Life in Estonia (issue Fall/Winter 2014-2015)

FALL / WINTER I 2014-2015
SPECIAL!
Smart
Industry
land & people I state & society I economy & business I technology & innovation I culture & entertainment I tourism
Industrial
Revolution
4.0
Laurentsius Inside
And Outside The Frame
Anne Sulling
Estonia Is
A Smart Hub
Success
Found
In Niche
Products
Estonia
Contributes
To Automotive
And Offshore
Industry

COVER
Anne Sulling
Photo by
Margus Johanson
Executive publisher
Positive Projects
Pärnu mnt 69, 10134 Tallinn, Estonia
think@positive.ee
Editor
Reet Grosberg
reet.grosberg@ambassador.ee
Translation
Ingrid Hübscher
Ambassador Translation Agency
Language editor
Richard Adang
Design & Layout
Positive Design
Partner
FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA 3
Ambitious Estonians
Estonia is a small country, with a population of about 1.3 million people. At the same time, there
are more than 110,000 enterprises in Estonia and about 65,000 of them are profitable.
We keep hearing that Estonians are not entrepreneurial, that only about 20% of us would like to
start companies. That’s a lot less than in most advanced countries with much bigger economies.
Yet, wherever you go, you’ll find Estonians who against the odds have pursued their dreams of
becoming successful entrepreneurs.
For example, the machinery manufacturing company Palmse Mehaanikakoda LCC produces forest
trailers and cranes under the trademark Palms. They are one of the biggest producers of this type of
forest machinery in Europe, with sales representations in sixteen EU countries. Their success is based
on specialisation and finding the niche in the market that suits them best. Today their average salary
is about 2,600 euros a month, more than twice as high as the Estonian average. There are several
similar niche products created here that have helped small Estonia stand out among big players,
from special life jackets made by Lade and footwear by Samelin to Meiren snowploughs, which are
a necessity in the Nordics.
Manufacturing is on its way to a new industrial revolution. The Germans have named it Industry 4.0,
Smart Factory development, where intelligent cells inside a company and between companies are
integrated through the Internet, and they are able
to communicate and make necessary decisions.
This is also the direction modern manufacturing is
moving in Estonia.
We’ve seen a great trend growing out of Smart
Industry. There are several successfully operating
industrial parks in Estonia, with remarkable syn-
ergy in different companies, accomplishing things
together like a family.
Those are only a few examples of the entrepreneur-
ship Estonia provides. Flexibility has definitely be-
come a new norm in business, where technologies
and new business fields open up very quickly. In
order to succeed, Estonia has to maintain the speed
it has gathered so far with the help of its ambitious
entrepreneurs.
Hanno Tomberg
Chairman of the Management Board
Enterprise Estonia

6 Where To Go This Season?
Life In Estonia Recommends
10 Events
16 Anne Sulling: Estonia is
an Attractive Hub for
Testing New Technologies
In spring 2014, Estonia introduced a ministerial portfolio with a brand
new focus. The country now has a minister with specific responsibil-
ity for foreign trade and entrepreneurship, Anne Sulling. How does the
new minister see her main purpose and what are the main challenges of
the Estonian economy?
22 Industrial Revolution 4.0
Industry 4.0 is Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things. This
new paradigm has led to an industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0,
which was publicly announced by Angela Merkel at the opening of the
Hanover Industrial Exhibition in 2013. Read about Estonia’s efforts to
implement Industry 4.0.
24 Small Company Set to
Conquer the World
Skeleton Technologies, a Tallinn-based company which develops and pro-
duces ultracapacitors - extremely powerful energy storage devices - aims
to become the leading ultracapacitor manufacturer within five years.
26 Stoneridge – American
Dream In Tänassilma Village
When Stoneridge Electronics in Estonia started work in 1998 under the
name Berifors, it was a small production unit which serviced one cus-
tomer in one product group. Today Stoneridge Estonia employs 270 peo-
ple. The factory in Estonia concentrates on the production of electronic
control units, telematics, switch modules, fuses and relay modules.
28 IPA Helps
to Make Comfortable Trains
Hundreds of trains around the world have roofs and cooling systems
made in the Interconnect Product Assembly (IPA). One of the products
that IPA manufactures is an HVAC (Heating Air Conditioning and Venti-
lation) unit for train manufacturers.
30 MS Balti Trafo
Exports Millions of
Transformers Annually
Jaanus Luberg started producing transformers in the small town of Vän-
dra in central Estonia back in 1996. The small business has now grown
into MS Balti Trafo, a private limited company employing 150 workers.
As one of the biggest employers in Vändra, it collaborates closely with
educational institutions.
31 Norma’s Safety
Systems for Cars
Help Save 30,000 Lives a Year
Norma was the first company in the Soviet Union to launch the first
industrial lot of car safety belts in 1973. Forty years on, the famous com-
pany in Estonia has grown into a valued unit of the Swedish corporation
Autoliv. It employs over 750 staff and its product range has grown far
beyond seat belts.
32 PKC
Eesti AS
Produces Nervous Systems
for the Automotive Industry
It is highly likely that whichever commercial vehicle manufacturer you
ask, this particular wiring system has arrived from two small Estonian
towns where the factories of the international corporation PKC Group
have been in operation for years.
33 Pärnu-based Company
Produces Lighting Equipment
for Luxury Vehicles
When you sit behind the steering wheel of a BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar
Audi, Porsche or Land Rover, it is highly likely that a small part of your
car has been made in Estonia: these brands use glove box or door han-
dle lighting, number plate lighting or side markers produced by Oshino.
34 Estonia is a Good Place
to Establish a Company
In order to keep the company’s costs down, Christian Testman, CEO of
Norway-based ICD Industries, decided to locate some of the operations
overseas. After some research and considering number of countries, Es-
tonia became that location for ICD in 2012.
I CONTENT
FALL/WINTER_2014-2015
LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER4

51 Portfolio. Laurentsius:
Inside and Outside the Frame
There is a certain dreamlike quality to the work of the artist known as
Laurentsius. His works leave us with fleeting impressions, dispersing in
the air like smoke. According to Laurentsius himself, “Art is a serious
thing, but not deadly serious”.
63 Kristiina
Poska Turns Disadvantages
into Advantages
A decade ago Kristiina Poska, from the small Estonian town of Türi, went
to study in Berlin. Today she has risen to the position of Kapellmeister of
the Komische Oper Berlin - the first woman to do so in the history of the
opera house. Last year she won the most reputable conducting prize in
Germany - also the first woman to ever do so.
69 Annely Köster - Shaking the
Foundations of Art Education
Annely Köster is living her dream as an art teacher and the creator of
the first international youth contemporary art triennial Eksperimenta!,
whose mission is to nurture creativity, free thinking, caring and content.
72 Suur Tõll Opened Again!
Welcome Aboard!
The icebreaker Suur Tõll is the oldest steam-powered ship in the Baltic
states. It is Estonia’s oldest and most dignified museum ship, whose
century-long story reflects the entire time-line of the fragile history of
the republic. During its 100-year history, it has sailed under five different
flags and four different names.
74 Lotte Village Theme
Park – A Load of
Goodness
The theme park dedicated to the girl puppy Lotte
and her family and friends is situated on twelve hec-
tares of land by the seaside near the summer resort
of Pärnu. The girl puppy Lotte is an unprecedented
phenomenon amongst Estonian children, and the
character created by the Estonian film-makers Janno Põldma
and Heiki Ernits has also won fans abroad.
78 Practical Information
For Visitors
36 LDI Targets the Water
Protection Market,
Worth Billions of Dollars
Laser Diagnostic Instruments (LDI), an Estonian R&D company with a
long history, has developed the world’s most flexible and effective oil
spill detection sensor. The whole world is a potential market.
38 A Small Village Turned into
a World Class Industrial Park
Together is better than alone, an old saying goes. Bestra Engineering
has proven that even in the most remote village it is possible to create
an industrial park which produces complex appliances for very demand-
ing customers, a place where a group of companies accomplish things
together like a family.
41 Creativity and Trust are
a Family Firm’s Capital
Ensto, a cleantech company in the electrical sector that has gone inter-
national in small steps, is one of the best-known family firms in Finland.
Marjo Miettinen belongs to the second generation of the company’s
owning family. Ensto came to Estonia in 1993 and today has three fac-
tories here.
44 Skype Founders
in the Process of
“Replacing” e-mail
The cream of the crop of former Skype employers are in the process of
developing Fleep, a brand new messaging system. Their aim? To make
traditional e-mail a thing of the past.
46 The Importance of
Finding the Right Niche
There are several stories of companies in Estonia which have found suc-
cess on the international market. Often it has been due to finding their
own niche, to effective branding, smart marketing and active commu-
nication. Get acquainted with Trimtex, the Lappset Group, Samelin.
Fors MW, Lade and Meiren who have all successfully found their niche.

I WHERE TO GO THIS SEASON
Season opening concert
ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC
ORCHESTRA
Conductor
ZUBIN MEHTA
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 B-minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique”
Richard Strauss
Symphonic poem A Hero’s Life Op. 40
Sat. 20. Sept 20.00, Estonia Concert Hall
Symphony No. 6 B-minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique”
Symphonic poem A Hero’s Life Op. 40
Sat. 20. Sept 20.00, Estonia Concert Hall
RINALDO
William Relton:
“When I first saw “Rinaldo”, nothing had prepared me for
the delight which I felt while watching this masterpiece for
the first time. It was his first opera written for London, not
only that, it was the first opera in the Italian language to be
written for the London stage. The premiere of “Rinaldo”,
loosely based on Tasso’s epic poem “Gerusalemme libera-
ta” (Jerusalem delivered), took place at the Queen’s Theatre
in the Haymarket in early 1711 and was a huge hit. Gor-
geous arias, a fabulous, extravagant plot, dramatic charac-
ters - all that one could wish for - were present. Conquest,
magic, deception, thwarted love, betrayal, sex, violence,
abduction, an heroic quest, battles; it seemed as if Händel
had thrown every single theatrical device in the book at it.
“Rinaldo” went on to be the most performed of Händel’s
operas during his lifetime. The opera was so successful that
it was given in a fairly extensively revised version in 1731,
however we are basing our performing edition on the origi-
nal 1711 score. And what of the music? Even for Händel
this opera has a large number of “hit” arias that leaves
one gasping. And then there is of course the incomparable
“Lascia ch’io pianga” sung by Almirena in the middle of
Act 2. One of Händel’s most beautiful and celebrated arias.
A treat indeed!”

Huunnnddreeeds
oooff ccooonnceeertsss
allll oovveeerr Essstonnnia!
SSee thee prograrammmme!e!
coooncncerert.eeee
Seeasoonn
200144-22001155
VANA TALLINN GALA
On 25 September at the Estonian National Opera
Conductor: Vello Pähn
Soloists: Dmitry Galikhin (tenor, Russia), Kurt Rydl (bass, Austria),
Rauno Elp (baritone), Juuli Lill (mezzo-soprano), Kristel Pärtna
(coloratura soprano), Heli Veskus (soprano) and others.
Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
The concert includes the most beautiful arias and ensembles from the
treasury of Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Mozart, Offenbach, Korngold,
Donizetti, Wagner, Richard Strauss, etc.
The gala features two guest soloists – one of the greatest bass singers
of our time, Kurt Rydl, nicknamed “The Mega Bass” and “The Bass”,
and a prolific tenor from Russia, Dmitry Galikhin, whose original inter-
pretation and particularly emphatic rendition has received worldwide
recognition.
Andres Mustonen

On 20 June, President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves
announced the winners of the contest for the architectural
design of the Arvo Pärt Centre (APC) building. In the unanimous
assessment of the jury, the first prize was awarded to
the contest entry “Tabula” by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique
Sobejano from Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, S.L.P. (Spain).
The first prize is 10,000 euros.
The objective of the two-stage international design contest was to find
the best architectural design for the creation of a building for the new
Arvo Pärt Centre outside Tallinn. The jury assessed the conceptual and
formal quality of the contest entries, whether they met the require-
ments of the centre, how well they would fit into the surroundings, and
the feasibility of the architectural designs.
According to Michael Pärt, the chairman of the jury and Arvo Pärt’s
son, the winning design is conceptually and architecturally fresh, and
best met the jury’s expectations: “‘Tabula’ creates a harmonious and
flexible environment for Arvo Pärt’s music. What deserves to be singled
out in particular about this contest entry is its spatial arrangement and
thoroughly considered thematic lighting.”
The architectural design contest was announced on 25 November 2013.
The objective for the first stage was to identify architects whose creative
output to date best fits with the concept and requirements of the APC.
Seventy-one applications for entry to the contest were received from all
over the world, with 20 entrants invited by the jury to the second round
of the design contest according to their rankings based on the results
of the assessment. In the second stage, the jury picked three main prize
recipients and three special prize recipients.
The APC was founded in 2010 by Arvo Pärt and his family with the aim
of creating opportunities to preserve and research the creative heritage
of the composer in his native land, Estonia, and in the context of the
Estonian language. The centre is situated in Laulasmaa, 35 km from
Tallinn, on a peninsula with magnificent natural surroundings: within a
pine forest near the sea. The new building of the Arvo Pärt Centre will
open its doors to the public at Kellasalu in 2018.
Architectural design contest for the Arvo Pärt Centre
building won by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
Fuensanta Nieto and the winning entry
"Tabula Rasa" named after Arvo Pärt's
famous piece.
I NEWS
Maestro Arvo Pärt together with Nora Pärt and Fuensanta Nieto … and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

Fortum planning 30 MEUR
bio-oil plant in Estonia
The inauguration of the Finnish energy group Fortum’s combined heat
and power plant (CHP) was held in January 2011 in Pärnu, Estonia. The
new CHP plant in Pärnu uses such local fuels as wood chips, wood resi-
dues from industry and milled peat as fuels. “The production capacity of
the CHP plant is 24 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 50 MW of heat.
Its annual sales volume will be 110 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity
and 220 GWh of heat, which covers the district heating needs of all
Pärnu,” says Sulev Alajõe, from the Pärnu Business and Development
Centre. The new Pärnu CHP plant is highly efficient and environmentally
friendly. The environmental impact from the production process of heat
and electricity at the plant has been reduced to a minimum thanks to
its fluidized bed technology boiler and local bio fuels. The new plant
has created 16 new workplaces in the operation of the plant and about
300 indirect workplaces around Pärnu in the fuel purchase chain and in
other services for the plant.
The Estonian unit of Fortum plans to build a bio-oil plant in Pärnu by
2016. The annual capacity of the plant is projected to be 50,000 tons
of bio-oil. Bio-oil can be used at heating plants or in industrial steam
production as a replacement for fossil fuels. In the more distant future,
the production of bio-oil could be raised to the level where produc-
ing motor fuel becomes possible. “The new plant will provide work to
about 10 people but, considering that the raw material will be sourced
from Pärnu County, the launch of production might indirectly result in
300 new jobs,” says Alajõe. “That makes Fortum the top investor in the
Pärnu region, and we are happy to assist the company in finding both
skilled labour and subcontracting partners. The latest developments of
Fortum fit well with the county’s plan to establish an eco-innovative
Green Economy Competence Centre. Those developments will hope-
fully enable to find investors, willing to establish energy consuming pro-
duction, taking advantage from closeness of Fortum plants,” he adds.
The European Commission has approved 6.9 million euros for the con-
struction of a bio-oil plant using fast pyrolysis technology in the frame-
work of the second round of the NER300 funding programme. In fast
pyrolysis, biomass is decomposed in an oxygen-free atmosphere by
heat, and the produced gas is condensed to bio-oil. The side products,
coke and non-condensible gas, can be utilised fully and energy effi-
ciently in the boiler of the power plant.
BBC named Estonian handcrafted
bike as one of the most beautiful
bicycles in the world
BBC listed the ten most beautiful bicycles in the world. Among
them was the handcrafted Estonian bike called Viks.
According to the Earth Policy Institute, a US-based environmental ad-
vocacy group, bicycle production quadrupled between 1950 and 2007.
During the same period, car production merely doubled. It’s a trend that
continues to this day, accelerated by rising fuel prices and urban conges-
tion. Small manufacturers, custom shops and independent designers
are reinventing the humble two-wheeler with cutting-edge shapes and
technologies. “It was just a matter of time. Given single-speed cyclists’ pathological
fixation with minimalism, Estonia’s Velonia – a boutique studio founded
and manned by Indrek Narusk – has lopped off the seat tube right
where it stood,” states BBC. “The resulting bicycle, the Viks, is a noodly
abstraction fashioned from just two steel tubes, joined at the head tube
below the handlebar. Shown above in “Lamborghini Orange” powder-
coat, a Viks can be configured for either fixed or freewheel riding, al-
though Narusk cautions that handlebar-mounted brakes are a tricky fit,
given the bar’s unusual 30mm diameter. Best to go brakeless, in other
words,” maintain BBC editors.
Other bicycles listed by BBC were made in
Great Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.
Designboom chose Viks to be among the world’s
top 10 bicycle designs in 2013.
Indrek Narusk

This spring the University of Tartu
opened a world class centre for
translational medicine (SIME), which
takes medical research to the next level
with its research activity and millions of
euros worth of scientific equipment.
According to Eero Vasar, Head of the UT’s In-
stitute of Biomedicine and Translational Medi-
cine, opening SIME creates completely new op-
portunities for medical research. “SIME, with
its carefully designed utility systems, is situated
in the Maarjamõisa campus, allowing people
working in the field of medicine to gather
under the same roof and conduct research in
high-tech laboratories, which will one day lead
to benefits via drug development.”
The building is divided into medical laborato-
ries and an animal research centre, holding up
to 30,000 mice and 5,000 rats. There are labo-
ratories for physiological and pharmacological
studies and core facilities for the production
of transgenic animals and modern imaging
technologies. Physiological and pharmacologi-
cal laboratories are equipped with computer-
aided systems allowing for comprehensive
phenotyping of transgenic animals, as well as
preclinical screening of drug candidates. The
animal research facility allows for the handling
of infectious material at the BSL3 biosafety
level, including such dangerous viruses as HIV
and hepatitis C. The cornerstone of the imag-
ing facility is a 9.4 T magnetic resonance to-
mograph, making in vivo imaging studies on
laboratory rodents possible.
The research has been mainly focused on
neuropsychiatric and endocrine disorders,
as well as cancer biology and autoimmune
disorders, using a high number of differ-
ent transgenic disease models, involving
both mice and rats. Transgenic technology
is very instrumental for understanding the
role of genes with unknown functions, and
for the generation of animal models for pre-
clinical drug research. In terms of personal
medicine, the transgenic approach is highly
complementary with GWAS, adding func-
tional meaning to genetic findings. This is
an important step in the translation of ge-
netic data to human studies.
The centre is also open for study and research
activity for students, including genetic en-
gineers, veterinarians, medical doctors and
many others.
The University of Tartu is developing trans-
lational medicine and clinical research as a
member of the EATRIS consortium. EATRIS is
a consortium uniting 70 scientific research es-
tablishments across Europe, with the mission
of implementing scientific discoveries more ef-
ficiently in practical medicine.
The area of SIME is 4,790 square meters and
the total cost of the construction was 8.7 mil-
lion euros, of which 3.5 million euros was al-
located by SA Archimedes from the finances of
the European Union.
Centre for Translational
Medicine Opened in Tartu
Mohamed Djemni
Technology Sourcing Specialist
/ Europe IPC German Branch
LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER
I EVENTS
10
At the end of August the Estonian Investment Agency and the Samsung
Electronics hosted the pitching event “Get Global with Samsung“ in
Tallinn to connect tech companies from the Baltic-Nordic region with
the global player Samsung. It was a unique opportunity for local com-
panies, as such an event had never happened before in the region.
Samsung Sourcing
in the Nordics
Samsung came to search for certain technologies in areas such as sensor
technology, material processing, battery & energy, security, healthcare
and artificial intelligence. Any market-ready technology that could be
integrated into Samsung’s future products was taken into consideration.
Altogether 14 tech companies from Estonia, Finland and Norway were
pre-selected by Samsung and got a chance to introduce their technol-
ogy. As a result, Samsung asked eight of them to discuss business in
one-to-one meetings: DigiFLAK, NUTITEQ, ELIKO Competence Centre,
YOGA AS, FlyDog Solutions, Canatu, Scannanotek and Navionics.
Samsung representatives were pleasantly surprised by the good match
with local companies. They particularly mentioned that they saw a lot
of great innovation happening in Europe and that they would take the
message to Samsung Headquarters in Korea.
In October 2014 there will be a Samsung Electronics Sourcing Exhibition
(SESE) in South Korea, for which only 30 companies from all around the
world will be chosen to discuss business opportunities with key decision
makers of Samsung and to have one-to-one meetings with Samsung
R&D engineers.

