Welcome to the Sustainable Technology Hub (STH)

Yesterday we had the privilege of welcoming Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland, Tom Johnstone CBE, Chair of the Board of Directors of Wärtsilä Corporation, Risto Murto, Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors of Wärtsilä Corporation, and many distinguished customers and guests to a milestone event in the history of Wärtsilä – the inauguration ceremony of the Sustainable Technology Hub (STH) in Vaasa.

While we don’t know what the future will look like, we do know that as Wärtsilä, we want it to be a sustainable one. Our investments in the Sustainable Technology Hub were made based on our company purpose, Enabling Sustainable Societies through Innovation in Technology and Services, and with an ambition to make a difference in the world. We have built this facility to make it possible for us to shape the decarbonisation of marine and energy.

This is a world class centre for R&D, engineering and manufacturing, marking another step for Wärtsilä in the era of decarbonisation. Since the ground-breaking ceremony less than three years ago, we’ve been on a journey with partners and stakeholders in our ecosystem. We faced challenges with the pandemic threatening to derail the schedule in jeopardy; but we succeeded in overcoming these challenges, thanks to the resilience of our team, and our cooperation with our partners.

New ideas are born when people meet, and that’s what the STH is for. By inviting our customers, academia, and other stakeholders to our Partner Campus, we can develop new operating models and solve fundamental industry problems. We will work together with our customers to decarbonise and improve the efficiency of their applications and our technology. We already have several ongoing collaboration projects at STH, such as Zero Emission Marine, an ecosystem collaboration and R&D program that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the marine sector by 60% by 2030; and another focusing on Power-to-X to power, which is about producing, storing and using green hydrogen to balance energy systems when the share of renewables is growing.

At Wärtsilä, we believe in challenging the status quo, and in implementing ideas that result in new solutions and new ways of working through collaborations, partnerships, and active engagement in ecosystems. Innovation with partners will lead us to the development of green technologies, sustainable fuels and digital technologies. We have been pioneering new technologies for decades, introducing solutions and services to help customers continuously improve environment and economic performance.

Green is not black or white. There is no single solution or silver bullet for decarbonising the marine and energy industries. This task will require a broad array of different solutions. Developing technologies that use alternative fuels is a key focus area for us, as well as improving the efficiency and safety of our customers’ operations through digital solutions.

STH is designed to support Wärtsilä’s commitment to providing a product portfolio which will be ready for zero carbon fuels by 2030. We can demonstrate that a carbon-neutral future is achievable by accelerating the development of future-proof engines capable of running on sustainable fuels, and by taking advantage of already existing innovative technologies. This year, we have released the Wärtsilä-32 methanol engine to the market; and our ammonia and hydrogen concepts will come during 2023 and 2025 respectively.

With STH, we now have our top-notch research, product development and production all under roof. By coming together and working cross-functionally throughout our value chain, we will reduce our lead time and make it possible for us to bring new technologies to the markets faster. With continuous improvement we will be able to do more with the same resources. This is a factory of the future, with flexible manufacturing systems, robotics and data analytics, which will all play a vital role.

STH also reinforces our commitment to become carbon-neutral in our own operations by 2030. Sustainability has been a guiding principle since the start of this project, helping us to be eco-friendly in the development of this building, the surroundings, and the way we work together. Our technology partners have helped us ensure that STH meets sustainability standards of today and of the future. With its cutting-edge facilities and most modern solutions, the STH is a benchmark in the world.

I would like to sincerely thank the city of Vaasa for all the support that we have received over the years. Our journey in Vaasa started 86 years ago, in 1936, when Wärtsilä acquired an engineering workshop in this very city.

I also want to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of this project. STH would not have happened without our highly engaged and skilled people. Hundreds of Wärtsilians contributed to making this facility come true. We have a common vision and a common dream. STH is a true manifestation of The Wärtsilä Way – coming together as a team, and innovating for the future.

We created the Sustainable Technology Hub to make a difference in the world. Now it is here, and we are ready to take on one of the most important challenges of our time: decarbonisation.

Together, we can do it!