towns, Tallinn and Tartu.

It is possible to locate the closest available car,

reserve it, open its doors and start the rental

session simply by using your smart phone. Car

sharing has turned out to be surprisingly popu-

lar and, after its introduction, the sales of elec-

tric cars increased significantly. The rest of the

world has a lot to learn from our experience

in this field. For example, the Estonian com-

pany Now Innovations, which developed the

payment system for the electric car charging

network, is now offering the same service in

other countries.

It is important to mention that such pilot pro-

jects create work for our research institutions.

For example, in both of the above-mentioned

projects we installed data-loggers in the cars,

which collect various data about the cars over

several years. The professors and students of

the Tallinn University of Technology, in coop-

eration with the Mitsubishi Corporation, will

now be able to analyse the data to find ways

to improve electric cars and also to learn how

to introduce the electric cars to the market.

Such an experience of collaboration is useful

for both sides and shows foreign investors

what can be done in Estonia.

You made the decision to enter politics half a year ago. If you had gone into business, which field would you have chosen?

For years I have been involved in international

negotiations and sales. The specific field isn’t

so important; what matters is that I believe in

the product. Great product ideas may come

from any field.

which markets should Estonian entrepreneurs target more?

The internal market of the European Union

has great potential. It is by no means an easy

market. It requires high quality products and

services. Its consumers have considerable pur-

chasing power. I would first look at the EU

market and focus on product development in

order to manage in a very competitive mar-

ket. Russia and China are huge and attrac-

tive markets, but there are very many risks in

those markets which are not related to the

entrepreneur. The USA and Japan are friendly

markets for us, and we still have a small trade

volume with them, so there is room for ex-

pansion. But also more distant markets hold

potential for increases in trade. In a small

country like Estonia, we need to focus on

high quality and try to find niche fields with

high added value.

Anne Sulling and Skype Estonia CEO Andrus Järg.

Phot

o by

Eik

o Ki

nk, Ä

ripäe

v

Estonia boasts good chocolate and sweets. One of the most beloved chocolate bars is Anneke, which is a diminutive of the Estonian girl's name Anne. In the photo, Anne Sulling with Kaido Kaare, CEO of AS Kalev, the biggest and oldest confectionery company in Estonia whose first predecessor' activities in Tallinn date back to 1806. For years, Kalev has been the best known and most prestigious trademark in Estonia.


Jüri Riives Professor, Dr. Eng in Manufacturing Systems

Graduated from the Tallinn University of Tech-

nology. Worked at the Tallinn University of

Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineer-

ing. Involved in private business as a Member

of the Board and Chairman of the Council.

Currently working in the Competence Centre

IMECC as Chairman of the Board and Gen-

eral Manager of Research.

Scientific and research fields: Mechatronic

and Production Systems Productivity and Be-

havioural Models; Intelligent Manufacturing

and Robotics; Lean Manufacturing and Qual-

ity Management.

Has taken part in several international pro-

jects in the areas of cluster development,

developing of new business models for ensur-

ing competitiveness and adding innovation

capacity of the labour force and entrepre-

neurs in the mechanical engineering and ma-

chinery sector. Has published more than 60

scientific articles.

I ECONOMY AND BUSINESS

INDUSTRIAL REvOLUTION 4.0 By Jüri riivEs

On the way to a new industrial revolution

Manufacturing systems are key components

of any industrial company which is oriented to

production activities. Modern manufacturing

systems must satisfy the following demands:

high productivity, high flexibility (small batches

and large nomenclature of products) and high

accuracy in products.

Rapidness, diversity and uniqueness character-

ise today’s production. Additionally, decreases

in resources, pressure on manufacturing costs

and continual growth in customers’ expecta-

tions have led to new problems that need to

be solved. There is a need for strong individu-

alisation of products under the conditions of

highly flexible production, extensive integra-

tions of customers and business partners and

value-added processes, and the linking of pro-

duction and high quality services leading to

“hybrid” products.

Germany has played a leading role in mak-

ing significant changes in business models

and developing new smart industrial systems.

This new paradigm has led to an industrial

revolution, known as Industry 4.0, which

was publicly announced by Angela Merkel at

the opening of the Hanover Industrial Exhibi-

tion in 2013. Industry 4.0 was conceived as

a forward-looking project under the Federal

Government High-Tech strategy, focusing on

information and communication technology. It

has been developed further to include produc-

tion research and user industries.

what is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 means Smart Factory develop-

ment, where intelligent cells inside the com-

pany and between the companies are integrat-

ed through the Internet, and they are able to

communicate and make necessary decisions.

Industry 4.0 is Cyber-Physical Systems and the

Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part

of the future of the Internet, including the exist-

ing and evolving Internet and network develop-

ments, and it can be conceptually defined as

a dynamic global network infrastructure with

self-configuring capabilities based on standard

and interoperable communication protocols,

where physical and virtual “things” have identi-

ties, physical attributes and virtual personalities,

use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly in-

tegrated into the information network.

In the IoT, “smart things/objects” – robot-based

industrial cells - are active things (including work-

places) in the process and/or in the production

system where they are designed to interact and

communicate among themselves and with the

environment by exchanging data and informa-

tion “sensed” about the environment, while

reacting autonomously to “real/physical world”

events and influencing them by running process-

es that trigger actions and create services with or

without direct human intervention.


IMECC vision of modern manufacturing

IoT infrastructure allows for combinations of

smart objects (wireless sensors, robots, control-

ling and servicing devices etc.), sensor network

technologies and human beings, with their

defined competences, using different but inter-

operable communication protocols. It creates

a dynamic multi-modular, heterogeneous net-

work that can be deployed in different produc-

tion areas. Along with increased automation

in industry, the development of completely new

business models is an important task as well.

Towards modern manufacturing

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are becoming

increasingly important in this context. Along

with increased automation in industry, the

development of intelligent monitoring and

autonomous decision-making processes are

particularly important in order to be able to

steer and optimise both companies and entire

value-added networks in almost real time.

Working in a cross-enterprise product-realisation

process means that the flow of information

and materials needs to be efficiently managed

throughout the entire life cycle, i.e. from concept

to disposal. Due to the topology of Extended En-

terprise, the flows of information and materials

become complex, especially if the configuration

of the Extended Enterprise changes dynamically

during collaboration projects. This highlights the

use of MES systems and their integration with

planning and management systems.

Production is a key component of every manu-

facturing company involved in production

systems. The main info-technological means

in a production system are Manufacturing Pro-

cess Management (MPM) and Manufacturing

Execution System (MES). MPM is a complex

of production technologies and methodolo-

gies that determines how to manufacture a

product effectively in a real production en-

vironment. ERP determines what and when

to produce (planning), MPM determines the

most efficient realisation solutions and MES

provides evaluation of the realisation.

IMECC working programme

The Innovative Manufacturing Engineering

Systems Competence Centre (IMECC) is one

of the eight competence centres of Estonia.

IMECC’s overall goal is to raise the internation-

al competitiveness of the Estonian manufactur-

ing industry and the field’s companies through

collaboration between research institutions

and companies in the field of R&D, integra-

tion with the European Technology Platform

Manufuture programme and cooperation with

international clusters and research institutions.

IMECC’s main field of activities is applied re-

search directed at the company level, process

level and production cell level. The research in

these three focuses is commonly referred to as

the development and realisation of the Future

Factory concept. The development of intelli-

gent manufacturing systems and products is

the IMECC consortium’s main objective.

THe FOCUSeS OF THe ReSeaRCH aRe:

• Integration of business and manufactur-

ing planning based on e-manufacturing

and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

systems, resulting in the development of

new business models

• Development of cost and time efficient

solutions for SMEs for process automa-

tion and innovative emerging manufac-

turing technologies

• Self-organisingsystemswithonlinemoni-

toring and diagnostics.

Research is characterised by the integration

of information technology solutions in various

industries and manufacturing sectors (Intel-

ligent Manufacturing). Research results pro-

vide the basis for enterprises to introduce new

products, increase productivity and automate

processes.

The agility and flexibility that are needed in to-

day’s production can be achieved by integrat-

ing workplaces with processes and systems

inside a company, as well as by creating net-

works of companies. The network is formed

by things/objects having identities, virtual

personalities operating in smart spaces using

intelligent interfaces to connect and commu-

nicate with the users, and social and environ-

mental contexts. So, the plan is to make the

Internet of Things a reality.

Challenges for a new Industrial Revolutionin Estonia

• Willingnessofowners/

shareholders to change

• Developmentofnewskills

and competences

• Employees’ambitions

• Moreinternationalisationand

cooperation in R&D

• Intelligentmanufacturing

networking

• Settingpriorities

• NationalActionProgramme

Skeleton Technologies, a Tallinn-based company which develops and produces ultracapacitors - extremely powerful energy storage devices - aims to become the leading ultracapacitor manufacturer within five years.


Skeleton Technologies started to grow in

2009, when, after years of development work,

the young entrepreneurs Taavi Madiberk and

Oliver Ahlberg decided to take the technol-

ogy created by Tartu scientists into production.

Taavi Madiberk, CEO of the company, explains

that they have experienced very rapid growth

in the last five years: “Everything has gone ac-

cording to our plans, and in some ways we are

even ahead of our plans.”

Skeleton Technologies has received nearly 1.5

million euros worth of funding from Enterprise

Estonia, most of which has been received in

the last two years. In July 2014, the company

announced a 3.9 million euro injection from

the investment company Up Invest. At the

beginning of this year, Skeleton Technologies

participated in the Norway Grants Green In-

dustry Innovation programme, which was

looking for Estonian companies to develop

globally ambitious green IT projects together

with Norwegian companies, and received

funding from the Estonian-Norwegian coop-

eration programme Green Innovation Estonia

to develop the next generation of “smart”

ultracapacitor modules. Standardised plug-

and-play solutions for a variety of markets,

from UPS to heavy transportation, will lower

the cost of ownership for customers. The

specified features, from voltage and tempera-

ture monitoring to application-based energy

profiles, are class-leading and increase the

efficiency and reliability of the devices. Skel-

eton Technologies has included the Norwe-

gian company NX Tech, which specialises in

bringing breakthrough technologies to market

(their previous partners include Th!nk, Citymo-

tion, Cisco and others), as a partner to field-

test the modules in Norway.

The German subsidiary of the Estonian com-

pany received funding from a local support

programme where the total cost of their pro-

ject was nearly 14 million euros. The project

combines support from the Development Bank

of Saxony with the company’s own contribu-

tion. Madiberk says that this is probably the

largest investment ever made by an Estonian

company in Germany.

By otti EylanDt / Postimees

Small Company Set TO CONqUER THE wORLD



Small Company Set TO CONqUER THE wORLD

Skeleton Technologies’ ultracapacitor

• Lifecycle15yearsanduptoa

million life cycles. Normal batteries

last a couple of thousand cycles.

• Workingtemperaturebetween

-40 and +65°C.

• Muchsmallerthanproductsof

competitors; hence production

costs up to 50 % less.

• Fieldsofuse:transport,military,

renewable energy and space

industries.

• Fivepatentsand16patent

applications in process in Europe,

the USA and Asia.

COMMENT:

lermo pohlak, Director of Customer

Centre, Enterprise Estonia: ”Skeleton

Technologies is an ambitious com-

pany whose projects Enterprise Esto-

nia has decided to support on several

occasions. It is still too early to assess

the impact of these projects as they

are still under way. Enterprise Estonia

continues to follow Skeleton’s activi-

ties with great interest and we hope

for the successful implementation of

their projects.

The company’s ability to attract mil-

lions of euros of additional capital

from Estonia and abroad should be

commended. It demonstrates that

investors have trust in the team and

goals of Skeleton Technologies.”

www.skeletontech.com

The sums invested in the small company are

quite high considering that the company is cur-

rently mainly involved in developing the products

and plans to start larger production in the sec-

ond half of next year. How have those invest-

ments helped to develop the company and what

exactly has the company managed to do so far?

Madiberk explains that the investments have

been pivotal for the development of the com-

pany: “High tech production is a field which re-

quires a lot of money and we have managed to

bring out a new generation product,” he said.

The sums may seem high in Estonia but, to put

it in perspective, a competitor company in the

United States called Ioxus has received almost 50

million USD in investments (36.9 million euros).

Brains here, production in Germany

Today the company’s headquarters in Tallinn em-

ploy over twenty staff members, the “brains” of

the company, and product testing takes place

there. Although the company currently produces

ultracapacitors for sale in Tallinn, the production

volumes are still low. Madiberk explains that larg-

er production will take place in Bautzen, Germany,

where currently preparations are under way. The

production lines will open in the second half of

2015 if everything goes according to plan.

Taavi Madiberk explains that the reason the com-

pany will move production to Germany is the fact

that a fifth of the world’s market for ultracapaci-

tors is based there, the customers are closer and

it is easier to find qualified workers. “If we want

to compete with Asia in Europe, Germany is the

best option,” he adds.

There is no danger of the company moving its

development group from Tallinn to Germany and

thus losing the company for Estonia. Madiberk

claims that the current working group has prov-

en its worth and he sees no reason for moving.

Achievements to date

Skeleton’s team includes four people with doc-

toral degrees. One of them is the Vice President

of Production, Kai Vuorilehto, who has several

years of experience as Chief Technology Officer

at European Batteries Ltd, where he led technol-

ogy development and production set-up at one

of the most technologically advanced Li-ion bat-

tery production facilities in Europe, with over 70

M EUR invested. The company also employs the

former Chief Executive of Silmet, Anti Perkson.

Recently, a battery industry veteran, James P.

McDougall, was appointed to serve as a non-ex-

ecutive director with a focus on global business

development.

According to Taavi Madiberk, the biggest suc-

cesses of Skeleton are its cutting-edge propri-

etary technology and high-profile customers,

ranging from the European Space Agency to

leading players in the European automotive in-

dustry. The company’s cooperation with ESA

started in 2011 and they have just negotiated

the next contract.

Madiberk claims that the most important char-

acteristics of ultracapacitors are their functional-

ity, resilience, size and mass. Thanks to patented

technologies, Skeleton has a real advantage in

these areas over its competitors. “After all, every

gram counts in space,” he says.

Oliver Ahlberg (28, left), the Chief Operating Officer of Skeleton Technologies, and CEO Taavi Madiberk (26) have managed to get their foot in the door of big business despite their young age.

Madiberk believes that the company has

all the necessary prerequisites to become

the largest ultracapacitor manufacturer

in Europe within the next two-three

years, and then the largest manufacturer

globally.

Phot

o by

MIH

KEL

MAR

IPUU

/ Sc

anpi

x


STONERIDGE – American Dream in Tänassilma villageBy ann-Marii nErgi

Truck instrument cluster

Printed circuit board assembly of a vehicle control unit



When the Swedish factory of the US electronics manufacturer Ston-

eridge became too small for the company, it was faced with the choice

of expanding either to Poland or to Estonia. The choice was made in

favour of Estonia as “for a variety of reasons Estonia just prevailed,” re-

calls Per Lindberg, member of the Management Board and a long-timer

in the Estonian plant.

Stoneridge Electronics in Estonia started work in 1998 under the name

Berifors, a company formed from a management buyout in Ericsson’s

automotive division. Due to a crowded factory in Sweden and cost

pressure from its customers, Berifors needed to immediately expand. In

1997, Stoneridge acquired Berifors and, since 2001, the Estonian plant

has been a part of Stoneridge Electronics.

The head-office of the company, which develops products for commer-

cial vehicles, passenger cars and special vehicles (off-road and agricul-

ture), is located in Warren, Ohio in the USA. The company is registered

on the New York Stock Exchange.

For the last six years Toomas papstel who has worked for the company

since 2000 has been in charge of the car electronics factory based in the

technology park in the small village of Tänassilma. Papstel recalls that,

when production began in the late 1990s, it was a small production unit

which serviced one customer in one product group. Today Stoneridge

Estonia employs 270 people. Today all fields are strongly represented,

from product development and industrialisation to product validation,

not to mention process development and automation. The products

and the production process are also more complex than in the early

days.Papstel explains that the factory in Estonia concentrates on the

production of electronic control units, telematics, switch modules, fuses

and relay modules.

Products for Scania and Ford, tractors and buses

“The majority of the production goes to truck producers, such as

Daimler, MAN, Scania and Volvo, but also for passenger car produc-

ers, such as Ford. We also produce for buses and special vehicles, such

as construction vehicles and tractors,” explains Papstel. “We send our

products directly to car factories, where they are assembled on vehicles.

Whereas the largest share of the production goes to European Union

countries, we also export to such destinations as Brazil and Australia.”

Although Stoneridge has other factories in the United States, Mexico,

Sweden, Scotland and China, and joint ventures in Brazil and India, the

factory in Estonia is able to participate in local and global development

projects. Back in 2008, Toomas Papstel told the media that Stoneridge

Estonia needed more “brains” in order to break into the European pas-

senger car market and, to this end, a development department employ-

ing 30 engineers was established in Estonia in the same year. “This is

one of our more successful projects,” says the plant manager. “Our lo-

cal product development team is a fully-functioning unit which works in

close cooperation with the Stoneridge development centre in Sweden.”

Papstel adds that employees are mostly found locally and the company

collaborates with the Tallinn University of Technology in finding engi-

neering staff.

“In creating competence, one needs to take a long-term perspective.

We combine experienced personnel with people who are still studying

in university. There are cases of former students who came to us for ap-

prenticeships, and gradually increased their input until they became full

staff members,” Papstel says, explaining the importance of combining

education with practical experience.

Tests with spaceship!

According to the plant manager, the task of Stoneridge Estonia contin-

ues to be to represent the corporation’s capacity in Europe, and to main-

tain the flexibility to service primarily European customers. “Our goal is

to grow. There are also plans to expand the local product development

unit,” said Papstel.

It should be noted that Stoneridge Electronics was one of the partici-

pants in sending the first Estonian space satellite, estcube, into orbit, as

the satellite vibration tolerance tests were carried out in the Stoneridge

testing lab. Papstel is modest in talking about this experience: “We did

indeed have this interesting opportunity. But I have to emphasise that

our role should not be blown out of proportion. People came to us for

help in carrying out the vibration tolerance tests because our testing lab

provides this capability. Of course we agreed!”

