The Hindu Business Line : Indo-Finnish ties: A story of synergies

Industrial design has been Finland's strong point, with an aim to fashion working environments that are ergonomic and soothing. A talented and innovative people, the Finns justly feel proud of their technology outfits and global patents.

THE FINNISH Prime Minister, Mr Matti Vanhanen, with the Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath.

Finland. A country synonymous with such brands as Nokia, Kone, Ecocat (catalytic convertors), Metso (pulp and paper, rock and mineral processing), Kemira (fire-retardant products), Suunto (precision sports equipment for scuba divers), et al.

The recent visit to India, and in particular to Chennai, of its Prime Minister, Mr Matti Taneli Vanhanen, accompanied by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Ms Susanna Huovinen, besides a number of Finnish captains of business and industry, has heightened Indian interest and knowledge of the "northern miracle" — the thriving nation that Finland is.

It is a country of contrasts: Europe's fifth largest country with a population just one-third that of Delhi. It is a unique North-South and East-West meeting point. The impact of the Ice Age is unmistakably seen: Finland is still emerging from the sea, its area growing by 7 sq. km. each year, and the land in Helsinki rising 30 cm every 100 years.

Focus on forests

With some 100 Finnish companies currently doing business with India, trade is only growing between the two countries.

With two-thirds of its area covered by woodland — four hectares of forest per inhabitant, around 15 times the European average — Finland is one of the world's most extensively forested countries.

Most of the country is in the northern coniferous zone. The main trees are pine, spruce, and birch. Plywood, cellulose and paperboard factories form the backbone of its economy, with forest industry exports accounting for half of the net value of Finnish exports. Finland also has an important position as a manufacturer of forest industry machinery, Finnish engineering workshops claim to have supplied about a fifth of world's paper-making machines.

Heavy investments in the 1970s helped bring about a wholesale restructuring of the Finnish economy. Employment shifted out of traditional sectors such as agriculture into services and new manufacturing industries. The manufacturing sector, in turn, moved from almost complete dependence on forest-based industries to metal and engineering and electronics.

Specialisation helped Finnish companies become world market leaders in products as diverse as icebreakers and special sweeteners. Much of Finnish innovation has, in fact, come from adapting to nature and the resources available in the country.The country is one of the world's leading designers and builders of icebreakers and an important manufacturer of industrial installations in Arctic areas. Over half the icebreakers in the world are built in Finland. Oil platforms and drilling ships have been among newer areas of activities. Finnish luxury yachts are world-renowned.

Finland is also one of the biggest producers of welded pipes in Europe. It has made rapid advances in electronics and hi-tech areas: hospital equipment, electronic components, in addition to mobile phones. Metals and engineering account for one-third share of Finnish industry; every third worker is employed in these industries, which export 40 per cent of their production.

Hothouse of design

Derived from centuries of tradition, the Finnish design developed through an interaction of national character and national ecology, which is often reflected in the motif, form, combination of colours, material, or in the way the material is used. Industrial design has been Finland's strong point, with an aim to fashion working environments that are ergonomic and soothing. A talented and innovative people, the Finns feel justly proud of their technology outfits and global patents.

The rich design resource support has helped export production of consumer products - apparel, footwear, furniture and glassware, pottery and jewellery. In the 1950s, Kaj Franck designed tableware using faience; "Kilta" became a household word. Chairs designed by Alvar Aalto between the World Wars are classic now.

Known for several internationally famous scholars and scientists, Finland similarly reflects the influence of both Byzantium and the art of the early Renaissance in the creations of several artists. Architecture has held a strong position in Finnish society, mainly owing to the contribution of dynamic pioneers like Elial Saarinen and Alvar Aalto. Today, the human element in construction and closeness to nature in the immediate surroundings are indeed the cardinal features. Finland takes pride in its medicare; it has one of the lowest rates of infant mortality in the world. The population is becoming increasingly older and female-dominated.

One half of the university students in Finland are women. Universities are all state-owned.

In this age of environmental decay and degradation of ecology, through this synthesis of man and nature, Finland commands for itself a unique place, splendid and sublime.

For a country that was under Swedish rule for 600 years and under the Russians for 150 years, the Finnish pride and patriotism is manifest in the stirring words of their renowned poet, Eino Leino: "This nation steadfast as a stone is built on rock. By God Almighty it was made to stand in sun, to stand in shade, a sovereign nation, tall and proud, our fathers' fatherland."

(The author is a former Managing Director of Concor.)

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