in trials that led to reduced morning delays and fewer student absences Open image viewerNinth graders at Akvarelli School are enjoying a later school start for the second year in a row Image: Dani Branthin / YleYle News16.10.2024 13:25•Updated 16.10.2024 13:34Schools in the city of Forssa moved the starting time for basic education classes from 8 to 9 am last year The feedback from the trial has been positive with the effort reducing delays by nearly half a 9th grader at Akvarelli school in Forssa I can do better in the afternoons because I can sleep a little longer in the mornings," she said Milo Sihvonen has also been enjoying calmer mornings "I have time to prepare for school without rushing," he explained Forssa first testing the later start time last year and decided to continue the arrangement the south-western city's education director the later starts not only significantly impacted the students but also staff members staff are more able to meet with pupils and parents before classes begin A few years ago it was reported that some schools in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere delayed school start times after a good deal of debate on the change Later school start times have also been extensively examined in international research Several studies suggest that later mornings benefit students "A later school start time helps extend sleep to some degree and has positive effects on young people's well-being," said Professor Anu-Katriina Pesonen a sleep researcher at the University of Helsinki Municipalities are able to independently decide their schools' starting times Uniform start times are typical in small municipalities with only a single primary school According to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities there are about 65 such municipalities in the country school start time often depends on factors like school transportation Staggered starting times in a municipality's schools are also common The overall duration of school days in Finland is limited to a maximum of six hours there are some challenges with later starts for the school system's youngest pupils "We have organised a morning club for first- and second graders which allows them to arrive at eight o'clock before school starts," he said later mornings have offered several advantages to the students students arrive at school more safely after the sun rises pupils are more cheerful when they arrive and are better able to do their schoolwork The atmosphere is more relaxed," he said Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. 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Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here Envi Grow Park is a modern concentration of both municipal and private multifaceted and competitive high-tech companies The Park has shown and will continue to show the way to a sustainable future for the bioeconomy Efficient zoning solutions and a compact industrial development model are boosting innovation and sustainable growth in southern Finland Envi Grow Park is currently home to more than 20 companies that specialise in recycling and waste management or operate with recycled materials and renewable energy The latest addition to the Park is a new biomethane filling station for cars and trucks Biomethane is also used in the manufacture of glass wool-based insulation materials and the green electricity produced from biogas by the local CHP unit is used in a printing house The project builds upon the achievements of the Forssa Envitech area which over the past 20 years has emerged as a major exponent of an increasingly integrated bioeconomy The Forssa area of southern Finland’s Kanta-Häme Region is resolutely green – “Bright Green Forssa Region” they call themselves – and Envi Grow Park is evolving into a virtuous circle where one industry’s recycled waste is another company’s fuel In addition to the closed-loop or circular model synergies that make Envi Grow Park’s operations so efficient and eco-friendly the Park benefits from the cutting-edge research and environmental expertise produced by its cluster of leading technological innovators In this way expertise and information are “recycled” along with materials Established and developing activities at the Park include the production of local organic food in large modern greenhouses; the production of green covers (sod turf) and bio-fertilisers; biogas bioethanol and synthetic diesel for use as transport fuel; the use of carbon dioxide separated from biogas; industrial aquaculture using bioenergy; and innovative recovery and reuse of by-products from the food industry Private and public investment over the next years is estimated to top EUR 150 000 000 as plans are already in place for a wind farm and for a bio-hybrid power plant combining biogas and bioethanol production Significant additional investments are expected from all operators in the Park Total investment for “Envi Grow Park” was EUR 285 600 of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributed EUR 114 240 from the “Southern Finland ERDF Programme” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Finland: Finland’s transmission system operator Fingrid will build a new 400 kV and 110 kV transmission line connection over the 69 km from Huittinen to Forssa The new transmission line will enable the growing electricity