“We have daily contact with the car industry, but there are no ‘space

ships’ regularly at our factory. Our lab engineers were totally excited

and spent the days between Christmas and New Year’s eve at work,”

he says, recalling the varied working life of the engineers in the factory.

Precision measurements with 3D measuring equipment

Automatic routing of printed circuit boards

Hundreds of trains around the world have roofs and cooling systems made in Estonia.

Estonia may not be producing trains any long-

er, as it did a century ago at the Dvigatel fac-

tory, but you can find a small company that

specialises in building train roofs and cooling

systems. Train HVACs are extremely high-tech

solutions that need to be designed and tested

extra carefully, as the smallest of flaws may

mean trouble for passengers and financial

loss for carriers. Interconnect Product Assem-

bly’s CEO Roman Klepikov tells us more.

would you please introduce IPA to the readers of Life in Estonia.

Interconnect Product Assembly AS (IPA) was

established in 1999. We are an independent,

privately owned company specializing in the

production of electro-mechanical solutions,

from simple cable harnesses to complex fully

functional assemblies. The range of services

IPA provides includes design, prototyping, se-

rial production, supply chain management

and hub sourcing solutions. Starting as a very

small company, IPA has managed to grow into

a strong company employing around 200 em-

ployees and achieving a turnover of 20MEUR

in 2013. 95% of manufactured goods are

exported, mainly to the EU but a number of

goods are also delivered to the US, Australian

and Canadian markets.

I understand that among other things you also produce train roofs with cooling systems. what does that exactly mean?

One of the products that IPA manufactures is an

HVAC (Heating Air Conditioning and Ventila-

tion) unit for train manufacturers. Our main cus-

tomers for these kinds of products are Bombar-

dier, Siemens, Knorr-Bremse, Sigma and Hitachi.

Typically the design of the product is complet-

ed by the customer but when needed IPA has

the skills to design the HVAC unit for the cus-

tomer. The metal frames are manufactured by

IPA local partners under the strict supervision

of our engineers. The HVAC unit is assembled

and completely tested at an IPA facility and is

delivered straight to the train manufacturing

depot. So the only thing the customer has to

do is to lift the unit into the roof hole, screw

it into place and connect it. The unit is tested

and set up for best performance. This is a very

complicated product and it might take 150

man-hours to manufacture just one HVAC unit

and 30 man-hours to conduct all the tests to

guarantee the best possible performance.

Roman Klepikov



IPA Helps to Make Comfortable Trains

By HolgEr roonEMaa

HvAC manufacturing is only a small part of IPA production.

IPA’s major manufacturing

areas are:

•Electricalcabinets

(low and medium voltage)

•Electricalmodules

•Relaypanels

•Electro-mechanicalequipment

•Variousbox-buildassemblies

IPA’s clients include Knorr-Bremse, Siemens, Hitachi and Bombardier IPA has manufactured HvAC

units for over 800 train

carriages, including:

• 2005 – 2006

Siemens EMU

70 Train Saloon HVAC Units

Germany

• 2006 – 2007

Siemens DMU


Germany

• 2008

Hitachi

50 Train Cabin HVAC Units

Japan

• 2008 – 2009

Bombardier Electrostar



• 2009 – 2010

Bombardier Turbostar



• 2013

Scottish Railways,

East Coast Main Line


Can you tell me as a simple passenger what the use of your product when I’m travelling on a train is?

The product consists of a metal frame made of alu-

minium or stainless steel, depending on what condi-

tions the train will operate in. It includes the cooling

system, heating system, ventilation system and also

an emergency mode system. The HVAC unit is 100%

automated and the train driver only has to start the

train and the rest is done by the HVAC unit in order

to guarantee a comfortable environment for passen-

gers. In addition to saloon HVAC units, IPA manufac-

tures train driver HVAC units and all other systems

related to the train environment: floor heaters, tem-

perature controllers, extraction units etc.

I find it quite surprising that an Estonian company is producing such systems. How easy or difficult is it to find workers with the necessary skills?

The manufacturing process is fairly complicated

indeed, as many aspects and restrictions must be

taken into consideration. In general, railway ap-

plications have the highest technical and quality

requirements. The product must be 100% secure

and 100% free of defects. There can be no risk

to passengers. If there is even a small problem,

the whole train has to be moved to the depot for

maintenance and repair. The cost of a train stand-

ing in a depot and not being in service is huge.

In order to guarantee high quality and meet all

customer expectations, IPA has a team of people

who are true professionals in their area. There is a

conduit that detects possible design faults in the

early design stage, so most of the problems are

eliminated before the serial production process. FAI

(First Article Inspection) samples are approved inter-

nally with the customer and the train manufacturer.

When needed, IPA specialists go to the train builder’s

depot in order to ensure that the unit fits “prop-

erly” in the train and fulfils all the requirements.

The most challenging aspect is the manufacturing

process. IPA engineers have worked out a process

that always guarantees good and uniform quality,

regardless of what type of HVAC is involved. The

process requires trained and skilled operators and

knowledgeable supervisors. Even more challenging

is the testing and set-up process, as this requires

good engineering skills, experience and extreme

patience, as sometimes final adjustments can take

much longer than expected.

what is the difference between train HvACs and common cooling systems?

As trains are always moving, micro vibration is al-

ways present in products, so if the product is not

assembled according to specifications then it can

fail easily in one to five years’ time. And if a whole

batch is assembled in the same way, this can cause

an “epidemic” problem involving the whole train

fleet. Nobody wants that. I’m sure you have heard

about the HVAC failing in Germany a couple of

years ago, when the summer temperature was well

above average. There are very strict requirements

for project management and also for operations

and they are described in the Railway IRIS stand-

ards. IPA was audited and awarded by IRIS (Interna-

tional Railway Industry Standard) at the beginning

of 2014.

IPA has been growing quite fast. How do you see the company’s future?

IPA has grown very rapidly indeed and we believe

that the growth will continue for at least the next

two years. This requires a lot of effort as the com-

pany must be very flexible to deal with the changes

that growth brings.

www.ipa.ee


One of the biggest employers in Vändra

collaborates closely with educational institutions.

Jaanus luberg started producing transformers in the small town of

Vändra in central Estonia back in 1996. The small business - then called

Turmet - has now grown into MS Balti Trafo, a private limited company

employing 150 workers. The company is the second largest employer in

Vändra, which has a population of 2,300.

MS Balti Trafo relies on German capital assets and is closely linked to

Manfred Schmelzer GmbH in Germany. This means that although the

German entrepreneurs Manfred and Michael Schmelzer invested in

the production of transformers in Estonia back in 1997 they did so as

private persons. Hence MS Balti Trafo is a separate Estonian company

whose business partner is the corporation belonging to the Schmelzers.

“MS Balti Trafo produces products for the partner company as part of

orders within the corporation, as well as exporting to our own cus-

tomers. We are a fully functioning company with our own sales and

purchasing departments,” explains Jaanus Luberg, Managing Direc-

tor. “Half of our export goes to Germany, 20% to Finland, 20% to

Sweden and 10% remains in Estonia.” However, Luberg explains that

actually only about 2% of their production remains in Estonia because

transformers are ordered for different appliances, which in turn are

exported.

Transformers can be found in Mercedes cars and Jura espresso machines

To put it simply, transformers are little gadgets inside all kinds of elec-

tronics equipment or energy sources, which transform the current and

electrical voltage. Transformers produced in Vändra can be found in

home appliances, cars, medical equipment, lighting systems and in the

solar energy sector. “The transformers we produce are very specific and

custom-made. We develop our products together with our customer

base of 300 and each year we produce up to 750 different articles,

12 million pieces in total. Hence we have spread our risks well,” says

Luberg. According to him, the smallest transformers they produce are

barely visible to the naked eye, measuring just three millimetres in diam-

eter, and the largest ones weigh a whopping 300 kilograms.

“For example, we produce transformers for welding equipment for

one particular client and those are then sold to oil reservoirs. There is

another client in Germany that produces appliances for large valves for

the opening and closing of gas pipelines which have a diameter of one

metre. This requires engines; the engines in turn must be managed and

the voltage transformed: they use our products for this,” says Luberg.

Perhaps the best-known companies that use components produced by

MS Balti Trafo are the car producers Mercedes, Volvo, Audi, Volkswa-

gen, Škoda, Toyota, Porsche and BMW, and the espresso machine com-

pany Jura. Luberg will not name more customers, as certain agreements

have been made between the company and the customers.

Education allows Balti Trafo to function in the real world

MS Balti Trafo has always valued education and the company has close

links to the Pärnu Vocational Education Centre and the Tallinn University

of Technology. Students undertake apprenticeships at the company, and

MS Balti Trafo promotes in-service training and re-training of its staff

members. “Our workers also train students at the Vocational Education

Centre because we consider it important that young people receive an

education which enables them to function in the real world. We have

therefore offered our input in developing curricula, and we try to help

to modernise learning whenever we can.”

Jaanus Luberg hopes that young people will value practical skills more

in the future than they do today. “It is clear that people with certain

degrees find it impossible to find work, while the lack of skilled work-

ers is a real problem. Our company also experiences the lack of skilled

labour force but it all boils down to the value of the workforce. We

need to employ specialists but there is no special education in produc-

ing transformers. Hence it can be said that training the staff we need is

a life-long process.”

Since 2009, MS Balti Trafo, with Jaanus Luberg at its head, has man-

aged work at a factory in India, which legally belongs to the German

partner Manfred Schmelzer GmbH. The Estonian company is responsi-

ble for the daily running of the company in India and Luberg says that

cooperation functions well even at this long distance. “India, with its

unique legislation and environment, is of course relatively complicated

and strange to us northerners, but the people we work with are true

professionals.” In addition to the Indian factory, the Germans also own

a production unit in Tunisia.

www.msbaltitrafo.ee



MS Balti Trafo Exports Millions of Transformers Annually

The company which became famous in Esto-

nia for the production of car safety belts forty

years ago is today a part of the international

corporation Autoliv.

The history of AS Norma dates back to the

19th century, when in 1891 a tin sheet work-

shop was founded in Tallinn. In 1957, Norma

became the first factory in the Soviet Union to

start manufacturing flashlights and in 1960 the

company launched the manufacturing of elec-

tro-mechanical toys.

A new era in the history of Norma started in

1973, with the launch of the first industrial

lot of car safety belts. Before then seat belts

were not part of the equipment of Soviet cars.

Forty years on, the famous company in Estonia

has grown into a valued unit of the Swedish

corporation Autoliv. It employs over 750 staff

and its product range has grown far beyond

seat belts.

The Swedish car safety equipment manufac-

turer Autoliv bought a 51% share in Norma

15 years ago. The production of belts was

transferred from Sweden to Estonia. In 2007,

AS Norma began to sell components in foreign

markets. In 2010, when the Swedes purchased

Norma completely, there was a significant in-

crease in the production of safety compo-

nents, because in the same year Autoliv closed

two of its factories in Germany and a large

share of the production was transferred from

there to Tallinn.

The turnover of AS Norma in 2013 was 61

million euros and profit 1.88 million euros.

The turnover of the parent company Autoliv

reached record highs. In 2013, Autoliv’s turno-

ver was 8.8 billion dollars and the operating

profit was 761 million dollars.

Increasing added value is a priority

peep Siimon, Managing Director of Norma,

confirms that the main competence of the

company is producing technologically com-

plex components for the automotive industry,

including the construction and production of

required tools. To that end, Norma buys ser-

vices and goods from about 300 enterprises in

Estonia. “This competence enables us to pro-

duce and create products that meet high re-

quirements for safety equipment, primarily for

Autoliv factories all over the world. As parts of

such products, our components reach practi-

cally all car manufacturers,” explains Siimon.

Outside Europe, the products of AS Norma

are exported to Russia, the United States and

Asia. “We may claim therefore that one is

bound to find a component made by Norma

in a luxury Bentley, as well as in an old Lada,“

says Siimon. “At the same time the share of

Norma’s traditional exports to Russia has de-

clined and will continue to do so with the end

of the production of Ladas. The main market

is in Europe, although the United States and

Asia are also important,” he adds. As Autoliv

cooperates with almost all car manufacturers

throughout the world, we can say that Norma

as part of the corporation helps to save the

lives of over 30,000 people each year because

of the safety systems installed in vehicles.

Siimon claims that raising the added value of

products is more important than geographical

expansion. “We wish to develop to become

the producer and supplier of acknowledged

complex and dependable components and as-

semblies directly to the international automo-

tive industry. The keys to success are the ability

to work together and collaboration between

smart people.” However, Siimon emphasises

that it is customers who hold the real key to

success, which should not be forgotten in im-

plementing changes.

Modern production environment as a motivator

Norma’s approach to its employees is to mo-

tivate them. “The main motivators are the

modern production environment and the best

management systems in the automotive in-

dustry, the opportunity for rotation in differ-

ent factories, stable long-term jobs and our

unified team, training events and in-service

training opportunities, to name just a few. We

also offer great international work experience

through projects and our daily work, as well as

opportunities to work in Autoliv companies all

over the world,” says Siimon.

www.norma.ee

Norma’s Safety Systems for Cars Help Save 30,000 Lives a Year


It is highly likely that whichever commercial ve-

hicle manufacturer you ask, this particular wir-

ing system has arrived from either Haapsalu or

Keila, the two small Estonian towns where the

factories of the international corporation PKC

Group have been in operation for years. In or-

der to be more flexible in meeting the demands

of the consolidating customer base and chang-

es in consumer behaviour, PKC will concentrate

its production in Keila by the end of this year.

Registered on the Helsinki Stock Exchange,

the headquarters of the PKC Group are also

based in the Finnish capital. In addition to

Estonia, factories are located in Russia, Lithu-

ania, Poland, Serbia, Germany, Brazil, China

and Mexico, and engineering centres in the

USA. The factories based in Estonia do not dif-

fer considerably from the other factories of the

corporation and it is a goal of the PKC Group

that all its factories work on the basis of the

same standards.

High prize from Enterprise Estonia

Generally speaking the activity of the PKC

Group can be divided into two parts: manu-

facturing wiring systems and electronics. PKC

Eesti falls in the first branch, producing wiring

systems mostly for the automotive industry:

for producers of heavy vehicles or consumer

cars. The company has a staff of almost 1,000

in its Keila factory.

According to lauri Rohtoja, General Manag-

er of the Estonian factories, lead bundles are

linked to the nervous system of the car, which

helps to translate the signals initiated by the

driver to the mechanisms and vice versa. “The

wiring systems must allow for the manage-

ment of a specific activity in the vehicle, for

example the wiring harnesses for the lights or

engine,” says Rohtoja.

The work of PKC Eesti, which demands ac-

curacy and has increased Estonian exports,

has been noticed and rewarded in Estonia.

Last year PKC was nominated in the foreign

investor category of the Enterprise Awards

by Enterprise Estonia. In 2012 it took all the

main awards at the same ceremony: PKC Eesti

received the foreign investor award and was

also named the best enterprise in Estonia.

During the last two years the company has

invested up to 2.1 million euros in its fixed

tangible assets.

PKC Eesti AS Produces Nervous Systems for Automotive IndustryDid you know that the wiring system that fits under the dashboard of a regular truck and which switches on all the necessary lights and buttons at the right moment is about three kilometres long and weighs approximately twenty kilograms? Yet on the production line it only takes a couple of seconds to fit this bundle of wires in place!



Pärnu-based Company Produces Lighting Equipment for Luxury vehicleswhen you sit behind the steer-ing wheel of a BMw, Mercedes or Jaguar, it is highly likely that a small part of your car has been made in Estonia.

Situated 130 kilometres from Tallinn, Pärnu

has mostly been known as a summer re-

sort, with a beautiful long sandy beach, a

popular holiday destination even during

the czarist Russian times. However, Pärnu

is also home to a group of smart companies

which, instead of subcontracting, focus on

product development. One example of such

a company is Oshino electronics estonia,

or Oshino.

The company, which started in modest con-

ditions in a dormitory back in 1992 under

the name Paitec Elektroonika, today produc-

es and develops interior lighting modules for

various globally famous car brands. Brands

such as BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi,

Porsche and Land Rover use glove box or

door handle lighting, number plate lighting

or side markers produced by Oshino. The

company started its first automotive industry

project in 2001.

“It was complicated. But once you have one

positive reference, it becomes easier,” recalls

ingvar Kuusk, CEO and one of the own-

ers of the company. He explains that Oshino

produces for a very narrow niche, which

means that the customers have more spe-

cific requirements and wishes. “There are no

grey areas. Quality, quality, security of provi-

sion and more security of provision,” he says

about the demands of their clients.

Kuusk explains that there is tough competi-

tion in their field, especially when it comes

to pricing. “For a while, Estonia’s advantage

was in good infrastructure and low labour

costs. Today we are no longer as competitive

in terms of labour costs. In order to stay in

business, we must guarantee flexibility and

quality.”

Oshino Electronics Estonia is largely based

on German capital, and the mechanical

components of the products are made in

Germany, where the lighting simulation is

also carried out. “In Estonia, we create the

schematic solutions, and design the print

plate and montage test packaging. Our

services include product development, the

contracting of plastic moulds, the develop-

ment of the production and testing environ-

ment, and the procurement and production

of components,” says Kuusk. In addition to

the production of the electronics, software is

also developed in Estonia today. “The prod-

ucts are becoming increasingly complex.”

Today Oshino is firmly established in the au-

tomotive industry. “People continue to pro-

duce and buy cars. Besides luxury brands,

we also have projects for middle-class

consumer vehicles. This increases turnover

but has a very low profit margin,” explains

Kuusk. He adds that the company plans to

continue its product development work,

which means offering higher added value.

For example, the company has been working

for some time on lighting solutions for new

car models, which will be seen on the streets

by the end of next year.