The thoroughly renovated Energy Discovery Centre, with its
brand new exhibition, has become a popular family leisure
centre. During the first month after re-opening, more than
15,000 people visited the educational entertainment centre.
On 13 June the Energy Discovery Centre re-opened its doors to the pub-
lic in the Tallinn electricity plant, which has over a hundred-year history.
The building was renovated to restore its 1930s glory and today the
science centre offers entertainment for children and adults in its unique
industrial heritage building.
The star exhibit of the centre is the Tesla Generator in a Faraday cage,
unique in the Baltic states, which makes it possible to demonstrate up
to three-metre lightning bolts. “Regardless of the weather outside, we
see lightning strike here every day at 2pm,” Kertu Saks, Manager of
the Energy Discovery Centre, says to tempt visitors.
There are 130 “hands-on” exhibits at the Energy Discovery Centre, of-
fering activities and joy of discovery mostly to children. The seven per-
manent exhibitions introduce the history of energetics, the discovery of
electricity, electricity production, renewable energy sources and nuclear
energy, optics, voice and sound. In addition, there is an exhibition on
mathematics in the area for temporary exhibitions, with the possibility
of organising a 4D Frame geometry workshop. In October, a new exhibi-
tion, “Mission Possible”, will open, and will include interactive exhibits,
where people, young and old, can learn about the bioeconomy in a
simple way. The main areas of interest are agriculture and fisheries,
food and well-being, biotechnology and life science.
The centre’s virtual planetarium, introducing the science of stars with
the most up-to-date astronomy software Starry Night Pro Plus 7, is very
popular with visitors. Travelling over a billion light years, it is possible to
see thousands of expo-planets, millions of stars and 200,000 galaxies in
the planetarium. The programme is constantly being updated according
to new developments in knowledge about the universe.
The Energy Discovery Centre offers interactive science learning to chil-
dren and adult science fans. The founders of the centre are Eesti En-
ergia, Tallinn University of Technology, the City of Tallinn and Tallinna
Soojus. According to Kertu Saks, visitors have responded to the new
centre with great enthusiasm: “Both kids and adults will find hours
of activity here and the feedback from visitors on the exhibits and the
renovated building has been extremely positive.”
www.energiakeskus.ee
More than 15,000 People Have
Seen Lightning At The Energy
Discovery Centre Photos by Energy Discovery Centre

12 LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014-2015 FALL/WINTER
I EVENTS
Estonia is exhibiting at several international trade fairs in Germany this
season: at the international trade fair of electronics Electronica in Mu-
nich, at the international boat show Hanseboot in Hamburg and at the
watersports trade fair Boot Düsseldorf 2015. The participation of Es-
tonian entrepreneurs in German trade fairs is supported by Enterprise
Estonia through the European Regional Development Fund.
The close economic and cultural ties between Estonia and Germany
date back to the high period of the Hanseatic League, the medieval
political and trading alliance. However, Estonia and Germany are con-
nected by more than the historical union of the Hanseatic League.
Centuries of shared history and cultural exchange have left their mark:
Estonians are renowned for their exemplary work culture and “German
punctuality”. These Prussian virtues are not considered old-fashioned
in northern Europe. Indeed, they have transformed the country in the
brief period since the collapse of the Soviet Union and made it what
it is today: a small but strong and reliable partner, as well as a trusted
member of NATO, the EU and the Eurozone.
Estonian business culture is thoroughly Hanseatic: calmness, reliability
and trust are the highest virtues, a strong work ethic commands great
respect and the payment culture is considered exemplary. Estonians do
not see this as fusty: it has simply always been the right and proper way
of doing things. Keeping promises is a matter of honour: a handshake
is considered at least as binding as a contract, and content is more
important than form.
Estonia –
Innovation Drives Us.
Tradition Binds Us

Meet Estonian shipbuilders at German boat shows
The northern European boat construction industry will be showcas-
ing itself in Hamburg from 25 October to 2 November. At the 55th
International Boat Show Hanseboot 2014, seven Estonian compa-
nies will be presenting their new products. Estonia will be attending
the show for the third time with a joint booth. Last year exhibitors
at the 700-square-metre national pavilion of the partner country Es-
tonia featured innovative, high-quality boat building. The exhibition
space can be found at Hall B6, Stands B.120 and B.122.
Estonia is also, for the first time, participating with its joint stand
at the world‘s largest watersports trade fair Boot Düsseldorf 2015
from 17-25 January. A total of nine Estonian companies will be ex-
hibiting together at the joint stand. Everything from innovative pad-
dle boats to luxury yachts and various shipping products and services
will be demonstrated.
As a maritime country with plenty of good berths, Estonia has been
renowned throughout history as a builder of small and big ships.
Long-term experience means that the quality of Estonian recreational
craft is high and the product range is diverse, from row boats to
luxury yachts and service crafts.
Estonia’s approximately 4,000-km coastline offers not only sailing
trips but also endless opportunities for surfing, water jetting, kayak
and canoe tours and diving. Being near and on the sea has become
a lifestyle for tens of thousands of Estonians, and for some tourism
enterprises it is their main business pillar.
Additional information:
Mrs. Riina Leminsky
/ Enterprise Estonia Hamburg
riina.leminsky@eas.ee
Art lies in innovative electronics
For the first time, Estonia is participating with a joint stand at the world’s
leading trade fair for components, systems and applications Electronica
2015, which takes place 11-14 November in Munich. Everything from
engineering and electronics manufacturing services to PCB production,
cables and radio frequency electronic devices will be displayed.
Electronica is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. As in the past,
it will showcase the electronics trends of the future and give visitors a
comprehensive look at the international electronics industry. This unique
industry event presents the state of the art in innovative electronics – a
diverse range of components, pioneering hardware and software solu-
tions and complete systems and applications – in 143,000 m² of exhibi-
tion space. It all revolves around the latest hot topics, such as electromo-
bility, energy efﬁciency and sustainability.
At the fair, Artec Design will introduce, among other things, a validator,
ticket-system equipment for public transport, which has been their big-
gest project in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, where public transport is
free for citizens. It’s worth noting that a bus ticketing system with 2000
NFC/RFID Validators was developed and installed in only nine months.
The Estonian electronics sector has been powered from the very begin-
ning by the need to communicate and get connected. In 1907 the first
telephone factory was founded in Estonia. Electronics is one of the fast-
est growing sectors in Estonia, with 200 companies and about 11,000
employees. A number of large international corporations produce
mostly for export, while smaller local companies develop innovative
products and solutions. The sector is dominated by industrial electronics
and electronic manufacturing services. 95% of the Estonian electronics
industry’s output is exported.
A total of nine Estonian companies, along with the Estonian Electronics
Industries Association, will be exhibiting together at the Munich elec-
tronics fair. The exhibition space can be found at Hall A3, Booth A3.270.
Additional information:
Mrs. Tiina Kivikas / Enterprise Estonia,
Export Advisor in Germany
tiina.kivikas@eas.ee
See the video “Land of Resourceful People“

I EVENTS
Come for
Nordic-Baltic
innovation
@Latitude59
The 24th
Subcontracting Trade Fair Alihankinta 2014 will take place
16-18 September in the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, in Fin-
land. Alihankinta, which has the largest attendance in the Nordic coun-
tries, presents the key areas of industrial subcontracting, namely the
metal, electronics, plastics and rubber industries, as well as industrial ICT
solutions and consulting services.
Alihankinta will feature approximately 1,000 exhibitors from 20 coun-
tries. Every year some 17,000 industrial specialists visit the event to ex-
plore the latest products, services and innovations. For companies, the
event offers a unique opportunity to build networks and customer rela-
tionships. The three-day event will include interesting seminars focusing
on a wide range of topics related to industrial activities, economics, the
future of subcontracting and factors leading to success in the subcon-
tracting business.
Explore
the Industry
of the Baltic
Sea Region
Ruth Vahtras, FDI project manager, and Irene Surva-Lehtonen, Export Advisor in Finland,
standing by Estonia's stand at Alihankinta 2013.
The speakers and panelists are all leaders in their fields, with long ex-
perience and insight into the chasm facing young companies, which
must look beyond their local markets if they are to fulfil their dreams
and ambitions of providing sustainable solutions to business “pain
points” and consumer demands.
Last year’s Latitude59 was bigger and better than ever, with a full house,
several demo rooms and such keynote speakers as the legendary Vice
President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google Vint Cerf, the found-
er and MD at Draper Fisher Jurvetson Tim Draper, the founder and
Operational Chairman at Kiosked Micke Paqvalen, the IBM Venture
Capital Group member Deborah Magid and many others.
The Latitude59 conference is happening again this spring, from
14-15 May 2015 in Tallinn. The networking conference is a perfect
meeting place for innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capital partners,
angel investors and others who support the global expansion of inno-
vative companies.
Vint Cerf

FOLLOW ON
#latitude59 @latitude59 Latitude59
Latitude59 is a partner of Estonian ICT Week, the single
most eventful week at the centre of the sizzling Nordic-Baltic
ICT powerhouse, illuminating innovative ideas that connect
the brightest minds. This year it takes place from 8 to 15 May.
You are very welcome to join!
estonia.eu/ictweek/
On 15 September, one day before Alihankinta, Enterprise Estonia
Helsinki is organising a high level Estonia-Finland business seminar
in Tampere. The seminar will be attended by the Minister of Foreign
Trade and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Estonia, Anne Sulling.
“Although cooperation between Finland and Estonia is remarkably
lively, there is still room for new opportunities: for example, the Tal-
sinki Bay Area. There is a natural economic zone on the shores of the
Gulf of Finland. We have to prove that we can be better together
than separately, and this cooperation can be extended to the whole
Baltic Sea Region, ” says Valdar Liive, the moderator and man behind
the seminar. The partners of the seminar are the Estonian Embassy
in Helsinki, Business Region South-Estonia, the Finnish-Estonian Trade
Association and the foundation Ida-Virumaa Industrial Areas Develop-
ment (IVIA).
This year, electronics, machinery and metal, and plastics companies
from Estonia will participate in the Alihankinta Trade Fair. These fields
of industry all share an orientation towards export markets and open-
ness to comprehensive cooperation with the leaders of their respective
fields all over the world. Estonian companies participating: Plastone OÜ,
Hissmekano Estonia OÜ, Tech Group AS, Eolane Tallinn AS, Konesko AS,
Radius Machining OÜ, Frog Plastic OÜ, Greenforce OÜ, Efekt AS, Metre
OÜ, Aamex OÜ and BHC AS.
Welcome to meet Estonian companies in hall D, stand D220!
www.alihankinta.fi
Gil Dibner, Partner at DFJ Esprit, London tweeted his appreciation:
“Amazed, not surprised, by the strength of tech and talent in Tallinn,
Latitude59. Looks like I’ll be back!”
One highlight of Latitude59 is the start-up pitch contest Silicon Val-
ley Style, introducing the most promising start-ups from the Nordic
and Baltic region to well-known investors from around the globe. Last
year there were over a hundred applicants, surprisingly many of whom
were hardware start-ups.
The topics for 2015 are Fintech, Medtech and the Internet of Things.
And, as a proper networking conference, every year Latitude59 pro-
vides reasons to celebrate. There will be a vibrant start-up party on the
eve of 14 May. Stay tuned!
latitude59.ee
Micke Paqvalen
Taavet Hinrikus
Richard Allan Homing

I COVER STORY
Anne Sulling:
Estonia is an Attractive
Hub for Testing New
Technologies By Holger Roonemaa
Photos by Margus Johanson and Meeli Küttim

During the change of government which took place in spring 2014,
Estonia introduced a ministerial portfolio with a brand new focus.
The country now has a minister with specific responsibility for
foreign trade and entrepreneurship. The person who took up
the position is even more interesting: Anne Sulling did not have
any previous experience in politics.
Before entering the political arena, it was Sull-
ing’s job to sell Estonia’s “emission allowanc-
es”, aimed at achieving reduced carbon emis-
sions as part of the Kyoto Protocol. To a great
extent, it is thanks to her work that Estonia can
boast the world’s first nationwide network of
electric car charging stations, that more than a
thousand electric cars are now driving on the
roads of Estonia, that hundreds of public build-
ings have been renovated to become energy
efficient, that outdated public lighting systems
are being replaced with energy efficient light-
ing in seven towns, that theatres have been
equipped with modern energy-efficient stage
lighting systems, that more than a hundred
new efficient public transport buses have been
procured and that the capital Tallinn will soon
receive new trams.
You have now been a minister
for half a year. How would you
characterise the field you are
responsible for?
Estonia has a small open economy with ex-
ports of goods and services constituting more
than 80% of its GDP. The main purpose of the
Minister of Foreign Trade and Entrepreneur-
ship is to help support Estonia’s exporters at
home and abroad and help attract foreign in-
vestors to Estonia.
What is Estonia’s export
portfolio like?
Estonia’s export portfolio is very diverse. We
have a number of large multinational com-
panies that make up the largest share of our
export portfolio, the main articles being ma-
chinery and equipment, electronics, and in-
formation and communication technologies.
We build sea vessels, from kayaks to yachts
to large ships. We stand out for our excel-
lence in IT. Everybody probably already knows
that Skype was developed in Estonia, but
now many new interesting companies have
spun off in the IT sector that are aiming to go
global: Transferwise, GrabCAD, Erply, Signwise
and Fortumo, to name only a few of them.
We have a strong wood sector—which is no
wonder as more than half of our territory is
covered by forests--producing everything from
paper pulp to furniture to log-houses, which
are all exported. We boast a large variety of
high quality foodstuffs, a result of Estonia’s
clean nature and environment.
During your time in office you
have already received many
foreign delegations and also
made various business trips
abroad to promote Estonia.
How do foreign entrepreneurs
perceive Estonia?
I have asked many foreign investors who have
already settled here why they chose Estonia to
be their production base. They all usually an-
swer that it is because we have a very trans-
parent and efficient business environment, a
low level of corruption and a simple tax sys-
tem. It is easy to file one’s taxes oneself. Our
e-government solutions make communication
with the state very simple and extremely ef-
ficient; this all saves businesses a great deal of
time and money. We have a qualified, reliable
and competitive workforce. We are logistically
well-connected by sea and are working to im-
prove our air connections, and of course being
an electronic hub we are very well connected
to the world.

I COVER STORY
It seems that we have come to a
crossroads; the cost of our labour
force has risen, yet we still have
a competitive advantage over
Western Europe when it comes to
labour costs. What is your opinion?
Estonia’s challenge is to continue to climb up
the value chain and that means over time lower
skilled and lower paid jobs will be replaced by
higher skilled and higher paid jobs. Indeed, we
have seen some jobs on the lowest end of the
wage scale leave the market and jobs requiring
higher skills and qualifications replace them. Es-
tonia’s average wage level is currently still only
about 40% of the EU average. In the long term,
it is important that the price/quality relationship
offered in the labour market remains attractive.
That means we need to keep investing in our
people’s education and skills.
One of the greatest assets Estonia has is its very
good education system. According to the PISA
tests carried out by the OECD, the results of
Estonian primary school students rank among
the best in the world, along with Finland, the
Netherlands and Japan. Our universities also of-
fer very high quality education. Different multi-
national companies make use of the fact that
our universities have world-class scientists in the
fields of biochemistry, IT, material sciences and
electrical engineering, and they cooperate on
projects of research and development. In recent
years, our universities have been working with
such well-known companies as Ericsson, Mit-
subishi, Mercedes and Nestlé, among others.
In addition, Estonia remains an excellent and
attractive manufacturing location; we have a
skilled and committed workforce that can pro-
duce quality goods at very competitive costs,
with easy access to large markets. That is why
such large multinationals as ABB and Ericsson
have set up their manufacturing facilities in
Estonia.
Let’s talk about the business en-
vironment of Estonia. How do you
explain to Norwegian or German
entrepreneurs what it is and why
it is so incredibly simple for us to
communicate with the state?
It is our e-government solutions which have
helped to shape our simple business environ-
ment. Our communications with the state are
online and this guarantees a high degree of
efficiency and transparency. This efficiency
allows companies to get on with their core
business without incurring high administrative
costs. In addition to e-government, we benefit
from the small size of our country: everybody
knows everybody, which makes business deal-
ings simple and fast. The cooperation between
ministries and the government is very fast and
efficient. Let me give the example of selling
emission allowances to other countries: we
clearly stood out from competing countries
because all of our processes were much faster.
Whenever there was a need to put together a
programme within a limited time frame, they
came knocking at our door, as they knew that
no other country would be able to react as
fast. Governmental decisions which may take
months somewhere else took just a week or
two in Estonia. We are fast and efficient, and
our e-communication channels make commu-
nication with the state simple and efficient.
In a previous issue of this
magazine, Taavi Kotka expressed
his belief that e-residency could
be the very thing to make Estonia
unique in the world. It could be
Estonia’s unique selling point in
the world. Is this something you
consider important enough to
target foreign entrepreneurs
with?
It is our goal to have 10 million e-residents by
2025. Obtaining an e-residency means obtain-
ing an Estonian ID card from one of Estonia’s
representations. This ID card has two func-
tions. Firstly, there is the authentication func-
tion, which provides a guarantee at the high-
est level of security that the owner of the card
really is the person s/he claims to be. Secondly
there is the digital signature function, which to
date does not exist in most countries. The digi-
tal signature enables one to give a secure sig-
nature at a distance. Business dealings thereby
become much easier. It is impossible to forge
a digital signature; thus in web environments
where a high degree of security is important
our ID-card is a great advantage. This could be
a reason for foreign entrepreneurs wishing to
have our e-identity. In my talks with foreign
entrepreneurs who already have business deal-
ings with Estonia, it has become clear that they
are eagerly awaiting this opportunity. But there
is also potential interest among those entrepre-
neurs who currently have no links with Estonia.
The e-resident ID will provide entrepreneurs
with access to the Estonian Business Registry
and enable them to easily create a company in
the European Union from a distance. It would
be their easiest and most efficient access to the
EU business environment.
Minister Sulling at the seminar of the Confederation of Finnish Industries.

In addition to simplicity, what are
the reasons that foreign entrepre-
neurs should consider Estonia?
We have a competitive workforce, a great busi-
ness environment, and a simple and motivat-
ing tax system, where no income tax is paid on
profits reinvested. The level of corruption is ex-
tremely low. We have a Nordic business culture,
where promises are kept. Estonians have the
reputation for getting things done. We speak
English well. Those aspects are already sufficient
for entrepreneurs to give Estonia some serious
thought.
Besides that, the Estonian government has in-
vested a great deal in the business infrastructure
in recent years, setting up incubators for start-
up companies, and founding industrial parks for
companies to set up their production facilities,
as well as science and development centres to
help facilitate cooperation between businesses
and research institutions. I have met foreign
investors who say they like Estonia because it
seems everybody here is developing something.
That is an additional argument for foreign inves-
tors to take a look at the possibilities in Estonia.
One interesting new trend we have observed
lately is that multinational companies are bring-
ing their service centres to Estonia, such as ac-
counting, back office management and treas-
ury functions. This is helped by the fact that
we have a disproportionally high share of the
workforce educated for the needs of the finan-
cial services industry, which is looking for new
outlets after the consolidation of the financial
sector. A few multinationals have also brought
their IT development and engineering R&D cen-
tres to Estonia.
The Estonian government has also created a
support scheme to motivate investments in
Estonia. The state adds 30% to investments
of more than 3,000,000 euros, with a maxi-
mum support of one million euros. Investments
receiving state support must create at least
15 new jobs with wages above the Estonian
average.

I COVER STORY
How are the arguments in favour
of investing in Estonia working?
To date they have worked very well. Estonia’s
share of foreign investments per GDP is al-
most twice that of the other Baltic states: by
the end of 2012, Estonia had 84.2% of for-
eign investments per GDP, whereas the share
in Latvia was 46.1% and in Lithuania 36.7%.
This shows that our business environment is
very attractive.
When a foreign investor decides
to consider Estonia as a potential
investment location, but does not
have a local partner, what are the
first steps that should be taken?
Enterprise Estonia (EAS) is the central contact
point both for local entrepreneurs who wish
to enter foreign markets and for foreign en-
trepreneurs who wish to come to Estonia.
Enterprise Estonia has a strong foreign direct
investment (FDI) advisory team, which works
specifically with foreign investors. For potential
investors, it is therefore a good idea to first ap-
proach Enterprise Estonia, which will provide
them with an advisor who will help fulfil their
information requirements, present the op-
portunities available to them and bring them
into contact with the necessary people. It is a
very personalized approach. I have heard from
many investors that the FDI advisory team of
Enterprise Estonia does great work, and that
confirms what I have witnessed myself.
It is also worth noting that Enterprise Estonia
coordinates the network of County Develop-
ment Centres, which provide advisory services
to local entrepreneurs and possess a very good
overview of the local level. They are therefore
in a good position to help foreign investors
find interesting investment opportunities in
the regions.
Where do you see the largest
potential for growth? What could
become Estonia’s trademark in
the world?
Given our competitive edge on the IT side, we
need to exploit that. Currently our e-solutions
are mostly tailor-made and do not constitute
a large share of our export volume. Thus, it is
important to move into areas that allow larger
volumes. One such area where we could ex-
ploit our IT potential is that of the smart city.
The smart city field is experiencing rapid global
growth. There is increasing concern about how
to make the city space more comfortable and
sustainable. The solutions range from energy-
efficient lighting systems to smart building solu-
tions to smart apps helping to orientate in city
environments. Estonia can expand into this field.
Another aspect which we could exploit more
in Estonia is our openness to using new tech-
nologies. The small size of our country enables
us to easily test various solutions nationwide.
In other words, Estonia could position itself
as a testing ground for various technologies
where, on one hand, companies come to test
new technologies and, on the other, people
come to get acquainted with new technolo-
gies. E-residency is a good example of the pos-
sibility of using Estonia to test unique solutions
that can be rolled-out to the whole world.
Estonia possesses all the attributes to be an in-
ternational testing ground: we are a creative,
efficient, progressive EU member state with a
well-educated and hard-working population.
Anne Sulling and Alexander Stubbs,
Finland's sitting PM (Minister for European
Affairs and Foreign Trade at the time)

Can you give any other examples?
Yes. We conducted the world’s first country-
wide pilot project in electric cars in Estonia.
This is something we did in collaboration with
Japan and the Mitsubishi Corporation through
the sale of emissions allowances under the
Kyoto Protocol.
We created the world’s first country-wide
quick-charging system for electric cars and
provided some 500 electric cars to social work-
ers for use across the country. In addition, we
created a grant scheme for the general public
to support purchases of electric cars. Today
there are more than one thousand electric cars
driving on Estonian roads, which is one of the
highest concentrations in the world.
In addition, we introduced another innovative
project as part of the electric car programme:
the car sharing programme. Since last summer
it has been possible to rent an electric car in the
two biggest Estonian towns, Tallinn and Tartu.
It is possible to locate the closest available car,
reserve it, open its doors and start the rental
session simply by using your smart phone. Car
sharing has turned out to be surprisingly popu-
lar and, after its introduction, the sales of elec-
tric cars increased significantly. The rest of the
world has a lot to learn from our experience
in this field. For example, the Estonian com-
pany Now Innovations, which developed the
payment system for the electric car charging
network, is now offering the same service in
other countries.
It is important to mention that such pilot pro-
jects create work for our research institutions.
For example, in both of the above-mentioned
projects we installed data-loggers in the cars,
which collect various data about the cars over
several years. The professors and students of
the Tallinn University of Technology, in coop-
eration with the Mitsubishi Corporation, will
now be able to analyse the data to find ways
to improve electric cars and also to learn how
to introduce the electric cars to the market.
Such an experience of collaboration is useful
for both sides and shows foreign investors
what can be done in Estonia.
You made the decision to enter
politics half a year ago. If you had
gone into business, which field
would you have chosen?
For years I have been involved in international
negotiations and sales. The specific field isn’t
so important; what matters is that I believe in
the product. Great product ideas may come
from any field.
Which markets should Estonian
entrepreneurs target more?
The internal market of the European Union
has great potential. It is by no means an easy
market. It requires high quality products and
services. Its consumers have considerable pur-
chasing power. I would first look at the EU
market and focus on product development in
order to manage in a very competitive mar-
ket. Russia and China are huge and attrac-
tive markets, but there are very many risks in
those markets which are not related to the
entrepreneur. The USA and Japan are friendly
markets for us, and we still have a small trade
volume with them, so there is room for ex-
pansion. But also more distant markets hold
potential for increases in trade. In a small
country like Estonia, we need to focus on
high quality and try to find niche fields with
high added value.
Anne Sulling and Skype Estonia CEO Andrus Järg.
PhotobyEikoKink,Äripäev
Estonia boasts good chocolate and sweets.
One of the most beloved chocolate bars
is Anneke, which is a diminutive of the
Estonian girl's name Anne. In the photo,
Anne Sulling with Kaido Kaare, CEO of AS
Kalev, the biggest and oldest confectionery
company in Estonia whose first predecessor'
activities in Tallinn date back to 1806. For
years, Kalev has been the best known and
most prestigious trademark in Estonia.

