Vaisala

For the village in Samoa, see Vaisala (Samoa)
Vaisala
Public (OMX: VAIAS)
Founded 1936 (as Mittari Oy)
Headquarters Vantaa, Finland
Key people
 Kjell Forsen, CEO
Products environmental and industrial measurement instruments
Revenue Increase 299.7 million EUR (2014)[1]
Increase 23.4 million EUR (2014)[1]
Number of employees
 1,613 (31.12.2014)
Website www.vaisala.com

Vaisala (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋæi̯sælæ]) is a Finnish company that develops, manufactures and markets products and services for environmental and industrial measurement.

The major customer groups and markets are national meteorological and hydrological services, aviation authorities, defense forces, road authorities, the weather critical energy sector, life science and high-technology industries and building automation.

Vaisala had 1,600 employees and net sales of €299.7 million in 2014. Vaisala serves customers in more than 140 countries; operations outside Finland accounted for 97% of net sales in 2014.[1]

The parent company Vaisala Oyj, domicile in Vantaa, Finland, is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Vaisala Group has offices and operations in Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, China, India, Sweden, Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Japan[2] and Australia.

History

Vaisala's origins date back to the 1930s when Professor Vilho Väisälä(1889-1969), Vaisala's founder and long-time managing director, invented some of the operating principles of a radiosonde. He sent the first Finnish radiosonde aloft in December 1931. After the first sounding, Väisälä continued with further development and tests until a radiosonde could be brought into production and deliveries started in 1936. From the very start, Vaisala was an international business, exporting 95 percent of the production. As the Vaisala radiosonde became internationally renowned, the demand for them increased. In 1944, Prof. Väisälä established a company called Mittari Oy ("Gauge Incorporated") and set up manufacturing facilities for radiosonde systems. The first sounding system included a semi-automatic radiosonde receiver, a calibration device and a ground check set. The company employed 13 people at the time. Later, in 1955, the name of Mittari was changed to Vaisala.

From a modest start, the company evolved to become a world leader in many measurement fields and to establish a noteworthy Finnish export industry. At the end of 1954 a modern manufacturing plant was relocated in Vantaa. Since then, the headquarters have been expanded several times and Vaisala's product range has been diversified and expanded greatly. Nowadays Vaisala employs over 1,400 people and exports 98 percent of its production to over 120 countries.[3]

Commercial production since 1936

After the first sounding, Väisälä continued with further development and tests until a radiosonde could be brought into commercial production. Radiosonde deliveries started in 1936. Amongst its first customers was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1937, Väisälä's radiosonde won a gold medal at the World Fair in Paris.

Recovering from the wars

World War II, the Finnish Winter War 1939–1940 and the Finnish Continuation War 1941–1944 disrupted many lives, and upset business and delivery activities internationally. The post-war decades witnessed a strenuous effort to revive the national and international economies. Vaisala grew to employ 60 people in 1954. The first issue of Vaisala News magazine was published in 1959. Thanks to major product development efforts, during the 1950s and 1960s the Vaisala Sounding System became completely electronic, the first automatic radiosonde receiver and the world's first fully transistorized radiosonde were introduced, and the first weather satellite image receiver was delivered. Yrjö Toivola took over as the Managing Director of the company when Professor Vilho Väisälä died in 1969.

Vigorous 70s & 80s

The 1970s and 1980s were busy decades for Vaisala. Thin-film technology was developed for Vaisala HUMICAP relative humidity sensors - the first in the world. The Vaisala CORA Automatic Sounding System - along with automatic weather stations, road weather stations and aviation weather systems - was introduced. In 1975, Vaisala employed over 200 people. During the 1980s, numerous new offices were established to ensure the company's ability to serve customers worldwide - in the UK, Japan, USA, Germany, and Australia. A traffic weather company was also acquired in the UK. Vaisala's first clean room was built to enable the design and manufacture of semiconductors in-house. Vaisala BAROCAP barometric pressure sensor technology was introduced, as well as a new radiosonde family - the Vaisala Radiosonde RS80. The Professor Vilho Väisälä Award was established in cooperation with the WMO, to stimulate interest in meteorological research involving meteorological observation methods and instruments.

New millennium

CEO Pekka Ketonen was appointed in 1992. This could be seen to mark the beginning of yet another era in Vaisala's development. The company was listed on the Helsinki Exchanges in 1994. By then, it employed over 600 people. Further product developments included the introduction of GPS technology for upper air wind measurement, the Vaisala CARBOCAP CO2 sensor, and Vaisala DRYCAP sensor technology for industrial dewpoint measurement. New offices were established in France and China, and business acquisitions in aviation weather and surface weather further enhanced Vaisala's presence in the USA.

