An investment process that has continued for about a year now reaches its conclusion: Prokon Energisystem GmbH confirms that it will establish operations in Vaasa.
Prokon Energisysteme GmbH employs around 900 persons and has a 15-year experience in renewable energies. At the moment, the company's core business areas are wind power, biofuels, biomass and ecological investments. The company headquarters are located in Itzehoe in Germany, and there are also branches and representations in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.
Started with invitation to Vaasa Wind Exchange 2011
Prokon manufactures wind power plants as well as erects and operates them. The company has been planning to establish operations in Finland for a long time already, but in the end it was all a coincidence.
- This has been a most interesting and educational process and it has advanced logically. We met with the help of Invest in Finland at the Husum WindEnergy exhibition in Germany. I invited them to the first Vaasa Wind Exchange that took place last spring, and I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that they came with such determination, says Raine Vasanoja, Senior Business Advisor in charge of Invest In-cases at the Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK.
- Since then we have worked on details of locating, business premises, employees and networks. Things have proceeded in a straightforward process, Vasanoja adds.
VASEK has assisted Prokon from the very beginning with questions regarding office space, various legal aspects of starting a company in Finland and the recruitment process that is being launched.
Cooperation partners in the region
One major factor behind establishing operations in Vaasa were partner deals with Infinergies Finland Oy in Kempele and The Switch in Vaasa.
- Besides, Vaasa is located in the center of everything and the region is going to invest significantly in renewable energy forms in the years to come, Reimar J. C. von Wachholtz, Head Team Project Management, tells.
- Prokon clearly adds value to the region as well as brings new competence and new opportunities both for developing wind power and concrete operations. They are committed and goal-oriented, EnergyVaasas Marketing Director Robert Olander describes.
Next: Qualified employees
The company's challenges of finding office space were flexibly solved in cooperation with Vaasa Parks Ltd. The next challenge is recruitment. During the fall Prokon aims to recruit 8 persons to start up the company operations in Vaasa.
- Our goal is to find outgoing and dynamic professionals who have existing networks and who find renewable energy forms as a positive challenge. We have recently started local recruiting using a number of different channels and we are expecting a great interest, von Wachholtz says.
- We have our own training program for our employees, so the most important thing is to be enthusiastic and have excellent cooperation skills. The duties include an active dialogue with landowners, authorities, other wind power developers and regional organizations.
Clear vision and clear goals
- A year from now, Prokon has 8-10 wind power projects running. The business establishing process is looking good and we are proceeding according to a defined strategy, von Wachholtz says.
Lars Hentze is Prokon's first employee in Vaasa. He's excited about the project and new colleagues.
- Finns are reliable and sincere as cooperation partners, and Vaasa seems in every aspect to be a positive environment for developing company operations and the wind energy industry in Finland. We also get help in organizing housing for our employees, Hentze says thankfully.
Language could be a challenge for Prokon, but in the light of this, choosing an international university city is an excellent choice. Hentze is already quite fluent in Finnish, as he has lived and studied in Turku before moving to Vaasa.
For more information, contact
Raine Vasanoja
+358 44 332 2159
raine.vasanoja@vasek.fi