“I am certain that these awards have really in-

fluenced how our workers see their own work

results and their attitude to the company more

generally. I personally was very proud of our

staff members and company when I heard the

news. I also believe that this kind of positive at-

tention has made the name of PKC Eesti better

known as an employer in Estonia,” said Lauri

Rohtoja.

Rohtoja has been in a management position in

the company for just a few months, as in April

the former Chair of PKC Estonia, Ivo Volkov, was

appointed the head of the firm’s Brazilian facto-

ries. In addition, the engineering centre of the

Keila factory will assume responsibility for im-

plementing all of the new Brazilian products in

addition to its current responsibility for produc-

tion in Europe. This demonstrates that this big

corporation is very happy with the work results

of its Estonian employees.

Parent company started in a small Finnish town

The PKC Group expanded into Estonia in the

early 2000s, when Haapsalu and Keila factories

were bought from the company Harju Elekter.

Before that, the companies collaborated with

Harju Elekter in providing subcontracting servic-

es. PKC Eesti still doesn’t have its own customer

base, as the leads are sold to customers who

have ordered them from the sales department

of the corporation. “The technology in use

definitely plays an important role in optimising

investments and the need for retraining which

comes along with introducing new products,”

explains Rohtoja.

The company’s history dates back to 1969,

when the Finnish company Pohjolan Kaapeli -

a wiring harness factory in Kempele - started

operations. The acronym PKC includes the two

former names of the company: Pohjolan Kaapeli

and PK Cable. Since 2000, the company has

been called the PKC Group.

Lauri Rohtoja




Estonia is a Good Place to Establish a Company

what can you do when you need to keep your IT company’s costs down in one of the most expensive countries in the world, Norway? Christian Testman, the energetic and tech savvy CEO of Ålesund-based ICD Industries decided that the answer lay in locating some of the operations overseas. The overseas location needed to share Nordic values and have a good IT infrastructure, yet lower salaries than Norway. After some research and consideration of a number of countries, Estonia became that location for ICD in 2012.

we invest in Estonia because it is highly competitive, says Christian Testman, CEO of ICD Industries.

By silvEr taMbur / www.estonianworld.com


Since setting up ICD here, Christian Testman has spent lots of time in

Estonia and he is impressed with the e-state. “The ‘X-road’ structure is

impressive. We have a similar system in Norway and it’s highly advanced,

but the Estonian ‘X-road’ is in a class of its own,” he says.

Testman concedes that, although Estonian e-services and IT-solutions are

world-class, there’s still a lot of work to do in order to spread the word

about them abroad. “In Norway, people still know Estonia mostly for its

timber industry, not IT.” He has joined the Norwegian-Estonian Chamber

of Commerce and is doing his part to implement Estonian IT solutions

elsewhere, including in Norway. “Sales and commercialisation are not

easy. Perhaps it is better for Estonia to cooperate with large partners

with long experience in marketing, when it comes to exporting its digital

solutions abroad. My dream would be to combine the Estonian ‘X-road’

with the Norwegian public database portal. This would be a killer app,”

he says enthusiastically. He has also invested in number of Estonian tech

startups and the incubator Startup Wiseguys.

According to Testman, Estonia still has many advantages when it comes

to competitiveness and shouldn’t try too hard to catch up to its Scandi-

navian neighbours. “The reason we invest here is because Estonia is dif-

ferent. I understand that you are trying to catch up with the Nordics, but

we have huge disadvantages in terms of labour costs and service costs.

We are not competitive enough any more. It is really important to have

a competitive advantage. Don’t try too hard to be like us. Be different,”

is Testman’s straightforward advice.

Meanwhile ICD Industries is experiencing phenomenal growth and the

Estonian subsidiary has played its part. “The joint venture has been very

beneficial and has increased our revenues. The company as a whole has

grown by a factor of 70 over two years,” Christian Testman says. It is

also collaborating with the largest offshore shipbuilders of the world

and has ambitious plans for the future. ICD Estonia is definitely a part

of those plans.

ICD Industries is in the control software business, their control design

platform software (CDP) providing frameworks for their clients to de-

velop, test, simulate and operate advanced control applications: “con-

trol” being what happens between a switch on one end and a physical

action on the other.

ICD’s products make it possible to create software to guide dynamic

positioning, an intermediary system between a satellite signal and the

thrusters on seagoing vessels, which keep an offshore supply vessel in

place in deep water. In addition, ICD’s motion-compensated products

serve to align a heeling ship’s helipad with helicopter struts, permitting

a safe landing in tossing seas. They also produce 3D real-time graphics,

which allow a ship owner to experiment with crane placement with the

ease of drag and drop technologies, before spending the hundreds of

millions of euros necessary to build a ship. As Testman puts it, “We build

software to help other companies build their software. We make the

toolbox to build the control tool.”

From the outset, being a Norwegian company, the ICD has been in an

enviable position: the huge offshore oil and gas drilling industry, which

needs ICD’s products, is on their doorstep. Norway is one of the rich-

est countries on Earth. But it is also one of the most expensive ones,

with some of the highest labour costs. “About three years ago, we had

a greatly increased demand for our products, both project- and core

software-related. But the labour availability and costs in Norway con-

cerned us. So we took the decision to establish a subsidiary elsewhere,”

Testman says.

At the same time, Testman, an economist by profession, is a business-

man who values the Nordic background, values and business culture.

He used to work for Ericsson in Stockholm at the same time as niklas

Zennström, a Swede who later set up Skype with four Estonian pro-

grammers in Tallinn. Testman also collaborated with Nokia in Finland

when Ericsson and Nokia made the WAP standard. “I considered a num-

ber of countries for our subsidiary, and quickly decided that China and

India were out of the question because I wanted proximity and Nordic

culture. After six months of evaluation, based on economic, cultural

and academic values, we selected Estonia,” Testman explains. “I learned

quickly that Estonia was a high-tech country and had an impressive IT

infrastructure in place,” he adds.

Testman also praises the effective and speedy process once ICD decided

to invest in Estonia. “Innovation Norway and Enterprise Estonia (EAS)

made the process easy, providing the necessary contacts in government

and local business for a smooth establishment of the Tallinn office. EAS

introduced us to landlords and lawyers, and helped us address patent

issues, IPR. Everything was simple and efficient, and thus in 2012 we

established our new subsidiary in Tallinn, ICD Industries Estonia OÜ,”

he says. Testman says that they spent some time forming their team

in Estonia, because they were looking for the best. He also got a very

good local headhunter and Tallinn University of Technology to help.

“We were after people who could write beautiful code from scratch.

We took our time, but we found them in Estonia,” Testman explains.

Two and a half years later, ICD Industries Estonia operations employ 40

software engineers.



Laser Diagnostic Instruments (LDI), an Estonian R&D company with a long history, has developed the world’s most flexible and effective oil spill detection sensor. The whole world is a potential market.

The LDI-produced Remote Optical Watcher (ROW) is an autonomous

non-contact sensor that detects oil on water. According to the com-

pany, “highly accurate and easy to maintain, it finds oil spills early so

you can respond before things get out of hand.” The sooner the spill is

detected, the smaller the costs to the environment and operators alike.

Easy to use, running autonomously and with very low maintenance, it

is the simplest device the company has ever made. The ROW device is

typically installed in facilities which are in close proximity to water where

early detection is critical: in sewage plants treating waste water, on oil

and gas infrastructures, ports, ship routes, pollution sensitive natural

protection areas and so on. ROW uses oil’s natural fluorescence to de-

tect anything from marine diesel to vegetable oil, and alerts operators

immediately.

Company history

LDI has been working on remote-sensing technologies since 1991. The

company grew out of a special construction bureau based at the Esto-

nian Academy of Sciences which, among other clients, used to service

the Soviet war industry. The company holds nine core technology pat-

ents, and it has published approximately a hundred scientific

papers, making it one of the most scientific companies

in Estonia.

LDI Targets the water Protection Market, worth Billions of DollarsBy toivo tänavsuu

The company’s most sophisticated products historically have been air-

craft and ship-mounted laser-based (LiDAR) systems that can detect

spills even once oil has sunk beneath the surface. Custom-making each

system proved to be unprofitable for LDI, especially with the high opera-

tional costs of the devices and the advent of easy access to lower cost

satellite imagery. Yet, demand for simpler, more flexible devices that

would still catch early surface spills in real time led LDI to develop ROW.

A new beginning

Last year, David Clark, a young Cambridge-educated British industrial

engineer, took over the management of the company. “Before we were

trying to do everything; photonics has such a wide range of applica-

tions. So rather than choosing the specific focus, the previous team did

everything they could.

LDI has so much potential, but we haven’t been able to get that into the

hands of people. My job now is to get our technology out to the real

world for the benefit of society,” says Clark.

Since Clark took over, the company has been re-branded, and the focus

today is on international sales, and development of existing technology

rather than pure research. Operationally, the company has also been

reorganised to concentrate on its core competences. Instead of machin-

ing and soldering everything in house, LDI’s engineers design, test and

assemble only the final product, with basic components produced in

cooperation with Estonia’s growing manufacturing industry.

The small Estonian company has put a lot of effort into building up its

global distribution network, finding the right partners with experience,

and establishing contacts with large petrochemical firms, port facilities,

power infrastructure companies and others. This year the company aims

to have units installed on each continent and is now making the first

deliveries of its latest model, ROW Exd, which is explosion-proof for

operating in harsh environments susceptible to explosions.

For universal benefit

The first user of ROW was the Port of Riga in Latvia. Many appliances

created by Estonian engineers were taken into use after the city govern-

ment of Riga demanded continuous and thorough monitoring of the

port area in order to detect any spills as early as possible. This is the

ideal situation for the LDI product. For the port, the investment paid

off quickly as they saved on the environmental fines they no longer

had to pay.

Last year the Open Water Swim Championships were held in Barcelona,

Spain. The oil spill sensor of LDI was fitted onto the boat which each

morning monitored checkpoints before the races started. One morning

a potentially dangerous spill was detected which could have damaged

the swimmers’ health. Thanks to ROW, the spill was quickly cleaned up

and the race took place without any disturbance.

According to Clark, one of the biggest problems that the company faces

is the lack of awareness among customers of this sort of technology.

Many do not know that such devices exist, while others may have had

poor experiences with other systems which have over promised and un-

der delivered. For a small Estonian company to win trust globally in such

a conservative and safety conscious industry is a tough challenge. But

LDI is winning the trust of customers through its track record in technol-

ogy and service offered to its customers. “Some buy from us because

they believe that our product is superior, for others it is because they

trust that if there are any problems that we will fix them quickly and not

let customers down.”

The oil spill detector of LDI is not a sensor designed to discover a Brit-

ish Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although such huge spills

attract a lot of attention and coverage and may lead to the fall of large

corporations, they only form a small part of all oil spills on waters every

year.

According to Clark, the majority of spills are from everyday operations

and routine maintenance carried out without due care for the environ-

ment. “Maybe you are repairing a pipe or your lawnmower at home.

Changing the oil and pouring it down the drain means the oil goes into

the sea and pollutes the environment. For companies, oil leaks could

be a sign of failing equipment which needs repair before an expen-

sive replacement is required. For the environment, these small leaks add

up, especially in environmentally sensitive areas, but for companies it is

those that are being hit in their pockets due to loss of product, fines or

downtime that are our target customers.”

endel Siff, Board Member and shareholder in LDI, believes that the oil

spill detector ought to become compulsory, just like the smoke detector.

“Legislation for this sort of device does not exist today as the technol-

ogy did not exist when the last round of laws were drafted. Today we

are working with the industry to have this included in the next directives

being proposed.”

Clark considers the potential market for ROW to be huge. “Water pro-

tection is already a multi-billion dollar market and growing,” he says.

“We aim to capture a part of this, and today are already in discussions

with the oil majors and projects on a nation-wide scale. “As an exam-

ple, there are some 3,000 large to medium sized ports, 1,000 oil-based

power plants, and more water treatment plants than both combined.

All of them could use multiple devices to provide an early warning sys-

tem for oil spills,” Clark adds.




Together is better than alone, an old saying goes. Bestra Engineering has proven that even in the most remote village it is possible to create an industrial park which produces complex appliances for very demanding customers, a place where a group of companies accomplish things together like a family.

The gantry crane is an effective solution for transportation of tubulars from the pipe-deck to a catwalk machine

Gooseneck Handling System for automatic, wirelessly controlled and easy transfer of kill & choke hoses between the rig and the Rises Telescopic Joint.

A Small village Turned into a world Class Industrial Park By toivo tänavsuu


Why can you regularly come across interesting

groups of foreigners—from Norwegians to South

Koreans, clad in overalls bearing logos of well-

known international brands—in the tiny village of

Päri near Viljandi in southern Estonia? The answer

is bestra engineering, a company based in Päri

which produces various details for oil platforms in

the Arctic Sea, Asia and elsewhere.

Contracted by Norwegian project management

companies, Bestra Engineering produces unique

metal constructions, machine-building details and

mechanical assembly, which travel all over the

world to oil and gas producers, mainly to drilling

towers. Extremely strict quality requirements, akin

to those found in the space industry, are met by

such details. This is what makes Bestra’s work in-

teresting, yet complex, involving a high degree of

responsibility. Bestra’s clients include very large and

well-known companies.

In 2007, Hellar mutle, Executive Director of Be-

stra Engineering, made a radical decision with his

Norwegian partners: to concentrate on the high-

est value-adding jobs in the long production and

supply chain of the metal industry. This means that

the components previously produced at the Bestra

factory are today bought from local partners. The

focus has shifted to project management and as-

sembly. Many steps have been taken in technologi-

cal design.

The company has taken a great leap in develop-

ment when it comes to drilling equipment: just five

years ago it was mainly producing details for ma-

chinery, but now there is the know-how to assem-

ble the equipment. The company is also discover-

ing the “underwater world”. In collaboration with

an Estonian design bureau, Bestra has completed a

series of robotically managed underwater manipu-

lator tools, which drill holes into steel plates under-

water. One of those inventions is in operation 80

metres below sea level in the Arctic Sea.

All of this has confirmed Mutle’s vision that with

the right will-power it is indeed possible to create

expensive and complex machinery in Estonia, if

local companies put their resources together and

act in collaboration. Once somebody explained

machine-building in this way: you put a Singer

sewing machine on the table and ask for a copy of

it to be made. According to Mutle, most Estonian

machinists will not be able to pull this off, but if

one specialised in building one detail and another

in a second detail, we could indeed build a Singer

or any other complex product.

New projects under way

Päri Bestra is becoming a competence centre, simi-

lar to the Volvo factory in Sweden, which pulls the

entire branch of industry along with it. The col-

laboration between companies is set to grow. In

August, Bestra led the process of founding a clus-

ter of offshore equipment producers, called DEFO,

which in addition to Bestra includes E-Profiil, Mar-

ketex Offshore Constructions, and Contractor and

Deck Engineering. Mutle hopes that the cluster will

attract new members from producers, research in-

stitutions, vocational schools and companies pro-

viding support services in this sector.

Another initiative is the joint industrial area devel-

opment project involving the county and the city of

Viljandi: this will create the necessary conditions at

existing industrial areas for the development of a

new and innovative industrial space. Mutle claims

this will be innovative in many ways. For example,

students of vocational education institutions will

be incorporated into the production process from

the start in order to provide practical work expe-

rience. As resources are limited, companies will

share know-how (including employees).

Optimised support services will be developed

for all companies. It would not be effective for

each company to own a separate compressor,

loading equipment or different machinery. The

companies will also have the opportunity to use

rental spaces (production areas, storage spaces,

logistical loading areas, etc.) exactly when these

are needed to fulfil their contracts. This is how

Smart Industry is created in a tiny Estonian vil-

lage, which has customers all over the world.

Nils vidar StrayCEO at Bestra AS (Norway)

Bestra AS is a supplier in the

global market and we have to be

globally competitive.

Instead of being competitors, we

have to combine our resources

in the relatively small country of

Estonia.

Our strategy has been to build up

an efficient supply chain, where

everyone involved has special

competence and there is high

utilisation of resources.

Our vision is to build up a strong

industrial park. In Viljandi, Be-

stra has invested in building up

competence at both the internal

and supplier levels, based on the

fact that we believe in long term

cooperation.

To make an investment, you need

to know that there is a predict-

able utilisation of your resources,

and with true cooperation you

have a chance to get better and

more predictable utilisation. We

can easily share “best practice”,

which is an efficient way to in-

crease the level of competence.

A Small village Turned into a world Class Industrial Park By toivo tänavsuu

Fully automated and compact roughneck’s JIM-10 maximizes the

efficiency of pipe handling operations by providing integrated spinning and torque-

making capabilities in a single machine.



Kaarel LehtsaluBoard Member, Development Centre

of Viljandi County

Bestra is an interesting phenomenon. I have

been able to observe its activities from near

and far since 2010. Firstly, Bestra has been

able to develop a well-functioning production

system in a global distribution of labour and

in a very competitive field of machine build-

ing, where the main focus is on ready-to-be-

delivered produced and tested equipment.

Secondly, Bestra has created a collaboration

network of other metal-work companies in

the county and elsewhere which guarantees

the production and timely supply of neces-

sary details and components. Today we have

the potential and will to use existing know-

how and bring in new investors to create

new production companies around Viljandi

and throughout southern Estonia.

Thirdly, Bestra is a great example of how

smart jobs are created and the number of

employers has multiplied within the last five

years. Universities and vocational schools

have been brought into the process.

In Tartu County there is metec, a quickly developing company that exports nearly 90%

of its products (mainly to Germany and Sweden) and which fits neatly into the south-

ern Estonian key industrial areas of metal work and machine building. Metec also uses

subcontracting to meet certain requirements in the production chain and uses several

companies in southern Estonia to this end. It is definitely one of the most outstanding

metal sector employers in the area. This autumn, Metec accessories will be presented in

the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles International Motor Show in Hannover, Germany.

www.metec.ee

METEC EU EuroBar, certified pushbar

METEC accessories for Mercedes V-Klass – Van Tour sideboard step, pushbar-citybar and roof rails

Other similar cases in Estonia:

The best example from Võru County is estelaxe, a company which won the Company

of the Year award in Võru County in 2012. Estelaxe, founded in 2008 and based on

Estonian capital, is a producer of polyurethane products. The com-

pany employs 38 people and it produces seats for global

vehicle producers, e.g. snowmobile, train and motor-

boat seats, as well as snow plough blades, blocks

and other plastic products.

www.estelaxe.ee


CREATIvITY AND TRUST ARE A FAMILY FIRM’S CAPITAL

By arJa KorHonEn

Photos by gErt KElu, raigo PaJula

and Ensto

ensto, a cleantech company in the elec-

trical sector that has gone international

in small steps, is one of the best-known

family firms in Finland. marjo miettinen

belongs to the second generation of the

company’s owning family.