Jüri Riives
Professor, Dr. Eng in Manufacturing Systems
Graduated from the Tallinn University of Tech-
nology. Worked at the Tallinn University of
Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineer-
ing. Involved in private business as a Member
of the Board and Chairman of the Council.
Currently working in the Competence Centre
IMECC as Chairman of the Board and Gen-
eral Manager of Research.
Scientific and research fields: Mechatronic
and Production Systems Productivity and Be-
havioural Models; Intelligent Manufacturing
and Robotics; Lean Manufacturing and Qual-
ity Management.
Has taken part in several international pro-
jects in the areas of cluster development,
developing of new business models for ensur-
ing competitiveness and adding innovation
capacity of the labour force and entrepre-
neurs in the mechanical engineering and ma-
chinery sector. Has published more than 60
scientific articles.
I ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Industrial
Revolution 4.0 By Jüri Riives
On the way to a new
industrial revolution
Manufacturing systems are key components
of any industrial company which is oriented to
production activities. Modern manufacturing
systems must satisfy the following demands:
high productivity, high flexibility (small batches
and large nomenclature of products) and high
accuracy in products.
Rapidness, diversity and uniqueness character-
ise today’s production. Additionally, decreases
in resources, pressure on manufacturing costs
and continual growth in customers’ expecta-
tions have led to new problems that need to
be solved. There is a need for strong individu-
alisation of products under the conditions of
highly flexible production, extensive integra-
tions of customers and business partners and
value-added processes, and the linking of pro-
duction and high quality services leading to
“hybrid” products.
Germany has played a leading role in mak-
ing significant changes in business models
and developing new smart industrial systems.
This new paradigm has led to an industrial
revolution, known as Industry 4.0, which
was publicly announced by Angela Merkel at
the opening of the Hanover Industrial Exhibi-
tion in 2013. Industry 4.0 was conceived as
a forward-looking project under the Federal
Government High-Tech strategy, focusing on
information and communication technology. It
has been developed further to include produc-
tion research and user industries.
What is Industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 means Smart Factory develop-
ment, where intelligent cells inside the com-
pany and between the companies are integrat-
ed through the Internet, and they are able to
communicate and make necessary decisions.
Industry 4.0 is Cyber-Physical Systems and the
Internet of Things.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part
of the future of the Internet, including the exist-
ing and evolving Internet and network develop-
ments, and it can be conceptually defined as
a dynamic global network infrastructure with
self-configuring capabilities based on standard
and interoperable communication protocols,
where physical and virtual “things” have identi-
ties, physical attributes and virtual personalities,
use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly in-
tegrated into the information network.
In the IoT, “smart things/objects” – robot-based
industrial cells - are active things (including work-
places) in the process and/or in the production
system where they are designed to interact and
communicate among themselves and with the
environment by exchanging data and informa-
tion “sensed” about the environment, while
reacting autonomously to “real/physical world”
events and influencing them by running process-
es that trigger actions and create services with or
without direct human intervention.

IMECC vision of modern manufacturing
IoT infrastructure allows for combinations of
smart objects (wireless sensors, robots, control-
ling and servicing devices etc.), sensor network
technologies and human beings, with their
defined competences, using different but inter-
operable communication protocols. It creates
a dynamic multi-modular, heterogeneous net-
work that can be deployed in different produc-
tion areas. Along with increased automation
in industry, the development of completely new
business models is an important task as well.
Towards modern manufacturing
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are becoming
increasingly important in this context. Along
with increased automation in industry, the
development of intelligent monitoring and
autonomous decision-making processes are
particularly important in order to be able to
steer and optimise both companies and entire
value-added networks in almost real time.
Working in a cross-enterprise product-realisation
process means that the flow of information
and materials needs to be efficiently managed
throughout the entire life cycle, i.e. from concept
to disposal. Due to the topology of Extended En-
terprise, the flows of information and materials
become complex, especially if the configuration
of the Extended Enterprise changes dynamically
during collaboration projects. This highlights the
use of MES systems and their integration with
planning and management systems.
Production is a key component of every manu-
facturing company involved in production
systems. The main info-technological means
in a production system are Manufacturing Pro-
cess Management (MPM) and Manufacturing
Execution System (MES). MPM is a complex
of production technologies and methodolo-
gies that determines how to manufacture a
product effectively in a real production en-
vironment. ERP determines what and when
to produce (planning), MPM determines the
most efficient realisation solutions and MES
provides evaluation of the realisation.
IMECC working programme
The Innovative Manufacturing Engineering
Systems Competence Centre (IMECC) is one
of the eight competence centres of Estonia.
IMECC’s overall goal is to raise the internation-
al competitiveness of the Estonian manufactur-
ing industry and the field’s companies through
collaboration between research institutions
and companies in the field of R&D, integra-
tion with the European Technology Platform
Manufuture programme and cooperation with
international clusters and research institutions.
IMECC’s main field of activities is applied re-
search directed at the company level, process
level and production cell level. The research in
these three focuses is commonly referred to as
the development and realisation of the Future
Factory concept. The development of intelli-
gent manufacturing systems and products is
the IMECC consortium’s main objective.
The focuses of the research are:
• Integration of business and manufactur-
ing planning based on e-manufacturing
and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
systems, resulting in the development of
new business models
• Development of cost and time efficient
solutions for SMEs for process automa-
tion and innovative emerging manufac-
turing technologies
• Self-organising systems with online moni-
toring and diagnostics.
Research is characterised by the integration
of information technology solutions in various
industries and manufacturing sectors (Intel-
ligent Manufacturing). Research results pro-
vide the basis for enterprises to introduce new
products, increase productivity and automate
processes.
The agility and flexibility that are needed in to-
day’s production can be achieved by integrat-
ing workplaces with processes and systems
inside a company, as well as by creating net-
works of companies. The network is formed
by things/objects having identities, virtual
personalities operating in smart spaces using
intelligent interfaces to connect and commu-
nicate with the users, and social and environ-
mental contexts. So, the plan is to make the
Internet of Things a reality.
Challenges for a new
Industrial Revolution
in Estonia
• Willingness of owners/
shareholders to change
• Development of new skills
and competences
• Employees’ ambitions
• More internationalisation and
cooperation in R&D
• Intelligent manufacturing
networking
• Setting priorities
• National Action Programme

Skeleton Technologies, a Tallinn-based company which
develops and produces ultracapacitors - extremely powerful
energy storage devices - aims to become the leading
ultracapacitor manufacturer within five years.
Skeleton Technologies started to grow in
2009, when, after years of development work,
the young entrepreneurs Taavi Madiberk and
Oliver Ahlberg decided to take the technol-
ogy created by Tartu scientists into production.
Taavi Madiberk, CEO of the company, explains
that they have experienced very rapid growth
in the last five years: “Everything has gone ac-
cording to our plans, and in some ways we are
even ahead of our plans.”
Skeleton Technologies has received nearly 1.5
million euros worth of funding from Enterprise
Estonia, most of which has been received in
the last two years. In July 2014, the company
announced a 3.9 million euro injection from
the investment company Up Invest. At the
beginning of this year, Skeleton Technologies
participated in the Norway Grants Green In-
dustry Innovation programme, which was
looking for Estonian companies to develop
globally ambitious green IT projects together
with Norwegian companies, and received
funding from the Estonian-Norwegian coop-
eration programme Green Innovation Estonia
to develop the next generation of “smart”
ultracapacitor modules. Standardised plug-
and-play solutions for a variety of markets,
from UPS to heavy transportation, will lower
the cost of ownership for customers. The
specified features, from voltage and tempera-
ture monitoring to application-based energy
profiles, are class-leading and increase the
efficiency and reliability of the devices. Skel-
eton Technologies has included the Norwe-
gian company NX Tech, which specialises in
bringing breakthrough technologies to market
(their previous partners include Th!nk, Citymo-
tion, Cisco and others), as a partner to field-
test the modules in Norway.
The German subsidiary of the Estonian com-
pany received funding from a local support
programme where the total cost of their pro-
ject was nearly 14 million euros. The project
combines support from the Development Bank
of Saxony with the company’s own contribu-
tion. Madiberk says that this is probably the
largest investment ever made by an Estonian
company in Germany.
By Otti Eylandt / Postimees
Small Company Set
To Conquer The World

Skeleton Technologies’
ultracapacitor
• Life cycle 15 years and up to a
million life cycles. Normal batteries
last a couple of thousand cycles.
• Working temperature between
-40 and +65°C.
• Much smaller than products of
competitors; hence production
costs up to 50 % less.
• Fields of use: transport, military,
renewable energy and space
industries.
• Five patents and 16 patent
applications in process in Europe,
the USA and Asia.
Comment:
Lermo Pohlak, Director of Customer
Centre, Enterprise Estonia: ”Skeleton
Technologies is an ambitious com-
pany whose projects Enterprise Esto-
nia has decided to support on several
occasions. It is still too early to assess
the impact of these projects as they
are still under way. Enterprise Estonia
continues to follow Skeleton’s activi-
ties with great interest and we hope
for the successful implementation of
their projects.
The company’s ability to attract mil-
lions of euros of additional capital
from Estonia and abroad should be
commended. It demonstrates that
investors have trust in the team and
goals of Skeleton Technologies.”
www.skeletontech.com
The sums invested in the small company are
quite high considering that the company is cur-
rently mainly involved in developing the products
and plans to start larger production in the sec-
ond half of next year. How have those invest-
ments helped to develop the company and what
exactly has the company managed to do so far?
Madiberk explains that the investments have
been pivotal for the development of the com-
pany: “High tech production is a field which re-
quires a lot of money and we have managed to
bring out a new generation product,” he said.
The sums may seem high in Estonia but, to put
it in perspective, a competitor company in the
United States called Ioxus has received almost 50
million USD in investments (36.9 million euros).
Brains here, production in Germany
Today the company’s headquarters in Tallinn em-
ploy over twenty staff members, the “brains” of
the company, and product testing takes place
there. Although the company currently produces
ultracapacitors for sale in Tallinn, the production
volumes are still low. Madiberk explains that larg-
er production will take place in Bautzen, Germany,
where currently preparations are under way. The
production lines will open in the second half of
2015 if everything goes according to plan.
Taavi Madiberk explains that the reason the com-
pany will move production to Germany is the fact
that a fifth of the world’s market for ultracapaci-
tors is based there, the customers are closer and
it is easier to find qualified workers. “If we want
to compete with Asia in Europe, Germany is the
best option,” he adds.
There is no danger of the company moving its
development group from Tallinn to Germany and
thus losing the company for Estonia. Madiberk
claims that the current working group has prov-
en its worth and he sees no reason for moving.
Achievements to date
Skeleton’s team includes four people with doc-
toral degrees. One of them is the Vice President
of Production, Kai Vuorilehto, who has several
years of experience as Chief Technology Officer
at European Batteries Ltd, where he led technol-
ogy development and production set-up at one
of the most technologically advanced Li-ion bat-
tery production facilities in Europe, with over 70
M EUR invested. The company also employs the
former Chief Executive of Silmet, Anti Perkson.
Recently, a battery industry veteran, James P.
McDougall, was appointed to serve as a non-ex-
ecutive director with a focus on global business
development.
According to Taavi Madiberk, the biggest suc-
cesses of Skeleton are its cutting-edge propri-
etary technology and high-profile customers,
ranging from the European Space Agency to
leading players in the European automotive in-
dustry. The company’s cooperation with ESA
started in 2011 and they have just negotiated
the next contract.
Madiberk claims that the most important char-
acteristics of ultracapacitors are their functional-
ity, resilience, size and mass. Thanks to patented
technologies, Skeleton has a real advantage in
these areas over its competitors. “After all, every
gram counts in space,” he says.
Oliver Ahlberg (28, left), the Chief Operating Officer of Skeleton Technologies, and CEO Taavi Madiberk (26)
have managed to get their foot in the door of big business despite their young age.
Madiberk believes that the company has
all the necessary prerequisites to become
the largest ultracapacitor manufacturer
in Europe within the next two-three
years, and then the largest manufacturer
globally.
PhotobyMIHKELMARIPUU/Scanpix

Stoneridge –American Dream
in Tänassilma Village
By Ann-Marii Nergi
Truck instrument cluster
Printed circuit board assembly
of a vehicle control unit

When the Swedish factory of the US electronics manufacturer Ston-
eridge became too small for the company, it was faced with the choice
of expanding either to Poland or to Estonia. The choice was made in
favour of Estonia as “for a variety of reasons Estonia just prevailed,” re-
calls Per Lindberg, member of the Management Board and a long-timer
in the Estonian plant.
Stoneridge Electronics in Estonia started work in 1998 under the name
Berifors, a company formed from a management buyout in Ericsson’s
automotive division. Due to a crowded factory in Sweden and cost
pressure from its customers, Berifors needed to immediately expand. In
1997, Stoneridge acquired Berifors and, since 2001, the Estonian plant
has been a part of Stoneridge Electronics.
The head-office of the company, which develops products for commer-
cial vehicles, passenger cars and special vehicles (off-road and agricul-
ture), is located in Warren, Ohio in the USA. The company is registered
on the New York Stock Exchange.
For the last six years Toomas Papstel who has worked for the company
since 2000 has been in charge of the car electronics factory based in the
technology park in the small village of Tänassilma. Papstel recalls that,
when production began in the late 1990s, it was a small production unit
which serviced one customer in one product group. Today Stoneridge
Estonia employs 270 people. Today all fields are strongly represented,
from product development and industrialisation to product validation,
not to mention process development and automation. The products
and the production process are also more complex than in the early
days.Papstel explains that the factory in Estonia concentrates on the
production of electronic control units, telematics, switch modules, fuses
and relay modules.
Products for Scania and Ford, tractors and buses
“The majority of the production goes to truck producers, such as
Daimler, MAN, Scania and Volvo, but also for passenger car produc-
ers, such as Ford. We also produce for buses and special vehicles, such
as construction vehicles and tractors,” explains Papstel. “We send our
products directly to car factories, where they are assembled on vehicles.
Whereas the largest share of the production goes to European Union
countries, we also export to such destinations as Brazil and Australia.”
Although Stoneridge has other factories in the United States, Mexico,
Sweden, Scotland and China, and joint ventures in Brazil and India, the
factory in Estonia is able to participate in local and global development
projects. Back in 2008, Toomas Papstel told the media that Stoneridge
Estonia needed more “brains” in order to break into the European pas-
senger car market and, to this end, a development department employ-
ing 30 engineers was established in Estonia in the same year. “This is
one of our more successful projects,” says the plant manager. “Our lo-
cal product development team is a fully-functioning unit which works in
close cooperation with the Stoneridge development centre in Sweden.”
Papstel adds that employees are mostly found locally and the company
collaborates with the Tallinn University of Technology in finding engi-
neering staff.
“In creating competence, one needs to take a long-term perspective.
We combine experienced personnel with people who are still studying
in university. There are cases of former students who came to us for ap-
prenticeships, and gradually increased their input until they became full
staff members,” Papstel says, explaining the importance of combining
education with practical experience.
Tests with spaceship!
According to the plant manager, the task of Stoneridge Estonia contin-
ues to be to represent the corporation’s capacity in Europe, and to main-
tain the flexibility to service primarily European customers. “Our goal is
to grow. There are also plans to expand the local product development
unit,” said Papstel.
It should be noted that Stoneridge Electronics was one of the partici-
pants in sending the first Estonian space satellite, Estcube, into orbit, as
the satellite vibration tolerance tests were carried out in the Stoneridge
testing lab. Papstel is modest in talking about this experience: “We did
indeed have this interesting opportunity. But I have to emphasise that
our role should not be blown out of proportion. People came to us for
help in carrying out the vibration tolerance tests because our testing lab
provides this capability. Of course we agreed!”
“We have daily contact with the car industry, but there are no ‘space
ships’ regularly at our factory. Our lab engineers were totally excited
and spent the days between Christmas and New Year’s eve at work,”
he says, recalling the varied working life of the engineers in the factory.
Precision measurements with 3D measuring equipment
Automatic routing of printed circuit boards

Hundreds of trains around
the world have roofs and cooling
systems made in Estonia.
Estonia may not be producing trains any long-
er, as it did a century ago at the Dvigatel fac-
tory, but you can find a small company that
specialises in building train roofs and cooling
systems. Train HVACs are extremely high-tech
solutions that need to be designed and tested
extra carefully, as the smallest of flaws may
mean trouble for passengers and financial
loss for carriers. Interconnect Product Assem-
bly’s CEO Roman Klepikov tells us more.
Would you please introduce IPA
to the readers of Life in Estonia.
Interconnect Product Assembly AS (IPA) was
established in 1999. We are an independent,
privately owned company specializing in the
production of electro-mechanical solutions,
from simple cable harnesses to complex fully
functional assemblies. The range of services
IPA provides includes design, prototyping, se-
rial production, supply chain management
and hub sourcing solutions. Starting as a very
small company, IPA has managed to grow into
a strong company employing around 200 em-
ployees and achieving a turnover of 20MEUR
in 2013. 95% of manufactured goods are
exported, mainly to the EU but a number of
goods are also delivered to the US, Australian
and Canadian markets.
I understand that among other
things you also produce train
roofs with cooling systems.
What does that exactly mean?
One of the products that IPA manufactures is an
HVAC (Heating Air Conditioning and Ventila-
tion) unit for train manufacturers. Our main cus-
tomers for these kinds of products are Bombar-
dier, Siemens, Knorr-Bremse, Sigma and Hitachi.
Typically the design of the product is complet-
ed by the customer but when needed IPA has
the skills to design the HVAC unit for the cus-
tomer. The metal frames are manufactured by
IPA local partners under the strict supervision
of our engineers. The HVAC unit is assembled
and completely tested at an IPA facility and is
delivered straight to the train manufacturing
depot. So the only thing the customer has to
do is to lift the unit into the roof hole, screw
it into place and connect it. The unit is tested
and set up for best performance. This is a very
complicated product and it might take 150
man-hours to manufacture just one HVAC unit
and 30 man-hours to conduct all the tests to
guarantee the best possible performance.
Roman Klepikov
IPA Helps to Make
Comfortable TrainsBy Holger Roonemaa

HVAC manufacturing is
only a small part of IPA
production.
IPA’s major manufacturing
areas are:
• Electrical cabinets
(low and medium voltage)
• Electrical modules
• Relay panels
• Electro-mechanical equipment
• Various box-build assemblies
IPA’s clients include
Knorr-Bremse, Siemens,
Hitachi and Bombardier
IPA has manufactured
HVAC
units for over 800 train
carriages, including:
• 2005 – 2006
Siemens EMU
70 Train Saloon HVAC Units
Germany
• 2006 – 2007
Siemens DMU
Germany
• 2008
Hitachi
50 Train Cabin HVAC Units
Japan
• 2008 – 2009
Bombardier Electrostar
• 2009 – 2010
Bombardier Turbostar
• 2013
Scottish Railways,
East Coast Main Line
Can you tell me as a simple passenger
what the use of your product when
I’m travelling on a train is?
The product consists of a metal frame made of alu-
minium or stainless steel, depending on what condi-
tions the train will operate in. It includes the cooling
system, heating system, ventilation system and also
an emergency mode system. The HVAC unit is 100%
automated and the train driver only has to start the
train and the rest is done by the HVAC unit in order
to guarantee a comfortable environment for passen-
gers. In addition to saloon HVAC units, IPA manufac-
tures train driver HVAC units and all other systems
related to the train environment: floor heaters, tem-
perature controllers, extraction units etc.
I find it quite surprising that an
Estonian company is producing such
systems. How easy or difficult is it
to find workers with the necessary
skills?
The manufacturing process is fairly complicated
indeed, as many aspects and restrictions must be
taken into consideration. In general, railway ap-
plications have the highest technical and quality
requirements. The product must be 100% secure
and 100% free of defects. There can be no risk
to passengers. If there is even a small problem,
the whole train has to be moved to the depot for
maintenance and repair. The cost of a train stand-
ing in a depot and not being in service is huge.
In order to guarantee high quality and meet all
customer expectations, IPA has a team of people
who are true professionals in their area. There is a
conduit that detects possible design faults in the
early design stage, so most of the problems are
eliminated before the serial production process. FAI
(First Article Inspection) samples are approved inter-
nally with the customer and the train manufacturer.
When needed, IPA specialists go to the train builder’s
depot in order to ensure that the unit fits “prop-
erly” in the train and fulfils all the requirements.
The most challenging aspect is the manufacturing
process. IPA engineers have worked out a process
that always guarantees good and uniform quality,
regardless of what type of HVAC is involved. The
process requires trained and skilled operators and
knowledgeable supervisors. Even more challenging
is the testing and set-up process, as this requires
good engineering skills, experience and extreme
patience, as sometimes final adjustments can take
much longer than expected.
What is the difference between train
HVACs and common cooling systems?
As trains are always moving, micro vibration is al-
ways present in products, so if the product is not
assembled according to specifications then it can
fail easily in one to five years’ time. And if a whole
batch is assembled in the same way, this can cause
an “epidemic” problem involving the whole train
fleet. Nobody wants that. I’m sure you have heard
about the HVAC failing in Germany a couple of
years ago, when the summer temperature was well
above average. There are very strict requirements
for project management and also for operations
and they are described in the Railway IRIS stand-
ards. IPA was audited and awarded by IRIS (Interna-
tional Railway Industry Standard) at the beginning
of 2014.
IPA has been growing quite fast.
How do you see the company’s
future?
IPA has grown very rapidly indeed and we believe
that the growth will continue for at least the next
two years. This requires a lot of effort as the com-
pany must be very flexible to deal with the changes
that growth brings.
www.ipa.ee