production surplus on the west coast of Finland to be transmitted to Southern Finland Construction of the transmission line will begin next year and the connection will be completed in 2025 The new 400 kV transmission line connection will increase the electricity transmission capacity from the west coast to Southern Finland and significantly improve energy efficiency reducing the power losses incurred in electricity transmission by 48,000 megawatt-hours per year It will also enable renewable electricity generators to connect to the grid The new transmission line connection will also allow for better maintenance outages and increase the fault tolerance of the grid the new 110 kV Metsämaa substation will be built in Loimaa helping to improve system security in the area Construction of the transmission line will begin in 2023 The investment cost of the project is approximately €60 M New electricity deal and planned gas pipeline aim to ease Syria’s energy crisis with 400 kV line and 6 million m3 of gas daily from Turkey Christian Bruch visits Baghdad to formalise agreement aimed at potentially adding 14 GW to Iraq’s energy capacity through infrastructure upgrades Xcel Energy will build a 280-km transmission line linking clean energy from southwest Minnesota to over 1 million homes across the Upper Midwest © 2013-2025 | All Rights Reserved MERIT MEDIA INT There are currently no upcoming/recent events Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here HELSINKI FINLAND JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 58 Rising tensions between asylum seekers and local residents have kept police officers busy in Forssa a detective chief inspector at the Häme Police Department reveals in an interview with Uusi Suomi that a couple of assaults occurred in the small municipality already before the widely-reported brawl between asylum seekers and local residents that broke out outside a reception centre on Tuesday was preceded by the assault of a 15-year-old local resident presumably by a person of foreign background Law enforcement authorities are currently looking into whether or not the incidents are connected A spokesperson for the Häme Police Department reveals in a press release that police officers are also aware of two incidents dating back to 12–13 August and 20 August in which a resident of the reception centre was assaulted The press release also indicates that an 18-year-old man with no known ties to extremist movements was arrested on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of menace in the aftermath of the brawl Repo admits that tensions between asylum seekers and local residents have escalated rapidly over the past couple of weeks “The relations became more strained towards the end of the summer I wonder if these assaults are one reason for that,” he commented Another possible reason for the heightened tensions may be rumours circulating on social media “Several unverified bits of information are spreading online exacerbating the division,” estimates Repo He urges both asylum seekers and local residents to keep a cool head and reveals that police officers have sat down with both sides of the dispute “Fears are currently running high at the reception centre – after all there's small children there as well They're baffled at how this has happened overnight,” he reminds Approximately one hundred local residents attended a demonstration accusing the mainstream media and law enforcement authorities of distorting facts and ignoring the concerns of the public in Forssa on Thursday but let's try and keep it verbal,” the instigator of the demonstration hollered Aleksi Teivainen – HTPhoto: LehtikuvaSource: Uusi Suomi Advertisement inquiries and other after-sales issues: info@helsinkitimes.fi Helsinki Times is the first and only English language newspaper providing news about Finland in English A weekly print edition of Helsinki Times was published from March 2007 up until Feb Helsinki Times is an online-only publication and other groups and individuals interested in Finland from all around the world © Helsinki Times All rights reserved.  Terms of Use | Privacy Policy it is a colorful but unrevealing storefront in the Grapevine Mills shopping mall that invites shoppers to "come find yourselfs" [sic] Its next lower stratum is a gift shop and café with an extremely peculiar floor plan and strange beverages like Gender Fluid for sale And the next layer below that is a beautiful summer evening at a quiet suburban home.. one slowly leaching into an extraordinary and alien multiverse.   Meow Wolf is an art collective specializing in immersive, story-driven art installations. Like the House of Eternal Return and Convergence Station before it the Real Unreal is built around an intriguing mystery with clues hidden in peculiar notes on refrigerators cryptic sequences chanted through alleyway payphones and the strange greetings given by otherworldly passers-by the creators have indicated that the stories of all these places are connected and that the Real Unreal and the House of Eternal Return are on the same multiversal cul-de-sac.  Interaction with the art pieces in the Real Unreal are included with the ticket price but guests are also invited to interact with over 20 Brain Beans hidden throughout the facility These odd entities give out code words that can be texted to a provided phone number for extra clues and hints about their environs.  