Arriving straight from a reception with Esto-

nia’s president, a good-humoured Marjo Miet-

tinen cuts through Kadriorg Park and enters

the café of the Estonian Art Museum Kumu.

The summer weather is warm at last and the

relaxed, informal nature of the meeting has

been refreshing. As Marjo admires the whirled

milk froth in her cappuccino, on the other side

of Tallinn tens of thousands of Estonians are

preparing for their famous Song Festival pro-

cession. She plans to go and watch it as soon

as the interview is over.

“The Song Festival is important because it

represents fundamental traditional and cul-

tural values and is also one reason why young

Estonians are returning home from abroad,”

Marjo says.

Marjo pops over to Estonia a couple of times a

year on business and at the same time drinks

in the culture. This time she came to Tallinn

to attend the international business seminar

organised by Enterprise Estonia in connec-

tion with the Estonia’s Friends International

Meeting.

After Estonia regained independence, Ensto

was one of the first Finnish companies to set

up here, in 1993. Now Ensto has three pro-

duction plants in the country: in Keila, Tallinn

and Paide. The company adopted the same

strategy in expanding into Hungary, the Czech

Republic and Poland: find the right person on

the ground willing to commit to the company.

Operating locally is so important to Ensto that

it is written into the company’s strategy. Ensto

has not taken the route of sending managers

from Finland to run its plants.

Marjo has nothing but praise for Ilmar Rang

and Üllas Täht, who got the company estab-

lished in its early years in Estonia. “The Estoni-

ans have earned our confidence. It is wonder-

ful how the Estonians are interested in every-

thing new and are not afraid of change. For

example, our plants’ LEAN concept has been

adopted here more rapidly than anywhere

else.”

Marjo Miettinen



ENSTO

founded in 1958

by Ensio Miettinen (1929-2010)

cleantech company specialising

in developing, producing and

marketing electrical systems and

equipment

three business units:

•EnstoUtilityNetworks

•EnstoIndustrialSolutions

•EnstoBuildingTechnology

•turnover: 280 MEUR

•1,670employees

•subsidiariesin20countries

•productioninsevencountries

parent company: EM Group

owned by the Miettinen family

21 Years in Estonia

•Establishedin1993

•Turnover70MEURin2013

•500employees

Creativity is vital

Ensto has worked its way from a one-man firm

into a company with subsidiaries in 20 countries,

production in seven and a total of almost 1,700

employees.

Ensto was founded in 1958 by Marjo’s father En-

sio Miettinen, who was a leading figure in Finnish

society: he has a road named after him in Porvoo,

for example. That, of course, is where the com-

pany’s head office is located.

Marjo Miettinen talks at length and with sincerity

about trust and innovation. Both have been part

of the company’s value base from the very start.

“My father was truly fearless, he was incredibly

creative in product development. He gave Ensto

its innovative culture, and holding on to that is

vital for the company.”

One example of Ensio’s open-mindedness was

when he invited the celebrity philosopher Esa

Saarinen to give a presentation to Ensto’s man-

agement team. Saarinen had just published his

book Erektio Albertinkadulla (“Erection in Albert

Street”), and Ensio was inspired by the ideas in

the book. In 1990 the two jointly wrote the suc-

cessful book Muutostekijä (“The Change Factor”),

and Saarinen subsequently joined Ensto’s board of

directors.

Ensio Miettinen, who died in 2010, was in many

ways ahead of his time. He filed over 100 patents.

He wrote several books on business administra-

tion and society, and introduced Finland to the

concept of trust as capital. In 1995 this was still so

unusual that the title of the book was registered.

“In principle we could levy copyright infringement

charges against anybody who used the phrase”,

Marjo says with a laugh.

Ensio Miettinen’s last product development pro-

ject was electric vehicle charging poles. “My

father was 78 when he said that electric cars

wouldn’t make a breakthrough unless there was

infrastructure behind them”, says Marjo, who is

rather disappointed that Ensto lost the tender for

vehicle charging stations in Estonia. “Even though

Ensto’s pole would have looked better.”

Indeed Ensto has prioritised design in its product

development from the very start. According to

Marjo, one of Ensto’s strengths is that the compa-

ny is involved in a number of areas. Therefore they

don’t face exactly the same competitor anywhere.

This has also helped them to survive downturns

and has been an endless source of creativity. “The

best ideas often come at the intersection of differ-

ent areas, and that’s where we score.”

Branding

Marjo has devoted a lot of thought to branding,

which she was responsible for when working

in Ensto. Marjo considers branding all the more

important as the world becomes more digitised.

“Of course during his lifetime Ensio’s personality

meant that he was a walking advertisement for

us. We have tried to clarify our brand and we have

devoted a lot of effort to that.”

For Marjo, branding doesn’t mean a colourful

logo; it’s the whole way the company operates.

First of all this has to be sold to the people within

the company, who then continue the sales work

in their own areas. “The brand extends to trust,

customer service, product development, every sin-

gle element.”

For that reason, outsourcing operations can have

unforeseen consequences, because everything

has a bearing on the company’s image, starting

with the way the switchboard operator answers

the phone and whether the person knows any-

thing about the company.

The brand and the company spirit help to set a

company apart from its competitors. As Marjo

sees it, this gives the company the necessary at-

titude to go out and conquer the world.

When Ensto added the slogan Saves Your Energy

to its logo a few years ago, the idea spread like

wildfire and became embedded in everybody’s

mindset at Ensto. In the offices, two waste pa-

per baskets became the norm, in product devel-

opment every new model was always more en-

ergy-efficient than its predecessor and the sales

force got a great new sales pitch. “They were

incredibly motivated. It was wonderful to see and

experience.”

Marjo relates how Ensto’s people in India used a

corrosion test to illustrate the difference between

their product and a cheap imitation. Within three

days, the copy had become unusable. “Being

green is no longer a competitive advantage by

itself. You need products that genuinely last and

save energy. It used to be said that you have to be

good, but being good is no longer enough. You

have to be excellent.”

The Ensto eFill electric car charging station is also suitable for domestic use.

Big Little Brother

The previous day, Marjo had visited the busi-

ness seminar hosted by Enterprise Estonia, fo-

cusing on the initiatives and ideas of Estonian

entrepreneurs worldwide who contribute to

a world without borders. She was truly im-

pressed by the success stories of young Estoni-

ans. “President Ilves mentioned Finland in his

speech countless times. We have so many joint

projects on at the moment.” Joint projects in

IT are opportunities for Finland and Estonia,

for example in healthcare. “If we work to-

gether successfully in this area, it will be easier

for us to get other interested Nordic countries

on board.”

Marjo believes Finns shouldn’t adopt a big-

brother attitude, because within a couple of

decades Estonia has almost overtaken Finland,

and is at least a very big little brother. Because

of its small size, Estonia has also been able to

make more nimble moves.

Marjo is afraid that Finland’s mental space is

too restricted. In her view, it’s time to stop

talking about cheap alcohol, for example, and

realise how little national boundaries mean

nowadays. In a sense, Talsinki, the united cities

of Tallinn and Helsinki, is already a reality. “If

you draw a circle of 100 kilometres in radius

round Helsinki, it includes Tallinn in Estonia,

but not Tampere or Turku in Finland.”

Estonia is not entirely perfect, and as a former

teacher Marjo sees room for improvement.

Marjo is worried that Estonia is putting far too

much emphasis on university education. “We

ran into the same problem in Finland some

years ago. Fortunately we now have a better

balance. This is something that is being talked

about too little in Estonia.”

Preparing the third generation

Succession processes are often decisive for

family firms. International studies indicate that

hand-overs work in only 30 per cent of cases.

Ensio Miettinen originally founded his own

company after falling out with his father.

At Ensto the hand-over was successful: Ensio’s

four children took over the running of the

company in 2001. Marjo Miettinen says hand-

overs don’t work unless the new generation is

truly fired up about the business. She herself

was originally a school teacher before being

swept up by the business in 1989. She was

in charge of Ensto’s PR at that time and until

the spring of this year she was the CEO of the

holding company, EM Group.

Now the third generation is being primed to

take the baton. ”The four of us have nine

children in total, and eight of them are be-

tween 21 and 33. They have their own family

council, which meets twice

a year to discuss company

matters. They visit the

plants and pour over the

profit and loss accounts

and equipment designs.”


• Ensto Keila Plant

Assembling and metal plant.

The Keila plant produces network

construction equipment (and over-

head line and underground cable

solutions) and luminaires.

• Ensto Tallinn Plant

Injection moulding and thermo-

plastic enclosures. The Tallinn plant

mainly produces plastic enclosures

typically used in demanding ap-

plications, such as wind turbines

and solar power generators. Ensto

Cubo enclosures are approved for

use in applications where safety,

including protecting human life, is

paramount.

• Alppilux Paide Plant

Assembling, metal handling and

surface treatment.

The plants also have modern logis-

tics centres and assembly and sales

offices. All in all, Ensto’s plants in

Estonia make approximately 6,000

different Ensto products.

Three plants:



Before 2003, when Estonian developers gave

the world Skype, not many people had con-

sidered the possibility of making phone calls

via the computer. But there it was - a cost-free

Internet phone - and the old, expensive long-

distance phone lines were soon forgotten. No-

body these days is willing to pay for a phone

call to the other side of the world, even if it is

a video call.

The group of people who participated in the

creation of Skype are back at it, trying to shake

up the world once more. A new messaging

system called Fleep was brought onto the

market in 2013, and its aim is quite ambitious:

Fleep aims to dethrone traditional e-mail.

Henn Ruukel, the founder of Fleep, admits

that the messaging services market is jam-

packed: WhatsApp, Kik, Piip, Google Hang-

outs, Facebook Messenger and even Skype.

But those, he says, are quick messaging tools

which often have entertainment value and

“no historic significance”. E-mail is different,

as it is used to reach agreements, take deci-

sions, transfer documents and so on.

“These are interesting times: many people are

trying to come up with alternatives to e-mail,”

Ruukel explains at his Fleep office in Tallinn, at

the start-up incubator of the Tehnopol Science

Park. “I will consider my job done when people

no longer need Outlook.”

Ruukel mentions the most famous services to

date which have challenged e-mail - Mailbox

and Sparrow - although both of them have

taken existing technology and created new

user interfaces. Moreover, one was sold to

Dropbox and the other to Google and, funda-

mentally, nothing changed.

A similar approach to that of Fleep in devel-

oping messaging has been taken by Hipchat,

Campfire and Slack, which are also trying to

focus on communication within teams. Fleep

also concentrates on a messaging service to

teams but, unlike its competitors, Fleep has or

will have several advantages.

First and foremost, Fleep is totally open to

communication with others outside the team

or “house” (everyone with e-mail addresses

can be brought into the communication even

if they do not have the Fleep app).

Secondly, the “Seen By Indicator” of Fleep

shows who is actively participating in the con-

versation in real-time and who has seen the

message (the latter is also possible with Face-

book Messenger).

Thirdly, each conversation has its own notice

board, where one can write important points

from the conversation, create tasks and edit

them. Files (attachments) move like clockwork

via Fleep messages. Ruukel says that, besides

building great environments for conversations,

the natural next step is to integrate tasks and

calendars into the Fleep experience.

The service is free but with this option users

can only access the history of the conversation

for 30 days. There will be no commercials to

annoy users. The newest product is the new

Premium subscription, which for just three eu-

ros a month will provide users with the entire

conversation history.

Skype Founders in the Process of

“Replacing” e-Mail By toivo tänavsuu

The cream of the crop of former Skype employers are in the process of developing Fleep, a brand new messaging system. Their aim? To make traditional e-mail a thing of the past.


Jaan TallinnSkype co-founder:

“Fleep has many competitors. Already for-

mer Skype employers have created four or

five Instant Messaging products. One of the

advantages of Fleep is the experience former

Skype workers have in building communica-

tion tools. Fleep employs the cream of the

crop of former Skype engineers. The third

thing which attracts me is Fleep’s vision: to

build an Instant Messaging product which

will enable users to comfortably send and re-

ceive e-mail. Let’s hope Fleep will reap ben-

efits from the same trend which made Gmail

popular: e-mail conversations are becoming

more similar to Instant Messaging conversa-

tions, which means that Instant Messaging

tools are better equipped to manage those

conversations than classic e-mail is.”

Sten TamkiviEIR at Andreessen Horowitz,

and Co-Founder of Teleport:

“As is common with start-ups, the main

foundation for belief in the company is its

team: Fleep employers have already been

in high-responsibility roles and have created

software which has hundreds of millions of

users. They are trying it again on the basis

of their unique experience, which many

20-year-old teams lack. The entire team

communication at Teleport is based on Fleep,

and I use the product daily to get much of

my business done. The biggest advantage of

Fleep may be its openness: you can commu-

nicate with other Fleep users and with any-

one who has an e-mail address.”

In its first year of existence, 15,000 beta users

all over the world used Fleep and, in addition

to technology blogs, The Guardian has written

about the company. Fleep is usable via a web

browser and also via iOS and Android.

Yet doesn’t “replace e-mail” sound a bit too

ambitious? What is the key to success? The

answer may lie in Fleep’s team.

Before founding Fleep, Ruukel worked with

servers at Skype. During his time at Skype,

he learned that exchanging messages really

speeds up work in comparison to traditional

exchanges of e-mails. Yet for Skype, messag-

ing services are not a priority.

Non-Skype users could not be brought into

the Skype message exchange, the messages

were not synchronised between different

communication tools, the mobile application

used up the phone battery, and there was no

offline regime.

“Then I had the idea of leaving Skype and cre-

ating a better service,” says Ruukel. Among

Fleep’s current investors are the original devel-

opers of Skype: Jaan Tallinn, Ahti Heinla and

Priit Kasesalu, and the long-term manager of

the Estonian Skype office Sten Tamkivi, who

today works for Andreessen Horowitz.

Ruukel believes that many current trends work

in the favour of Fleep, for example the wide-

spread use of cloud services and the prefer-

ence for private messaging services, such as

Facebook Message, Viber and WhatsApp,

over e-mail. The market for messaging ser-

vices is huge and scattered, without a single

big service provider.

There are of course many serious challenges.

Unlike Skype, where the real value of the

service was immediately visible through free

phone-calls, the usefulness of Fleep is only no-

ticeable over time.

“If we compare ourselves to gardening ser-

vices, we can produce a great rake or a great

spade. Our biggest risk is that we will build

a mediocre rake-spade which will not sell be-

cause people will not understand what it is

and how to use it,” says Ruukel.

COMMENTS



• 20nationalteamsexerciseand

compete in Trimtex’s orienteer-

ing sportswear.

• Onaverage,thefactorypro-

cesses 400 orders a week.

• Thefactorydelivers8,000

products a week.

• In2013,thebrandTrimtex

had a turnover of 13,000,000

euros.

Plenty of Blank Canvas

Considerable growth

From 2011 to 2013, the company doubled its turnover. What started as

a supplier of workout clothes for the orienteering field in 1976 has be-

come a corporation supplying cross-country skiers, runners, orienteer-

ers, athletes, bikers and triathletes with sportswear. We count several

major clubs and companies among our clients. For instance, Trimtex

supplies the Norwegian and Swedish armed forces with large amounts

of exercise clothes. When the Trimtex Baltic factory opened in 2008,

there were four employees. Today, there are more than 80 employees,

and the company’s growth shows no signs of stopping.

“Over the last few years, we have increased the number of employ-

ees at our production unit in Estonia considerably, and it seems that

this growth is set to continue. We anticipate a need for designers,

technicians and warehouse workers,” says Tor Eivind Augland.

From paper to garment

The designs our Estonia-based designers develop are converted into

sizes ranging from children’s sizes to 6XL. Large plotters reproduce the

design onto paper before yards and yards of white fabric is imprinted

with the club or company logo. It’s a tedious, painstaking process. Huge

amounts of fabric are passed from the hands of the printers to the

seamers and seamstresses.

Sewing a cap takes three minutes. A technical orienteering shirt takes

approximately four times as long to sew. The more details, the more

time consuming a garment is.

Brand and quality

Our technology experts in Pärnu are constantly working not only on

finding the best materials for improving the already impressive quality

of their products, but also on finding Trimtex’s next best-seller. A single

garment can consist of up to 20 different textiles, assembled so as to fit

the human anatomy perfectly.

In order to strengthen the Trimtex brand, it’s key to have our sportswear

seen on high-profile athletes. “For us, it’s key that these athletes give us

their feedback on our products. After all, they are the ones who know where

the shoe pinches,” Augland says.

every year, 300,000 square metres of white fabric are given

new life at Trimtex baltic’s production facilities in estonia.

behind the factory doors, high-tech production of custom-

designed sportswear for companies and sports clubs around

the world takes place.

The Norwegian brand Trimtex was established in 1976. The main

offices are in Lillesand, Norway, but the company currently has sales

offices throughout the Nordic countries. At first, the sportswear was

made in Norway, but in 1997 the company owners decided to move

production to Estonia.

”It became too costly to keep production and seaming in Norway. We

set up Trimtex Baltic six years ago, and today we make nearly all our

clients’ sportswear here,” says Tor eivind augland, Managing Director

of Trimtex.

Trimtex remains one of the world’s major suppliers of orienteering clothes.

This jacket became a running and cross-country skiing best-seller.

