Koskisen Corporation has agreed to acquire the business operations of Iisveden Metsä Oy Iisveden Metsä is a company mainly owned by private individuals and it produces approximately 140,000 m3 of softwood lumber per year Iisveden Metsä Oy was founded by local forest owners in 1924 The transaction will be carried out as a business acquisition including the factory property located in Suonenjoki with machinery and equipment will be transferred to Koskisen as “old employees” The transferred business does not include the target company’s receivables cash and cash equivalents or other financial assets or liabilities "The acquisition of the business operations of Iisveden Metsä is a key part of Koskisen’s sustainable growth strategy according to which we aim to increase the Group’s revenue to Euro 500 million by the end of 2027 through organic and inorganic growth this acquisition will support both goals: it will directly increase the revenue of Sawn Timber Industry by about one-third while ensuring the availability of raw materials and enabling organic growth in Panel Industry," says Koskisen’s CEO Jukka Pahta Koskisen’s annual wood procurement volume will increase to approximately 1.9 million m3 (of which Iisveden Metsä’s share is approximately 400,000 m3) and sawing capacity to approximately 540,000 m3 (of which Iisveden Metsä’s share is approximately 140,000 m3) The debt-free purchase price of the transaction is Euro 22.5 million and its cash part will be adjusted at the time of the completion of the transaction by a net working capital adjustment Koskisen will pay the seller a maximum earnout of Euro 4 million if the conditions specified for the payment of the earnout mainly related to sales price of sawn timber Any earnout price will be paid during the first half of 2028 The completion of the transaction requires the approval of Finnish and Estonian competition authorities approval by a qualified majority at the Annual General Meeting of Iisveden Metsä and the fulfilment of certain other ordinary closing conditions Koskisen expects the transaction to be completed during the first half of 2025 Koskisen is an international wood processing specialist Republication of Lesprom Network content is prohibited without the prior written consent of Lesprom Network General Terms and Conditions and Privacy policy In Suonenjoki, President Niinistö first had discussions with Chairman of the Town Council Olavi Ruotsalainen, Chairman of the Town Board Kirsi Nuutinen and Mayor Juha Piiroinen. Among the topics discussed were urban vitality and local experiences of the coronavirus situation. During the spring, no coronavirus infections have been detected in Suonenjoki , but the effects of the virus have been highly visible. Labour supply, for example, has been a talking point in the strawberry town, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Mayor Piiroinen stated that although entrepreneurs and the vitality of the town have been sources of concern, the town’s organisation has shown its effectiveness. “The economy of our town and region has been in good shape and is developing. Even though we took a hard blow this spring, we have what it takes to handle a setback of this kind,” he said. President Niinistö stated that Suonenjoki is displaying a very positive attitude and a belief faith in the future, despite the unwelcome experiences of the spring. “What remains at least is the ability to react. This has grown a little in all of us,” he said. On the economy, the President added that the ability to meet the challenge presented by coronavirus shows that attitudes have been on a sound footing in previous years. During his virtual visit, President Niinistö also met CEO Matti Leinonen and Chairman of the Board Vesa Sorio of Pakkasmarja Ltd, a company owned by berry growers. They briefed the President on current issues for the company, such as the recruitment of domestic and foreign seasonal labour. The company produces and develops berry products from domestic cultivated, forest and organic berries. At the end of the visit, the town representatives warmly invited the President to make a “live” visit to Suonenjoki. “It was wonderful to visit you. And it would be even better to be there at the strawberry table. Let’s try that some time,” said the President with a smile, wishing the people of Suonenjoki all the best for the future. On his virtual visit to Seinäjoki, President Niinistö discussed issues of current interest for the city with Chairman of the City Council Kimmo Heinonen and Mayor Jorma Rasinmäki. Chairman of the City Council Heinonen told the President that, after a spring overshadowed by coronavirus, Seinäjoki is strongly focused on the future. The intention is to make summer 2021 the best-ever summer of events. “I read somewhere, that it certainly suits the Seinäjoki mentality that everything will be better next year,” President Niinistö observed. In addition, the President and the city representatives discussed the role