There are over 165 individual projects that range wildly in size and scope prepared by a coalition of over 500 contributors The projects are arranged into nine anchor spaces that can be explored in almost any order one of the anchor spaces more recessed in the facility also contains a large stage area for shows and musical performances.  The Real Unreal is ADA-compliant and wheelchair accessible It is open starting at noon on weekdays and at 10 a.m A multiversal transit station located right below a highway interchange The artwork mysteriously appeared within an Edinburgh cemetery painted penguins mysteriously appeared around Berwick-upon-Tweed for no apparent reason Enigmatic bug-like sculptures mystify drivers along a Swedish highway Scattered around Atlanta are little doors with big charm An immersive environment that is part haunted house and religion combine to create this jungle of scrap in the Nevada desert Hundreds of protractors affixed to surfaces all over the city Try a different filter or a new search keyword The ninth installment in the stellar Arabic music series Habibi Funk unearths The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr’s obscure album Jazz original copies are said to go for anything up to $1,000 making the LP something of an almost-lost scroll in Sudanese music and an essential exhibition of the northeast Africa nation’s pop ingenuity This is music more pop-structured than typical jazz with the nine blood-raw recordings powered by an engine of funky organ work and upbeat guitar lines Leading most arrangements by the hand are the powerful and striking brass sections Take the upbeat “Saat Alfarah”: the pepper horns tag in and out with singer Saif Abu Bakr’s husky soulful vocals at the front of the mix with a light brevity Another highlight comes with instrumental cut “Azzah Music.” The endearingly simple percussion—made up of steady midtempo drums and what sounds like a gently shook tambourine—provides the backdrop for more freestyle horn play that slinks along with great poise displaying the Middle Eastern flavors that leak into Sudanese music Political instability in Sudan hindered The Scorpions throughout the 1980s and they eventually dissolved But the band are said to be back in their home nation rehearsing and Abu Bakr has plans to rerelease more old music no doubt offering up more lost parchments of Sudanese pop that calcify the country’s distinct rhythm the driver’s definitely going to need that added stability The previous owner had plans to supercharge this beast Word on the street has it that it will already break loose in third gear It looks like it might also have the “Brougham” option The Chargers of the early Seventies just looked tough and fast As previously stated, under the hood is a fire-breathing 605 cubic inch HEMI monster, all decked out with braided lines and aluminum fittings. Topping the aftermarket high-rise manifold with equal length runner is a Holley double-pumper filtered by K&N with the XStream filter on top Rolling stock consists of 20 inch ZE Forged Friction wheels that perfectly complement the rest of the exterior The restorer passed away before he got to complete his project but the car’s still in good hands: it’s now owned by an expert drag racer Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request We'll send you the most interesting Street Muscle articles We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network Some are necessary and we can’t switch them off Others help us to provide you with the best possible service We use cookies to personalise content and ads to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic We also share anonymous information about your use of our site with our social media By accepting cookies you will be helping us to continue to provide you with the best possible service The Ahola family: Tarja (middle) and Jorma (right) FRKV is living proof that small can be smart family-owned rental company based in Forssa has a new RKV is living proof that small can be smart family-owned rental company depot that would not be out of place in any rental ‘how t de and the look seems to be matched by the performance of the business Founded in 1981 by carpenter Jorma Ahola and now managed along with his wife Tarja and son Petri FRKV (its full name is Forssan Rakennuskonevuokraamo Oy) is making a good living serving the 18000 people living in Forssa and a further 80000 population within a 50 km radius of the depot The new headquarters – giving 600 m2 of clean office and storeroom space as well as 600 m2 of additional indoor storage – was required because they had gradually grown out of the previous 20-year-old facility “After 20 years this will also be too small” independent competitor was acquired by Ramirent several years ago andgui the Finnish giant remains its only local competition FRKV focuses on smaller trade and builders rather than the bigger contractors favoured by Ramirent He adds that these small customers look after the equipment better The family see the business growing steadily and one thing in their favour is less seasonality to the business than in the past Tarja says that 10 years ago the winter season from November to March was extremely quiet for rental; “Now so seasonal – there is rental during the whole year.” The