The new millennium was kicked-off with yet more business acquisitions - in wind profiling, lightning detection and aviation weather. U.S. manufacturing operations were concentrated in Boulder, Colorado. New product launches included a new radiosonde product family - the Vaisala Radiosonde RS92, as well as the Vaisala Weather Transmitter, which measures the six most essential weather parameters in one compact instrument. A new and improved clean room is another recent introduction, and a clear sign of the company’s commitment to quality and innovation.

CEO Ketonen retired October 1, 2006. Vaisala's board of directors appointed Kjell Forsén the new company CEO. Forsén last served as president of Ericsson Finland before joining Vaisala on September 18, 2006.

Vaisala technology has played a part in space exploration, for instance the Mars Rover Curiosity contains pressure and humidity sensors manufactured by Vaisala.[4]

History of acquisitions and divestments

The Vaisala Group strives for global market and product leadership in selected business areas [5] The goal is achieved mainly by organic growth and supplemented by corporate acquisitions.

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Vaisala business areas

Vaisala’s core business is environmental measurement, especially weather measurement, and corresponding industrial measurements. The Business Areas are based on customers' measuring range and needs: Broad range, medium and operation specific range, and closed environments. The three Business Areas are further divided into ten market segments:

Meteorology

The Meteorology business area serves national meteorological and hydrological institutes whose primary interest is the safety and wellbeing of people, as well as safeguarding property. The business area is divided into two segments.

Established Markets

The Established Markets segment caters for customers that typically purchase products and services according to standard specifications. The focus is on reducing customers’ operating costs by increasing the cost-efficiency of products, automation and remote monitoring, as well as expanding the services offering.

Emerging Markets

The Emerging Markets segment caters for customers that ask for turnkey projects and capability upgrades to predict severe weather. Their needs also include standard weather observation equipment, systems and services. Damages from natural disasters increase, driving the need for capability upgrades within hydrology and meteorology.

Weather Critical Operations

The Weather Critical Operations business area serves operators and authorities whose primary interest is the safety and effectiveness of operations under all weather conditions. The business area is divided into five segments.

Airports

The Airports segment provides weather observation services to airport customers. It supports effective operational decision-making, and improves efficiency, safety and environmental compatibility of airport operations.

Defense

The Defense segment serves defense forces and security organizations. Awareness of weather is a basis for better decision making and improved safety and efficiency in air, land and sea operations. In addition to their defense functions, many national defense organizations also control civilian airports and contribute to national weather forecasts.

Roads

The Roads segment serves road authorities with complete weather observation, traffic counting, and highway advisory product offerings. Vaisala's products and services support operational decision making to optimize traffic management and road maintenance operation efficiency and ensure safety.

Weather Critical Energy

The Weather Critical Energy segment focuses at electrical energy customers including electrical generation, distribution and transmission. It also includes energy load management and forecasting together with hydrology customers focused at hydro-electricity.

Targeted Business Development

The Targeted Business Development segment seeks for new market segments and serves customers in the Weather Critical Operations business area which do not belong to any other segment. New segments are searched systematically through analysis, piloting, and entry phases, each with specific development activities.

Controlled Environment

The Controlled Environment business area serves customers who operate in tightly controlled and demanding areas where the measurement of precise environmental conditions is required to increase operational quality, productivity and energy savings. The business area is divided into three segments.

Life Science and High Technology

Life Science and High Technology provides measurement services for highly controlled research, production and storage areas to continuously monitor precise environmental conditions.

Focus areas

Building Automation

The Building Automation segment caters for applications focused on the control and optimization of indoor heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings. Energy optimization and indoor air quality are the driving forces for customers. Customers include:

Targeted Industrial Applications

The Targeted Industrial Applications segment caters for customers in selected demanding applications in industrial processes and equipment manufacturing. Customers include:

Product groups

Measurement Instruments

Measurement Systems

Vaisala Marwin Rawinsonde Set MW 12

Application and Services

Services and Data Subscription Services

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Vaisala Corporation Financial Statement Release 2014". Vaisala. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ Vaisala's research on desertification processes
  3. ↑ Vaisala's History website
  4. ↑ "Mars Rover Curiosity Equipped with Vaisala's Pressure and Humidity Sensors" (Press release). Vaisala. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Vaisala Stock Exchange Release 5 November 2008
  6. ↑ "Press Release: Vaisala Expands Presence in Wind Energy through Acquisition of Second Wind Systems Inc.". Vaisala.com. August 14, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Stock Exchange Release: Vaisala Acquires Renewable Energy Assessment and Forecasting Services Company". Vaisala.com. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.

External links