The Lappset Group is known for its high quality playground and out-

door sports equipment. With headquarters in Finnish Lapland, on the

Arctic Circle, and operations in seven different European countries and

a distribution network extending to 50 countries worldwide, Lappset is

one of the leading companies in its field.

Lappset opened its first factory in Tallinn two years ago. Lappset Estonia

OÜ manufactures metal components for wooden playground equip-

ment, as well as metal products for play and outdoor sports.

“Our investment in this new production plant has strengthened our

competitiveness and expanded our operations internationally. Apart

from our own product range, we also sell production capacity to other

customers and have drawn more customers to this sector. We have

learnt a lot, and our experiences in Estonia have been positive during

the first two years. We thank all staff, suppliers and stakeholders, and

look forward to many more years of cooperation,” says Reine Karls-

son, Director of the Supply Chain at Lappset Group.

“We now sell more products made of steel, and there is potential for

growth. Therefore, Lappset Estonia has increased the number of em-

ployees and will need more skilled professionals in the future.”

www.lappset.com

Two Years of Positive Experiences of Lappset’s Investment in Estonia

Parkour is a fast growing form of sports amongst young people. Lappset Estonia manufactures parkour equipment and metal components, as well as selling production capacity for steel subcontracting.

SAMELIN Ltd. located in Tartu, the second biggest city in Estonia, is

based solely on Estonian capital and has 70 years of experience in foot-

wear production.

The company, which employs 180 people, produces 25,000 pairs of

footwear per month. All models are developed by a highly educated

technical team.

The best-known products are work and safety footwear, military footwear,

trekking boots and casual footwear for children, ladies and men. Samelin

supplies army boots for the Estonian and Norwegian army and police.

The company’s success is based on high quality, functionality and com-

fort: in the footwear only natural leather, breathing lining materials and

high quality soles are used. The products are made for the medium foot

width, and guarantee good wear in various climate conditions.

Samelin is a gold member of the SATRA Technology Centre, the Esto-

nian Defence Industry Association and the International Chamber of

Commerce.

Samelin has ISO 9001:2008 Certification, is certified by Bureau Veritas

and has AQAP 2110:2009 Certification.

www.samelin.ee

Samelin Marks Comfort and quality

47



Success is not a CoincidenceAS Fors MW was founded in 1992 in Estonia. The group produces, mar-

kets and sells, through dealers, the market-leading brands BIGAB hook

lift systems, FARMA lumber trailers and NIAB tractor processors. All of

the brands are in leading positions in the world market.

Fors MW is one of Estonia’s oldest companies. The company is run by

an international management team. Today, Fors MW is a booming com-

pany with hundreds of employees, efficient and quality-based produc-

tion and daughter companies in both Sweden and China.

Most of the production and all of the assembly are handled at the pro-

duction facility in Estonia. The Fors MW factory is specially designed for

serial production in short series. The production facilities cover 40 000

m2, of which 17 000 m2 are roofed over. Every year Fors MW manu-

factures thousands of machines in their Estonia-based factory, which

makes it northern Europe’s largest production facility in its field.

Visit the homepage at

www.forsmw.com

Follow Fors MW’s journey on the blog

www.forsmw.blogspot.com


in cooperation with the eliKO Technology Development Centre

and Tallinn University of Technology, lade—a company based

in Haapsalu—is developing a new-generation smart life jacket,

which is usable in extreme, including very cold, conditions and

provides information about the health status of its user.

According to the partners, the goal of the project is to develop a prod-

uct which can be used in cold seas with minimum risks.

The life jacket will be suitable for adventure

voyages and extreme sports events,

but also for high-risk jobs, such as

on oil platforms in the North Sea

and in work related to the econom-

ic usage of the Arctic Ocean.

The smart life jacket will use com-

munication to provide information

on the current health condition of its

user, explained Professor Mart Min,

who heads the group of researchers

working on the project at the Tallinn

University of Technology.

The project will take several years and will cost millions

In the first phase of development, which

will take five months, an investigative

study and first testing of the technology

is planned. The entire project is estimat-

ed to run for two to three years. In the

next phases, the development team will

become international.

According to Gerhard eberle, Manager

of Lade from Germany, up to one million

euros will be invested in the project dur-

ing the next three years. Eberle claims

that the product will indeed be a smart

life jacket. One of its components - liq-

uid gas - is already used in all life jackets

produced in the world, but this gas freezes

at very low temperatures. Lade is in the pro-

cess of creating a gas mixture which will solve this

problem.

The ELIKO Technology Development Centre has worked on

development projects in the electronics and signalling indus-

tries since 2004, and the centre has displayed competence in

measuring human physiological parameters.

According to Indrek Ruiso, Head of ELIKO, they are al-

ways on the lookout for clients such as Lade: companies

that are ambitious and forward-looking, and that have

strong export potential. “What appeals most to us about

Lade is the fact that they are involved in clear and suc-

cessful production of safety equipment and they are a

market leader in Europe in their field,” explained Ruiso.

Ruiso explains that it is also important to promote coop-

eration between regional production companies and re-

search and development institutions in Estonia, which will

provide the foundation for the growth of higher added-

value products in Estonia.

Professor Min explained that the development team will

bring together the best experts from Estonia in the fields

of electronics, information technology, energetics and physiology.

“Such collaboration is very important for Estonian scientists and engi-

neers, because it makes it possible to unite fundamental and applied

research with engineering work in ways that will benefit the Estonian

and European economies,” he said. “In the field of product develop-

ment, we are competitive globally,” he added.

Professor Min said that there are plans to use bioelectrical

impedance solutions meant to assess health conditions.

These solutions have been patented by ELIKO and the

Tallinn University of Technology in Europe and the USA,

and have been used in heart stimulators in the USA; now

they will adapt them for use in Lade life jackets.

Lade growing fast

Led by Gerhard Eberle, Lade is a valued producer of

Marinepool rescue equipment in Europe. The prod-

ucts of Marinepool have won several competitions,

and the company´s life jackets are considered to

be among the best in the world. The company

is based in Haapsalu but there is also a factory

in Kärdla, on the island of Hiiumaa. ”I like

the good modern infrastructure and rela-

tively low prices in Haapsalu,” explained

Eberle. ”I have found the workers here to

be motivated and responsible. The flexible

labour market enables us to implement rapid

changes if necessary. I live in a great environ-

ment with fast access to the rest of the world, and

Eastern Europe, with all its advantages, is right here within easy

reach,” he added.

www.lade.ee

Lade Develops the world’s First Smart Life Jacket By ivar sooPan



In 2003 an engineering company was established by two students of

mechanical engineering at the Tallinn University of Technology - Raoul

Renser and Jaan Meikup - whose last names combined created the

company’s name MeiRen. Although the initial idea was to offer engi-

neering design services, there was a twist in fate and soon the first

snow ploughs were being designed. Today meiren claims to be one of

the world’s most innovative snowplough manufacturers and has a lot

to back that up.

Meiren produces professional snow clearing equipment for different

weather and snow conditions. Snow ploughs meant for use on inner city

streets, walkways and parking lots are narrower, usually 2.4-4.0 meters

wide, and have approx. 90° blade angle and a spring mechanism that

helps avoid obstacles on the road. Motor and highway snow ploughs are

up to 4.6m wide and have an aggressive blade angle which lifts the snow

up, creates snow rolling and throws it far away from the road. As the

angle is more aggressive than on competitive products, the truck’s fuel

consumption is lower. Trucks that keep highways and motorways free

from snow are often also equipped with side ploughs which provide up

to eight meters of ploughing width. Tallinn Airport keeps its runways free

from snow using Meiren airport snow ploughs that are nine meters wide.

In February 2013 Meiren Snow introduced its next generation MSPN-04

series snowploughs, which are equipped with double-shifting parallelo-

grams (lifting frames), which gives the driver an additional option for

manoeuvring with the snowplough as, in addition to the traditional lift-

ing and turning of the plough, the MSPN can also be moved sideways.

The capability of sideways shift enhances usability and economic ben-

efits: the driver has more control over the machine, which is very handy

on roundabouts or for cleaning bus stops on motorways. When the

MSPN front plough is combined with a Meiren KS-series side plough,

there is an additional 0.5m ploughing width compared to traditional

ploughs. This provides the economical opportunity of using wider

snowploughs on narrower roads.

The second innovative feature of the MSPN-04 is the blade holder, made

from a special mixture of polyurethane that acts as a self-repelling spring

system. When the plough encounters an immovable object (e.g. a rock,

a drain hole, bridge elements etc.) the blade holder moves backward,

allowing the blade to run over the object and return to the original posi-

tion after the object is avoided. The elastic polyurethane blade holder

also follows the road surface better than conventional snow ploughs,

and that provides a cleaner result, allowing for lower levels of salt and

de-icing consumption. This is the best economical and environmental

aspect of the solution. Since the blade is not in direct contact with the

mould board, the noise level of the MSPN-04 snow plough is lower.

The MSPN-04 snow plough has earned Meiren several awards at trade

fairs and competitions. In early 2013 Meiren received an award for inno-

vation at the Östersund, Sweden trade fair. A few months later Meiren

was awarded a Silver Medal for innovation, being the only snow plough

manufacturer nominated. In the winter of 2013 Meiren received a Tal-

linn City entrepreneurship award for sustainability and ecological devel-

opment, as the snow plough allows for more efficient ploughing and

lower de-icing material usage.

www.meirensnow.com

The world’s Most Innovative Snow Ploughs are Made in Estonia

Meiren’s award-winning MSPN-04 series snowplough for highways, packed with innovative features.

Tallinn Airport keeps its runways free from snow with Meiren ploughs

Although the Meiren VTSP-series was designed for tractors, it can also be used on trucks.

51 51

PORTFOLIO_LAURENTSIUS

Rose XX I 78 x 49 I oil on canvas, mixed media, 2000

52

Girl with a Hat I 245 x 245 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2010

53

beauty and the Snowman I 245 x 245 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2005

54

portrait of a Young Woman iii I 99 x 89 I Oil on canvas, mixed media, 2010

55

portrait of a Young Woman i I 80 x 70 I Oil on canvas, mixed media, 2008/2009

56

Totally allegorical Floral Still life I 250 x 250 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2014

57

Flower painting with Flying Cherries I 150 x 150 I oil on canvas, 2014

58

b.F.R. 1 I 120 x 53 I oil on canvas, mixed media, 2011

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE FRAMEBy annEliis aunaPuu

I meet Laurentsius (born in 1969 as Lauri Sillak) in Haapsalu, where he

is in the process of hanging up the works of his upcoming exhibition.

Together we take a look at how his wildly different works share areas of

influence in the gallery rooms: large canvases, smaller pictures squeezed

into fancy frames, and tiny creations on bricks. It all leaves a diverse

and multi-layered impression, somewhat familiar and somewhat alien,

different cultural layers on top of each other, a refined style of painting

and a sense of everyday, seemingly arbitrary, rudeness. The beautiful is

linked with the ugly, the classical with the weird: always just enough to

leave viewers with a strangely dense experience. Questions arise.



I CULTURE

The Catholic sound of your artists name is linkable to the decorative dramatic character of your work. Does the spirit of St Lawrence sometimes interrupt you when youre painting? How did you come up with this name?

In the early 1990s, I created art in tandem with my course mate Toomas

Tõnissoo. We made paintings that were very large for that time, mostly

on kraft paper or used wallpaper: a cheap and effective surface mate-

rial. Our work process was relatively fast and spontaneous. Due to the

lack of space in the school workshops, we used to work at night. We

tried out various different styles, materials and collage. At exhibitions,

these absurd works had an unusually aggressive effect, dominating the

space. As authors, Lauri Sillak and Toomas Tõnissoo just felt too long

and clumsy. Hence the tandem became known as Tommi & Laurentsius.

In about a year this period was over, but a lot of the work I do still goes

back to the time of Tommi & Laurentsius. I also kept the name Laurent-

sius because it was already something of a trademark. But it is only my

name which connects me to St Lawrence.

In any case, a certain odour of morbidity floats around among your works at the exhibition. All this reminds the viewer of flamboyantly decorated cof-fins and tombs, and then find a humorous detail at the edge of the frame which makes them smile. You probably don’t intend to be deadly serious.

I try to create my works like one cooks an oriental soup: a wide selection

of different (often contradictory) flavours, with balance being impor-

tant. Certainly there is a portion of morbidity in my works and also a bit

of humour, but I think that the general impression is more neutral. Art

is a serious thing, but not deadly serious.

As your works are all very different, I would like to ask what the essential element in them is for you. what do they speak of?

I think that it is probably not the most important thing what my paint-

ings speak of, and sometimes that is totally irrelevant. Good art should

speak to the subconscious. In the works, you can find some exciting

constructions, shapes, connections and hints. The textures, shines,

unexpected colour solutions, uses of material and composition tricks

should all attract attention. It is the combination of all of these com-

ponents: everything serves the function of offering something special

to the viewer, to enable the viewer to sense something divine and un-

earthly in the art. And it is very difficult to achieve this in art, much

more so than in music or film. But this is the goal I am working towards

and I hope that someone will receive a total catharsis from my work

one day (if it hasn’t happened already). That may be the secret goal of

every artist.

Frames, which normally just surround a piece of art, are a significant part of many of your works. Their flamboyant and over-the-top character, bordering on kitsch, is very different to everything else in the art scene.

It has always seemed logical to me that an artist’s work should stand out

from others. Many people do not consider individuality important in art.

But in that sense I am an individualist.

Final Snack, laurentsius Remix (laurits & mäeots Remastered) I 250 x 510 I digital print, mixed media, 2005


Do you make the frames yourself?

I create the design of the frames and I assemble them myself. To as-

semble one composite frame I have used three to eight types of ready

frames, adding hundreds of smaller decorative elements, for example

plastic Christmas angels. The colour black unites this Babel into an

entity and balances the overly sweet taste of kitsch.

You have said that the frame is even more important than the little classically painted picture inside it, and that is indeed how it looks.

In my art, I like to break up the things we are used to: in the series

“B.F.R.“ (Black Frame Roses), a huge frame dominates a tiny painting,

which seems like a metaphor for something. The painting is the same;

only the frames vary. At the same time, this seems to emphasise loneli-

ness: the painted roses in the midst of it all are somewhat lonely. At the

last exhibition, I added a dead fly between the painting and the glass:

again a metaphor.

Some of your paintings are almost steam-punk. You have buried some classically painted motifs in a metal surface. Shards from the world of machines, ambassadors from a locksmiths treasure trove, from simple fixing details to butterfly screws, have accumulated to admire the skilfully painted little miracle. Offering contradictions again?

The idea of using metal elements in paintings came from old Russian

icons, where the background surrounding the Saviour was covered in

sheet metal. The warm surface of the painting and cold metal are ide-

ally suited to each other. I added other metal objects to the metal sheet.

The works recall the instrument cases of musicians or Rimowa cases;

someone even said that they are like the doors to the morgue drawers

familiar from crime shows.

The format of your works - just like your painting style - changes all the time. On the large canvases, the entire background behind the larger-than-life portrait of the protagonist is covered in robust hints of the urban everyday and technological world. It seems you enjoy different ways of expressing yourself?

Large portraits - I have been really inspired by some faces on big advertis-

ing billboards - the quality of the photos, their attention to nuance and

detail, the effective lighting solution on charismatic faces which seem to

be slightly doped. A pretty female face on a canvas of wallpaper: that is

the height of sickly sweet! With expressively painted additional details,

the industrial form, graffiti and other ugly things, I create balance in

paintings: that is the most exciting, creative and time-consuming part

of the work process.

Mapplethorpe’s Calla lily I 60 x 60 I oil on canvas, 2005


I CULTURE

I used a similar scheme at my exhibition at the Vaal Gallery, where I

imitated old portrait art: the academic style of painting, golden frames,

dark backgrounds, crackle glaze on the painting’s surface and so on.

When you looked at the paintings more closely, it seemed like some

vandals had ruined them with markers, spray paint etc. But this whole

concoction looked cool; in a paradoxical way, the additions worked to-

gether with the painting. The works were full of intrigue and the dusty

paintings suddenly looked contemporary. I partially proceeded from the

idea that works that had been attacked would excite people who were

normally distant from art.

City romance has pushed its way into your works through hints at graffiti. A part of the exhibition is the brick series, where works have been painted on red bricks found in dilapidated buildings. By carrying the paintings, they connect information from several eras.

The gallery space of one exhibition demanded many small works, which

is when I got the idea of creating a selection of miniature graffitis from

the word LOVE on old bricks. A brick wall is one of the most commonly

used surfaces for graffiti. In miniature form, it has the effect of someone

saying something really quietly. Old bricks have a really interesting and

varied texture, and partially the graffiti design took what was there al-

ready. The title of the series, “Ken’s graffiti”, hints at the smallness (Ken

is the doll Barbie’s boyfriend).

who are your favourite audiences? For whom do you paint?

My favourite audiences are the fans of my work, and I hear there are

many of them. At the same time, when I consider my music and film

preferences, which are not mainstream, there is probably not that much

reason for optimism…

There are endless historical layers which you havent played with yet – , huge potential. But you have not remained with one scheme; you continue to look for new things. what still remains to be accomplished?

I have used quite a wide spectrum of approaches, and it may some-

times seem that all of these works have not been created by the same

artist. But I believe that some kind of unified sense of things can be

detected in all my works. I think I should use the same schemes and

go deeper, improving quality. The ceiling is still out of reach and that

inspires me.

Ken´s Graffiti I mixed media on brick, 2013

Rose (metal mix) ii I oil on MDF, mixed media 2014

63 FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA

a decade ago Kristiina poska, from the small estonian town

of Türi, went to study in berlin. Today she has risen to

the position of Kapellmeister (Director of music) of

the Komische Oper berlin - the first woman to do so in

the history of the opera house. last year she won

the most reputable conducting prize in Germany -

also the first woman to ever do so.

“Kristiina poska has conquered

the fortress which until now

has belonged to men”

is how German media

put it at the time.