division of labour in the company is pretty clear with son Petri responsible for customer service and generating new business and Tarja in charge of bookkeeping and back-office administration The new depot represented an investment of 570000 for the company and is doing more than providing a more amenable working environment It also instills confidence in its customers; “A lot of customers have come to see it and think it looks good – they can now see all the equipment” Forssa is close to the head office of Dinolift the Finnish manufacturer of trailer mounted platforms and self-propelled machines so it is not surprising that FRKV owns several Dino trailers and self-propelled units Less distinguished are 30- year old Finnish-built scissors which are definitely on their last legs The current business climate is good for the company Rental prices have been stable for the past two or three years and the company says it works hard not to compete on price Just a few months after moving into the new depot it is probably premature to talk about other depots Petri says there could be an opportunity in the future more financial resources and more transport equipment but you get the impression that they are happy with the business as it is Spanning an impressive 4,313 feet across Lake Weatherford, a lake located outside of Dallas, this floating boardwalk winds its way through the lake's ecosystem. Guests can walk among lily pads in the middle of the lake, wander between trees in the salt marsh, or even cross the boardwalk in the dry season to see the lake as a mud flat.  The boardwalk was designed to float to account for the highly variable depth of Lake Weatherford, which can change up to eight feet. It was added to allow lake access even in the dry season, giving guests a wheelchair-accessible path through what would otherwise be mud and plant detritus.  The 5.8 billion gallon lake is wide and shallow, reaching only as deep as 40 feet. The lake's popularity for recreational use varies with its water level, but this idyllic floating boardwalk ensures it can be used year-round. The boardwalk is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is designed to be accessible according to ADA regulations. This small, yet notable, cable-stayed bridge was built to support tourism to a series of internet-famous pink lakes. This stunning, technicolor array of geysers has occupied Ferril lake since 1908. A small park inhabited by handmade water goblins. Bangkok's take on the High Line is a park on a traffic bridge above the iconic Chao Phraya River. Workers have collected salt here in a process virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages. One of the world’s only pink lakes where it's possible to take a dip. A former Catholic seminary, now a Washington State Park, preserves undeveloped lands on Lake Washington and also hosts a luxury hotel. An incredibly salty lake inside the crater of an extinct volcano. Yle sat down with Kari Harju of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service to ask his appraisal of the situation Is there a danger of these kinds of confrontations occurring in other cities Open image viewerSupo Security Unit Chief Kari Harju Image: Jarno Kuusinen / AOP27.8.2016 16:27•Updated 27.8.2016 16:29The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo formerly the Security Police) is a national police unit operating under the Ministry of the Interior that specialises in counterintelligence counterterrorism and security work in Finland The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) asked Supo’s Security Unit Chief Kari Harju what last Tuesday's clash in south-west Forssa might portend for the rest of Finland are believed to have taken part in the brawl outside the local reception centre Police detained two local teenagers on various charges An anti-immigration rally in the town on Thursday passed off peacefully there was a lot of tension between the local population and asylum seekers in Forssa A local police investigation says the Tuesday brawl was preceded by several cases of assault initiated by both sides of the conflict The strong consensus is that a vicious circle of revenge had built up locally There are quite a few people there who look upon asylum seekers critically I want to emphasise what mayor [Sami Sulkko] said: we must avoid labelling the city as racist There is no sense drawing hasty conclusions in matters such as this.” There have been cases of assault in a few places it is naturally highly worrying if something like this happens anywhere But there is also a concern that this kind of behaviour will expand to other areas Everyone must remain calm and resist overreacting.” “I suppose it is because the young people and asylum seekers in the community quarrelled and it set off a series of revenge attacks There is probably a lot of opposition to immigration behind it “It’s easy to draw the conclusion that this is happening elsewhere but there is no evidence to link it to any kind of wider phenomenon the Soldiers of Odin street patrols are tapering off even though they are still active in a few communities.” You could say that we are fortunate because these activities haven’t been very organised among the asylum seeker centre attacks that Supo has investigated the perpetrators are all individuals with no connections to extremist