of municipalities as service providers in exceptional circumstances as well as the importance of the third sector. Everyone agreed that the municipal sector has managed to adapt quickly to a completely altered situation. “It is, of course, a matter of honour for any governmental unit not to be so fixed on its own course that it can’t change things up when it has to do so,” said the President. In Seinäjoki, President Niinistö also talked with representatives of the local business community. Leena Perämäki, CEO of Into Seinäjoki Ltd, the City of Seinäjoki’s development company, told President Niinistö about the effects of the coronavirus situation on entrepreneurship and local events. In particular, she praised the adaptability and solution-orientation of local entrepreneurs in the face of the new situation. Juha Gröhn, CEO of Atria Plc, discussed with President Niinistö the effects of the coronavirus on the meat and food industry. According to Gröhn, the operation of production plants has been their biggest concern. Rapidly changing distribution channels have also required special arrangements from the company. The can-do spirit is high in the company, however, and despite the exceptional spring everyday business is going well. After his virtual visits, President Niinistö commented on the positive aspects of the visits in a media event: “Today, we have continued our provincial tour. This time we travelled on a rather horizontal plane from Suonenjoki to Seinäjoki. And, once again, the message overall has been rather encouraging in both localities. There certainly have been difficulties, and difficulties still remain for which are preparing, but the spirit, however, is good: let’s look forward.” In addition to Suonenjoki and Seinäjoki, President Niinistö also made virtual visits this week to Taipalsaari and Tampere. The purpose of the visits was to exchange ideas and hear about the local experiences of municipalities of different sizes in adapting to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the present situation and other current issues for municipalities. © Office of the President of the Republic of Finland 2025 when a dairy truck struck a minibus carrying a dozen students in eastern Finland on Friday Open image viewerThe crash took place near the centre of Suonenjoki in North Savo Image: Toni Pitkänen / YleYle News15.9.2017 17:01•Updated 16.9.2017 10:52Eight people were injured in a crash in Suonenjoki on Friday afternoon involving a school van and a milk truck Rescue officials say one person was seriously injured with two others "slightly less seriously" hurt while five have what are described as minor injuries Open image viewerThe crash occurred near the town centre Image: Yle UutisgrafiikkaOriginally eight people were taken to the local health clinic to be checked Two or three of them were then taken to Kuopio University Hospital The most seriously hurt were airlifted by helicopter which was carrying 12 secondary-school pupils It was struck on its right side by a dairy truck Open image viewerThe milk lorry hit the right-hand side of the bus Image: Toni Pitkänen / YleSuonenjoki is a town of about 7,000 people in North Savo The collision took place at the intersection of Jalkalantie and Kuopiontie near the town centre The crash site had been cleared and traffic returned to normal by 6 pm HELSINKI FINLAND JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 42 “Many curious spectators gathered to follow Saturday’s Finnish Strawberry Eating Championship at the strawberry carnival of Suonenjoki The competition necessitated all groups to eat a kilo of strawberries within seven minutes the jury evaluated the performances according to style and how carried away contestants would get The winning team of strawberry-eaters had chosen a tactics of enjoying strawberries at a steady pace whereas the other teams ate more strawberries 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 Open image viewerImage: YLE / Pekka Havukainen2.6.2012 18:35•Updated 3.6.2012 13:36Mistä on kyse?Thousands of foreigner workers come to Finland each summer to pick berries.Most are from eastern Europe but now there is more interest from southern Europe as well.This year which takes longer and costs more to obtain.This year growers report a brisk rise in interest from southern European Union member states “We’re getting a lot of offers to work from Greece, Italy and Spain,” says Ilkka Voutilainen, head of the Suonenjoki area growers’ associationOpens an external website “Of course there are already some who come from other EU areas such as Bulgaria and Romania.” Of some 2,000 seasonal workers in the Suonenjoki area about 100 arrive in April for planting season anyone from outside the EU who wants to work for more than three months must obtain a biometric residence permit card such permits were attached to each applicant’s passport at the nearest Finnish representation abroad explains Tiina Suominen of the Finnish Immigration Service "The process now takes about three weeks longer than in the past,” she says which Suominen says represents the Immigration Service’s costs in producing it nearly 500 foreigners were granted permits for seasonal agricultural work lasting more than three months Meanwhile the Foreign Ministry issued some 8,000 visas for farm work lasting less than three months The ministry says that people in Finland on other kinds of visas may also legally work in the fields for up to two weeks EU citizens do not need visas to work in Finland so there is no record of how many of them toil in Finnish fields The Suonenjoki area growers estimate that they produce 15 percent of Finland's strawberry crop They hire about 1,000 foreign workers every summer for a two-month season that has just begun -- as the first domestic hothouse-grown strawberries appear in the shops Thai berry-pickers toiling away in LaplandPublished 20112011Strawberry season againPublished 20112011Sources: Yle meaning that the as yet unnamed child is considered an asylum-seeker as well Open image viewerImage: Varpu Mäntymäki / Yle7.11.2015 17:06A baby girl was born in the Kuopio University Hospital a week ago and the early November arrival is the toast of the local asylum seeker community was conceived in Iraq and made the long and dangerous trip to northern Finland but her condition was later re-appraised and she delivered a healthy baby girl the family is calling her "our Finnish girl" The girl's father Omar and doulah Hanna Ripaoja were on hand to assist Rawaa let alone if you're thousands of kilometres from home," Ripaoja says Anna Mikkonen from the Federation of Mother and Child Homes says she is delighted to hear of the family's good fortune as not all asylum-seekers with small children have experiences as positive as hers "Traumatic experiences and long asylum battles tire parents out and workers at the reception centres are very rushed," Mikkonen says "Family coffee klatsches and the like are great because they are communal but some centres can feel cramped and dreary." The Finnish government considers the as yet unnamed girl an asylum-seeker A child born in Finland has no personal basis for needing an asylum application and the girl will be granted asylum if her parents are Handling of asylum documents can take many months but a newborn can also expedite proceedings The Immigration Service says that mother Rawaa is entitled to maternity clinic services but her child will not be granted daycare even if the parents somehow manage to beat the odds and find employment before being granted asylum Those awaiting asylum in Finland have the right to do paid work three or six months after arriving depending on whether they have travel documents or not But all is not bleak: the newborn and her tired but happy parents have a new friend in Finnish Red Cross worker Teija Savolainen Savolainen is the same age as Rawaa's mother and she has agreed to act as the new little girl's de facto grandmother Suomen mansikkapääkaupungiksi kutsutun Suonenjoen mansikkaa aletaan poimia pelloilta vasta juhannuksen jälkeen Alueen kasvihuoneista ja kasvatustunneleista punaista herkkua kuitenkin jo löytyy Veikko Raivion mansikkatilalla on töissä miltei 70 poimijaa ja monet vieläpä yhdestä ja samasta kylästä Avaa kuvien katseluTunnelikasvatus on tullut vuosien varrella tutuksi ukrainalaisille marjanpoimijoille Kuva: Sami Takkinen / YleYksi poimijoista on Prascovii Kiehlali joka on Raivion tilalla jo neljättätoista kesää hän perustelee tuloaan töihin Suonenjoelle Entä kenen hän uskoo aikanaan syövän nyt poimittavia mansikoita Ukrainalainen Natalia Dotsenko on sen sijaan poimimassa mansikkaa vasta ensimmäistä kesää Avaa kuvien katseluNatalia Dotsenko on yksi Veikko Raivion tilan uusista poimijoista Kuva: Sami Takkinen / YleMarja poimitaan suoraan myyntirasiaanTalvi koetteli mansikan kasvustoja eri tiloilla hyvin eri tavoin – Suomeen ei todennäköisesti tule samanlaista isoa marjasatoa kuin normaalina hyvänä kesänä Avaa kuvien katseluVeikko Raivio kutsuu tunnelissa poimittavaa mansikkaa "yhden kosketuksen marjaksi" Kuva: Sami Takkinen / YleRaivio kasvattaa mansikkaa runsaan 40 hehtaarin alalla Siitä on runsaat kolme hehtaaria tunnelikasvatuksessa Marjanviljelijän mielestä tunnelikasvatus sopii hyvin korona-aikaan ja lisääntyneisiin hygieniavaatimuksiin – Marja kerätään tunnelissa suoraan rasiaan eli se on niin sanottu yhden kosketuksen marja Raivion tilalta marjat kuljetetaan joko jatkojalostukseen Suonenjoelle tai tilan omalle kesätorille Ysitien varteen Kesätorilla ensimmäiset ostajat ovat paikalla heti Avaa kuvien katseluMansikka matkalla tilalta kohti Veksin kesätoria Ysitien varteen Kuva: Sami Takkinen / Yle– Kesällä pitää olla tietysti mansikoita nauraa ostoksille pysähtynyt helsinkiläinen Johanna Pelto Hän on yhdessä Jukka Malinin kanssa ohikulkumatkalla mökille Pariskunnalle mansikoiden ostaminen Suonenjoelta on jo perinne Kesän ensimmäisten mansikoiden käyttötapaa ei tarvitse paljon kysellä