One of the biggest employers in Vändra
collaborates closely with educational institutions.
Jaanus Luberg started producing transformers in the small town of
Vändra in central Estonia back in 1996. The small business - then called
Turmet - has now grown into MS Balti Trafo, a private limited company
employing 150 workers. The company is the second largest employer in
Vändra, which has a population of 2,300.
MS Balti Trafo relies on German capital assets and is closely linked to
Manfred Schmelzer GmbH in Germany. This means that although the
German entrepreneurs Manfred and Michael Schmelzer invested in
the production of transformers in Estonia back in 1997 they did so as
private persons. Hence MS Balti Trafo is a separate Estonian company
whose business partner is the corporation belonging to the Schmelzers.
“MS Balti Trafo produces products for the partner company as part of
orders within the corporation, as well as exporting to our own cus-
tomers. We are a fully functioning company with our own sales and
purchasing departments,” explains Jaanus Luberg, Managing Direc-
tor. “Half of our export goes to Germany, 20% to Finland, 20% to
Sweden and 10% remains in Estonia.” However, Luberg explains that
actually only about 2% of their production remains in Estonia because
transformers are ordered for different appliances, which in turn are
exported.
Transformers can be found in Mercedes cars
and Jura espresso machines
To put it simply, transformers are little gadgets inside all kinds of elec-
tronics equipment or energy sources, which transform the current and
electrical voltage. Transformers produced in Vändra can be found in
home appliances, cars, medical equipment, lighting systems and in the
solar energy sector. “The transformers we produce are very specific and
custom-made. We develop our products together with our customer
base of 300 and each year we produce up to 750 different articles,
12 million pieces in total. Hence we have spread our risks well,” says
Luberg. According to him, the smallest transformers they produce are
barely visible to the naked eye, measuring just three millimetres in diam-
eter, and the largest ones weigh a whopping 300 kilograms.
“For example, we produce transformers for welding equipment for
one particular client and those are then sold to oil reservoirs. There is
another client in Germany that produces appliances for large valves for
the opening and closing of gas pipelines which have a diameter of one
metre. This requires engines; the engines in turn must be managed and
the voltage transformed: they use our products for this,” says Luberg.
Perhaps the best-known companies that use components produced by
MS Balti Trafo are the car producers Mercedes, Volvo, Audi, Volkswa-
gen, Škoda, Toyota, Porsche and BMW, and the espresso machine com-
pany Jura. Luberg will not name more customers, as certain agreements
have been made between the company and the customers.
Education allows Balti Trafo
to function in the real world
MS Balti Trafo has always valued education and the company has close
links to the Pärnu Vocational Education Centre and the Tallinn University
of Technology. Students undertake apprenticeships at the company, and
MS Balti Trafo promotes in-service training and re-training of its staff
members. “Our workers also train students at the Vocational Education
Centre because we consider it important that young people receive an
education which enables them to function in the real world. We have
therefore offered our input in developing curricula, and we try to help
to modernise learning whenever we can.”
Jaanus Luberg hopes that young people will value practical skills more
in the future than they do today. “It is clear that people with certain
degrees find it impossible to find work, while the lack of skilled work-
ers is a real problem. Our company also experiences the lack of skilled
labour force but it all boils down to the value of the workforce. We
need to employ specialists but there is no special education in produc-
ing transformers. Hence it can be said that training the staff we need is
a life-long process.”
Since 2009, MS Balti Trafo, with Jaanus Luberg at its head, has man-
aged work at a factory in India, which legally belongs to the German
partner Manfred Schmelzer GmbH. The Estonian company is responsi-
ble for the daily running of the company in India and Luberg says that
cooperation functions well even at this long distance. “India, with its
unique legislation and environment, is of course relatively complicated
and strange to us northerners, but the people we work with are true
professionals.” In addition to the Indian factory, the Germans also own
a production unit in Tunisia.
www.msbaltitrafo.ee
MS Balti Trafo
Exports Millions
of Transformers
Annually

The company which became famous in Esto-
nia for the production of car safety belts forty
years ago is today a part of the international
corporation Autoliv.
The history of AS Norma dates back to the
19th
century, when in 1891 a tin sheet work-
shop was founded in Tallinn. In 1957, Norma
became the first factory in the Soviet Union to
start manufacturing flashlights and in 1960 the
company launched the manufacturing of elec-
tro-mechanical toys.
A new era in the history of Norma started in
1973, with the launch of the first industrial
lot of car safety belts. Before then seat belts
were not part of the equipment of Soviet cars.
Forty years on, the famous company in Estonia
has grown into a valued unit of the Swedish
corporation Autoliv. It employs over 750 staff
and its product range has grown far beyond
seat belts.
The Swedish car safety equipment manufac-
turer Autoliv bought a 51% share in Norma
15 years ago. The production of belts was
transferred from Sweden to Estonia. In 2007,
AS Norma began to sell components in foreign
markets. In 2010, when the Swedes purchased
Norma completely, there was a significant in-
crease in the production of safety compo-
nents, because in the same year Autoliv closed
two of its factories in Germany and a large
share of the production was transferred from
there to Tallinn.
The turnover of AS Norma in 2013 was 61
million euros and profit 1.88 million euros.
The turnover of the parent company Autoliv
reached record highs. In 2013, Autoliv’s turno-
ver was 8.8 billion dollars and the operating
profit was 761 million dollars.
Increasing added value is
a priority
Peep Siimon, Managing Director of Norma,
confirms that the main competence of the
company is producing technologically com-
plex components for the automotive industry,
including the construction and production of
required tools. To that end, Norma buys ser-
vices and goods from about 300 enterprises in
Estonia. “This competence enables us to pro-
duce and create products that meet high re-
quirements for safety equipment, primarily for
Autoliv factories all over the world. As parts of
such products, our components reach practi-
cally all car manufacturers,” explains Siimon.
Outside Europe, the products of AS Norma
are exported to Russia, the United States and
Asia. “We may claim therefore that one is
bound to find a component made by Norma
in a luxury Bentley, as well as in an old Lada,“
says Siimon. “At the same time the share of
Norma’s traditional exports to Russia has de-
clined and will continue to do so with the end
of the production of Ladas. The main market
is in Europe, although the United States and
Asia are also important,” he adds. As Autoliv
cooperates with almost all car manufacturers
throughout the world, we can say that Norma
as part of the corporation helps to save the
lives of over 30,000 people each year because
of the safety systems installed in vehicles.
Siimon claims that raising the added value of
products is more important than geographical
expansion. “We wish to develop to become
the producer and supplier of acknowledged
complex and dependable components and as-
semblies directly to the international automo-
tive industry. The keys to success are the ability
to work together and collaboration between
smart people.” However, Siimon emphasises
that it is customers who hold the real key to
success, which should not be forgotten in im-
plementing changes.
Modern production environment
as a motivator
Norma’s approach to its employees is to mo-
tivate them. “The main motivators are the
modern production environment and the best
management systems in the automotive in-
dustry, the opportunity for rotation in differ-
ent factories, stable long-term jobs and our
unified team, training events and in-service
training opportunities, to name just a few. We
also offer great international work experience
through projects and our daily work, as well as
opportunities to work in Autoliv companies all
over the world,” says Siimon.
www.norma.ee
Norma’s Safety Systems
for Cars Help Save 30,000
Lives a Year

It is highly likely that whichever commercial ve-
hicle manufacturer you ask, this particular wir-
ing system has arrived from either Haapsalu or
Keila, the two small Estonian towns where the
factories of the international corporation PKC
Group have been in operation for years. In or-
der to be more flexible in meeting the demands
of the consolidating customer base and chang-
es in consumer behaviour, PKC will concentrate
its production in Keila by the end of this year.
Registered on the Helsinki Stock Exchange,
the headquarters of the PKC Group are also
based in the Finnish capital. In addition to
Estonia, factories are located in Russia, Lithu-
ania, Poland, Serbia, Germany, Brazil, China
and Mexico, and engineering centres in the
USA. The factories based in Estonia do not dif-
fer considerably from the other factories of the
corporation and it is a goal of the PKC Group
that all its factories work on the basis of the
same standards.
High prize from
Enterprise Estonia
Generally speaking the activity of the PKC
Group can be divided into two parts: manu-
facturing wiring systems and electronics. PKC
Eesti falls in the first branch, producing wiring
systems mostly for the automotive industry:
for producers of heavy vehicles or consumer
cars. The company has a staff of almost 1,000
in its Keila factory.
According to Lauri Rohtoja, General Manag-
er of the Estonian factories, lead bundles are
linked to the nervous system of the car, which
helps to translate the signals initiated by the
driver to the mechanisms and vice versa. “The
wiring systems must allow for the manage-
ment of a specific activity in the vehicle, for
example the wiring harnesses for the lights or
engine,” says Rohtoja.
The work of PKC Eesti, which demands ac-
curacy and has increased Estonian exports,
has been noticed and rewarded in Estonia.
Last year PKC was nominated in the foreign
investor category of the Enterprise Awards
by Enterprise Estonia. In 2012 it took all the
main awards at the same ceremony: PKC Eesti
received the foreign investor award and was
also named the best enterprise in Estonia.
During the last two years the company has
invested up to 2.1 million euros in its fixed
tangible assets.
PKC Eesti AS Produces Nervous
Systems for Automotive Industry
Did you know that the wiring system that fits under the dashboard of a regular truck and which switches
on all the necessary lights and buttons at the right moment is about three kilometres long and weighs
approximately twenty kilograms? Yet on the production line it only takes a couple of seconds to fit
this bundle of wires in place!

Pärnu-based Company
Produces Lighting
Equipment for
Luxury Vehicles
When you sit behind the steer-
ing wheel of a BMW, Mercedes or
Jaguar, it is highly likely that a
small part of your car has been
made in Estonia.
Situated 130 kilometres from Tallinn, Pärnu
has mostly been known as a summer re-
sort, with a beautiful long sandy beach, a
popular holiday destination even during
the czarist Russian times. However, Pärnu
is also home to a group of smart companies
which, instead of subcontracting, focus on
product development. One example of such
a company is Oshino Electronics Estonia,
or Oshino.
The company, which started in modest con-
ditions in a dormitory back in 1992 under
the name Paitec Elektroonika, today produc-
es and develops interior lighting modules for
various globally famous car brands. Brands
such as BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi,
Porsche and Land Rover use glove box or
door handle lighting, number plate lighting
or side markers produced by Oshino. The
company started its first automotive industry
project in 2001.
“It was complicated. But once you have one
positive reference, it becomes easier,” recalls
Ingvar Kuusk, CEO and one of the own-
ers of the company. He explains that Oshino
produces for a very narrow niche, which
means that the customers have more spe-
cific requirements and wishes. “There are no
grey areas. Quality, quality, security of provi-
sion and more security of provision,” he says
about the demands of their clients.
Kuusk explains that there is tough competi-
tion in their field, especially when it comes
to pricing. “For a while, Estonia’s advantage
was in good infrastructure and low labour
costs. Today we are no longer as competitive
in terms of labour costs. In order to stay in
business, we must guarantee flexibility and
quality.”
Oshino Electronics Estonia is largely based
on German capital, and the mechanical
components of the products are made in
Germany, where the lighting simulation is
also carried out. “In Estonia, we create the
schematic solutions, and design the print
plate and montage test packaging. Our
services include product development, the
contracting of plastic moulds, the develop-
ment of the production and testing environ-
ment, and the procurement and production
of components,” says Kuusk. In addition to
the production of the electronics, software is
also developed in Estonia today. “The prod-
ucts are becoming increasingly complex.”
Today Oshino is firmly established in the au-
tomotive industry. “People continue to pro-
duce and buy cars. Besides luxury brands,
we also have projects for middle-class
consumer vehicles. This increases turnover
but has a very low profit margin,” explains
Kuusk. He adds that the company plans to
continue its product development work,
which means offering higher added value.
For example, the company has been working
for some time on lighting solutions for new
car models, which will be seen on the streets
by the end of next year.
“I am certain that these awards have really in-
fluenced how our workers see their own work
results and their attitude to the company more
generally. I personally was very proud of our
staff members and company when I heard the
news. I also believe that this kind of positive at-
tention has made the name of PKC Eesti better
known as an employer in Estonia,” said Lauri
Rohtoja.
Rohtoja has been in a management position in
the company for just a few months, as in April
the former Chair of PKC Estonia, Ivo Volkov, was
appointed the head of the firm’s Brazilian facto-
ries. In addition, the engineering centre of the
Keila factory will assume responsibility for im-
plementing all of the new Brazilian products in
addition to its current responsibility for produc-
tion in Europe. This demonstrates that this big
corporation is very happy with the work results
of its Estonian employees.
Parent company started in
a small Finnish town
The PKC Group expanded into Estonia in the
early 2000s, when Haapsalu and Keila factories
were bought from the company Harju Elekter.
Before that, the companies collaborated with
Harju Elekter in providing subcontracting servic-
es. PKC Eesti still doesn’t have its own customer
base, as the leads are sold to customers who
have ordered them from the sales department
of the corporation. “The technology in use
definitely plays an important role in optimising
investments and the need for retraining which
comes along with introducing new products,”
explains Rohtoja.
The company’s history dates back to 1969,
when the Finnish company Pohjolan Kaapeli -
a wiring harness factory in Kempele - started
operations. The acronym PKC includes the two
former names of the company: Pohjolan Kaapeli
and PK Cable. Since 2000, the company has
been called the PKC Group.
Lauri Rohtoja

Estonia is a Good
Place to Establish
a Company
What can you do when you need to keep your IT company’s
costs down in one of the most expensive countries
in the world, Norway? Christian Testman, the energetic
and tech savvy CEO of Ålesund-based ICD Industries decided
that the answer lay in locating some of the operations
overseas. The overseas location needed to share Nordic
values and have a good IT infrastructure, yet lower salaries
than Norway. After some research and consideration of
a number of countries, Estonia became that location
for ICD in 2012.
We invest in Estonia because
it is highly competitive,
says Christian Testman,
CEO of ICD Industries.
By Silver Tambur / www.estonianworld.com

Since setting up ICD here, Christian Testman has spent lots of time in
Estonia and he is impressed with the e-state. “The ‘X-road’ structure is
impressive. We have a similar system in Norway and it’s highly advanced,
but the Estonian ‘X-road’ is in a class of its own,” he says.
Testman concedes that, although Estonian e-services and IT-solutions are
world-class, there’s still a lot of work to do in order to spread the word
about them abroad. “In Norway, people still know Estonia mostly for its
timber industry, not IT.” He has joined the Norwegian-Estonian Chamber
of Commerce and is doing his part to implement Estonian IT solutions
elsewhere, including in Norway. “Sales and commercialisation are not
easy. Perhaps it is better for Estonia to cooperate with large partners
with long experience in marketing, when it comes to exporting its digital
solutions abroad. My dream would be to combine the Estonian ‘X-road’
with the Norwegian public database portal. This would be a killer app,”
he says enthusiastically. He has also invested in number of Estonian tech
startups and the incubator Startup Wiseguys.
According to Testman, Estonia still has many advantages when it comes
to competitiveness and shouldn’t try too hard to catch up to its Scandi-
navian neighbours. “The reason we invest here is because Estonia is dif-
ferent. I understand that you are trying to catch up with the Nordics, but
we have huge disadvantages in terms of labour costs and service costs.
We are not competitive enough any more. It is really important to have
a competitive advantage. Don’t try too hard to be like us. Be different,”
is Testman’s straightforward advice.
Meanwhile ICD Industries is experiencing phenomenal growth and the
Estonian subsidiary has played its part. “The joint venture has been very
beneficial and has increased our revenues. The company as a whole has
grown by a factor of 70 over two years,” Christian Testman says. It is
also collaborating with the largest offshore shipbuilders of the world
and has ambitious plans for the future. ICD Estonia is definitely a part
of those plans.
ICD Industries is in the control software business, their control design
platform software (CDP) providing frameworks for their clients to de-
velop, test, simulate and operate advanced control applications: “con-
trol” being what happens between a switch on one end and a physical
action on the other.
ICD’s products make it possible to create software to guide dynamic
positioning, an intermediary system between a satellite signal and the
thrusters on seagoing vessels, which keep an offshore supply vessel in
place in deep water. In addition, ICD’s motion-compensated products
serve to align a heeling ship’s helipad with helicopter struts, permitting
a safe landing in tossing seas. They also produce 3D real-time graphics,
which allow a ship owner to experiment with crane placement with the
ease of drag and drop technologies, before spending the hundreds of
millions of euros necessary to build a ship. As Testman puts it, “We build
software to help other companies build their software. We make the
toolbox to build the control tool.”
From the outset, being a Norwegian company, the ICD has been in an
enviable position: the huge offshore oil and gas drilling industry, which
needs ICD’s products, is on their doorstep. Norway is one of the rich-
est countries on Earth. But it is also one of the most expensive ones,
with some of the highest labour costs. “About three years ago, we had
a greatly increased demand for our products, both project- and core
software-related. But the labour availability and costs in Norway con-
cerned us. So we took the decision to establish a subsidiary elsewhere,”
Testman says.
At the same time, Testman, an economist by profession, is a business-
man who values the Nordic background, values and business culture.
He used to work for Ericsson in Stockholm at the same time as Niklas
Zennström, a Swede who later set up Skype with four Estonian pro-
grammers in Tallinn. Testman also collaborated with Nokia in Finland
when Ericsson and Nokia made the WAP standard. “I considered a num-
ber of countries for our subsidiary, and quickly decided that China and
India were out of the question because I wanted proximity and Nordic
culture. After six months of evaluation, based on economic, cultural
and academic values, we selected Estonia,” Testman explains. “I learned
quickly that Estonia was a high-tech country and had an impressive IT
infrastructure in place,” he adds.
Testman also praises the effective and speedy process once ICD decided
to invest in Estonia. “Innovation Norway and Enterprise Estonia (EAS)
made the process easy, providing the necessary contacts in government
and local business for a smooth establishment of the Tallinn office. EAS
introduced us to landlords and lawyers, and helped us address patent
issues, IPR. Everything was simple and efficient, and thus in 2012 we
established our new subsidiary in Tallinn, ICD Industries Estonia OÜ,”
he says. Testman says that they spent some time forming their team
in Estonia, because they were looking for the best. He also got a very
good local headhunter and Tallinn University of Technology to help.
“We were after people who could write beautiful code from scratch.
We took our time, but we found them in Estonia,” Testman explains.
Two and a half years later, ICD Industries Estonia operations employ 40
software engineers.

Laser Diagnostic Instruments (LDI), an Estonian
R&D company with a long history, has developed the
world’s most flexible and effective oil spill detection
sensor. The whole world is a potential market.
The LDI-produced Remote Optical Watcher (ROW) is an autonomous
non-contact sensor that detects oil on water. According to the com-
pany, “highly accurate and easy to maintain, it finds oil spills early so
you can respond before things get out of hand.” The sooner the spill is
detected, the smaller the costs to the environment and operators alike.
Easy to use, running autonomously and with very low maintenance, it
is the simplest device the company has ever made. The ROW device is
typically installed in facilities which are in close proximity to water where
early detection is critical: in sewage plants treating waste water, on oil
and gas infrastructures, ports, ship routes, pollution sensitive natural
protection areas and so on. ROW uses oil’s natural fluorescence to de-
tect anything from marine diesel to vegetable oil, and alerts operators
immediately.
Company history
LDI has been working on remote-sensing technologies since 1991. The
company grew out of a special construction bureau based at the Esto-
nian Academy of Sciences which, among other clients, used to service
the Soviet war industry. The company holds nine core technology pat-
ents, and it has published approximately a hundred scientific
papers, making it one of the most scientific companies
in Estonia.
LDI Targets the Water
Protection Market,
Worth Billions of Dollars
By Toivo Tänavsuu

The company’s most sophisticated products historically have been air-
craft and ship-mounted laser-based (LiDAR) systems that can detect
spills even once oil has sunk beneath the surface. Custom-making each
system proved to be unprofitable for LDI, especially with the high opera-
tional costs of the devices and the advent of easy access to lower cost
satellite imagery. Yet, demand for simpler, more flexible devices that
would still catch early surface spills in real time led LDI to develop ROW.
A new beginning
Last year, David Clark, a young Cambridge-educated British industrial
engineer, took over the management of the company. “Before we were
trying to do everything; photonics has such a wide range of applica-
tions. So rather than choosing the specific focus, the previous team did
everything they could.
LDI has so much potential, but we haven’t been able to get that into the
hands of people. My job now is to get our technology out to the real
world for the benefit of society,” says Clark.
Since Clark took over, the company has been re-branded, and the focus
today is on international sales, and development of existing technology
rather than pure research. Operationally, the company has also been
reorganised to concentrate on its core competences. Instead of machin-
ing and soldering everything in house, LDI’s engineers design, test and
assemble only the final product, with basic components produced in
cooperation with Estonia’s growing manufacturing industry.
The small Estonian company has put a lot of effort into building up its
global distribution network, finding the right partners with experience,
and establishing contacts with large petrochemical firms, port facilities,
power infrastructure companies and others. This year the company aims
to have units installed on each continent and is now making the first
deliveries of its latest model, ROW Exd, which is explosion-proof for
operating in harsh environments susceptible to explosions.
For universal benefit
The first user of ROW was the Port of Riga in Latvia. Many appliances
created by Estonian engineers were taken into use after the city govern-
ment of Riga demanded continuous and thorough monitoring of the
port area in order to detect any spills as early as possible. This is the
ideal situation for the LDI product. For the port, the investment paid
off quickly as they saved on the environmental fines they no longer
had to pay.
Last year the Open Water Swim Championships were held in Barcelona,
Spain. The oil spill sensor of LDI was fitted onto the boat which each
morning monitored checkpoints before the races started. One morning
a potentially dangerous spill was detected which could have damaged
the swimmers’ health. Thanks to ROW, the spill was quickly cleaned up
and the race took place without any disturbance.
According to Clark, one of the biggest problems that the company faces
is the lack of awareness among customers of this sort of technology.
Many do not know that such devices exist, while others may have had
poor experiences with other systems which have over promised and un-
der delivered. For a small Estonian company to win trust globally in such
a conservative and safety conscious industry is a tough challenge. But
LDI is winning the trust of customers through its track record in technol-
ogy and service offered to its customers. “Some buy from us because
they believe that our product is superior, for others it is because they
trust that if there are any problems that we will fix them quickly and not
let customers down.”
The oil spill detector of LDI is not a sensor designed to discover a Brit-
ish Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although such huge spills
attract a lot of attention and coverage and may lead to the fall of large
corporations, they only form a small part of all oil spills on waters every
year.
According to Clark, the majority of spills are from everyday operations
and routine maintenance carried out without due care for the environ-
ment. “Maybe you are repairing a pipe or your lawnmower at home.
Changing the oil and pouring it down the drain means the oil goes into
the sea and pollutes the environment. For companies, oil leaks could
be a sign of failing equipment which needs repair before an expen-
sive replacement is required. For the environment, these small leaks add
up, especially in environmentally sensitive areas, but for companies it is
those that are being hit in their pockets due to loss of product, fines or
downtime that are our target customers.”
Endel Siff, Board Member and shareholder in LDI, believes that the oil
spill detector ought to become compulsory, just like the smoke detector.
“Legislation for this sort of device does not exist today as the technol-
ogy did not exist when the last round of laws were drafted. Today we
are working with the industry to have this included in the next directives
being proposed.”
Clark considers the potential market for ROW to be huge. “Water pro-
tection is already a multi-billion dollar market and growing,” he says.
“We aim to capture a part of this, and today are already in discussions
with the oil majors and projects on a nation-wide scale. “As an exam-
ple, there are some 3,000 large to medium sized ports, 1,000 oil-based
power plants, and more water treatment plants than both combined.
All of them could use multiple devices to provide an early warning sys-
tem for oil spills,” Clark adds.