organisations The strikes were also committed randomly.” I can say that the events should under no circumstances be played down and that we should not remain silent about it Sometimes it is of course good that things aren’t blown out of proportion because there is a risk of the situation escalating Clearly there was preliminary mistreatment from both sides in this scenario This much I can say: similar incidents have been noted outside the reception centre in [the northern city of] Oulu This led to confrontations there a week or so ago “The situation has perhaps calmed down in a certain respect because the number of asylum seekers has stopped growing as it was It should be noted that the situation could become more restless when asylum seekers begin to receive their asylum decisions the majority of which will undoubtedly be negative.”  “It’s hard to assess what will happen; how asylum seekers will react when they receive their negative decisions It could be reflected in their state of mind and in their actions but it’s not worth speculating about ahead of time The police and other authorities are also preparing for it.” HKScan is streamlining its production operations in Finland by centralising its Eura unit’s poultry packing activities to the company’s production units in Rauma and Forssa which currently have similar packing activities HKScan aims to achieve annual savings of around EUR 1 million as from the third quarter of 2024 The statutory negotiations have been concluded in the HKScan’s poultry cutting department in Eura and in the Rauma and Forssa production units packaging operations The statutory negotiations in Eura affected a total of 19 persons for whom HKScan can offer jobs from within the company “Our focus remains on production efficiency improvements and tight cost control we are optimising our product portfolio in the face of changing consumer demand and investing in commercial efforts we are building a stronger basis for the future competitiveness of our business The actions we are taking now are part of this process The statutory negotiations in the Eura unit were conducted in a constructive spirit and resulted in a joint agreement," says Jari Leija HKScan’s EVP for the Business Unit Finland In addition to HKScan's poultry packing department Mäkitalo Maistuvat and Kivikylä Kotipalvaamo have operations in HKScan's Eura unit HKScan products such as HK® and Via® pizzas are produced in Eura we at HKScan make life tastier – today and tomorrow Our strategic target is to grow into a versatile food company where around 3,600 of our professionals make responsible and locally produced food for consumers’ varied food moments Via® ja Rose®. We are developing a more climate-friendly way of producing food our net sales from continuing operations totalled nearly EUR 1.2 billion at 12.00 am HKFoods Plc has decided on a significant strategic investment of approximately EUR 5 million we at HKFoods make life tastier – today and tomorrow we make responsible and locally produced food for consumers' various food moments Our well-known brands in Finland are HK® We are developing a more climate-friendly way of producing food PL 50 (Lemminkäisenkatu 48)20521 Turku TEL +358 10 570 100FAX +358 10 570 6146firstname.surname@hkfoods.com Terms of Use has two gas turbines that run on light fuel oil Image: Anne Karppinen / YleYle News8.9.2022 12:40•Updated 8.9.2022 15:10Fingrid which maintains Finland's main electricity grid started two backup power plants to maintain the balance of electricity on Thursday morning Fingrid's Huutokoski and Forssa backup power plants were started at 7:39 am Fingrid senior expert Jani Pelvo told Yle that Finland's electricity production on Thursday morning was lower than expected because the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, which is in the test phase generated electricity at a lower power than planned Wind power production has also been rather low Open image viewerThe backup power plants started on Thursday are in Forssa and Joroinen Image: Marja Väänänen / YleThe two facilities are gas turbine power plants which there has been no shortage of electricity in Finland Fingrid measures the adequacy of electricity on a three-step scale where 1 indicates the possibility of an electricity shortage Thursday morning's situation did not even meet the criteria for moving to level 1 Similar startups of backup power plants occur quite often the situation was brought under control when more upward adjustment offers were requested from the electricity market meaning in practice that electricity production was boosted The Huutokoski and Forssa power plants are not categorised as power reserve power plants which are only be put into use when a real electricity crisis threatens is that regulated electricity was exceptionally expensive in the morning By late morning the price had dropped to around 750 euros Regulated electricity is electricity that can be put into use quickly in other words which grid companies can buy if there is an unexpected shortfall in electricity production or electricity consumption rises higher than expected Fingrid maintains Finland's regulated electricity market Olkiluoto 3 operations were suspended on Thursday morning due to a fault that occurred during a test Its production capacity was dropped from 65 percent to 25 percent and was then supposed