Internationalization Awards of the President of the Republic are presented to Neural DSP Technologies, Kuusakoski Group, AGCO Corporation and EnergyVaasa

Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, has granted the annual internationalization award to successful Finnish companies. Neural DSP Technologies, which develops and manufactures digital sound processing software and equipment, is awarded the Newcomer Company of 2023 award, and Kuusakoski Group, a recycling and foundry group, will receive the Growth Company award. The Long-term International Investor award goes to AGCO Corporation. The Community Award of the Year is granted to EnergyVaasa.

The Internationalization Award of the President of the Republic of Finland is bestowed annually in recognition of internationally successful companies or communities. Particular attention is paid to competitiveness, the international nature of the business and profitability. In addition, the evaluation emphasizes the ethical nature of operations, the impact on the development of Finnish competence and employment, as well as investments in Finland and the promotion of Finland's innovation ecosystem. The companies' backgrounds are determined through the same Know Your Customer process through which financial institutions and other operators identify and know their customers as well as the quality and scope of their activities.

- The awarded companies demonstrate in an excellent way the importance of continuous innovation both in terms of competitive advantage, internationalization and sustainable development. In addition to international success, the evaluation emphasized green transition and sustainable development, says Ilona Lundström, Chairman of the Team Finland Executive Group and Director-General at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Nominations were proposed by various business organizations. The final award recipients were proposed to the president by the actors of the Team Finland network, Business Finland, ELY centers (Centers for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), Finnvera, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Neural revolutionized digital audio processing and is growing quickly

The recipient of the Newcomer Company award, Neural DSP Technologies, develops and manufactures digital audio processing software and equipment. The company's products are based on algorithmic research and machine learning, which has enabled the digitalization of traditional, expensive music equipment. Neural created and launched its effect processor onto the market, which revolutionized the entire digital audio processing sector, both in terms of technology and user-friendliness. Technology has reduced the cost of digital audio processing, making devices available to everyone for a fraction of the original price. Neural's hardware products are distributed by major music retailers around the world. The company's turnover in 2022 was EUR 30 million and its head office is in Punavuori, Helsinki.

- We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. At Neural DSP, our mission is to revolutionize the music industry with cutting-edge neural audio processing technology. This recognition from the President of the country that opened its doors to two immigrants who came here with nothing more than big dreams and the drive to invent amazing things inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation on a global scale, says Douglas Castro (CEO, Co-founder) and Francisco Cresp (CPO, Co-founder) from Neural.

Kuusakoski Group's recycling and foundry businesses play a significant role in enabling the green transition

Kuusakoski Group, presented with the Growth Company award, is a recycling and foundry group founded in 1914, the majority of whose business comes from exports or international subsidiaries. The Kuusakoski Group consists of Kuusakoski Oy, which is in the recycling business, and Alteams Oy, which is in the foundry business. Kuusakoski Group launched a distinct green transition investment program in the autumn of 2022, which is one concrete example of the company's goal to be a responsible pioneer in the circular economy. Every year, the company delivers more than one million tons of recycled materials and products, such as recycled metals, as raw material for the manufacturing industry.

- Kuusakoski has grown throughout the period of industrialization in Finland after the wars, and strong internationalization in the following decades also helped us grow. Now the driver for growth is our customers' increased need for low-carbon raw materials. I am particularly proud of our consistent product development and investments in cutting-edge technological know-how throughout our company's 110-year history, says Veikko Kuusakoski, CEO of Kuusakoski Group.

AGCO's investments have laid the foundation for global demand

The award for long-term international investor went to AGCO Corporation. 

År 2004 blev den amerikanska AGCO-koncernen ägare till ett affärskomplex som köpts av Kone, som innehåller verksamheten i AGCO Power Oy och Valtra Oy Ab som exportföretag, och AGCO Suomi Oy, som ansvarar för den finska marknaden. AGCO är en internationell föregångare inom utveckling, tillverkning och distribution av jordbruksmaskiner och lösningar för precisionslantbruk. Bland koncernens finska företag fokuserar Valtra på tillverkning av traktorer och merparten av omsättningen för Nokia-baserade AGCO Power Oy kommer från försäljning av motorer och transmissionskomponenter.

Investeringarna har fortsatt även under 2020-talet. På AGCO Power, som sysselsätter cirka 950 personer, har fokus legat på produktutveckling och flexibel automatiserad tillverkning. I september 2023 publicerade Valtra överföringen av produktionen av sin flaggskeppstraktor från Frankrike tillbaka till Finland. Bakgrunden är investeringen på tiotals miljoner i fabrikens logistikcenter och renoveringen av färgverkstaden. Valtra har 1 100 anställda i Suolahti och utbyggnaden av kraftöverföringsfabriken kommer att skapa 200 fler jobb under de närmaste åren.

- The international growth stories of Valtra and AGCO Power continue to be fueled through substantial investments of hundreds of millions of euros in product development and manufacturing that have laid the foundation in Finland for the growing global demand for our products, say Valtra Managing Director Jari Rautjärvi ja AGCO Power Managing Director Juha Tervala.

EnergyVaasa is the largest energy technology cluster in the Nordics

Community Award winner EnergyVaasa is a network of energy companies and research institutes founded in 2001. The cluster aims to develop sustainable technology solutions that help reduce emissions and save energy on a global scale. It consists of nearly 200 companies and other organizations. The combined annual turnover of the companies is EUR 6 billion, of which exports account for more than 80%. The companies develop cutting-edge technology that focuses on smart energy solutions, shipping, sustainable energy, flexible energy development and digitalization, among other things. Cooperation plays a significant role in the region, and the operations have been coordinated by Oy Merinova Ab and Vaasanseudun kehitys Oy VASEK.

- The EnergyVaasa cluster is the most significant energy technology concentration in the Nordics. Here, even competing companies innovate and jointly develop energy-efficient solutions, which help achieve global climate goals and at the same time create a significant share of Finland's technology exports, say VASEK and Merinova CEOs Stefan Råback and Mika Konu.

Photos of the companies: businessfinland.kuvat.fi/i/ADR96Zv4JnBsxcMHGg2EqwemYjTz7d8P

Photo account of the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland; https://www.flickr.com/photos/tpkanslia/

More information:

• Team Finland: Risto Huhta-Koivisto, Senior Advisor, Business Finland, [email protected], +358 40 343 3347
• Neural DSP Technologies Oy: Dan Davies, CMO, [email protected], +447732084193
• Kuusakoski Group: Tuomas Haikka, CSO, [email protected], +358 40 749 4218
• AGCO Group: Pamela Engels, Senior Manager, Communications & Digital Marketing, [email protected], +358 40 1983 855
• EnergyVaasa: Kristoffer Jansson, Communications & Brand Manager, Vaasanseudun Kehitys Oy VASEK, [email protected] +358 40 539 4055

The Team Finland network promotes the success of Finland and Finnish companies around the world. With its publicly funded services, the network supports companies in internationalization, attracts investments in Finland and builds Finland’s image around the world. Read more about Team Finland and its services on 
www.team-finland.fi

www.team-finland.fi