Together is better than alone, an
old saying goes. Bestra Engineering
has proven that even in the most
remote village it is possible to create
an industrial park which produces
complex appliances for very demanding
customers, a place where a group of
companies accomplish things together
like a family.
The gantry crane is an effective solution for transportation of
tubulars from the pipe-deck to a catwalk machine
Gooseneck Handling System for automatic, wirelessly
controlled and easy transfer of kill & choke hoses
between the rig and the Rises Telescopic Joint.

A Small Village Turned
into a World Class
Industrial Park By Toivo Tänavsuu

Why can you regularly come across interesting
groups of foreigners—from Norwegians to South
Koreans, clad in overalls bearing logos of well-
known international brands—in the tiny village of
Päri near Viljandi in southern Estonia? The answer
is Bestra Engineering, a company based in Päri
which produces various details for oil platforms in
the Arctic Sea, Asia and elsewhere.
Contracted by Norwegian project management
companies, Bestra Engineering produces unique
metal constructions, machine-building details and
mechanical assembly, which travel all over the
world to oil and gas producers, mainly to drilling
towers. Extremely strict quality requirements, akin
to those found in the space industry, are met by
such details. This is what makes Bestra’s work in-
teresting, yet complex, involving a high degree of
responsibility. Bestra’s clients include very large and
well-known companies.
In 2007, Hellar Mutle, Executive Director of Be-
stra Engineering, made a radical decision with his
Norwegian partners: to concentrate on the high-
est value-adding jobs in the long production and
supply chain of the metal industry. This means that
the components previously produced at the Bestra
factory are today bought from local partners. The
focus has shifted to project management and as-
sembly. Many steps have been taken in technologi-
cal design.
The company has taken a great leap in develop-
ment when it comes to drilling equipment: just five
years ago it was mainly producing details for ma-
chinery, but now there is the know-how to assem-
ble the equipment. The company is also discover-
ing the “underwater world”. In collaboration with
an Estonian design bureau, Bestra has completed a
series of robotically managed underwater manipu-
lator tools, which drill holes into steel plates under-
water. One of those inventions is in operation 80
metres below sea level in the Arctic Sea.
All of this has confirmed Mutle’s vision that with
the right will-power it is indeed possible to create
expensive and complex machinery in Estonia, if
local companies put their resources together and
act in collaboration. Once somebody explained
machine-building in this way: you put a Singer
sewing machine on the table and ask for a copy of
it to be made. According to Mutle, most Estonian
machinists will not be able to pull this off, but if
one specialised in building one detail and another
in a second detail, we could indeed build a Singer
or any other complex product.
New projects under way
Päri Bestra is becoming a competence centre, simi-
lar to the Volvo factory in Sweden, which pulls the
entire branch of industry along with it. The col-
laboration between companies is set to grow. In
August, Bestra led the process of founding a clus-
ter of offshore equipment producers, called DEFO,
which in addition to Bestra includes E-Profiil, Mar-
ketex Offshore Constructions, and Contractor and
Deck Engineering. Mutle hopes that the cluster will
attract new members from producers, research in-
stitutions, vocational schools and companies pro-
viding support services in this sector.
Another initiative is the joint industrial area devel-
opment project involving the county and the city of
Viljandi: this will create the necessary conditions at
existing industrial areas for the development of a
new and innovative industrial space. Mutle claims
this will be innovative in many ways. For example,
students of vocational education institutions will
be incorporated into the production process from
the start in order to provide practical work expe-
rience. As resources are limited, companies will
share know-how (including employees).
Optimised support services will be developed
for all companies. It would not be effective for
each company to own a separate compressor,
loading equipment or different machinery. The
companies will also have the opportunity to use
rental spaces (production areas, storage spaces,
logistical loading areas, etc.) exactly when these
are needed to fulfil their contracts. This is how
Smart Industry is created in a tiny Estonian vil-
lage, which has customers all over the world.
Nils Vidar Stray
CEO at Bestra AS (Norway)
Bestra AS is a supplier in the
global market and we have to be
globally competitive.
Instead of being competitors, we
have to combine our resources
in the relatively small country of
Estonia.
Our strategy has been to build up
an efficient supply chain, where
everyone involved has special
competence and there is high
utilisation of resources.
Our vision is to build up a strong
industrial park. In Viljandi, Be-
stra has invested in building up
competence at both the internal
and supplier levels, based on the
fact that we believe in long term
cooperation.
To make an investment, you need
to know that there is a predict-
able utilisation of your resources,
and with true cooperation you
have a chance to get better and
more predictable utilisation. We
can easily share “best practice”,
which is an efficient way to in-
crease the level of competence.
Fully automated and compact
roughneck’s JIM-10 maximizes the
efficiency of pipe handling operations by
providing integrated spinning and torque-
making capabilities in a single machine.

Kaarel Lehtsalu
Board Member, Development Centre
of Viljandi County
Bestra is an interesting phenomenon. I have
been able to observe its activities from near
and far since 2010. Firstly, Bestra has been
able to develop a well-functioning production
system in a global distribution of labour and
in a very competitive field of machine build-
ing, where the main focus is on ready-to-be-
delivered produced and tested equipment.
Secondly, Bestra has created a collaboration
network of other metal-work companies in
the county and elsewhere which guarantees
the production and timely supply of neces-
sary details and components. Today we have
the potential and will to use existing know-
how and bring in new investors to create
new production companies around Viljandi
and throughout southern Estonia.
Thirdly, Bestra is a great example of how
smart jobs are created and the number of
employers has multiplied within the last five
years. Universities and vocational schools
have been brought into the process.
In Tartu County there is Metec, a quickly developing company that exports nearly 90%
of its products (mainly to Germany and Sweden) and which fits neatly into the south-
ern Estonian key industrial areas of metal work and machine building. Metec also uses
subcontracting to meet certain requirements in the production chain and uses several
companies in southern Estonia to this end. It is definitely one of the most outstanding
metal sector employers in the area. This autumn, Metec accessories will be presented in
the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles International Motor Show in Hannover, Germany.
www.metec.ee
METEC EU EuroBar, certified pushbar
METEC accessories for Mercedes V-Klass – Van Tour sideboard step, pushbar-citybar and roof rails
Other similar cases in Estonia:
The best example from Võru County is Estelaxe, a company which won the Company
of the Year award in Võru County in 2012. Estelaxe, founded in 2008 and based on
Estonian capital, is a producer of polyurethane products. The com-
pany employs 38 people and it produces seats for global
vehicle producers, e.g. snowmobile, train and motor-
boat seats, as well as snow plough blades, blocks
and other plastic products.
www.estelaxe.ee

CREATIVITY AND TRUST
ARE A FAMILY FIRM’S
CAPITAL
By Arja Korhonen
Photos by Gert Kelu, Raigo Pajula
and Ensto
Ensto, a cleantech company in the elec-
trical sector that has gone international
in small steps, is one of the best-known
family firms in Finland. Marjo Miettinen
belongs to the second generation of the
company’s owning family.
Arriving straight from a reception with Esto-
nia’s president, a good-humoured Marjo Miet-
tinen cuts through Kadriorg Park and enters
the café of the Estonian Art Museum Kumu.
The summer weather is warm at last and the
relaxed, informal nature of the meeting has
been refreshing. As Marjo admires the whirled
milk froth in her cappuccino, on the other side
of Tallinn tens of thousands of Estonians are
preparing for their famous Song Festival pro-
cession. She plans to go and watch it as soon
as the interview is over.
“The Song Festival is important because it
represents fundamental traditional and cul-
tural values and is also one reason why young
Estonians are returning home from abroad,”
Marjo says.
Marjo pops over to Estonia a couple of times a
year on business and at the same time drinks
in the culture. This time she came to Tallinn
to attend the international business seminar
organised by Enterprise Estonia in connec-
tion with the Estonia’s Friends International
Meeting.
After Estonia regained independence, Ensto
was one of the first Finnish companies to set
up here, in 1993. Now Ensto has three pro-
duction plants in the country: in Keila, Tallinn
and Paide. The company adopted the same
strategy in expanding into Hungary, the Czech
Republic and Poland: find the right person on
the ground willing to commit to the company.
Operating locally is so important to Ensto that
it is written into the company’s strategy. Ensto
has not taken the route of sending managers
from Finland to run its plants.
Marjo has nothing but praise for Ilmar Rang
and Üllas Täht, who got the company estab-
lished in its early years in Estonia. “The Estoni-
ans have earned our confidence. It is wonder-
ful how the Estonians are interested in every-
thing new and are not afraid of change. For
example, our plants’ LEAN concept has been
adopted here more rapidly than anywhere
else.”
Marjo Miettinen

Ensto
founded in 1958
by Ensio Miettinen (1929-2010)
cleantech company specialising
in developing, producing and
marketing electrical systems and
equipment
three business units:
• Ensto Utility Networks
• Ensto Industrial Solutions
• Ensto Building Technology
• turnover: 280 MEUR
• 1,670 employees
• subsidiaries in 20 countries
• production in seven countries
parent company: EM Group
owned by the Miettinen family
21 Years in Estonia
• Established in 1993
• Turnover 70 MEUR in 2013
• 500 employees
Creativity is vital
Ensto has worked its way from a one-man firm
into a company with subsidiaries in 20 countries,
production in seven and a total of almost 1,700
employees.
Ensto was founded in 1958 by Marjo’s father En-
sio Miettinen, who was a leading figure in Finnish
society: he has a road named after him in Porvoo,
for example. That, of course, is where the com-
pany’s head office is located.
Marjo Miettinen talks at length and with sincerity
about trust and innovation. Both have been part
of the company’s value base from the very start.
“My father was truly fearless, he was incredibly
creative in product development. He gave Ensto
its innovative culture, and holding on to that is
vital for the company.”
One example of Ensio’s open-mindedness was
when he invited the celebrity philosopher Esa
Saarinen to give a presentation to Ensto’s man-
agement team. Saarinen had just published his
book Erektio Albertinkadulla (“Erection in Albert
Street”), and Ensio was inspired by the ideas in
the book. In 1990 the two jointly wrote the suc-
cessful book Muutostekijä (“The Change Factor”),
and Saarinen subsequently joined Ensto’s board of
directors.
Ensio Miettinen, who died in 2010, was in many
ways ahead of his time. He filed over 100 patents.
He wrote several books on business administra-
tion and society, and introduced Finland to the
concept of trust as capital. In 1995 this was still so
unusual that the title of the book was registered.
“In principle we could levy copyright infringement
charges against anybody who used the phrase”,
Marjo says with a laugh.
Ensio Miettinen’s last product development pro-
ject was electric vehicle charging poles. “My
father was 78 when he said that electric cars
wouldn’t make a breakthrough unless there was
infrastructure behind them”, says Marjo, who is
rather disappointed that Ensto lost the tender for
vehicle charging stations in Estonia. “Even though
Ensto’s pole would have looked better.”
Indeed Ensto has prioritised design in its product
development from the very start. According to
Marjo, one of Ensto’s strengths is that the compa-
ny is involved in a number of areas. Therefore they
don’t face exactly the same competitor anywhere.
This has also helped them to survive downturns
and has been an endless source of creativity. “The
best ideas often come at the intersection of differ-
ent areas, and that’s where we score.”
Branding
Marjo has devoted a lot of thought to branding,
which she was responsible for when working
in Ensto. Marjo considers branding all the more
important as the world becomes more digitised.
“Of course during his lifetime Ensio’s personality
meant that he was a walking advertisement for
us. We have tried to clarify our brand and we have
devoted a lot of effort to that.”
For Marjo, branding doesn’t mean a colourful
logo; it’s the whole way the company operates.
First of all this has to be sold to the people within
the company, who then continue the sales work
in their own areas. “The brand extends to trust,
customer service, product development, every sin-
gle element.”
For that reason, outsourcing operations can have
unforeseen consequences, because everything
has a bearing on the company’s image, starting
with the way the switchboard operator answers
the phone and whether the person knows any-
thing about the company.
The brand and the company spirit help to set a
company apart from its competitors. As Marjo
sees it, this gives the company the necessary at-
titude to go out and conquer the world.
When Ensto added the slogan Saves Your Energy
to its logo a few years ago, the idea spread like
wildfire and became embedded in everybody’s
mindset at Ensto. In the offices, two waste pa-
per baskets became the norm, in product devel-
opment every new model was always more en-
ergy-efficient than its predecessor and the sales
force got a great new sales pitch. “They were
incredibly motivated. It was wonderful to see and
experience.”
Marjo relates how Ensto’s people in India used a
corrosion test to illustrate the difference between
their product and a cheap imitation. Within three
days, the copy had become unusable. “Being
green is no longer a competitive advantage by
itself. You need products that genuinely last and
save energy. It used to be said that you have to be
good, but being good is no longer enough. You
have to be excellent.”
The Ensto eFill electric car charging station is also suitable for domestic use.

Big Little Brother
The previous day, Marjo had visited the busi-
ness seminar hosted by Enterprise Estonia, fo-
cusing on the initiatives and ideas of Estonian
entrepreneurs worldwide who contribute to
a world without borders. She was truly im-
pressed by the success stories of young Estoni-
ans. “President Ilves mentioned Finland in his
speech countless times. We have so many joint
projects on at the moment.” Joint projects in
IT are opportunities for Finland and Estonia,
for example in healthcare. “If we work to-
gether successfully in this area, it will be easier
for us to get other interested Nordic countries
on board.”
Marjo believes Finns shouldn’t adopt a big-
brother attitude, because within a couple of
decades Estonia has almost overtaken Finland,
and is at least a very big little brother. Because
of its small size, Estonia has also been able to
make more nimble moves.
Marjo is afraid that Finland’s mental space is
too restricted. In her view, it’s time to stop
talking about cheap alcohol, for example, and
realise how little national boundaries mean
nowadays. In a sense, Talsinki, the united cities
of Tallinn and Helsinki, is already a reality. “If
you draw a circle of 100 kilometres in radius
round Helsinki, it includes Tallinn in Estonia,
but not Tampere or Turku in Finland.”
Estonia is not entirely perfect, and as a former
teacher Marjo sees room for improvement.
Marjo is worried that Estonia is putting far too
much emphasis on university education. “We
ran into the same problem in Finland some
years ago. Fortunately we now have a better
balance. This is something that is being talked
about too little in Estonia.”
Preparing the third generation
Succession processes are often decisive for
family firms. International studies indicate that
hand-overs work in only 30 per cent of cases.
Ensio Miettinen originally founded his own
company after falling out with his father.
At Ensto the hand-over was successful: Ensio’s
four children took over the running of the
company in 2001. Marjo Miettinen says hand-
overs don’t work unless the new generation is
truly fired up about the business. She herself
was originally a school teacher before being
swept up by the business in 1989. She was
in charge of Ensto’s PR at that time and until
the spring of this year she was the CEO of the
holding company, EM Group.
Now the third generation is being primed to
take the baton. ”The four of us have nine
children in total, and eight of them are be-
tween 21 and 33. They have their own family
council, which meets twice
a year to discuss company
matters. They visit the
plants and pour over the
profit and loss accounts
and equipment designs.”
• Ensto Keila Plant
Assembling and metal plant.
The Keila plant produces network
construction equipment (and over-
head line and underground cable
solutions) and luminaires.
• Ensto Tallinn Plant
Injection moulding and thermo-
plastic enclosures. The Tallinn plant
mainly produces plastic enclosures
typically used in demanding ap-
plications, such as wind turbines
and solar power generators. Ensto
Cubo enclosures are approved for
use in applications where safety,
including protecting human life, is
paramount.
• Alppilux Paide Plant
Assembling, metal handling and
surface treatment.
The plants also have modern logis-
tics centres and assembly and sales
offices. All in all, Ensto’s plants in
Estonia make approximately 6,000
different Ensto products.
Three plants:

Before 2003, when Estonian developers gave
the world Skype, not many people had con-
sidered the possibility of making phone calls
via the computer. But there it was - a cost-free
Internet phone - and the old, expensive long-
distance phone lines were soon forgotten. No-
body these days is willing to pay for a phone
call to the other side of the world, even if it is
a video call.
The group of people who participated in the
creation of Skype are back at it, trying to shake
up the world once more. A new messaging
system called Fleep was brought onto the
market in 2013, and its aim is quite ambitious:
Fleep aims to dethrone traditional e-mail.
Henn Ruukel, the founder of Fleep, admits
that the messaging services market is jam-
packed: WhatsApp, Kik, Piip, Google Hang-
outs, Facebook Messenger and even Skype.
But those, he says, are quick messaging tools
which often have entertainment value and
“no historic significance”. E-mail is different,
as it is used to reach agreements, take deci-
sions, transfer documents and so on.
“These are interesting times: many people are
trying to come up with alternatives to e-mail,”
Ruukel explains at his Fleep office in Tallinn, at
the start-up incubator of the Tehnopol Science
Park. “I will consider my job done when people
no longer need Outlook.”
Ruukel mentions the most famous services to
date which have challenged e-mail - Mailbox
and Sparrow - although both of them have
taken existing technology and created new
user interfaces. Moreover, one was sold to
Dropbox and the other to Google and, funda-
mentally, nothing changed.
A similar approach to that of Fleep in devel-
oping messaging has been taken by Hipchat,
Campfire and Slack, which are also trying to
focus on communication within teams. Fleep
also concentrates on a messaging service to
teams but, unlike its competitors, Fleep has or
will have several advantages.
First and foremost, Fleep is totally open to
communication with others outside the team
or “house” (everyone with e-mail addresses
can be brought into the communication even
if they do not have the Fleep app).
Secondly, the “Seen By Indicator” of Fleep
shows who is actively participating in the con-
versation in real-time and who has seen the
message (the latter is also possible with Face-
book Messenger).
Thirdly, each conversation has its own notice
board, where one can write important points
from the conversation, create tasks and edit
them. Files (attachments) move like clockwork
via Fleep messages. Ruukel says that, besides
building great environments for conversations,
the natural next step is to integrate tasks and
calendars into the Fleep experience.
The service is free but with this option users
can only access the history of the conversation
for 30 days. There will be no commercials to
annoy users. The newest product is the new
Premium subscription, which for just three eu-
ros a month will provide users with the entire
conversation history.
Skype Founders
in the Process of
“Replacing” e-Mail
By Toivo Tänavsuu
The cream of the crop of former Skype employers are in
the process of developing Fleep, a brand new messaging system.
Their aim? To make traditional e-mail a thing of the past.