to be raised back up to 65 percent it became apparent that one of the equipment's safety valves needed to be repaired and the power plant was disconnected from the power grid for the repair the power plant resumed normal trial operations again shortly after noon with its power output set to rise back up to 870 MW around 3 pm The unit is supposed to begin full normal operations at 1600 MW by the end of the year Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email Apr 30, 2020, 2:43 PM | Article By: Arfang M.S. Camara Injuries put a stop to his career as a player before taking up coaching career. He started his coaching career in 2013 in Sweden, after completing his first and second phases coaching courses. He previously coached IFK Hedemora, Gustafs GOIF before joining Forssa BK ahead of the new season in the U-16 category. The 29-year-old first coach IFK Hedemora before moving to Gustafs GOIF in 2018 Coach Sarr who is being tipped as one of the best coaches in the Swedish U-16 category has now moved to a new club Forssa BK ahead of their new season.  Sheikh told The Point Sports that he is ready as he took up the challenge by signing for Forssa BK ahead of their new season. “I am ready for the new challeng at Forssa BK and I will form a good coach pair with Linus Wärnberg in the club’s U16 team,” he said. He said he would describe himself as an ambitious coach who loves to train young players both on and off the pitch. “I like the modern way of training and playing football where you combine technology, physics and psychology.” Sheikh said he chose Forssa BK because the association has a good structural organization that enables working environment and good cooperation with the club. “My goal as a football coach is to work in an association with clear guidelines that fit international standards and to educate players to that level. So Forssa BK fits perfectly.” “I think the series will be fun anyway despite the circumstances with the Corona virus, but things like that happen and we train and are prepared and running when the season starts. The squad looks good, talented players and a good group filled with talents. Now it is up to us coaches and players to make them ready for elite football in the future.” Forssa BK’s head of sport, Jan-Åke Rosén, expressed delight after signing the young sensational Gambian coach. “It will be incredibly exciting to get to work with Sheikh. My impression so far is he is a driven, ambitious and responsive coach with great potential. I am convinced that Sheik will add a lot to Forssa BK in the next few years.” Open image viewerImage: YLE / Hans Holmgren28.9.2009 15:34•Updated 28.9.2009 21:01The company says sales volumes have fallen short of expectations, forcing its hand on the workforce cutbacks. It also forsees a short-term contraction of the market due to downward pressure on food prices. Atria hopes that the streamlining program will help it shave about five million euros off annual expenses. The staff cuts will affect all employee groups and will be implemented by reducing the number of fixed term contract workers, ordering furloughs, employing workers on a part time basis, pension arrangements and redundancy packages and in some cases by outright retrenchment. Juha Gröhn, CEO of Atria in Finland said the measures will affect business units in Forssa, Helsinki, Seinäjoki and Tampere. However there are no plans to close any production plants. “We are currently in discussions to reduce the workforce in Forssa by 17. In Kuopio the number is 52, most of whom will face temporary layoffs. In Helsinki and Seinäjoki the negotiations concern 48 clerical staff members, and seven workers at the Tampere packing facility,” Gröhn told the Startel News Agency. The company launched its retrenchment talks with employees on Monday, and the company says it will explore options for the re-deployment of some workers within the Atria Finland organisation. Company officials also plan to channel investments into productivity enhancing programs, adding that the most significant of which would involve modernisation of its Nurmo pork processing plant. In mid-September Atria announced a program of logistical and production improvements as well as re-organisation in Sweden. Those plans resulted in the loss of 77 jobs. Open image viewerImage: HKScanYle News10.10.2018 12:16•Updated 10.10.2018 12:18Meat and food producer HKScan will terminate 165 jobs following the co-operation negotiations launched in June The terminations will affect the company’s production and logistics facilities in Vantaa In the largest unit in Vantaa 72 workers will lose their jobs while 55 positions will be cut in Forssa seasonally-based layoffs in some locations will take place outside of the Christmas ham and summer grilling seasons “We got plenty of valuable insights and suggestions from employee teams reviewing the streamlining needs,” Sami Sivuranta from HKScan said in a press release The reduction in workforce is expected to save HKScan seven million euros per year restructuring production is part of HKScan’s aim to generate annual savings of 40 million euros by 2020 the company had net sales of 1.8 billion euros and an operating loss of 40 million euros HKScan employs about 7,300 people and sells meat and other food products under brands like HK exporting goods to a total of nearly 50 countries