KRISTIINA POSKA Turns Disadvantages into AdvantagesBy Külli-riin tigasson / Eesti Kontsert magazine Aplaus

Photos by JoHann sEbastian HänEl and JürgEn KElPEr


I CULTURE

The lush greenery, birdsong and water bodies of the Tiergarten area in

Berlin, where Kristiina Poska lives, resemble Estonian nature. She loves

to take long walks there and cycles to work through the park in the

summer. Kristiina’s eyes sparkle and she gesticulates excitedly with her

hands when she speaks. “It is definitely not an advantage to be a fe-

male conductor in the cultural landscape of Germany,” she says, and

adds, “but it is important to know how to turn disadvantages into ad-

vantages.” What does that mean?

The conductor of an opera is the only person with his/her back to the audience. Do you think about the audience whilst conducting?

This may sound strange but the answer is no. I only think about the

music when I conduct. It is my job to conduct the music, to control the

evening, to bring the vocalists and the orchestra together. If I fail to give

this a hundred per cent of my concentration, something is wrong. There

is no time for other thoughts, such as how I look or what the audience is

thinking. At the opera, there is a slightly different set-up each evening,

for example stand-in musicians from other orchestras who require spe-

cial attention. The vocalist may be ill and replaced with someone unfa-

miliar with the production or someone who sings in another language.

Such a vocalist may not have had the time to study the production, in

which case they sing from the edge of the stage and the director’s as-

sistant plays the role. Or if the vocalist performs, other singers have to

be prepared to improvise constantly. In other words, there is always too

much excitement at the opera for my thoughts to wander.

what is the most complicated thing about conducting? Or do challenges change depending on your own development?

I feel things depend on where I am at a particular moment. The chal-

lenges are always changing. In the early days, I felt as if I had a guardian

angel who only sent me orchestras that wished me well and guarded

me from big problems which more experienced conductors often face…

what kind of big problems exist in this field of work?

There may be differences of opinion with the orchestra or there may

be vocalists who are difficult to work with because they are in a world

of their own and don’t pay attention to the conductor. My tasks have

grown in parallel with my own growth as a conductor. I think this ap-

plies generally in life, not just in my field of work. We cannot say that

a 50-60-year-old person has no more problems or challenges. There

are always new ones.

what is your main challenge as a conductor at the moment?

Lately I’ve been occupying myself with trying to understand how an

orchestra functions in a more general sense. With each orchestra, one

needs time to comprehend what needs to be done in order to bring

the best out of each piece of music and each situation. People are

different and each group has its own dynamics. Some things are uni-

versal and some things are totally different. For example, there are

orchestras that react very fast to the conductor’s beat, whereas others

do so slowly.

Recently I have come across orchestras with very different reactions. It

is generally said that German orchestras tend to react quite late. But

there are conductors who promote this. The way a collective behaves

musically depends on various factors: what they are used to, the chief

conductor’ s character and their traditions. There are things which

cannot be explained. Just like with people.

Rumours have it that new conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra may experience certain challenges. Someone deliberately plays off-key and the orchestra tests the conductor’s reaction. Have you experienced such testing?

I haven’t really experienced underhand means of testing me. When

you work with a new orchestra, you never know if you have the right

chemistry with the people or not. That applies to human relation-

ships generally. It does not depend on someone being better or worse.

You either get along or you don’t. Sometimes there are organisational

problems which have nothing to do with music which may prevent the

orchestra from playing well.

Can you give some examples?

When I was still studying I had to take a concert exam. I knew I had to

attend the main rehearsal at 11 am. At 9.30 am I was in my bathrobe

at home drinking my morning coffee when the professor phoned and

asked where I was. They had made changes to the schedule the day

before, but no-one let me know! I arrived out of breath and apolo-

gised to the orchestra. The piece of music which had been “ready” at

rehearsals would not come together. The orchestra was deeply trou-

bled by my lateness. During the first four beats, they managed to

make ten mistakes. I had to interrupt the process several times.


They were upset?

They were obviously upset. Such processes tend to be subconscious but

they have a large impact on group dynamics. Later, I talked to the or-

chestra members and found out that they did not experience the situa-

tion so acutely. One violinist may sense that something is off. But for me

as a conductor it is almost an existential problem.

If one musician feels troubled and makes a mistake, another musician might repeat it…

An orchestra is a very sensitive organism. One insensitive word may ruin

the energy of the whole rehearsal. Also, an organisational mistake may

lead to the orchestra playing badly or losing concentration. I was once

in such a situation as a guest conductor. There was total chaos at our

morning rehearsal: they just couldn’t play together. In the afternoon,

there was a meeting where the problem was solved and the orchestra

was newly born at the concert in the evening.

So experiences of a conductor would be useful in a textbook on organisational management?

Psychological issues always strongly influence a process. But no matter

what the environment or the mood, a conductor needs to stay true to

him/herself. It’s great when everything runs smoothly. But this cannot

be taken for granted. Even in critical situations, the conductor must

remain calm and true to herself, to do the work and to proceed from

the music.

You said above that your current challenge is to understand how various orchestras function. what was the most difficult issue for you when you got started?

The main problem back then was me. I was blocking my own way.

I had destructive thoughts and a lot of fears.

At first, I was overly humbled by standing in front of people who had

worked for years as musicians, who were more experienced than me.

It took me a long time to understand that there are other factors up

there as a conductor which matter more. I also had the feeling that

music was so much bigger than me, that whatever I did I was not

worthy of it.

But regardless of those fears it attracted you...

I have always had the desire to make music. And at the end of the day,

it is this will that counts. There are many difficulties along the way. It is

also important that you want to keep at it, no matter what. The music

itself is the biggest reward and I am willing to put up with any difficul-

ties along the way for the music.

Is such determination more important than talent?

I believe so. It is necessary to have some talent, because if you don’t

have a musical bone in your body, you cannot work in this field. But

how far you are able to develop your talent depends on your will and

your determination.

And perhaps also on courage and the ability to forgive yourself for your mistakes?

I used to constantly feel that what I did was not good enough. At one

point, I decided to start thinking constructively in order to be able to

develop as a human being and as a musician.

Artistic people are always full of doubt; it is an important and useful

force. But when those doubts take away most of your creative energy,

it is the art which suffers. The largest force is the force of your mind.

Whereas earlier I had too many insecurities, these days I tend towards

the other end of the scale, being too courageous. Some people say that

one cannot help it when one is shy. But this is not true. Behind the shy-

ness, there is courage.

Disadvantages can be turned into advantages?

Precisely. Each and every one of us has courage; we just need to locate

it. I am also convinced that each of us has opposite forces inside us:

good and bad, joy and sadness, introvert and extrovert. We are the ones

who decide what dominates. I am proof of that.


I CULTURE

why did you choose to become a conductor?

My grandpa played the piano, but there were no professional musi-

cians in my home; there was no Beethoven playing in the background.

My interest in music was abstract. I wanted to play the piano just like

grandpa. I went to a music school for children. At one point, I under-

stood that I would not become a pianist because I did not have the pa-

tience to spend five to six hours every day playing on my own. My voice

was not strong enough to become a singer. But I really wanted to study

music and thought I would give choir conducting a try. I must have been

about 17 years old when I first saw a rehearsal of the Estonian National

Symphony Orchestra and I was so enchanted by the sound that from

then on my biggest dream was to conduct an orchestra.

You have said in an interview that you have to be-come the embodiment of an emotion as a conductor.

I have to use my body to show people what I want expressed. I have to

radiate those emotions out of my body. Many young conductors make

the mistake of emulating someone physically, putting a mask on.

Everything is possible when you change into the thing you want to be.

When you are determined enough, you can be who you really want

to be. This is the task that we all have as human beings. Many people

make excuses and say: “this is who I am, I cannot change.” Everyone

can change if they want to! Many characteristics which people consider

inherent are not. They are habits or patterns which have nothing to do

with someone’s nature.

what would you like to change now?

Nothing at this moment. I would like to understand better why some

things are the way they are. For example, why some conductors seem

to conduct fantastically, yet the orchestra plays badly. And, vice versa,

why some conductors seem to be doing nothing and the orchestra

plays fantastically.

I am interested in finding out what happens when we have rehearsed

thoroughly and everything is prepared and I happen to do something

unexpected during the concert. Does it open some channels and make

musicians in the orchestra more open and spontaneous? Or does it

frighten them? How much can I pull myself back? My ideal goal is to be

active in the working process and then to pull back during the concert

to enable the orchestra to activate itself.

Recently, a brilliant orchestra musician told me an interesting story

about a conductor with whom it was difficult to establish rapport dur-

ing the rehearsal process. There was no chemistry, so the rehearsals

were incomprehensible. At the concert, the conductor led the orches-

tra with effective movements rehearsed in front of the mirror, which

had nothing to do with the sound of the orchestra or with influencing

it in any way. The orchestra was forced to activate itself in order for

the performance to stay together. Because of this, the concert was

great and the audience was thrilled, so the conductor received a lot

of applause. The orchestra however thought that they did it all by

themselves.

what kind of music do you listen to at home?

I do not have music playing in the background at home. I have to listen

to so much music because of my work and I only do so with concentra-

tion. I work through many sheets of music, listen to different perfor-

mances. I don’t have that much spare time and when I do, I enjoy the

sound of silence. My sister who lives in Tallinn keeps me up-to-date with

popular and folk music.

67 FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA

KRISTIINA POSKA

Graduated as a pianist from the Türi Music School, as a con-

ductor from the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School and from

the Estonian Academy of Music. From 2004–2009, she stud-

ied conducting at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin

under Christian Ehwald. From 2009–2011, she continued

her studies with Ehwald (Konzertexamen), graduating with

honours.

Received the special orchestra award at the competition of

conductors in Athens (2006), became a finalist at the Dona-

tella Flick competition in London (2010), and won third place

and a special audience award at the Nikolai Malko competi-

tion for conductors in Copenhagen (2012).

In April 2013, won a reputable conducting award in Germa-

ny: the Deutscher Dirigentenpreis. Tagesspiegel named her

“one of the 25 most interesting people in Berlin in 2013”.

From 2006–2011, the chief conductor of Capella Academica

of Berlin’s Humboldt University.

Has conducted various orchestras: the Estonian National

Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Mu-

nich Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne,

Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Gothenburg Symphony Or-

chestra, Royal Philharmonic of Stockholm, Stuttgart Philhar-

monic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of German Radio

Saarbrücken, Chemnitz Robert Schumann Philharmonic

Orchestra, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Bern Sym-

phony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Lausanne Chamber

Orchestra, etc. This season she has conducted the Hessische

Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig MDR Symphony Or-

chestra, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and others.

Has conducted at the Komische Oper in Berlin: Puccini’s

“Bohème“, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and “The Abduc-

tion from the Seraglio”, Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s

Dream”, Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins”, Bernstein’s “West

Side Story”, Verdi’s “La Traviata“, Offenbach’s “La Périchole“

and Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”. This season she

will conduct Lange’s “The Canterville Ghost”, Mozart’s “Lu-

cio Silla“ and “Don Giovanni”, and Offenbach’s “La belle

Hélène”.

In 2011 she debuted at the Vienna Volksoper with Hump-

erdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”, followed by Rossini’s “The

Barber of Seville”, Bizet’s “Carmen“ and Lehar’s “The Merry

Widow”. This season she will conduct, at the same opera

house, Donizetti’s “Viva la Mamma” (director: Rolando Villa-

zon), as well as the Hamburg Staatsoper (Mozart’s “The Ab-

duction from the Seraglio”) and the Stockholm Royal Opera

Theatre (Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”).

After successful performances, she was elected the first Di-

rector of Music (Kapellmeister) of Berlin’s Komische Oper in

autumn 2012.


I CULTURE

You have lived in Berlin for ten years. How quickly did you adjust?

I liked Berlin from day one. There is a certain sense of freedom here. I

have always liked big cities and anonymity. However, the connection

to Estonia is very important to me and I may one day return to Estonia.

Happiness is very much related to what we do. And creative people of-

ten go where they have a chance to make the most of their creativity.

what does a normal day look like for you?

It depends on whether I have rehearsals or a performance at the op-

era, whether I am travelling somewhere as a guest conductor or work-

ing from home. At the opera, the rehearsals start at 10am. On other

days, I prepare. I get up around 8, sit at my desk and work with sheet

music. Sometimes I sit at the piano, analyse, do background research

and read relevant literature. If possible, I go for a little walk around

lunchtime.

Arvo Pärt, the Järvi family... even the main conduct-ing prize of Germany has been awarded twice to an Estonian in the last seven years, to Mihkel Kütson in 2006. why is it music which makes Estonian culture famous in the world?

Estonian music is definitely something special. Sometimes it seems that

it looks even more special from the outside. It is definitely closely linked

to our tradition of song celebrations. Just think about how many choir

singers we have, how we have sung our way to freedom twice. It is part

of our identity. This not only applies to music but to all fields or art and

literature. Many of my German acquaintances who like to read have

expressed surprise at how many new books and poetry collections are

published in the Estonian language. There are a lot for a tiny nation.

Estonian people are very creative. Regardless of the fact that it is not

a financially easy choice, many people have dedicated themselves to a

risky profession - to art. Perhaps it is our long and dark winters. It is also

possible that Estonians who tend to be more inward-looking, look for

expression in other fields.

Long winters and an endless longing, which are woven into culture?

Yes, I think it is some Ugric yearning for something which people are

not often even able to verbalise. Art, literature and music help us to

cope with it.

How much do you pay attention to critics and audience feedback in your work?

There are a couple of opera critics whose opinions I care about. But of

course there are as many opinions as there are people. If you aim to

please everyone, you end up losing yourself. For an artist, the only real

foundation is himself. You need to proceed from your own intuition

and feelings.

I have always searched for truth in music, and in most things. But I have

come to realise that truth in itself does not exist. For me, truth can only

exist in a moment. In music it is not possible to do something convinc-

ingly in order to please someone else. The only person I try to please is

the composer.

A considerable amount of pop music is made to please somebody.

I would not compare pop music with classical music, as the former

mainly has entertainment value. The function of classical music is some-

thing else. Art which is made for someone else cannot be totally sincere

and this is why I do not believe in it.


By Maris HEllEranD

Photos by MaiKEn staaK and EKsPEriMEnta!

ANNELY KöSTER – Shaking the Foundations of Art Education

annely Köster (45) is living her dream as an

art teacher and the creator of the first international

youth contemporary art triennial eksperimenta!,

whose mission is to nurture creativity, free thinking,

caring and content.

I CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT


I CULTURE

Growing up in the last years of the Soviet Estonia, Annely took a mes-

sage from her own art teacher literally: to carry on the mission of teach-

ing art. So after graduating from high-school she started her first chil-

dren’s art group at the age of 18 in Tallinn’s leafy suburb of Nõmme.

After a while, the local government discovered that the nice former villa

could be put to better use than children’s art classes and Annely moved

her school to the Hopner House in the Old Town. That’s where Sally

Studio was born in 1991, the year of Estonia’s rebirth as an independ-

ent country.

“The 1990’s were a crazy era in Estonia. Everyone was starting a busi-

ness, so we sold a painting by a good friend and invested the money

as stock capital in Sally Studio. The art studio is named after my Great

Dane Sally, who was born that year and accompanied me to classes

daily. After a little while, the kids started to ask each other after class

‘Are you coming to paint with Sally tomorrow?’ So Sally Studio it was.

Sally, the first CEO, was a great teacher of friendly caring and has left a

strong paw print on the studio’s philosophy.

We realised very soon that this was not going to be a big business;

after all, our share capital was lost with the bankruptcy of Tartu Kom-

mertspank. So in 1994 we restructured the studio into a non-profit

organisation.”

Obviously running a successful business was never the driving force

for Annely. Strangely, arts and culture used to be one of the very few

areas of life in the Soviet system where speaking your mind was pos-

sible. Annely remembers the long talks about life and the world with

her arts teacher and friends that often resulted in small art actions: in

today’s art lingo “performances”. Metaphorical expression was a very

widespread means in the arts and is still one of the main aspects of

contemporary art. This is the legacy that has formed the ideology of

Sally Studio. “It is not important to draw a technically perfect camel or

count toe bones. It’s about free thinking and creativity, which we hope

and try to nurture in our children. Sally Studio is a school of creative

thinking, bravery and pro-activity. If we want our lives to be better, it is

important that people dare to think independently and dare to stand

up for their ideas.”

Annely didn’t take the classical path to art teaching. She was fortunate

to take many international arts courses and classes at the beginning

of the 90’s, to learn a little about Waldorf methods, which form a big

contrast to contemporary art and have, over the years, influenced the

teaching at Sally a lot. Then, after several years of teaching and run-

ning the studio, Annely finally decided that psychology was the subject

she needed to study most to keep growing as a person and as the

head of her art school. A curious combination of colour perception and

E! 2011, Juš Zidar, sloveniaYOUTH SUICIDE | 500 X 500 CM | PERFORMANCE, VIDEO, MIXED MEDIA INSTALLATION The main purpose is to point out the everyday presence of the contemporary problem of suicide in the young population. The performance is constructed as a miniature drama play. The author writes a farewell letter and then hangs himself from the structure provided.

E! 2011, lukas Dirzys, lithuaniaMECHANICAL PAINTING | PERFORMANCE The piece consists of machinery specially designed to mechanically produce large-scale pieces (150x500 cm) of abstract painting on paper. The performance consists in real action to produce several paintings live.


management psychology courses in Tartu University led her to further

studies of education management in Tallinn University. Art education

became a big issue when kids started to ask her after class to explain all

they had done once again so that they could retell it at school and do

it all over with their school classes. So Annely has had major input into

the new curriculum of arts in Estonian schools, moving it away from

technique and towards creativity and integration.

Sally Studio has grown and developed along with Estonia since 1991.

Annely sees how Estonia has matured and has learned a lot from the

old Western countries, especially about efficiency and bureaucracy.

What she feels is missing is the caring and consideration that character-

izes these societies. Fortunately, the young generation seems to have

stronger social consciousness than the “founders” of the 1990’s. And

Estonia still is the place where the impossible is possible.

Sally Studio has taught thousands of children, aged 3 to 19, for more

than two decades. Many have returned as teachers or as parents of

new students.