Jaan Tallinn
Skype co-founder:
“Fleep has many competitors. Already for-
mer Skype employers have created four or
five Instant Messaging products. One of the
advantages of Fleep is the experience former
Skype workers have in building communica-
tion tools. Fleep employs the cream of the
crop of former Skype engineers. The third
thing which attracts me is Fleep’s vision: to
build an Instant Messaging product which
will enable users to comfortably send and re-
ceive e-mail. Let’s hope Fleep will reap ben-
efits from the same trend which made Gmail
popular: e-mail conversations are becoming
more similar to Instant Messaging conversa-
tions, which means that Instant Messaging
tools are better equipped to manage those
conversations than classic e-mail is.”
Sten Tamkivi
EIR at Andreessen Horowitz,
and Co-Founder of Teleport:
“As is common with start-ups, the main
foundation for belief in the company is its
team: Fleep employers have already been
in high-responsibility roles and have created
software which has hundreds of millions of
users. They are trying it again on the basis
of their unique experience, which many
20-year-old teams lack. The entire team
communication at Teleport is based on Fleep,
and I use the product daily to get much of
my business done. The biggest advantage of
Fleep may be its openness: you can commu-
nicate with other Fleep users and with any-
one who has an e-mail address.”
In its first year of existence, 15,000 beta users
all over the world used Fleep and, in addition
to technology blogs, The Guardian has written
about the company. Fleep is usable via a web
browser and also via iOS and Android.
Yet doesn’t “replace e-mail” sound a bit too
ambitious? What is the key to success? The
answer may lie in Fleep’s team.
Before founding Fleep, Ruukel worked with
servers at Skype. During his time at Skype,
he learned that exchanging messages really
speeds up work in comparison to traditional
exchanges of e-mails. Yet for Skype, messag-
ing services are not a priority.
Non-Skype users could not be brought into
the Skype message exchange, the messages
were not synchronised between different
communication tools, the mobile application
used up the phone battery, and there was no
offline regime.
“Then I had the idea of leaving Skype and cre-
ating a better service,” says Ruukel. Among
Fleep’s current investors are the original devel-
opers of Skype: Jaan Tallinn, Ahti Heinla and
Priit Kasesalu, and the long-term manager of
the Estonian Skype office Sten Tamkivi, who
today works for Andreessen Horowitz.
Ruukel believes that many current trends work
in the favour of Fleep, for example the wide-
spread use of cloud services and the prefer-
ence for private messaging services, such as
Facebook Message, Viber and WhatsApp,
over e-mail. The market for messaging ser-
vices is huge and scattered, without a single
big service provider.
There are of course many serious challenges.
Unlike Skype, where the real value of the
service was immediately visible through free
phone-calls, the usefulness of Fleep is only no-
ticeable over time.
“If we compare ourselves to gardening ser-
vices, we can produce a great rake or a great
spade. Our biggest risk is that we will build
a mediocre rake-spade which will not sell be-
cause people will not understand what it is
and how to use it,” says Ruukel.
Comments

• 20 national teams exercise and
compete in Trimtex’s orienteer-
ing sportswear.
• On average, the factory pro-
cesses 400 orders a week.
• The factory delivers 8,000
products a week.
• In 2013, the brand Trimtex
had a turnover of 13,000,000
euros.
Plenty of
Blank Canvas
Considerable growth
From 2011 to 2013, the company doubled its turnover. What started as
a supplier of workout clothes for the orienteering field in 1976 has be-
come a corporation supplying cross-country skiers, runners, orienteer-
ers, athletes, bikers and triathletes with sportswear. We count several
major clubs and companies among our clients. For instance, Trimtex
supplies the Norwegian and Swedish armed forces with large amounts
of exercise clothes. When the Trimtex Baltic factory opened in 2008,
there were four employees. Today, there are more than 80 employees,
and the company’s growth shows no signs of stopping.
“Over the last few years, we have increased the number of employ-
ees at our production unit in Estonia considerably, and it seems that
this growth is set to continue. We anticipate a need for designers,
technicians and warehouse workers,” says Tor Eivind Augland.
From paper to garment
The designs our Estonia-based designers develop are converted into
sizes ranging from children’s sizes to 6XL. Large plotters reproduce the
design onto paper before yards and yards of white fabric is imprinted
with the club or company logo. It’s a tedious, painstaking process. Huge
amounts of fabric are passed from the hands of the printers to the
seamers and seamstresses.
Sewing a cap takes three minutes. A technical orienteering shirt takes
approximately four times as long to sew. The more details, the more
time consuming a garment is.
Brand and quality
Our technology experts in Pärnu are constantly working not only on
finding the best materials for improving the already impressive quality
of their products, but also on finding Trimtex’s next best-seller. A single
garment can consist of up to 20 different textiles, assembled so as to fit
the human anatomy perfectly.
In order to strengthen the Trimtex brand, it’s key to have our sportswear
seen on high-profile athletes. “For us, it’s key that these athletes give us
their feedback on our products. After all, they are the ones who know where
the shoe pinches,” Augland says.
Every year, 300,000 square metres of white fabric are given
new life at Trimtex Baltic’s production facilities in Estonia.
Behind the factory doors, high-tech production of custom-
designed sportswear for companies and sports clubs around
the world takes place.
The Norwegian brand Trimtex was established in 1976. The main
offices are in Lillesand, Norway, but the company currently has sales
offices throughout the Nordic countries. At first, the sportswear was
made in Norway, but in 1997 the company owners decided to move
production to Estonia.
”It became too costly to keep production and seaming in Norway. We
set up Trimtex Baltic six years ago, and today we make nearly all our
clients’ sportswear here,” says Tor Eivind Augland, Managing Director
of Trimtex.
Trimtex remains one of the world’s
major suppliers of orienteering
clothes.
This jacket became a running and
cross-country skiing best-seller.

The Lappset Group is known for its high quality playground and out-
door sports equipment. With headquarters in Finnish Lapland, on the
Arctic Circle, and operations in seven different European countries and
a distribution network extending to 50 countries worldwide, Lappset is
one of the leading companies in its field.

Lappset opened its first factory in Tallinn two years ago. Lappset Estonia
OÜ manufactures metal components for wooden playground equip-
ment, as well as metal products for play and outdoor sports.

“Our investment in this new production plant has strengthened our
competitiveness and expanded our operations internationally. Apart
from our own product range, we also sell production capacity to other
customers and have drawn more customers to this sector. We have
learnt a lot, and our experiences in Estonia have been positive during
the first two years. We thank all staff, suppliers and stakeholders, and
look forward to many more years of cooperation,” says Reine Karls-
son, Director of the Supply Chain at Lappset Group.

“We now sell more products made of steel, and there is potential for
growth. Therefore, Lappset Estonia has increased the number of em-
ployees and will need more skilled professionals in the future.”
www.lappset.com
Two Years of Positive Experiences
of Lappset’s Investment in Estonia
Parkour is a fast growing form of sports amongst young people.
Lappset Estonia manufactures parkour equipment and metal components,
as well as selling production capacity for steel subcontracting.

SAMELIN Ltd. located in Tartu, the second biggest city in Estonia, is
based solely on Estonian capital and has 70 years of experience in foot-
wear production.
The company, which employs 180 people, produces 25,000 pairs of
footwear per month. All models are developed by a highly educated
technical team.
The best-known products are work and safety footwear, military footwear,
trekking boots and casual footwear for children, ladies and men. Samelin
supplies army boots for the Estonian and Norwegian army and police.
The company’s success is based on high quality, functionality and com-
fort: in the footwear only natural leather, breathing lining materials and
high quality soles are used. The products are made for the medium foot
width, and guarantee good wear in various climate conditions.
Samelin is a gold member of the SATRA Technology Centre, the Esto-
nian Defence Industry Association and the International Chamber of
Commerce.
Samelin has ISO 9001:2008 Certification, is certified by Bureau Veritas
and has AQAP 2110:2009 Certification.
www.samelin.ee
Samelin Marks Comfort and Quality
47

Success is not
a Coincidence
AS Fors MW was founded in 1992 in Estonia. The group produces, mar-
kets and sells, through dealers, the market-leading brands BIGAB hook
lift systems, FARMA lumber trailers and NIAB tractor processors. All of
the brands are in leading positions in the world market.
Fors MW is one of Estonia’s oldest companies. The company is run by
an international management team. Today, Fors MW is a booming com-
pany with hundreds of employees, efficient and quality-based produc-
tion and daughter companies in both Sweden and China.
Most of the production and all of the assembly are handled at the pro-
duction facility in Estonia. The Fors MW factory is specially designed for
serial production in short series. The production facilities cover 40 000
m2, of which 17 000 m2 are roofed over. Every year Fors MW manu-
factures thousands of machines in their Estonia-based factory, which
makes it northern Europe’s largest production facility in its field.
Visit the homepage at
www.forsmw.com
Follow Fors MW’s journey on the blog
www.forsmw.blogspot.com

In cooperation with the ELIKO Technology Development Centre
and Tallinn University of Technology, Lade—a company based
in Haapsalu—is developing a new-generation smart life jacket,
which is usable in extreme, including very cold, conditions and
provides information about the health status of its user.

According to the partners, the goal of the project is to develop a prod-
uct which can be used in cold seas with minimum risks.
The life jacket will be suitable for adventure
voyages and extreme sports events,
but also for high-risk jobs, such as
on oil platforms in the North Sea
and in work related to the econom-
ic usage of the Arctic Ocean.

The smart life jacket will use com-
munication to provide information
on the current health condition of its
user, explained Professor Mart Min,
who heads the group of researchers
working on the project at the Tallinn
University of Technology.

The project will take several
years and will cost millions
In the first phase of development, which
will take five months, an investigative
study and first testing of the technology
is planned. The entire project is estimat-
ed to run for two to three years. In the
next phases, the development team will
become international.

According to Gerhard Eberle, Manager
of Lade from Germany, up to one million
euros will be invested in the project dur-
ing the next three years. Eberle claims
that the product will indeed be a smart
life jacket. One of its components - liq-
uid gas - is already used in all life jackets
produced in the world, but this gas freezes
at very low temperatures. Lade is in the pro-
cess of creating a gas mixture which will solve this
problem.

The ELIKO Technology Development Centre has worked on
development projects in the electronics and signalling indus-
tries since 2004, and the centre has displayed competence in
measuring human physiological parameters.
According to Indrek Ruiso, Head of ELIKO, they are al-
ways on the lookout for clients such as Lade: companies
that are ambitious and forward-looking, and that have
strong export potential. “What appeals most to us about
Lade is the fact that they are involved in clear and suc-
cessful production of safety equipment and they are a
market leader in Europe in their field,” explained Ruiso.

Ruiso explains that it is also important to promote coop-
eration between regional production companies and re-
search and development institutions in Estonia, which will
provide the foundation for the growth of higher added-
value products in Estonia.

Professor Min explained that the development team will
bring together the best experts from Estonia in the fields
of electronics, information technology, energetics and physiology.
“Such collaboration is very important for Estonian scientists and engi-
neers, because it makes it possible to unite fundamental and applied
research with engineering work in ways that will benefit the Estonian
and European economies,” he said. “In the field of product develop-
ment, we are competitive globally,” he added.

Professor Min said that there are plans to use bioelectrical
impedance solutions meant to assess health conditions.
These solutions have been patented by ELIKO and the
Tallinn University of Technology in Europe and the USA,
and have been used in heart stimulators in the USA; now
they will adapt them for use in Lade life jackets.

Lade growing fast

Led by Gerhard Eberle, Lade is a valued producer of
Marinepool rescue equipment in Europe. The prod-
ucts of Marinepool have won several competitions,
and the company´s life jackets are considered to
be among the best in the world. The company
is based in Haapsalu but there is also a factory
in Kärdla, on the island of Hiiumaa. ”I like
the good modern infrastructure and rela-
tively low prices in Haapsalu,” explained
Eberle. ”I have found the workers here to
be motivated and responsible. The flexible
labour market enables us to implement rapid
changes if necessary. I live in a great environ-
ment with fast access to the rest of the world, and
Eastern Europe, with all its advantages, is right here within easy
reach,” he added.
www.lade.ee
Lade Develops the World’s
First Smart Life Jacket By Ivar Soopan

In 2003 an engineering company was established by two students of
mechanical engineering at the Tallinn University of Technology - Raoul
Renser and Jaan Meikup - whose last names combined created the
company’s name MeiRen. Although the initial idea was to offer engi-
neering design services, there was a twist in fate and soon the first
snow ploughs were being designed. Today Meiren claims to be one of
the world’s most innovative snowplough manufacturers and has a lot
to back that up.
Meiren produces professional snow clearing equipment for different
weather and snow conditions. Snow ploughs meant for use on inner city
streets, walkways and parking lots are narrower, usually 2.4-4.0 meters
wide, and have approx. 90° blade angle and a spring mechanism that
helps avoid obstacles on the road. Motor and highway snow ploughs are
up to 4.6m wide and have an aggressive blade angle which lifts the snow
up, creates snow rolling and throws it far away from the road. As the
angle is more aggressive than on competitive products, the truck’s fuel
consumption is lower. Trucks that keep highways and motorways free
from snow are often also equipped with side ploughs which provide up
to eight meters of ploughing width. Tallinn Airport keeps its runways free
from snow using Meiren airport snow ploughs that are nine meters wide.
In February 2013 Meiren Snow introduced its next generation MSPN-04
series snowploughs, which are equipped with double-shifting parallelo-
grams (lifting frames), which gives the driver an additional option for
manoeuvring with the snowplough as, in addition to the traditional lift-
ing and turning of the plough, the MSPN can also be moved sideways.
The capability of sideways shift enhances usability and economic ben-
efits: the driver has more control over the machine, which is very handy
on roundabouts or for cleaning bus stops on motorways. When the
MSPN front plough is combined with a Meiren KS-series side plough,
there is an additional 0.5m ploughing width compared to traditional
ploughs. This provides the economical opportunity of using wider
snowploughs on narrower roads.
The second innovative feature of the MSPN-04 is the blade holder, made
from a special mixture of polyurethane that acts as a self-repelling spring
system. When the plough encounters an immovable object (e.g. a rock,
a drain hole, bridge elements etc.) the blade holder moves backward,
allowing the blade to run over the object and return to the original posi-
tion after the object is avoided. The elastic polyurethane blade holder
also follows the road surface better than conventional snow ploughs,
and that provides a cleaner result, allowing for lower levels of salt and
de-icing consumption. This is the best economical and environmental
aspect of the solution. Since the blade is not in direct contact with the
mould board, the noise level of the MSPN-04 snow plough is lower.
The MSPN-04 snow plough has earned Meiren several awards at trade
fairs and competitions. In early 2013 Meiren received an award for inno-
vation at the Östersund, Sweden trade fair. A few months later Meiren
was awarded a Silver Medal for innovation, being the only snow plough
manufacturer nominated. In the winter of 2013 Meiren received a Tal-
linn City entrepreneurship award for sustainability and ecological devel-
opment, as the snow plough allows for more efficient ploughing and
lower de-icing material usage.
www.meirensnow.com
The World’s Most
Innovative Snow
Ploughs are
Made in Estonia
Meiren’s award-winning MSPN-04 series
snowplough for highways, packed with innovative features.
Tallinn Airport keeps its runways free from snow with Meiren ploughs
Although the Meiren VTSP-series was designed for tractors,
it can also be used on trucks.

5151
PORTFOLIO_LAURENTSIUS
Rose XX I 78 x 49 I oil on canvas, mixed media, 2000

52
Girl with a Hat I 245 x 245 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2010

53
Beauty and the Snowman I 245 x 245 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2005

54
Portrait of a Young Woman III I 99 x 89 I Oil on canvas, mixed media, 2010

55
Portrait of a Young Woman I I 80 x 70 I Oil on canvas, mixed media, 2008/2009

56
Totally Allegorical Floral Still Life I 250 x 250 I oil pastel on paper, mixed media, 2014

57
Flower Painting with Flying Cherries I 150 x 150 I oil on canvas, 2014

58
B.F.R. 1 I 120 x 53 I oil on canvas, mixed media, 2011

Inside and Outside
the FrameBy Anneliis Aunapuu
I meet Laurentsius (born in 1969 as Lauri Sillak) in Haapsalu, where he
is in the process of hanging up the works of his upcoming exhibition.
Together we take a look at how his wildly different works share areas of
influence in the gallery rooms: large canvases, smaller pictures squeezed
into fancy frames, and tiny creations on bricks. It all leaves a diverse
and multi-layered impression, somewhat familiar and somewhat alien,
different cultural layers on top of each other, a refined style of painting
and a sense of everyday, seemingly arbitrary, rudeness. The beautiful is
linked with the ugly, the classical with the weird: always just enough to
leave viewers with a strangely dense experience. Questions arise.

I CULTURE
The Catholic sound of your artists name is linkable
to the decorative dramatic character of your work.
Does the spirit of St Lawrence sometimes interrupt
you when youre painting? How did you come up with
this name?
In the early 1990s, I created art in tandem with my course mate Toomas
Tõnissoo. We made paintings that were very large for that time, mostly
on kraft paper or used wallpaper: a cheap and effective surface mate-
rial. Our work process was relatively fast and spontaneous. Due to the
lack of space in the school workshops, we used to work at night. We
tried out various different styles, materials and collage. At exhibitions,
these absurd works had an unusually aggressive effect, dominating the
space. As authors, Lauri Sillak and Toomas Tõnissoo just felt too long
and clumsy. Hence the tandem became known as Tommi & Laurentsius.
In about a year this period was over, but a lot of the work I do still goes
back to the time of Tommi & Laurentsius. I also kept the name Laurent-
sius because it was already something of a trademark. But it is only my
name which connects me to St Lawrence.
In any case, a certain odour of morbidity floats
around among your works at the exhibition. All this
reminds the viewer of flamboyantly decorated cof-
fins and tombs, and then find a humorous detail at
the edge of the frame which makes them smile. You
probably don’t intend to be deadly serious.
I try to create my works like one cooks an oriental soup: a wide selection
of different (often contradictory) flavours, with balance being impor-
tant. Certainly there is a portion of morbidity in my works and also a bit
of humour, but I think that the general impression is more neutral. Art
is a serious thing, but not deadly serious.
As your works are all very different, I would like to
ask what the essential element in them is for you.
What do they speak of?
I think that it is probably not the most important thing what my paint-
ings speak of, and sometimes that is totally irrelevant. Good art should
speak to the subconscious. In the works, you can find some exciting
constructions, shapes, connections and hints. The textures, shines,
unexpected colour solutions, uses of material and composition tricks
should all attract attention. It is the combination of all of these com-
ponents: everything serves the function of offering something special
to the viewer, to enable the viewer to sense something divine and un-
earthly in the art. And it is very difficult to achieve this in art, much
more so than in music or film. But this is the goal I am working towards
and I hope that someone will receive a total catharsis from my work
one day (if it hasn’t happened already). That may be the secret goal of
every artist.
Frames, which normally just surround a piece of art,
are a significant part of many of your works. Their
flamboyant and over-the-top character, bordering
on kitsch, is very different to everything else in the
art scene.
It has always seemed logical to me that an artist’s work should stand out
from others. Many people do not consider individuality important in art.
But in that sense I am an individualist.
Final Snack, Laurentsius Remix (Laurits & Mäeots Remastered) I 250 x 510 I digital print, mixed media, 2005

Do you make the frames yourself?
I create the design of the frames and I assemble them myself. To as-
semble one composite frame I have used three to eight types of ready
frames, adding hundreds of smaller decorative elements, for example
plastic Christmas angels. The colour black unites this Babel into an
entity and balances the overly sweet taste of kitsch.
You have said that the frame is even more important
than the little classically painted picture inside it,
and that is indeed how it looks.
In my art, I like to break up the things we are used to: in the series
“B.F.R.“ (Black Frame Roses), a huge frame dominates a tiny painting,
which seems like a metaphor for something. The painting is the same;
only the frames vary. At the same time, this seems to emphasise loneli-
ness: the painted roses in the midst of it all are somewhat lonely. At the
last exhibition, I added a dead fly between the painting and the glass:
again a metaphor.
Some of your paintings are almost steam-punk.
You have buried some classically painted motifs in
a metal surface. Shards from the world of machines,
ambassadors from a locksmiths treasure trove,
from simple fixing details to butterfly screws,
have accumulated to admire the skilfully painted
little miracle. Offering contradictions again?
The idea of using metal elements in paintings came from old Russian
icons, where the background surrounding the Saviour was covered in
sheet metal. The warm surface of the painting and cold metal are ide-
ally suited to each other. I added other metal objects to the metal sheet.
The works recall the instrument cases of musicians or Rimowa cases;
someone even said that they are like the doors to the morgue drawers
familiar from crime shows.
The format of your works - just like your painting
style - changes all the time. On the large canvases,
the entire background behind the larger-than-life
portrait of the protagonist is covered in robust
hints of the urban everyday and technological world.
It seems you enjoy different ways of expressing
yourself?
Large portraits - I have been really inspired by some faces on big advertis-
ing billboards - the quality of the photos, their attention to nuance and
detail, the effective lighting solution on charismatic faces which seem to
be slightly doped. A pretty female face on a canvas of wallpaper: that is
the height of sickly sweet! With expressively painted additional details,
the industrial form, graffiti and other ugly things, I create balance in
paintings: that is the most exciting, creative and time-consuming part
of the work process.
Mapplethorpe’s Calla Lily I 60 x 60 I oil on canvas, 2005

I CULTURE
I used a similar scheme at my exhibition at the Vaal Gallery, where I
imitated old portrait art: the academic style of painting, golden frames,
dark backgrounds, crackle glaze on the painting’s surface and so on.
When you looked at the paintings more closely, it seemed like some
vandals had ruined them with markers, spray paint etc. But this whole
concoction looked cool; in a paradoxical way, the additions worked to-
gether with the painting. The works were full of intrigue and the dusty
paintings suddenly looked contemporary. I partially proceeded from the
idea that works that had been attacked would excite people who were
normally distant from art.
City romance has pushed its way into your works
through hints at graffiti. A part of the exhibition
is the brick series, where works have been painted
on red bricks found in dilapidated buildings.
By carrying the paintings, they connect
information from several eras.
The gallery space of one exhibition demanded many small works, which
is when I got the idea of creating a selection of miniature graffitis from
the word LOVE on old bricks. A brick wall is one of the most commonly
used surfaces for graffiti. In miniature form, it has the effect of someone
saying something really quietly. Old bricks have a really interesting and
varied texture, and partially the graffiti design took what was there al-
ready. The title of the series, “Ken’s graffiti”, hints at the smallness (Ken
is the doll Barbie’s boyfriend).
Who are your favourite audiences?
For whom do you paint?
My favourite audiences are the fans of my work, and I hear there are
many of them. At the same time, when I consider my music and film
preferences, which are not mainstream, there is probably not that much
reason for optimism…
There are endless historical layers which you havent
played with yet – , huge potential. But you have not
remained with one scheme; you continue to look for
new things. What still remains to be accomplished?
I have used quite a wide spectrum of approaches, and it may some-
times seem that all of these works have not been created by the same
artist. But I believe that some kind of unified sense of things can be
detected in all my works. I think I should use the same schemes and
go deeper, improving quality. The ceiling is still out of reach and that
inspires me.
Ken´s Graffiti I mixed media on brick, 2013
Rose (Metal Mix) II I oil on MDF, mixed media 2014

63FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA
A decade ago Kristiina Poska, from the small Estonian town
of Türi, went to study in Berlin. Today she has risen to
the position of Kapellmeister (Director of Music) of
the Komische Oper Berlin - the first woman to do so in
the history of the opera house. Last year she won
the most reputable conducting prize in Germany -
also the first woman to ever do so.
“Kristiina Poska has conquered
the fortress which until now
has belonged to men”
is how German media
put it at the time.
Kristiina
Poska
Turns Disadvantages
into AdvantagesBy Külli-Riin Tigasson / Eesti Kontsert magazine Aplaus
Photos by Johann Sebastian Hänel and Jürgen Kelper

