This article was originally published in Finnish magazine Business News (HS Kuukausiliite). You can read the article in Finnish HERE.
FORCIT Group has set for itself the ambitious goal of becoming the industry leader in sustainability. The company is a Nordic player genuinely committed to the values of sustainable development, whose long-standing know-how ranges from the expertise of blasting and excavation work to intelligent defence systems.
– Reliability and safety in everything we do have always been our most important values in the almost 130-year history of our entire company, emphasizes Joakim Westerlund, the CEO of Forcit Group.
– From our point of view, safety means not only the safety of production and the safety of our employees, but also the safety of the surrounding environment and the users of our products. Our impact is seen in the processing chain of metals required for the sustainable development of societies, in extractive industry, and in the construction of new infrastructure for society, elaborates Saila Savolainen, FORCIT Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer.
The entire supply chain benefits
– Sustainable development brings not only requirements but also opportunities. It has already boosted our business and we want to be actively involved in driving global change for the better, Westerlund says.
Forcit’s core business is in the Nordic countries, which Westerlund sees as a strength.
– Nordic society with its sustainable values is strict in its expectations and requirements. This forces us to develop as well and brings great opportunities through various channels of cooperation.
Three years ago, Forcit launched the EPD process for its products, i.e., an environmental impact assessment for the entire life cycle of its products.
– Our understanding increased considerably and at the same time attention was paid to our subcontracting chains. Our level of requirement for our own operations and subcontractors, as well as logistics, is high, which has had a positive effect on the chain. The benefits arising from this will also be realised for our customers, Savolainen says.
Acquisition brought world class digital know-how
In the early summer, Forcit made a strategic acquisition of software company O-Pitblast, which has very advanced and easy-to-use design and analysis tools for blasting and excavation. Together with Forcit’s technology solutions and expertise, these tools enable a new level of continuous optimisation of blasting and environmental impact management at both mining and excavation sites.
– We want to accelerate the digitalisation of the industry and we are now able to offer our customers a very broad service concept from design to implementation as well as implementation analysis and optimisation, Westerlund is proud to say.
Writer: Jari Peltoranta