The students of Sally were the real reason behind the birth of Eks-

perimenta! in 2011. Annely believes in fulfilling one’s dreams through

consistency and patience. In 2001 she started to dream about an

international exhibition platform for the pre-university age group of art

students. Ten years later the first Eksperimenta! triennial took place as

the highlight of Tallinn’s year as the European Capital of Culture, bring-

ing young artists from more than a dozen countries to Tallinn and pre-

senting an amazingly professional level of art that was praised by critics

and an audience of more than 18 000.

This year, when Eksperimenta! takes place for the second time, many

circles will be completed. The exhibition venue is the Hopner House in

the Old Town – the same place that Sally Studio started more than 20

years ago. The contrast – one of the key threads of Annely’s working life

– is that it will spread throughout the Old Town. Next to a medieval mer-

chant’s house, the contemporary youth art from a dozen countries will

also be exhibited in Tallinn’s oldest Christian church – St. Catherine’s,

which is a very fitting venue for this year’s topic “Art and Science”, as

Catherine is the saint of scientists, philosophers, students, youth and

women. The contrasting environment offers a great challenge to the

organizers and the young artists: how to create an inspiring and pleas-

ant environment for the exhibition during the darkest season.

Annely believes that it takes a decade for an organisation to mature, so

Eksperimenta! still has a few years to go. And now a new Great Dane –

Gracia - is helping her to find the right track to grow together.

EKSPERIMENTA! 2014

23 October – 23 November

in Hopner House and St Catherine’s Church

open Tuesday through Sunday from 11-18

www.eksperimenta.net

Participating artists from:

Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Russia, Germany,

Slovenia, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Canada,

South Korea and Brazil.

Art schools in all participating countries

researched the topic of Art and Science

throughout the last school year, and

have involved nearly 10,000 students.

Combining creative thinking about

contemporary art with the methods of

science will lead to innovation and

open up new educational paths for

the young artists. Creativity is a vital

survival skill of the 21st century.

E! 2011, anna Mari liivrand, EstoniaVIRTUAL SPACE | 200 X 250 X 150 CM | INSTALLATION The virtual space is capable of meeting almost all of our needs and also providing the things that we lack in this world. That world is becoming more real than the reality that we inhabit, because the virtual life seems much better than what we have to confront. The person becomes a shell that is here with us, while in his thoughts he is somewhere else.


I TOURISM

SUUR TõLLOpened Again! welcome Aboard!

The icebreaker Suur Tõll (named after

Toell the Great, the hero giant in esto-

nian mythology) is the oldest steam-

powered ship in the baltic states. it

is estonia’s oldest and most dignified

museum ship, whose century-long

story reflects the entire time-line of

the fragile history of the republic. Dur-

ing its 100-year history, it has sailed

under five different flags and four

different names.

A great deal of work was done between September 2013 and June

2014, when, in addition to extensive hull repairs, the living quarters

on the main deck were renovated. The stately officers’ mess-room and

the slightly less stately mess-room of the crew have been restored, a

new exhibition has been set up about the history of the icebreaker, and

several of the crew cabins that used to be closed to visitors are now

open. Even one of the galleys (i.e. the ship’s kitchen) was restored to

working order, and visitors can now enjoy authentic seamen’s dishes

aboard the ship.

www.lennusadam.eu

Wäinämöinen

Volynets

Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich


In the 1910s a powerful icebreaker was needed for year-round opera-

tion of the port of Tallinn. The ship was built at the Vulcan-Werke AG

shipyard at Stettin in 1914. It entered service as Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich

- named after the founder of the Romanov dynasty.

Less than a month after arriving at its home port, the ship had to enter

military service due to the outbreak of the First World War. After the

February revolution in 1917, the ship’s name was changed to Volynets

(to commemorate the Volhynian regiment, which participated in the

uprising) and the Russian tricolor was replaced by the Red flag.

In March 1918, the icebreaker was captured by Finnish freedom fighters

as she left Helsinki, and between 1918 and 1920 the icebreaker played

an important role in both the Finnish and Estonian wars of independ-

ence. She was renamed the Wäinämöinen after the main character of

the Finnish national epic. The ship was used to transport military equip-

ment and volunteers, who helped to turn the War of Independence

(1918–1920) in Estonia’s favor.

Finland ceded the icebreaker to Estonia in November 1922 according

to the Tartu Peace Treaties, and after returning to its home port the

icebreaker was renamed Suur Tõll. For the next 18 years it sailed under

the Estonian flag. For a small country like Estonia, a big and powerful

icebreaker meant direct economic benefits: she made it possible to keep

the bigger ports free of ice and ensure trade with other countries.

When Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union, the Suur Tõll was na-

tionalised. The icebreaker was again renamed the Volynets and began

to sail under the colors of the Soviet navy. Kronstadt became her home

port, and she was in active service until the end of the 1970s.

The icebreaker returned to her home port in 1988, when the Estonian

Maritime Museum requested that the ship — soon to be scrapped for

metal — be brought back to Tallinn and converted into a museum ship.

After her return, her former name Suur Tõll was reinstated, and in 1991

the Estonian flag was raised on the ship.

Since her return, the ship has been under constant renovation, mostly in

connection with major anniversaries in the ship’s or Estonia’s history. The

renovations have been aimed at restoring the ship’s exterior as it was in

the 1930s and her living quarters as they were in the 1950s.


I TOURISM

LOtte VILLaGe theme Park –

a Load Of Goodness

By Ann-MARii neRGi


The slogan of Lotte Village is “‘Goodness makes life

interesting!’ and no visitor will leave here without

experiencing this,” says Rein Malsub, Project Man-

ager of the Lotte Village theme park, which recently

opened to visitors.

The girl puppy Lotte is an unprecedented phenom-

enon amongst Estonian children, and the character

created by the Estonian fi lm-makers Janno Põldma

and Heiki Ernits has also won fans abroad. No other

Estonian children´s fi lm, cartoon or related toys have

ever experienced success equal to that of the fi lms,

books and toys related to Lotte and her friends. The

story, which fi rst gripped audiences as a cartoon series

on television and was later developed into full-length

fi lms and books about the adventures of the girl pup-

py, her family and friends in Gadgetville has also won

the hearts of parents for the simple reason that, unlike

in many other tales, there is not a bit of violence in the

stories created by Ernits and Põldma, only goodness.

And now, after lengthy preparations, Estonia has its

own Lotte Village theme park, similar to Moomin

Land in Finland and Astrid Lindgren’s World in Swe-

den, offering familiar characters from the cartoon,

their homes and, of course, their gadgets and in-

ventions. As evident from the name of the village,

the daily routine of the inhabitants of Gadgetville

revolves around inventing new and exciting gadgets

and competing with each other to see whose inven-

tion is the best. During the long winter months, the

villagers rack their brains to invent interesting gadg-

ets and in the summer everybody wants to win the

trophy at the competition of inventions. Lotte’s fa-

ther Oskar is an inventor and he has won the trophy

four times already! All of his inventions can be seen

and tested in Lotte Village. You can check out the

tooth-brushing machine, the carrot-measuring ma-

chine and the machine invented to help Lotte’s mum

Anna plant fl owers. Visitors can even create their

own gadgets in Oskar’s shed.

the theme park dedicated to the girl puppy Lotte and her family and friends is situated on twelve hectares of land by the seaside at tahkuranna, near the summer resort of Parnu.

Janno põldma Heiki ernits


From planetarium to marathon

One should plan at least half a day for a visit to

Lotte Village, if not the entire day. The programme is

jam-packed from 10am to 6pm. At the planetarium

located at the Hares’ House, children get a factual

overview of our solar system. The mother of Lotte’s

best pal Bruno gives music lessons and his dad Mati,

who has always been a bit of an athlete, exercises

with the kids and even takes them on a Lotte Village

marathon. Rabbit Adalbert is definitely one of the

more eccentric characters in Gadgetville and he tells

the kids about how he became friends with electric-

ity (and makes his recommendations). The old rover

Klaus talks about his thrilling travel tales on a push

bike. Children are guaranteed to be surprised and

overwhelmed with joy when the “real Lotte” turns

up to offer hugs.

Janno Põldma told Life in Estonia that it was by no

means difficult to bring the characters of the film to

life at Lotte Village. “For us Lotte Village was already

real and we just needed to find the right attractions

which would work in a theme park, because it is im-

possible to translate everything from the film into a

theme park. One example of what we couldn’t bring

to life is the flying machine of Helmi, the mother of

pigs, which she uses to fly over trees and bushes.

But we do have Oskar´s flying machine, which can

take you straight to Japan,” said Põldma. Although

Põldma is usually considered to be the screenwriter

of the Lotte films and Heiki Ernits the artist, Põldma

explained that the screenplays are actually created

by three people: one of the best-known writers in

Estonia - Andrus Kivirähk - joins Janno and Heiki in

the process. ”When the screenplay is complete, Heiki

and I continue. We are both directors, Heiki is the

designer and I am the editor.”

Lotte Village in figures:

• Size:

the theme park is located

on 12.4 hectares of land;

in addition, there is a 5.5

hectare car park

• ViSitOrS:

opening week brought

10,000 visitors,

approx 1,500 people per day

• WOrkerS:

about 100 total workers;

about 60-70 staff present

at all times every day

• COSt:

seven million euros,

of which 4.5 million comes

from Enterprise Estonia,

260,000 euros from

the local county government

and the rest from private

investors. The investors are

Kuldar Leis, Meelis Saaresalu,

Raul Lusti, Elmer Maas and

Alger Närska

• OPeNiNg:

Off-season starts in

September; fully open

from June 2015.

• tiCket PriCeS:

15 euros; children up

to two years of age free.

I TOURISM


Planning began in 2008

The author of the idea of Lotte Village and its

main organiser is Rein Malsub, who approached

Põldma and Ernits with the idea years ago. They

started to look for a suitable location for the

theme park in 2008. There were many setbacks

due to fl awed construction procurements, and

a suitable building company was only found

with the third procurement. The total cost of

the theme park was nearly seven million euros,

and the development was supported with 4.5

million euros by Enterprise Estonia under their

tourism development programme. It should also

be noted that, although the main season of the

theme park is summer and it will be fully open

next June, Lotte Village will be open to visitors

all year round. “We are still putting together the

specifi c programme of Lotte Village outside the

main season, but there will defi nitely be birth-

days, company events and special programmes

organised here,” says Malsub.

What about those children who have not seen the

Lotte fi lms or read the books? Would they enjoy

a visit to Lotte Village? Both Malsub and Põldma

confi rm that all children will feel welcome at Lotte

Village. “Lotte and her friends will introduce Lotte

Village to children, talk to them and play with

them. We believe that children need a place like

this where they are kept busy and where there is

no room for violence,” says Janno Põldma. Rein

Malsub adds that the theme park is a place of pos-

itivity and it really cheers up everyone who comes

here. “Lotte Village is about spreading goodness

and this is something that everyone - Estonians

and foreigners alike - needs these days: a real

charge of positivity!”

Lotte through the years:

2000

cartoon series

“Lotte Travels South”

2006

feature-length animation

“Lotte from Gadgetville“

2011

second feature-length

animation “Lotte and the

Moonstone Secret”

two Lotte musicals

“Detective Lotte” and

“Cosmonaut Lotte” -

have been staged at the

Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu.

Books have been written

based on all of the fi lms.

The books have been translated

into Latvian and Finnish.

The fi lms have been translated

into English, French, German,

Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,

Norwegian, Latvian, Finnish,

Russian and Polish.

The fi lms have been sold to 50

different countries and territories.

The fi lms can be bought on DVD,

and they are shown in cinemas

and on television channels that

have purchased the rights.

COMiNg SHOrtLY:

2015

the third Lotte musical will

premiere at the Vanemuine

Theatre

2018

a new Lotte fi lm will be

produced. The screenplay

has already been completed

by Põldma.







Planning began in 2008

The author of the idea of Lotte Village and its

main organiser is Rein Malsub, who approached

Põldma and Ernits with the idea years ago. They

started to look for a suitable location for the

theme park in 2008. There were many setbacks

due to fl awed construction procurements, and

a suitable building company was only found

with the third procurement. The total cost of

the theme park was nearly seven million euros,

and the development was supported with 4.5

million euros by Enterprise Estonia under their

tourism development programme. It should also

be noted that, although the main season of the

theme park is summer and it will be fully open

next June, Lotte Village will be open to visitors

all year round. “We are still putting together the

specifi c programme of Lotte Village outside the

main season, but there will defi nitely be birth-

days, company events and special programmes

organised here,” says Malsub.

What about those children who have not seen the

Lotte fi lms or read the books? Would they enjoy

a visit to Lotte Village? Both Malsub and Põldma

confi rm that all children will feel welcome at Lotte

Village. “Lotte and her friends will introduce Lotte

Village to children, talk to them and play with

them. We believe that children need a place like

this where they are kept busy and where there is

no room for violence,” says Janno Põldma. Rein

Malsub adds that the theme park is a place of pos-

itivity and it really cheers up everyone who comes

here. “Lotte Village is about spreading goodness

and this is something that everyone - Estonians

and foreigners alike - needs these days: a real

charge of positivity!”

Lotte through the years:

2000

cartoon series


2006



2011



Moonstone Secret”

two Lotte musicals

“Detective Lotte” and

“Cosmonaut Lotte” -

have been staged at the

Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu.

Books have been written

based on all of the fi lms.

The books have been translated

into Latvian and Finnish.

The fi lms have been translated

into English, French, German,

Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,

Norwegian, Latvian, Finnish,

Russian and Polish.

The fi lms have been sold to 50

different countries and territories.

The fi lms can be bought on DVD,

and they are shown in cinemas

and on television channels that

have purchased the rights.

COMiNg SHOrtLY:

2015

the third Lotte musical will

premiere at the Vanemuine

Theatre

2018

a new Lotte fi lm will be

produced. The screenplay

has already been completed

by Põldma.







CustomsWe suggest travellers consult with the Esto-

nian Customs Board help desk (ph.: +372 880

0814 or www.customs.ee) for details. The

limit on import of alcoholic beverages from

outside the EU is one litre for beverages over

22% alcohol content, and two litres for bev-

erages up to 22%, and four litres for wine.

Import of tobacco and tobacco products from

non-EU countries is limited to 40 cigarettes or

100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 50 g of tobacco

products. Counterfeit goods, including pirated

CDs, video and audio tapes, are prohibited

by law. A special export permit is required for

specimens of plants and animals of endan-

gered species, protected species and hunting

trophies (please contact the Nature Conserva-

tion Department, Ministry of the Environment

for details). Articles of cultural value produced

in Estonia more than 50 years ago also require

special permits (please contact the National

Heritage Board).

Getting around estoniaInter-city public transportation Public buses are the easiest, cheapest and most

convenient solution for visiting Tartu, Pärnu or

any other of the larger towns. Buses from Tal-

linn to Tartu depart every 15-30 minutes, to

Pärnu every hour. On weekdays, seats to these

destinations are almost always available even

immediately before departure (watch out for

special events). For weekend travel or trips to

more remote locations with fewer connec-

tions, it is advisable to buy tickets in advance.

The Tallinn Bus Terminal is located at Lastekodu

46. The timetable is also available online at

www.bussireisid.ee and ticket information is

available at telephone +372 6800 900.

travelling by car

Travellers hoping to see more of the country

and the rural areas it would be best advised

to travel by car. The roads are quite good and

traffi c is light. Crossing Estonia from north to

south or west to east by car takes approxi-

mately three to four hours. All major car rental

agencies have offi ces in Tallinn. It is also pos-

sible to rent the car in Estonia and drop it off

at a rental agency in Latvia or Lithuania, or vice

versa. The speed limit in rural areas is 90 km/h

and in cities 50 km/h. In some areas the high-

way speed limit is increased during the sum-

mer months. Headlights and seatbelts (front

and back) must be on at all times. Driving un-

der the infl uence of alcohol or other intoxicat-

ing substances is punishable by law.

Local transportTaxis: Taxis must clearly display their fares,

driver’s taxi service licenses, and a meter. The

initial charge for entering a cab ranges from

2 to 3.5 euros. Different taxi companies have

different rates, but the average charge per

kilometre is 0.5 euros. There is no additional

charge for ordering the taxi by phone, and it

usually takes the cab just fi ve to ten minutes to

arrive. All taxi drivers must give you a receipt

(in Estonian, ask for “Kviitung, palun”). Locals

usually give the exact fare and no tip. As in

most major cities, some dishonest drivers at-

tempt to overcharge unsuspecting passengers.

If in doubt, note the taxi company and license

plate number.

Public transportation: Tallinn has a public

transport network of buses, trams and trol-

ley-buses. Other Estonian towns have buses.

Check the time schedule for Tallinn bus lines

for any bus stop at www.tallinn.ee/eng.

Free public transport: As of 2013, all resi-

dents of Tallinn, students and passengers 65

years and over are entitled to free travel on

Tallinn public transport.

Tickets for visitors: The Public Transport Card

Ühiskaart may be purchased for the price of

€2. This smart card, onto which you can load

money, or e-tickets can be purchased from

post offi ces and online at www.pilet.ee. Per-

sonalise the card for €1 at the point of sale or

for free at www.pilet.ee/yhiskaart.

If you are using pay-as-you-go credit, your

smart card automatically calculates the cheap-

est fare within the next 24 hrs (never more

than one-day travel card). Validate your jour-

ney with Ühiskaart immediately after entering

the public transport vehicle. You can also buy

tickets from kiosks and from the driver (single

ticket €1.60 and student ticket €0.80). Try to

have precise change (cash only) for the driver.

The ticket is valid for one journey only in that

specifi c vehicle. Discounts only for ISIC Scholar

and Student Card holders. Holders of a vali-

dated TallinnCard are entitled to a free ride.

accommodationsAll major hotels in Tallinn have been newly

built or completely renovation in recent years.

Despite annual additions to the number of ho-

tels and rooms, it can nonetheless be diffi cult

to fi nd a hotel room on short notice (particu-

larly over the week-end). For the best selec-

tion, we urge visitors to Tallinn and the rest of

Estonia to book hotel rooms in advance. For

more details, see the Estonian Tourist Board

website at www.visitestonia.ee.