I CULTURE
The lush greenery, birdsong and water bodies of the Tiergarten area in
Berlin, where Kristiina Poska lives, resemble Estonian nature. She loves
to take long walks there and cycles to work through the park in the
summer. Kristiina’s eyes sparkle and she gesticulates excitedly with her
hands when she speaks. “It is definitely not an advantage to be a fe-
male conductor in the cultural landscape of Germany,” she says, and
adds, “but it is important to know how to turn disadvantages into ad-
vantages.” What does that mean?
The conductor of an opera is the only person with
his/her back to the audience. Do you think about
the audience whilst conducting?
This may sound strange but the answer is no. I only think about the
music when I conduct. It is my job to conduct the music, to control the
evening, to bring the vocalists and the orchestra together. If I fail to give
this a hundred per cent of my concentration, something is wrong. There
is no time for other thoughts, such as how I look or what the audience is
thinking. At the opera, there is a slightly different set-up each evening,
for example stand-in musicians from other orchestras who require spe-
cial attention. The vocalist may be ill and replaced with someone unfa-
miliar with the production or someone who sings in another language.
Such a vocalist may not have had the time to study the production, in
which case they sing from the edge of the stage and the director’s as-
sistant plays the role. Or if the vocalist performs, other singers have to
be prepared to improvise constantly. In other words, there is always too
much excitement at the opera for my thoughts to wander.
What is the most complicated thing about
conducting? Or do challenges change depending
on your own development?
I feel things depend on where I am at a particular moment. The chal-
lenges are always changing. In the early days, I felt as if I had a guardian
angel who only sent me orchestras that wished me well and guarded
me from big problems which more experienced conductors often face…
What kind of big problems exist in
this field of work?
There may be differences of opinion with the orchestra or there may
be vocalists who are difficult to work with because they are in a world
of their own and don’t pay attention to the conductor. My tasks have
grown in parallel with my own growth as a conductor. I think this ap-
plies generally in life, not just in my field of work. We cannot say that
a 50-60-year-old person has no more problems or challenges. There
are always new ones.
What is your main challenge as
a conductor at the moment?
Lately I’ve been occupying myself with trying to understand how an
orchestra functions in a more general sense. With each orchestra, one
needs time to comprehend what needs to be done in order to bring
the best out of each piece of music and each situation. People are
different and each group has its own dynamics. Some things are uni-
versal and some things are totally different. For example, there are
orchestras that react very fast to the conductor’s beat, whereas others
do so slowly.
Recently I have come across orchestras with very different reactions. It
is generally said that German orchestras tend to react quite late. But
there are conductors who promote this. The way a collective behaves
musically depends on various factors: what they are used to, the chief
conductor’ s character and their traditions. There are things which
cannot be explained. Just like with people.
Rumours have it that new conductors of
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra may experience
certain challenges. Someone deliberately plays
off-key and the orchestra tests the conductor’s
reaction. Have you experienced such testing?
I haven’t really experienced underhand means of testing me. When
you work with a new orchestra, you never know if you have the right
chemistry with the people or not. That applies to human relation-
ships generally. It does not depend on someone being better or worse.
You either get along or you don’t. Sometimes there are organisational
problems which have nothing to do with music which may prevent the
orchestra from playing well.
Can you give some examples?
When I was still studying I had to take a concert exam. I knew I had to
attend the main rehearsal at 11 am. At 9.30 am I was in my bathrobe
at home drinking my morning coffee when the professor phoned and
asked where I was. They had made changes to the schedule the day
before, but no-one let me know! I arrived out of breath and apolo-
gised to the orchestra. The piece of music which had been “ready” at
rehearsals would not come together. The orchestra was deeply trou-
bled by my lateness. During the first four beats, they managed to
make ten mistakes. I had to interrupt the process several times.

They were upset?
They were obviously upset. Such processes tend to be subconscious but
they have a large impact on group dynamics. Later, I talked to the or-
chestra members and found out that they did not experience the situa-
tion so acutely. One violinist may sense that something is off. But for me
as a conductor it is almost an existential problem.
If one musician feels troubled and makes a mistake,
another musician might repeat it…
An orchestra is a very sensitive organism. One insensitive word may ruin
the energy of the whole rehearsal. Also, an organisational mistake may
lead to the orchestra playing badly or losing concentration. I was once
in such a situation as a guest conductor. There was total chaos at our
morning rehearsal: they just couldn’t play together. In the afternoon,
there was a meeting where the problem was solved and the orchestra
was newly born at the concert in the evening.
So experiences of a conductor would be useful
in a textbook on organisational management?
Psychological issues always strongly influence a process. But no matter
what the environment or the mood, a conductor needs to stay true to
him/herself. It’s great when everything runs smoothly. But this cannot
be taken for granted. Even in critical situations, the conductor must
remain calm and true to herself, to do the work and to proceed from
the music.
You said above that your current challenge
is to understand how various orchestras function.
What was the most difficult issue for you when
you got started?
The main problem back then was me. I was blocking my own way.
I had destructive thoughts and a lot of fears.
At first, I was overly humbled by standing in front of people who had
worked for years as musicians, who were more experienced than me.
It took me a long time to understand that there are other factors up
there as a conductor which matter more. I also had the feeling that
music was so much bigger than me, that whatever I did I was not
worthy of it.
But regardless of those fears it attracted you...
I have always had the desire to make music. And at the end of the day,
it is this will that counts. There are many difficulties along the way. It is
also important that you want to keep at it, no matter what. The music
itself is the biggest reward and I am willing to put up with any difficul-
ties along the way for the music.
Is such determination more important than talent?
I believe so. It is necessary to have some talent, because if you don’t
have a musical bone in your body, you cannot work in this field. But
how far you are able to develop your talent depends on your will and
your determination.
And perhaps also on courage and the ability
to forgive yourself for your mistakes?
I used to constantly feel that what I did was not good enough. At one
point, I decided to start thinking constructively in order to be able to
develop as a human being and as a musician.
Artistic people are always full of doubt; it is an important and useful
force. But when those doubts take away most of your creative energy,
it is the art which suffers. The largest force is the force of your mind.
Whereas earlier I had too many insecurities, these days I tend towards
the other end of the scale, being too courageous. Some people say that
one cannot help it when one is shy. But this is not true. Behind the shy-
ness, there is courage.
Disadvantages can be turned into advantages?
Precisely. Each and every one of us has courage; we just need to locate
it. I am also convinced that each of us has opposite forces inside us:
good and bad, joy and sadness, introvert and extrovert. We are the ones
who decide what dominates. I am proof of that.

I CULTURE
Why did you choose to become a conductor?
My grandpa played the piano, but there were no professional musi-
cians in my home; there was no Beethoven playing in the background.
My interest in music was abstract. I wanted to play the piano just like
grandpa. I went to a music school for children. At one point, I under-
stood that I would not become a pianist because I did not have the pa-
tience to spend five to six hours every day playing on my own. My voice
was not strong enough to become a singer. But I really wanted to study
music and thought I would give choir conducting a try. I must have been
about 17 years old when I first saw a rehearsal of the Estonian National
Symphony Orchestra and I was so enchanted by the sound that from
then on my biggest dream was to conduct an orchestra.
You have said in an interview that you have to be-
come the embodiment of an emotion as a conductor.
I have to use my body to show people what I want expressed. I have to
radiate those emotions out of my body. Many young conductors make
the mistake of emulating someone physically, putting a mask on.
Everything is possible when you change into the thing you want to be.
When you are determined enough, you can be who you really want
to be. This is the task that we all have as human beings. Many people
make excuses and say: “this is who I am, I cannot change.” Everyone
can change if they want to! Many characteristics which people consider
inherent are not. They are habits or patterns which have nothing to do
with someone’s nature.
What would you like to change now?
Nothing at this moment. I would like to understand better why some
things are the way they are. For example, why some conductors seem
to conduct fantastically, yet the orchestra plays badly. And, vice versa,
why some conductors seem to be doing nothing and the orchestra
plays fantastically.
I am interested in finding out what happens when we have rehearsed
thoroughly and everything is prepared and I happen to do something
unexpected during the concert. Does it open some channels and make
musicians in the orchestra more open and spontaneous? Or does it
frighten them? How much can I pull myself back? My ideal goal is to be
active in the working process and then to pull back during the concert
to enable the orchestra to activate itself.
Recently, a brilliant orchestra musician told me an interesting story
about a conductor with whom it was difficult to establish rapport dur-
ing the rehearsal process. There was no chemistry, so the rehearsals
were incomprehensible. At the concert, the conductor led the orches-
tra with effective movements rehearsed in front of the mirror, which
had nothing to do with the sound of the orchestra or with influencing
it in any way. The orchestra was forced to activate itself in order for
the performance to stay together. Because of this, the concert was
great and the audience was thrilled, so the conductor received a lot
of applause. The orchestra however thought that they did it all by
themselves.
What kind of music do you listen to at home?
I do not have music playing in the background at home. I have to listen
to so much music because of my work and I only do so with concentra-
tion. I work through many sheets of music, listen to different perfor-
mances. I don’t have that much spare time and when I do, I enjoy the
sound of silence. My sister who lives in Tallinn keeps me up-to-date with
popular and folk music.

67FALL/WINTER 2014-2015 I LIFE IN ESTONIA
KRISTIINA POSKA
Graduated as a pianist from the Türi Music School, as a con-
ductor from the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School and from
the Estonian Academy of Music. From 2004–2009, she stud-
ied conducting at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin
under Christian Ehwald. From 2009–2011, she continued
her studies with Ehwald (Konzertexamen), graduating with
honours.
Received the special orchestra award at the competition of
conductors in Athens (2006), became a finalist at the Dona-
tella Flick competition in London (2010), and won third place
and a special audience award at the Nikolai Malko competi-
tion for conductors in Copenhagen (2012).
In April 2013, won a reputable conducting award in Germa-
ny: the Deutscher Dirigentenpreis. Tagesspiegel named her
“one of the 25 most interesting people in Berlin in 2013”.
From 2006–2011, the chief conductor of Capella Academica
of Berlin’s Humboldt University.
Has conducted various orchestras: the Estonian National
Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Mu-
nich Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne,
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Gothenburg Symphony Or-
chestra, Royal Philharmonic of Stockholm, Stuttgart Philhar-
monic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of German Radio
Saarbrücken, Chemnitz Robert Schumann Philharmonic
Orchestra, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Bern Sym-
phony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Lausanne Chamber
Orchestra, etc. This season she has conducted the Hessische
Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig MDR Symphony Or-
chestra, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and others.
Has conducted at the Komische Oper in Berlin: Puccini’s
“Bohème“, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and “The Abduc-
tion from the Seraglio”, Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream”, Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins”, Bernstein’s “West
Side Story”, Verdi’s “La Traviata“, Offenbach’s “La Périchole“
and Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”. This season she
will conduct Lange’s “The Canterville Ghost”, Mozart’s “Lu-
cio Silla“ and “Don Giovanni”, and Offenbach’s “La belle
Hélène”.
In 2011 she debuted at the Vienna Volksoper with Hump-
erdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”, followed by Rossini’s “The
Barber of Seville”, Bizet’s “Carmen“ and Lehar’s “The Merry
Widow”. This season she will conduct, at the same opera
house, Donizetti’s “Viva la Mamma” (director: Rolando Villa-
zon), as well as the Hamburg Staatsoper (Mozart’s “The Ab-
duction from the Seraglio”) and the Stockholm Royal Opera
Theatre (Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”).
After successful performances, she was elected the first Di-
rector of Music (Kapellmeister) of Berlin’s Komische Oper in
autumn 2012.

I CULTURE
You have lived in Berlin for ten years.
How quickly did you adjust?
I liked Berlin from day one. There is a certain sense of freedom here. I
have always liked big cities and anonymity. However, the connection
to Estonia is very important to me and I may one day return to Estonia.
Happiness is very much related to what we do. And creative people of-
ten go where they have a chance to make the most of their creativity.
What does a normal day look like for you?
It depends on whether I have rehearsals or a performance at the op-
era, whether I am travelling somewhere as a guest conductor or work-
ing from home. At the opera, the rehearsals start at 10am. On other
days, I prepare. I get up around 8, sit at my desk and work with sheet
music. Sometimes I sit at the piano, analyse, do background research
and read relevant literature. If possible, I go for a little walk around
lunchtime.
Arvo Pärt, the Järvi family... even the main conduct-
ing prize of Germany has been awarded twice to an
Estonian in the last seven years, to Mihkel Kütson in
2006. Why is it music which makes Estonian culture
famous in the world?
Estonian music is definitely something special. Sometimes it seems that
it looks even more special from the outside. It is definitely closely linked
to our tradition of song celebrations. Just think about how many choir
singers we have, how we have sung our way to freedom twice. It is part
of our identity. This not only applies to music but to all fields or art and
literature. Many of my German acquaintances who like to read have
expressed surprise at how many new books and poetry collections are
published in the Estonian language. There are a lot for a tiny nation.
Estonian people are very creative. Regardless of the fact that it is not
a financially easy choice, many people have dedicated themselves to a
risky profession - to art. Perhaps it is our long and dark winters. It is also
possible that Estonians who tend to be more inward-looking, look for
expression in other fields.
Long winters and an endless longing,
which are woven into culture?
Yes, I think it is some Ugric yearning for something which people are
not often even able to verbalise. Art, literature and music help us to
cope with it.
How much do you pay attention to critics and
audience feedback in your work?
There are a couple of opera critics whose opinions I care about. But of
course there are as many opinions as there are people. If you aim to
please everyone, you end up losing yourself. For an artist, the only real
foundation is himself. You need to proceed from your own intuition
and feelings.
I have always searched for truth in music, and in most things. But I have
come to realise that truth in itself does not exist. For me, truth can only
exist in a moment. In music it is not possible to do something convinc-
ingly in order to please someone else. The only person I try to please is
the composer.
A considerable amount of pop music is made
to please somebody.
I would not compare pop music with classical music, as the former
mainly has entertainment value. The function of classical music is some-
thing else. Art which is made for someone else cannot be totally sincere
and this is why I do not believe in it.

By Maris Hellerand
Photos by Maiken Staak and Eksperimenta!
Annely Köster –
Shaking the
Foundations
of Art Education
Annely Köster (45) is living her dream as an
art teacher and the creator of the first international
youth contemporary art triennial Eksperimenta!,
whose mission is to nurture creativity, free thinking,
caring and content.

I CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
I CULTURE
Growing up in the last years of the Soviet Estonia, Annely took a mes-
sage from her own art teacher literally: to carry on the mission of teach-
ing art. So after graduating from high-school she started her first chil-
dren’s art group at the age of 18 in Tallinn’s leafy suburb of Nõmme.
After a while, the local government discovered that the nice former villa
could be put to better use than children’s art classes and Annely moved
her school to the Hopner House in the Old Town. That’s where Sally
Studio was born in 1991, the year of Estonia’s rebirth as an independ-
ent country.
“The 1990’s were a crazy era in Estonia. Everyone was starting a busi-
ness, so we sold a painting by a good friend and invested the money
as stock capital in Sally Studio. The art studio is named after my Great
Dane Sally, who was born that year and accompanied me to classes
daily. After a little while, the kids started to ask each other after class
‘Are you coming to paint with Sally tomorrow?’ So Sally Studio it was.
Sally, the first CEO, was a great teacher of friendly caring and has left a
strong paw print on the studio’s philosophy.
We realised very soon that this was not going to be a big business;
after all, our share capital was lost with the bankruptcy of Tartu Kom-
mertspank. So in 1994 we restructured the studio into a non-profit
organisation.”
Obviously running a successful business was never the driving force
for Annely. Strangely, arts and culture used to be one of the very few
areas of life in the Soviet system where speaking your mind was pos-
sible. Annely remembers the long talks about life and the world with
her arts teacher and friends that often resulted in small art actions: in
today’s art lingo “performances”. Metaphorical expression was a very
widespread means in the arts and is still one of the main aspects of
contemporary art. This is the legacy that has formed the ideology of
Sally Studio. “It is not important to draw a technically perfect camel or
count toe bones. It’s about free thinking and creativity, which we hope
and try to nurture in our children. Sally Studio is a school of creative
thinking, bravery and pro-activity. If we want our lives to be better, it is
important that people dare to think independently and dare to stand
up for their ideas.”
Annely didn’t take the classical path to art teaching. She was fortunate
to take many international arts courses and classes at the beginning
of the 90’s, to learn a little about Waldorf methods, which form a big
contrast to contemporary art and have, over the years, influenced the
teaching at Sally a lot. Then, after several years of teaching and run-
ning the studio, Annely finally decided that psychology was the subject
she needed to study most to keep growing as a person and as the
head of her art school. A curious combination of colour perception and
E! 2011, Juš Zidar, Slovenia
YOUTH SUICIDE | 500 X 500 CM | PERFORMANCE,VIDEO, MIXED MEDIA INSTALLATION
The main purpose is to point out the everyday presence of the contemporary problem of
suicide in the young population.The performance is constructed as a miniature drama play.
The author writes a farewell letter and then hangs himself from the structure provided.
E! 2011, Lukas Dirzys, Lithuania
MECHANICAL PAINTING | PERFORMANCE
The piece consists of machinery specially designed to mechanically produce large-scale
pieces (150x500 cm) of abstract painting on paper.The performance consists in real
action to produce several paintings live.

management psychology courses in Tartu University led her to further
studies of education management in Tallinn University. Art education
became a big issue when kids started to ask her after class to explain all
they had done once again so that they could retell it at school and do
it all over with their school classes. So Annely has had major input into
the new curriculum of arts in Estonian schools, moving it away from
technique and towards creativity and integration.
Sally Studio has grown and developed along with Estonia since 1991.
Annely sees how Estonia has matured and has learned a lot from the
old Western countries, especially about efficiency and bureaucracy.
What she feels is missing is the caring and consideration that character-
izes these societies. Fortunately, the young generation seems to have
stronger social consciousness than the “founders” of the 1990’s. And
Estonia still is the place where the impossible is possible.
Sally Studio has taught thousands of children, aged 3 to 19, for more
than two decades. Many have returned as teachers or as parents of
new students.
The students of Sally were the real reason behind the birth of Eks-
perimenta! in 2011. Annely believes in fulfilling one’s dreams through
consistency and patience. In 2001 she started to dream about an
international exhibition platform for the pre-university age group of art
students. Ten years later the first Eksperimenta! triennial took place as
the highlight of Tallinn’s year as the European Capital of Culture, bring-
ing young artists from more than a dozen countries to Tallinn and pre-
senting an amazingly professional level of art that was praised by critics
and an audience of more than 18 000.
This year, when Eksperimenta! takes place for the second time, many
circles will be completed. The exhibition venue is the Hopner House in
the Old Town – the same place that Sally Studio started more than 20
years ago. The contrast – one of the key threads of Annely’s working life
– is that it will spread throughout the Old Town. Next to a medieval mer-
chant’s house, the contemporary youth art from a dozen countries will
also be exhibited in Tallinn’s oldest Christian church – St. Catherine’s,
which is a very fitting venue for this year’s topic “Art and Science”, as
Catherine is the saint of scientists, philosophers, students, youth and
women. The contrasting environment offers a great challenge to the
organizers and the young artists: how to create an inspiring and pleas-
ant environment for the exhibition during the darkest season.
Annely believes that it takes a decade for an organisation to mature, so
Eksperimenta! still has a few years to go. And now a new Great Dane –
Gracia - is helping her to find the right track to grow together.
Eksperimenta! 2014
23 October – 23 November
in Hopner House and St Catherine’s Church
open Tuesday through Sunday from 11-18
www.eksperimenta.net
Participating artists from:
Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Russia, Germany,
Slovenia, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Canada,
South Korea and Brazil.
Art schools in all participating countries
researched the topic of Art and Science
throughout the last school year, and
have involved nearly 10,000 students.
Combining creative thinking about
contemporary art with the methods of
science will lead to innovation and
open up new educational paths for
the young artists. Creativity is a vital
survival skill of the 21st century.
E! 2011,Anna Mari Liivrand, Estonia
VIRTUAL SPACE | 200 X 250 X 150 CM | INSTALLATION
The virtual space is capable of meeting almost all of our needs and also providing the things that we lack in this world.
That world is becoming more real than the reality that we inhabit, because the virtual life seems much better than what
we have to confront.The person becomes a shell that is here with us, while in his thoughts he is somewhere else.

I TOURISM
Suur Tõll
Opened Again!
Welcome Aboard!
The icebreaker Suur Tõll (named after
Toell the Great, the hero giant in Esto-
nian mythology) is the oldest steam-
powered ship in the Baltic states. It
is Estonia’s oldest and most dignified
museum ship, whose century-long
story reflects the entire time-line of
the fragile history of the republic. Dur-
ing its 100-year history, it has sailed
under five different flags and four
different names.

A great deal of work was done between September 2013 and June
2014, when, in addition to extensive hull repairs, the living quarters
on the main deck were renovated. The stately officers’ mess-room and
the slightly less stately mess-room of the crew have been restored, a
new exhibition has been set up about the history of the icebreaker, and
several of the crew cabins that used to be closed to visitors are now
open. Even one of the galleys (i.e. the ship’s kitchen) was restored to
working order, and visitors can now enjoy authentic seamen’s dishes
aboard the ship.
www.lennusadam.eu
Wäinämöinen
Volynets
Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
In the 1910s a powerful icebreaker was needed for year-round opera-
tion of the port of Tallinn. The ship was built at the Vulcan-Werke AG
shipyard at Stettin in 1914. It entered service as Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
- named after the founder of the Romanov dynasty.
Less than a month after arriving at its home port, the ship had to enter
military service due to the outbreak of the First World War. After the
February revolution in 1917, the ship’s name was changed to Volynets
(to commemorate the Volhynian regiment, which participated in the
uprising) and the Russian tricolor was replaced by the Red flag.
In March 1918, the icebreaker was captured by Finnish freedom fighters
as she left Helsinki, and between 1918 and 1920 the icebreaker played
an important role in both the Finnish and Estonian wars of independ-
ence. She was renamed the Wäinämöinen after the main character of
the Finnish national epic. The ship was used to transport military equip-
ment and volunteers, who helped to turn the War of Independence
(1918–1920) in Estonia’s favor.
Finland ceded the icebreaker to Estonia in November 1922 according
to the Tartu Peace Treaties, and after returning to its home port the
icebreaker was renamed Suur Tõll. For the next 18 years it sailed under
the Estonian flag. For a small country like Estonia, a big and powerful
icebreaker meant direct economic benefits: she made it possible to keep
the bigger ports free of ice and ensure trade with other countries.
When Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union, the Suur Tõll was na-
tionalised. The icebreaker was again renamed the Volynets and began
to sail under the colors of the Soviet navy. Kronstadt became her home
port, and she was in active service until the end of the 1970s.
The icebreaker returned to her home port in 1988, when the Estonian
Maritime Museum requested that the ship — soon to be scrapped for
metal — be brought back to Tallinn and converted into a museum ship.
After her return, her former name Suur Tõll was reinstated, and in 1991
the Estonian flag was raised on the ship.
Since her return, the ship has been under constant renovation, mostly in
connection with major anniversaries in the ship’s or Estonia’s history. The
renovations have been aimed at restoring the ship’s exterior as it was in
the 1930s and her living quarters as they were in the 1950s.

