Finnish manufacturing is growing as companies specialize, invest boldly, and collaborate. Promeco and FinnSonic demonstrate what happens when long-term commitment and courage are supported by the right ecosystem.

 

Summary:

Export industry growth stories: Promeco, FinnSonic, and the MAKE ecosystem

• Promeco Group has doubled its revenue over four years, surpassing €100 million in 2025. Over 90% of its products are exported.
• More than 80% of FinnSonic's revenue comes from exports. New channels have opened in North America, Switzerland, and South Korea.
• The MAKE ecosystem connects companies of all sizes and spans the entire industrial value chain. The collaboration platform strengthens partnerships, shares expertise, and enables joint projects.
• Subcontractors and exporters aren't separate worlds: subcontractors are often exporters, and partners' successes are interlinked.
• Growth requires specialization, bold decisions, and long-term commitment.

 

Promeco's revenue doubled over four years

Promeco Group Oy's revenue surpassed the €100 million mark in 2025. Over four years, revenue doubled, with growth exceeding 20% in a single year, and the workforce grew to 700 employees across Finland and Poland. The company manufactures electrical and mechanical technology for the marine industry, the energy sector, and rail transport, with over 90% of its products exported. Growth has been driven by the energy transition, which has boosted demand in the areas where Promeco has specialized over the long term. In addition, main contractors are increasingly outsourcing larger packages and placing greater value on expertise.

– Our customers want to focus on their core competencies and buy specialized expertise elsewhere. We need to live up to that trust, says CEO Ville Ritakorpi.

Promeco's long-standing customer relationships have evolved into partnerships.

– When our customer grows, we grow with them. High demands also drive us to develop: we have systematically taken on even the strictest requirements, says Hanna Pahkala, Director of Sales and Marketing.

– Specialization and finding your own value creation are decisive. You must be willing to say no to projects that don't align with your business strategy, Ritakorpi adds.
IMAGE: Promeco Group Oy manufactures electrical and metal technology. In 2025, the company's revenue surpassed €100 million. Over 90% of its products are exported.
 

Over 80% of FinnSonic's revenue is derived from exports

Lahti-based FinnSonic Oy designs and manufactures industrial ultrasonic cleaning lines and penetrant inspection lines for the aviation industry. Founded in 1979, the family business generates over 80% of its revenue from exports, distributed through around 30 partners worldwide.

Over the past couple of years, the company has opened new channels in the United States, Switzerland, and South Korea. These choices are demand-driven: the US has a large market for automated industrial cleaning lines; high-tech manufacturers in South Korea are seeking innovative solutions; and Switzerland's demanding small-batch industry requires high-quality cleaning.

– Our core competence, and at the same time our competitive edge, is designing and delivering comprehensive solutions: we provide cleaning or inspection processes optimized for the customer's specific needs, says CEO Jukka Rantanen.

Rantanen characterises the relationship between an export company and its subcontracting network as symbiotic.

– We need the subcontracting network, and the subcontracting network needs companies like us that take products into the world. Each one's success is intertwined with the other's, he adds.
IMAGE: FinnSonic Oy designs and manufactures industrial ultrasonic cleaning and penetrant inspection lines for the aviation industry. Over 80% of the company's revenue is generated through exports.
 

The MAKE ecosystem helps the industrial value chain to grow together

MAKE – The Finnish Manufacturing Ecosystem is the main partner of the Alihankinta 2026 trade fair. The MAKE community comprises nearly 80 member companies, ranging from industrial groups such as Nokia and Wärtsilä to growing SMEs. The ecosystem is coordinated by DIMECC Oy.

Through its four expert networks (ExNet), the MAKE ecosystem provides experts with a place to network, share knowledge and expertise, and find partners for joint development.

– Through the ecosystem, companies strengthen the competitiveness of the Finnish manufacturing industry together, across sector and value chain boundaries. They share their expertise, develop new technologies and solutions, and build collaboration and business opportunities for international markets, explains Clémentine Arpiainen, Ecosystem Director.
IMAGE: Clémentine Arpiainen from DIMECC Oy leads operations for the MAKE in Finland ecosystem.
 

Sparks, partners, and joint development projects

MAKE has also contributed to the growth of Promeco and FinnSonic. FinnSonic made use of MAKE's data accelerator programme, which inspired the company to productize its digital services.

– We have offered customer-specific digital services as part of our solutions for over 20 years. Last autumn, we launched the Smart Assistant digital service for automatic cleaning lines. The spark for this project came through MAKE, says Juhana Rikkinen, Sales Manager at FinnSonic.

For Promeco, MAKE has opened a channel for sharing expertise and for joint development projects.

– For example, people working in production, technology, and sustainability find each other across organizational boundaries through the ecosystem. When experiences are shared and we see how others do things, we can jointly build the strengths of the entire Finnish manufacturing industry, says Hanna Pahkala, Director of Sales and Marketing.

– Companies can also share the investment burden across the ecosystem when partners with shared interests come together, adds CEO Ville Ritakorpi.
IMAGE: MAKE in Finland currently brings together nearly 80 partners across the value chain to develop sustainable and efficient production, strengthening competitiveness and growth.
 

The collaboration platform fosters solutions and partnerships

The results of the TeknoBaro survey (in Finnish), published in June 2026, indicate that growth opportunities are once again evident in the Finnish technology industry.

– In particular, the defence and security sector, AI, and energy solutions are creating new markets. The question, however, is not only where growth arises but also whether we dare to invest in it boldly and consistently enough, says ecosystem director Arpiainen.

As a small country, Finland's competitiveness rests on expertise, technology, and collaboration. At the same time, supply chain resilience has become an increasingly important competitive factor in the international operating environment.

– When companies know one another, build trust, and develop solutions together, they strengthen the Finnish industry's ability to respond to disruptions and seize new growth opportunities. That's why collaboration platforms like the MAKE ecosystem matter: they help companies build solutions and partnerships that strengthen Finland's supply security, export industry, and international competitiveness, Arpiainen concludes.

Want to join the MAKE ecosystem and be part of the driving force behind growth in Finland’s export industry? The Alihankinta 2026 trade fair takes place in Tampere from 29 September to 1 October 2026. Read more and sign up!