I TOURISM

For more travel details, please consult the

sources below: www.visitestonia.com

(Estonian Tourist Board), www.riik.ee/en.

Tourist information centres are located in all

larger towns.

The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre in the

Old Town is located at 4 Kullassepa Street - no

more than 10 steps from the Town Hall Square

(ph.: + 372 645 7777, e-mail: turismiinfo@

tallinnlv.ee). The Tallinn Tourist Information

Centre in Viru Keskus (ph: + 372 610 1557,

610 1558), open every day 9 am - 9 pm, is lo-

cated in the centre of the city. A wide selection

of maps, brochures and publications in several

languages (largest selection in English) can be

found at local bookstores and tourist informa-

tion centres.

VisaAs of 21 December 2007, Estonia is a part of

the Schengen visa area.

Nationals of EU and EEA member states are

free to enter Estonia. The required travel docu-

ment for entry is a national ID card or passport.

Nationals of the following countries do not

need visa to enter Estonia, and can stay for up

to 90 days in any 6-month period: Andorra,

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada,

Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guate-

mala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel,

Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco,

New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,

San Marino, Singapore, South Korea,

USA, Uruguay, Venezuela. The re-

quired travel document for entry is a

valid passport.

Citizens of countries not mentioned

above require a visa to enter Estonia.

Visitors arriving in Estonia with visa

must have national passports valid

at least 3 months after their planned

departure from Estonia.

Children aged 7 to 15 years must have their

own passport when travelling to Estonia or, if

they are registered in their parent’s passport,

must have their photo next to the name. Chil-

dren under 7 years need not have a photo if

they are registered in their parents’ passports.

Persons above 15 years must have a separate

travel document with photo.

For detailed information on visa requirements

and entry rules, please consult the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs website at www.vm.ee/eng.

arrivalBy plane: Recently renovated, the Tallinn Len-

nart Meri Airport, just 3 km from the city cen-

tre, is welcoming, modern and user-friendly.

Among other amenities, travellers have access

to a free WiFi area in the transit zone. The air-

port’s 24-hour customer service telephone is

+372 6058 888.

Tartu Airport is situated at Ülenurme, near

Tartu. Flights from Tartu to Helsinki depart six

times a week.

Regional airports are located in Kuressaare

(Saaremaa), Kärdla (Hiiumaa), and Pärnu; these

provide no regular international connections.

By ship: With over 6 million passengers an-

nually, the Port of Tallinn is undoubtedly Es-

tonia’s main gateway. Large passenger ferries

arrive from and depart for Helsinki and Stock-

holm regularly. The 85-km Tallinn-Helsinki line

is served by ferries that make the journey in

2 hours; hydrofoils and catamarans make

the trip on 1.5 hours and operate between

April to November-December, depending on

weather conditions. Travellers should note

that different ferry lines depart from different

terminals and harbours. The City Port with its

four terminals is a 10-15 minute walk from Tal-

linn Old Town; the Paldiski-Kapellskär line uses

the Port of Paldiski, about 50 km from Tallinn.

By car: Border checkpoints greet travellers

entering or departing the country by way of

the Estonian-Latvian border points at Ikla (the

Tallinn-Riga highway) and Valga, as well as

on the Estonian-Russian border at Narva (the

Tallinn-St. Petersburg highway), Luhamaa,

Koidula and Murati. On the Estonian-Russian

border, all traffi c is subject to border formali-

ties both when entering and leaving Estonia.

By bus: Not only is travel by bus the fastest and

most convenient mode of international public

transportation in the Baltic states, it also offers

excellent value for your money. Lux Express

(www.luxexpress.ee/en) offers regular connec-

tions to all major cities in the Baltic countries

and to St. Petersburg. Prices start from �20.00.

Lux Express is operating also within Estonia on

the following routes: Tallinn – Tartu, Tallinn –

Pärnu and Tallinn – Narva. A useful tip: Regu-

lar passenger buses have priority at the border

checkpoints, so travel is smooth.

By train: There is only one international over-

night train to Moscow.

Practical Information For Visitors

For more travel details, please consult the

Children aged 7 to 15 years must have their

own passport when travelling to Estonia or, if

they are registered in their parent’s passport,

must have their photo next to the name. Chil-

dren under 7 years need not have a photo if

they are registered in their parents’ passports.

Persons above 15 years must have a separate

travel document with photo.

For detailed information on visa requirements

and entry rules, please consult the Ministry of

drinksThe main drinks in Estonia are beer, wine and

vodka. While many young city residents opt

for beer or wine, the older generation and

rural folk tend to prefer vodka. In the 1930s

Estonian vodka made it into the Guinness

Book of Records as the strongest vodka in

the world (96º). Local brands of beer enjoy

a very strong market position in Estonia. The

two main breweries are Saku and A. Le Coq.

Saku is Tallinn-based, and its corporate col-

our is navy blue while A.Le Coq is brewed in

Tartu and its colour is red. There are also many

smaller breweries. A full list of Estonian beers

is posted at www.BeerGuide.ee

Spirits also include some traditional liqueurs.

The famous Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) has a 45º

alcohol content, and is coincidentally made

from 45 ingredients - the recipe is known only

to a handful of people. Indeed, the legendary

19th-century kristallkümmel (caraway liqueur)

has made its long-awaited comeback.

Estonian wines, made from currants or other

local berries, are rather sweet. Wine lovers

usually prefer imported wine, of which there

is an ever-increasing selection at stores and

vinoteks. A very popular and refreshing non-

alcoholic drink is kali, made of bread, malt,

rye or oats fl our and yeast; it has a character-

istically dark brown colour. It was with this

drink that the Estonians forced the Coca-Cola

company into submission, or at least into a

business deal. Kali was enjoying phenomenal

sales, while Coke was not selling up to expec-

tations. It was then that Coca-Cola decided to

broaden its horizons by buying one of the local

kali trademarks in order to make a profi t on

the stubborn Estonians.

entertainmentThe entertainment scene in Estonia is vibrant

year-round, providing visitors and locals alike

with a long list to choose from. Concerts, festi-

vals theatre, street raves, DJ competitions – Esto-

nia has it all. It is not by chance that both Tallinn

and Tartu have their own opera and ballet thea-

tre. Tickets are an excellent value for the money;

concert tickets cost around 10 euros, and best

seats at the opera are yours for about 25 euros.

For more information on the concert schedule

see www.concert.ee; the programme for the

national opera is posted at www.opera.ee.

Tickets can be bought at the box offi ces or via

ticket agencies located in all larger supermar-

kets, or via Internet www.piletilevi.ee, www.

piletimaailm.com and www.ticketpro.ee

Even the most sceptical museum-goer is bound

to fi nd something intriguing in Estonia’s large

selection of museums, which feature every-

thing from history, art, photography to toys,

chocolate, musical instruments, even wax fi g-

ures and many other topics. Most museums

are closed on Tuesdays and many on Mondays

as well. It is advisable to have cash on hand

as many museums do not accept credit cards.

Tallinn is also bustling well into the night with

booming and blooming club scene. Clubs are

usually open and packed with energised vibes

from Thursday to Sunday, with Friday and Sat-

urday drawing the liveliest of crowds. In addi-

tion to local and resident DJs, clubs frequently

present guest performers from London, the

US and other club hubs. For those looking for

a more mellow night on the town, Tallinn’s

street are brimming with pubs, vinoteks and

bar-restaurants, many of which offer live mu-

sic even on weekdays. Rather take in a movie?

Films in cinemas are shown in the original lan-

guage with subtitles.


moneyOn 1 Jan 2011, Estonia adopted euro as its

currency thus replacing the Estonian kroon

which had been the only valid currency in

Estonia since 1992.

Most larger hotels, stores and restaurants ac-

cept Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Diner’s Club

and American Express. However, it is advisable

to carry some cash with you.

Traveller’s checks can be exchanged in most

banks but are less likely to be accepted in

shops. Eurocheque is the most widely ac-

cepted traveller’s check, but American Express

and Thomas Cook are also accepted. Banks

are plentiful and easy to fi nd in Tallinn. Most

are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays,

while some offi ces are also open on Saturday

mornings. All banks offer currency exchange

services. Exchange offi ces can also be found

in larger hotels, the airport, harbour, railroad

station and major shopping centres. ATMs are

conveniently located around town; instruc-

tions are in English, Russian and Estonian.

telephones and InternetThe country code of Estonia is 372. Dial 00 for

outbound international calls.

The GSM mobile phone system is available;

please check compatibility with your operator.

Public Internet access points have been set

up all over Estonia. They are located in local

libraries and post offi ces. There are over 100

wireless free Internet zones around the coun-

try, many of them in rather unexpected places

- beaches, Old Town squares, stadiums, and

concert halls.

emergencies112 is the emergency number for ambulance,

police and fi re department. The police can

also be reached directly at 110. Emergency

numbers can be dialled free of charge. Select

pharmacies are open 24-hours-a-day in many

major towns. The one in Tallinn is located at

10 Pärnu Road (opposite the Estonian Drama

Theatre); the one in Tartu is located in the

Town Hall building (Town Hall Square).

national holidaysEstonians celebrate January 1 as New Year’s

Day, a rather slow and quiet day as people re-

cover from the festivities. Shops open late and

banks are closed. February 24, Independence

Day, is celebrated with a parade of the Esto-

nian Defence Forces at Vabaduse väljak (Free-

dom Square). May 1 is a bank holiday, similar

to Good Friday and May Day. June 23 is the

biggest holiday of the year as Estonians cel-

ebrate Midsummer Eve and the Victory Day in

commemoration of the 1919 Battle of Võnnu,

and June 24 is St. John’s Day (Midsummer).

August 20 is the Day of Restoration of Inde-

pendence (1991). December 24 (Christmas

Eve), December 25 (Christmas Day) and De-

cember 26 (Boxing Day) are usually spent at

home with families.

FoodTraditional Estonian cuisine consists of simple

peasant food, such as cottage cheese, pota-

toes and bread, all of which are still important

components of the local diet. The Estonian

dark bread is the main staple missed by Esto-

nians abroad. Typical Estonian dishes do not

feature prominently on restaurant menus, and

traditional home cooking is more likely to ap-

pear at small eateries in remote areas. Still,

a few establishments have made Estonian

specialities their niche; to sample Estonian cui-

sine, try the Vanaema juures, Kaerajaan and

Kolu Tavern (Open Air Museum) in Tallinn,

and the highly recommended Muhu Kalakoh-

vik and Lümanda söögimaja on the Island of

Saaremaa.

The list of the top 50 Estonian restaurants can

be found at www.fl avoursofestonia.com


I TOURISM

drinksThe main drinks in Estonia are beer, wine and

vodka. While many young city residents opt

for beer or wine, the older generation and

rural folk tend to prefer vodka. In the 1930s

Estonian vodka made it into the Guinness

Book of Records as the strongest vodka in

the world (96º). Local brands of beer enjoy

a very strong market position in Estonia. The

two main breweries are Saku and A. Le Coq.

Saku is Tallinn-based, and its corporate col-

our is navy blue while A.Le Coq is brewed in

Tartu and its colour is red. There are also many

smaller breweries. A full list of Estonian beers

is posted at www.BeerGuide.ee

Spirits also include some traditional liqueurs.

The famous Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) has a 45º

alcohol content, and is coincidentally made

from 45 ingredients - the recipe is known only

to a handful of people. Indeed, the legendary

19th-century kristallkümmel (caraway liqueur)

has made its long-awaited comeback.

Estonian wines, made from currants or other

local berries, are rather sweet. Wine lovers

usually prefer imported wine, of which there

is an ever-increasing selection at stores and

vinoteks. A very popular and refreshing non-

alcoholic drink is kali, made of bread, malt,

rye or oats fl our and yeast; it has a character-

istically dark brown colour. It was with this

drink that the Estonians forced the Coca-Cola

company into submission, or at least into a

business deal. Kali was enjoying phenomenal

sales, while Coke was not selling up to expec-

tations. It was then that Coca-Cola decided to

broaden its horizons by buying one of the local

kali trademarks in order to make a profi t on

the stubborn Estonians.

entertainmentThe entertainment scene in Estonia is vibrant

year-round, providing visitors and locals alike

with a long list to choose from. Concerts, festi-

vals theatre, street raves, DJ competitions – Esto-

nia has it all. It is not by chance that both Tallinn

and Tartu have their own opera and ballet thea-

tre. Tickets are an excellent value for the money;

concert tickets cost around 10 euros, and best

seats at the opera are yours for about 25 euros.

For more information on the concert schedule

see www.concert.ee; the programme for the

national opera is posted at www.opera.ee.

Tickets can be bought at the box offi ces or via

ticket agencies located in all larger supermar-

kets, or via Internet www.piletilevi.ee, www.

piletimaailm.com and www.ticketpro.ee

Even the most sceptical museum-goer is bound

to fi nd something intriguing in Estonia’s large

selection of museums, which feature every-

thing from history, art, photography to toys,

chocolate, musical instruments, even wax fi g-

ures and many other topics. Most museums

are closed on Tuesdays and many on Mondays

as well. It is advisable to have cash on hand

as many museums do not accept credit cards.

Tallinn is also bustling well into the night with

booming and blooming club scene. Clubs are

usually open and packed with energised vibes

from Thursday to Sunday, with Friday and Sat-

urday drawing the liveliest of crowds. In addi-

tion to local and resident DJs, clubs frequently

present guest performers from London, the

US and other club hubs. For those looking for

a more mellow night on the town, Tallinn’s

street are brimming with pubs, vinoteks and

bar-restaurants, many of which offer live mu-

sic even on weekdays. Rather take in a movie?

Films in cinemas are shown in the original lan-

guage with subtitles.


shopsSouvenir shops in Tallinn and most other tour-

ist locations are open seven days a week,

10:00-18:00 or 19:00. Big supermarkets and

hypermarkets are open seven days a week

from 9:00-21:00 or 10:00-22:00. Department

stores close a few hours earlier on Sundays or,

in smaller towns, may be closed on Sundays.

Smaller food shops may have shorter open-

ing hours. Some 24-hour shops can be found

as well. Other shops usually open at 9:00 or

10:00 and close at 18:00 or 19:00; they of-

ten close early on Saturdays and are closed on

Sundays. The majority of shops accept credit

cards, with the exception of smaller stores and

stores in rural areas.

souvenirsSouvenir and shopping preferences vary

hugely but there are certain souvenir gifts that

have gladdened many a heart. Estonian handi-

craft comes in many forms. There are woollen

sweaters and mittens with local ethnic pat-

terns, linen sheets and tablecloths, crocheted

shawls and veils, colourful woven rugs, hand-

made jewellery and glassware, baskets, and

an array of wooden spoons and butterknives

made from juniper. Fine and applied art for

show and purchase is on display at art gal-

leries around the country, featuring graph-

ics, glass, ceramics, hand-painted silk scarves

and leatherwork. Various herbal teas from

wild plants are available at pharmacies. Local

honey – pure or fl avoured, e.g. ginger, is an-

other delicious treat. In rural areas, you may

fi nd hand-milled fl our. And those who keep

coming back swear by the Estonian black rye

bread. To bring home local spirits, popular

choices include Vana Tallinn or kristallkümmel

liqueur or local beer. And there is no place bet-

ter than Estonia to buy Estonian music.

CrimeAlthough common sense is advisable in all

destinations, Estonia gives no particular reason

to be excessively worried. Do not walk the un-

lit and abandoned areas alone at night. Do not

leave bags or items of value in the car, as not

to tempt car thieves or robbers. Pickpockets

may operate at crowded tourist destinations

in Tallinn, so make sure your wallet and docu-

ments are stored safely.

LanguageEstonian is not widely spoken in the world, so

Estonians do not expect short-term visitors to

master the local language. Still, local people

are thrilled and pleased to hear a foreigner say

“Tere!” (Hi!) or “Aitäh (Thank you) in Estonian.

Knowledge of foreign languages is naturally a

must for hotel staff and numerous other pro-

fessions in the service sector. Many people are

fl uent in English, particularly the younger ur-

ban generation, and a great number of people

also speak Finnish, due to Finnish TV, Finland’s

close proximity to Estonia and the great num-

ber of Finnish tourists. German is less widely

spoken in Estonia, although previous genera-

tions have often studied German, not English,

at school. Russian-language use has dropped

to a point where older people no longer speak

the language well and the younger generation

have already chosen other languages to learn

at school. Studying French has become more

popular over the last few years but the number

of people who speak French is still quite small.

An English-Estonian dictionary is available on-

line at www.ibs.ee/dict.

estoniansEstonians are typical Nordic people – they are

reserved, not too talkative and speak rather

monotonously, with very little intonation. All

this may give one the impression of coldness

bordering on rudeness. But rest assured, this

is not the case, and the speaker may actu-

ally be extremely well-meaning, even excited.

There are several well-known Estonian sayings,

such as “Think fi rst, then speak”, “Weigh eve-

rything carefully nine times before making a

move”, and “Talking is silver, silence is gold”.

It is, therefore, no wonder that the people are

not very good at small talk, do not waste too

much time on grand introductions, and usually

come straight to the point. This is why Estoni-

ans’ English may sometimes sound shockingly

direct. There is, however, often a subtle irony

involved in Estonians’ utterances - delivered

with a serious face and just the slightest twin-

kle of the eye.

Estonians are relatively individualistic. There

is a saying that fi ve Estonians mean six par-

ties. Even though people agree on the fi nal

objective, they insist on reaching it in their

own ways. Estonians also value their privacy.

In the old days, it was said that the neigh-

bour’s house was close enough if you could

see the smoke from the chimney. Modern,

tight-packed urbanites fl ock to remote coun-

tryside on the weekends to enjoy more space

and privacy.

Even though guests at birthday parties and

concerts are rather quiet and subdued in the

onset, they warm up eventually and turn into

a direct opposite of their day-character, as you

are likely to see in Tallinn’s clubs.


I TOURISM

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