The President awards Ponsse for internationalisation
Sauli Niinistö, the President of the Republic of Finland, gave Ponsse Plc a special recognition from the annual Internationalisation Award. The Internationalisation Award is a recognition granted to Finnish companies that have gained international success and to the communities behind them.
The special recognition was based on Ponsse's long-term profitable and sustainable international growth and modernisation. According to the jury, the aim was to give this recognition to a company that has had a significant impact on the success of an entire industry and other companies operating in the same field and, through its activities, has had a significant long-term impact on society.
The special recognition Ponsse received today was granted for the first time to celebrate the centenary of Finland's independence and the 50th anniversary of the Internationalisation Award. Ponsse received the President's Internationalisation Award last time in 2003. The Internationalisation Award has never before been granted twice to a single company. Since 2015, the proposal for the companies and communities to be recognised has been made by the Board of Directors of Team Finland.
Recognition to the entire industry
- We are extremely proud and humble for this recognition. This means the world to everyone at Ponsse and our industry,” says Juha Vidgrén, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ponsse Plc.
- It is wonderful that, with regard to this recognition, we can also represent our customers, forest machine entrepreneurs and all of our stakeholders in the fields of machine manufacturing, harvesting, training and the forest industry. This supports the idea Einari Vidgrén, the founder of Ponsse who had limited educational opportunities as a young man and started his career at logging sites as a 14-year-old boy, put into words: Alone you can´t reach anything, you need to surround yourself with good people, Juha Vidgrén continues.
Ponsse has operated in its birthplace in Vieremä since 1970 and, today, it is one of the world's largest manufacturers of forest machines based on the cut-to-length method. The jury stated that Ponsse's story reflects Finland's growth from an agriculture- and forestry-dominated country into an information society that fearlessly makes use of digitalisation and the bioeconomy, not forgetting the company's roots lying deep in forests and its aim to take care of all members of its community. Einari Vidgrén, the company's founder, was originally a forest machine entrepreneur, and the company continues to focus on the needs of contractors.
The jury also stated that Ponsse has held the reins of its key functions and kept them closely linked together. In Vieremä, there is a village of partner companies next to the Ponsse factory where cooperation helps to develop various expertise and to spread it outside Ponsse. Ponsse is a pioneer in applying digitalisation, using industrial design and developing service operations. The jury also stated that Ponsse's operations are notably customer-driven.
From 2003 to 2016, Ponsse increased its net sales from EUR 150 million to EUR 517 million. Its operations have increased profitably in all of its market areas. Ponsse has 1,525 employees and it operates actively in 40 countries. Roughly 77 per cent of its net sales come from exports.
Further information:
Juha Vidgrén, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ponsse Plc, tel. +358 40 518 6286
Hetta Huittinen, Communications Manager, Finpro, tel. +358 40 033 9597