Finnish Engineering Award for Visedo Oy

Doctors of Science (Technology) Kimmo Rauma, Antti Tarkiainen and Risto Tiainen and Masters of Science (Technology) Tero Järveläinen and Matti Iskanius are the recipients of the Finnish Engineering Award 2018. The EUR 30,000 award was granted by TEK and TFiF to the Lappeenranta-based Visedo Oy for their development and implementation work regarding smart and electronic transmission systems.

The power electronic components and software products developed by the awarded team are used to supply electric power to loaders, lorries, rock crushing machinery and ships.

If a machine uses electric power during its peak loads, its energy efficiency and functional qualities are improved. For example, the electric lorry Sisu Polar Hybrid increases the power measurement of heavy lorries to over one thousand. With the help of an electric motor and supercapacitors, the power of the lorry can be momentarily nearly doubled to 1,140 horsepower.

At best, the fuel consumption of electronic work machinery has been proved to decrease by half compared to conventional diesel-powered machinery. Simultaneously, productivity per working hour has increased by up to 40 per cent.

The awarded development work and the subsequent commercial success began with an idea by Kimmo Rauma, the founder of Visedo Oy. Rauma gathered a team of renowned experts of technology, who helped Visedo become a leading global supplier of electronic work machinery power lines.

Cleantech has had an increasing demand for work machinery and vehicles: the company was founded in 2009 and its turnover has nearly doubled every year. Last year, it was almost EUR 10 million. 90% of their turnover is based on exports. Their primary markets are in Central Europe and Asia.

From the very beginning, the company’s business idea has been to design custom electric systems to meet the customer’s demands with its own components and software. Their high-profile clients include Volvo CE, Logset and Sisu Auto.

The keys to their success are strong investment in product development in cooperation with Tekes and Lappeenranta University of Technology, among others, and marketing competence.
In autumn 2017, Danfoss became the owner of Visedo. In the deal, Visedo became Danfoss Mobile Electrification as a part of the Danish Danfoss Group. Vice President Kimmo Rauma is in charge of the unit.

Danfoss Mobile Electrification aims to increase its turnover by 2020 to EUR 30–50 million.
The jury valued the diversity of the team’s competence. The technological development work has been successful in creating something new, and the results have been marketed impeccably.   

The Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland, TEK, and Tekniska Föreningen i Finland, TFiF, present the annual Finnish Engineering Award to a person or team who has had a significant contribution to the technological competence in Finland. The prize is EUR 30,000. TEK’s technological committee, who also function as the selection panel, are in charge of nominating candidates. The final decision is made by the boards of TEK and TFiF.

There were 25 nominated innovations for the Finnish Engineering Award 2018, six of which were selected to the finals. The award ceremony was held in the Tech Day in Finland event at Finlandia Hall on 15 May.