I TOURISM
LOtte VILLaGe
theme Park –
a Load Of
GoodnessBy Ann-MARii neRGi

The slogan of Lotte Village is “‘Goodness makes life
interesting!’ and no visitor will leave here without
experiencing this,” says Rein Malsub, Project Man-
ager of the Lotte Village theme park, which recently
opened to visitors.
The girl puppy Lotte is an unprecedented phenom-
enon amongst Estonian children, and the character
created by the Estonian film-makers Janno Põldma
and Heiki Ernits has also won fans abroad. No other
Estonian children´s film, cartoon or related toys have
ever experienced success equal to that of the films,
books and toys related to Lotte and her friends. The
story, which first gripped audiences as a cartoon series
on television and was later developed into full-length
films and books about the adventures of the girl pup-
py, her family and friends in Gadgetville has also won
the hearts of parents for the simple reason that, unlike
in many other tales, there is not a bit of violence in the
stories created by Ernits and Põldma, only goodness.
And now, after lengthy preparations, Estonia has its
own Lotte Village theme park, similar to Moomin
Land in Finland and Astrid Lindgren’s World in Swe-
den, offering familiar characters from the cartoon,
their homes and, of course, their gadgets and in-
ventions. As evident from the name of the village,
the daily routine of the inhabitants of Gadgetville
revolves around inventing new and exciting gadgets
and competing with each other to see whose inven-
tion is the best. During the long winter months, the
villagers rack their brains to invent interesting gadg-
ets and in the summer everybody wants to win the
trophy at the competition of inventions. Lotte’s fa-
ther Oskar is an inventor and he has won the trophy
four times already! All of his inventions can be seen
and tested in Lotte Village. You can check out the
tooth-brushing machine, the carrot-measuring ma-
chine and the machine invented to help Lotte’s mum
Anna plant flowers. Visitors can even create their
own gadgets in Oskar’s shed.
the theme park dedicated to the girl puppy Lotte and her family
and friends is situated on twelve hectares of land by the seaside
at tahkuranna, near the summer resort of Pärnu.
Janno põldma Heiki ernits

From planetarium to marathon
One should plan at least half a day for a visit to
Lotte Village, if not the entire day. The programme is
jam-packed from 10am to 6pm. At the planetarium
located at the Hares’ House, children get a factual
overview of our solar system. The mother of Lotte’s
best pal Bruno gives music lessons and his dad Mati,
who has always been a bit of an athlete, exercises
with the kids and even takes them on a Lotte Village
marathon. Rabbit Adalbert is definitely one of the
more eccentric characters in Gadgetville and he tells
the kids about how he became friends with electric-
ity (and makes his recommendations). The old rover
Klaus talks about his thrilling travel tales on a push
bike. Children are guaranteed to be surprised and
overwhelmed with joy when the “real Lotte” turns
up to offer hugs.
Janno Põldma told Life in Estonia that it was by no
means difficult to bring the characters of the film to
life at Lotte Village. “For us Lotte Village was already
real and we just needed to find the right attractions
which would work in a theme park, because it is im-
possible to translate everything from the film into a
theme park. One example of what we couldn’t bring
to life is the flying machine of Helmi, the mother of
pigs, which she uses to fly over trees and bushes.
But we do have Oskar´s flying machine, which can
take you straight to Japan,” said Põldma. Although
Põldma is usually considered to be the screenwriter
of the Lotte films and Heiki Ernits the artist, Põldma
explained that the screenplays are actually created
by three people: one of the best-known writers in
Estonia - Andrus Kivirähk - joins Janno and Heiki in
the process. ”When the screenplay is complete, Heiki
and I continue. We are both directors, Heiki is the
designer and I am the editor.”
Lotte Village in figures:
• Size:
the theme park is located
on 12.4 hectares of land;
in addition, there is a 5.5
hectare car park
• ViSitOrS:
opening week brought
10,000 visitors,
approx 1,500 people per day
• WOrkerS:
about 100 total workers;
about 60-70 staff present
at all times every day
• COSt:
seven million euros,
of which 4.5 million comes
from Enterprise Estonia,
260,000 euros from
the local county government
and the rest from private
investors. The investors are
Kuldar Leis, Meelis Saaresalu,
Raul Lusti, Elmer Maas and
Alger Närska
• OPeNiNg:
Off-season starts in
September; fully open
from June 2015.
• tiCket PriCeS:
15 euros; children up
to two years of age free.
I TOURISM

Planning began in 2008
The author of the idea of Lotte Village and its
main organiser is Rein Malsub, who approached
Põldma and Ernits with the idea years ago. They
started to look for a suitable location for the
theme park in 2008. There were many setbacks
due to flawed construction procurements, and
a suitable building company was only found
with the third procurement. The total cost of
the theme park was nearly seven million euros,
and the development was supported with 4.5
million euros by Enterprise Estonia under their
tourism development programme. It should also
be noted that, although the main season of the
theme park is summer and it will be fully open
next June, Lotte Village will be open to visitors
all year round. “We are still putting together the
specific programme of Lotte Village outside the
main season, but there will definitely be birth-
days, company events and special programmes
organised here,” says Malsub.
What about those children who have not seen the
Lotte films or read the books? Would they enjoy
a visit to Lotte Village? Both Malsub and Põldma
confirm that all children will feel welcome at Lotte
Village. “Lotte and her friends will introduce Lotte
Village to children, talk to them and play with
them. We believe that children need a place like
this where they are kept busy and where there is
no room for violence,” says Janno Põldma. Rein
Malsub adds that the theme park is a place of pos-
itivity and it really cheers up everyone who comes
here. “Lotte Village is about spreading goodness
and this is something that everyone - Estonians
and foreigners alike - needs these days: a real
charge of positivity!”
Lotte through
the years:
2000
cartoon series
“Lotte Travels South”
2006
feature-length animation
“Lotte from Gadgetville“
2011
second feature-length
animation “Lotte and the
Moonstone Secret”
two Lotte musicals
“Detective Lotte” and
“Cosmonaut Lotte” -
have been staged at the
Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu.
Books have been written
based on all of the films.
The books have been translated
into Latvian and Finnish.
The films have been translated
into English, French, German,
Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,
Norwegian, Latvian, Finnish,
Russian and Polish.
The films have been sold to 50
different countries and territories.
The films can be bought on DVD,
and they are shown in cinemas
and on television channels that
have purchased the rights.
COMiNg SHOrtLY:
2015
the third Lotte musical will
premiere at the Vanemuine
Theatre
2018
a new Lotte film will be
produced. The screenplay
has already been completed
by Põldma.
“Lotte Travels South”
feature-length animation
“Lotte from Gadgetville“
second feature-length
animation “Lotte and the

I TOURISM
For more travel details, please consult the
sources below: www.visitestonia.com
(Estonian Tourist Board), www.riik.ee/en.
Tourist information centres are located in all
larger towns.
The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre in the
Old Town is located at 4 Kullassepa Street - no
more than 10 steps from the Town Hall Square
(ph.: + 372 645 7777, e-mail: turismiinfo@
tallinnlv.ee). The Tallinn Tourist Information
Centre in Viru Keskus (ph: + 372 610 1557,
610 1558), open every day 9 am - 9 pm, is lo-
cated in the centre of the city. A wide selection
of maps, brochures and publications in several
languages (largest selection in English) can be
found at local bookstores and tourist informa-
tion centres.
Visa
As of 21 December 2007, Estonia is a part of
the Schengen visa area.
Nationals of EU and EEA member states are
free to enter Estonia. The required travel docu-
ment for entry is a national ID card or passport.
Nationals of the following countries do not
need visa to enter Estonia, and can stay for up
to 90 days in any 6-month period: Andorra,
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada,
Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guate-
mala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel,
Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco,
New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
San Marino, Singapore, South Korea,
USA, Uruguay, Venezuela. The re-
quired travel document for entry is a
valid passport.
Citizens of countries not mentioned
above require a visa to enter Estonia.
Visitors arriving in Estonia with visa
must have national passports valid
at least 3 months after their planned
departure from Estonia.
Children aged 7 to 15 years must have their
own passport when travelling to Estonia or, if
they are registered in their parent’s passport,
must have their photo next to the name. Chil-
dren under 7 years need not have a photo if
they are registered in their parents’ passports.
Persons above 15 years must have a separate
travel document with photo.
For detailed information on visa requirements
and entry rules, please consult the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs website at www.vm.ee/eng.
arrival
By plane: Recently renovated, the Tallinn Len-
nart Meri Airport, just 3 km from the city cen-
tre, is welcoming, modern and user-friendly.
Among other amenities, travellers have access
to a free WiFi area in the transit zone. The air-
port’s 24-hour customer service telephone is
+372 6058 888.
Tartu Airport is situated at Ülenurme, near
Tartu. Flights from Tartu to Helsinki depart six
times a week.
Regional airports are located in Kuressaare
(Saaremaa), Kärdla (Hiiumaa), and Pärnu; these
provide no regular international connections.
By ship: With over 6 million passengers an-
nually, the Port of Tallinn is undoubtedly Es-
tonia’s main gateway. Large passenger ferries
arrive from and depart for Helsinki and Stock-
holm regularly. The 85-km Tallinn-Helsinki line
is served by ferries that make the journey in
2 hours; hydrofoils and catamarans make
the trip on 1.5 hours and operate between
April to November-December, depending on
weather conditions. Travellers should note
that different ferry lines depart from different
terminals and harbours. The City Port with its
four terminals is a 10-15 minute walk from Tal-
linn Old Town; the Paldiski-Kapellskär line uses
the Port of Paldiski, about 50 km from Tallinn.
By car: Border checkpoints greet travellers
entering or departing the country by way of
the Estonian-Latvian border points at Ikla (the
Tallinn-Riga highway) and Valga, as well as
on the Estonian-Russian border at Narva (the
Tallinn-St. Petersburg highway), Luhamaa,
Koidula and Murati. On the Estonian-Russian
border, all traffic is subject to border formali-
ties both when entering and leaving Estonia.
By bus: Not only is travel by bus the fastest and
most convenient mode of international public
transportation in the Baltic states, it also offers
excellent value for your money. Lux Express
(www.luxexpress.ee/en) offers regular connec-
tions to all major cities in the Baltic countries
and to St. Petersburg. Prices start from �20.00.
Lux Express is operating also within Estonia on
the following routes: Tallinn – Tartu, Tallinn –
Pärnu and Tallinn – Narva. A useful tip: Regu-
lar passenger buses have priority at the border
checkpoints, so travel is smooth.
By train: There is only one international over-
night train to Moscow.
Practical
Information
For Visitors
For more travel details, please consult the
Children aged 7 to 15 years must have their
own passport when travelling to Estonia or, if
they are registered in their parent’s passport,
must have their photo next to the name. Chil-
dren under 7 years need not have a photo if
they are registered in their parents’ passports.
Persons above 15 years must have a separate
travel document with photo.
For detailed information on visa requirements
and entry rules, please consult the Ministry of

Customs
We suggest travellers consult with the Esto-
nian Customs Board help desk (ph.: +372 880
0814 or www.customs.ee) for details. The
limit on import of alcoholic beverages from
outside the EU is one litre for beverages over
22% alcohol content, and two litres for bev-
erages up to 22%, and four litres for wine.
Import of tobacco and tobacco products from
non-EU countries is limited to 40 cigarettes or
100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 50 g of tobacco
products. Counterfeit goods, including pirated
CDs, video and audio tapes, are prohibited
by law. A special export permit is required for
specimens of plants and animals of endan-
gered species, protected species and hunting
trophies (please contact the Nature Conserva-
tion Department, Ministry of the Environment
for details). Articles of cultural value produced
in Estonia more than 50 years ago also require
special permits (please contact the National
Heritage Board).
Getting around
estonia
Inter-city public
transportation
Public buses are the easiest, cheapest and most
convenient solution for visiting Tartu, Pärnu or
any other of the larger towns. Buses from Tal-
linn to Tartu depart every 15-30 minutes, to
Pärnu every hour. On weekdays, seats to these
destinations are almost always available even
immediately before departure (watch out for
special events). For weekend travel or trips to
more remote locations with fewer connec-
tions, it is advisable to buy tickets in advance.
The Tallinn Bus Terminal is located at Lastekodu
46. The timetable is also available online at
www.bussireisid.ee and ticket information is
available at telephone +372 6800 900.
travelling by car
Travellers hoping to see more of the country
and the rural areas it would be best advised
to travel by car. The roads are quite good and
traffic is light. Crossing Estonia from north to
south or west to east by car takes approxi-
mately three to four hours. All major car rental
agencies have offices in Tallinn. It is also pos-
sible to rent the car in Estonia and drop it off
at a rental agency in Latvia or Lithuania, or vice
versa. The speed limit in rural areas is 90 km/h
and in cities 50 km/h. In some areas the high-
way speed limit is increased during the sum-
mer months. Headlights and seatbelts (front
and back) must be on at all times. Driving un-
der the influence of alcohol or other intoxicat-
ing substances is punishable by law.
Local transport
Taxis: Taxis must clearly display their fares,
driver’s taxi service licenses, and a meter. The
initial charge for entering a cab ranges from
2 to 3.5 euros. Different taxi companies have
different rates, but the average charge per
kilometre is 0.5 euros. There is no additional
charge for ordering the taxi by phone, and it
usually takes the cab just five to ten minutes to
arrive. All taxi drivers must give you a receipt
(in Estonian, ask for “Kviitung, palun”). Locals
usually give the exact fare and no tip. As in
most major cities, some dishonest drivers at-
tempt to overcharge unsuspecting passengers.
If in doubt, note the taxi company and license
plate number.
Public transportation: Tallinn has a public
transport network of buses, trams and trol-
ley-buses. Other Estonian towns have buses.
Check the time schedule for Tallinn bus lines
for any bus stop at www.tallinn.ee/eng.
Free public transport: As of 2013, all resi-
dents of Tallinn, students and passengers 65
years and over are entitled to free travel on
Tallinn public transport.
Tickets for visitors: The Public Transport Card
Ühiskaart may be purchased for the price of
€2. This smart card, onto which you can load
money, or e-tickets can be purchased from
post offices and online at www.pilet.ee. Per-
sonalise the card for €1 at the point of sale or
for free at www.pilet.ee/yhiskaart.
If you are using pay-as-you-go credit, your
smart card automatically calculates the cheap-
est fare within the next 24 hrs (never more
than one-day travel card). Validate your jour-
ney with Ühiskaart immediately after entering
the public transport vehicle. You can also buy
tickets from kiosks and from the driver (single
ticket €1.60 and student ticket €0.80). Try to
have precise change (cash only) for the driver.
The ticket is valid for one journey only in that
specific vehicle. Discounts only for ISIC Scholar
and Student Card holders. Holders of a vali-
dated TallinnCard are entitled to a free ride.
accommodations
All major hotels in Tallinn have been newly
built or completely renovation in recent years.
Despite annual additions to the number of ho-
tels and rooms, it can nonetheless be difficult
to find a hotel room on short notice (particu-
larly over the week-end). For the best selec-
tion, we urge visitors to Tallinn and the rest of
Estonia to book hotel rooms in advance. For
more details, see the Estonian Tourist Board
website at www.visitestonia.ee.

money
On 1 Jan 2011, Estonia adopted euro as its
currency thus replacing the Estonian kroon
which had been the only valid currency in
Estonia since 1992.
Most larger hotels, stores and restaurants ac-
cept Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Diner’s Club
and American Express. However, it is advisable
to carry some cash with you.
Traveller’s checks can be exchanged in most
banks but are less likely to be accepted in
shops. Eurocheque is the most widely ac-
cepted traveller’s check, but American Express
and Thomas Cook are also accepted. Banks
are plentiful and easy to find in Tallinn. Most
are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays,
while some offices are also open on Saturday
mornings. All banks offer currency exchange
services. Exchange offices can also be found
in larger hotels, the airport, harbour, railroad
station and major shopping centres. ATMs are
conveniently located around town; instruc-
tions are in English, Russian and Estonian.
telephones and
Internet
The country code of Estonia is 372. Dial 00 for
outbound international calls.
The GSM mobile phone system is available;
please check compatibility with your operator.
Public Internet access points have been set
up all over Estonia. They are located in local
libraries and post offices. There are over 100
wireless free Internet zones around the coun-
try, many of them in rather unexpected places
- beaches, Old Town squares, stadiums, and
concert halls.
emergencies
112 is the emergency number for ambulance,
police and fire department. The police can
also be reached directly at 110. Emergency
numbers can be dialled free of charge. Select
pharmacies are open 24-hours-a-day in many
major towns. The one in Tallinn is located at
10 Pärnu Road (opposite the Estonian Drama
Theatre); the one in Tartu is located in the
Town Hall building (Town Hall Square).
nationalholidays
Estonians celebrate January 1 as New Year’s
Day, a rather slow and quiet day as people re-
cover from the festivities. Shops open late and
banks are closed. February 24, Independence
Day, is celebrated with a parade of the Esto-
nian Defence Forces at Vabaduse väljak (Free-
dom Square). May 1 is a bank holiday, similar
to Good Friday and May Day. June 23 is the
biggest holiday of the year as Estonians cel-
ebrate Midsummer Eve and the Victory Day in
commemoration of the 1919 Battle of Võnnu,
and June 24 is St. John’s Day (Midsummer).
August 20 is the Day of Restoration of Inde-
pendence (1991). December 24 (Christmas
Eve), December 25 (Christmas Day) and De-
cember 26 (Boxing Day) are usually spent at
home with families.
Food
Traditional Estonian cuisine consists of simple
peasant food, such as cottage cheese, pota-
toes and bread, all of which are still important
components of the local diet. The Estonian
dark bread is the main staple missed by Esto-
nians abroad. Typical Estonian dishes do not
feature prominently on restaurant menus, and
traditional home cooking is more likely to ap-
pear at small eateries in remote areas. Still,
a few establishments have made Estonian
specialities their niche; to sample Estonian cui-
sine, try the Vanaema juures, Kaerajaan and
Kolu Tavern (Open Air Museum) in Tallinn,
and the highly recommended Muhu Kalakoh-
vik and Lümanda söögimaja on the Island of
Saaremaa.
The list of the top 50 Estonian restaurants can
be found at www.ﬂavoursofestonia.com
I TOURISM

drinks
The main drinks in Estonia are beer, wine and
vodka. While many young city residents opt
for beer or wine, the older generation and
rural folk tend to prefer vodka. In the 1930s
Estonian vodka made it into the Guinness
Book of Records as the strongest vodka in
the world (96º). Local brands of beer enjoy
a very strong market position in Estonia. The
two main breweries are Saku and A. Le Coq.
Saku is Tallinn-based, and its corporate col-
our is navy blue while A.Le Coq is brewed in
Tartu and its colour is red. There are also many
smaller breweries. A full list of Estonian beers
is posted at www.BeerGuide.ee
Spirits also include some traditional liqueurs.
The famous Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) has a 45º
alcohol content, and is coincidentally made
from 45 ingredients - the recipe is known only
to a handful of people. Indeed, the legendary
19th-century kristallkümmel (caraway liqueur)
has made its long-awaited comeback.
Estonian wines, made from currants or other
local berries, are rather sweet. Wine lovers
usually prefer imported wine, of which there
is an ever-increasing selection at stores and
vinoteks. A very popular and refreshing non-
alcoholic drink is kali, made of bread, malt,
rye or oats flour and yeast; it has a character-
istically dark brown colour. It was with this
drink that the Estonians forced the Coca-Cola
company into submission, or at least into a
business deal. Kali was enjoying phenomenal
sales, while Coke was not selling up to expec-
tations. It was then that Coca-Cola decided to
broaden its horizons by buying one of the local
kali trademarks in order to make a profit on
the stubborn Estonians.
entertainment
The entertainment scene in Estonia is vibrant
year-round, providing visitors and locals alike
with a long list to choose from. Concerts, festi-
vals theatre, street raves, DJ competitions – Esto-
nia has it all. It is not by chance that both Tallinn
and Tartu have their own opera and ballet thea-
tre. Tickets are an excellent value for the money;
concert tickets cost around 10 euros, and best
seats at the opera are yours for about 25 euros.
For more information on the concert schedule
see www.concert.ee; the programme for the
national opera is posted at www.opera.ee.
Tickets can be bought at the box offices or via
ticket agencies located in all larger supermar-
kets, or via Internet www.piletilevi.ee, www.
piletimaailm.com and www.ticketpro.ee
Even the most sceptical museum-goer is bound
to find something intriguing in Estonia’s large
selection of museums, which feature every-
thing from history, art, photography to toys,
chocolate, musical instruments, even wax fig-
ures and many other topics. Most museums
are closed on Tuesdays and many on Mondays
as well. It is advisable to have cash on hand
as many museums do not accept credit cards.
Tallinn is also bustling well into the night with
booming and blooming club scene. Clubs are
usually open and packed with energised vibes
from Thursday to Sunday, with Friday and Sat-
urday drawing the liveliest of crowds. In addi-
tion to local and resident DJs, clubs frequently
present guest performers from London, the
US and other club hubs. For those looking for
a more mellow night on the town, Tallinn’s
street are brimming with pubs, vinoteks and
bar-restaurants, many of which offer live mu-
sic even on weekdays. Rather take in a movie?
Films in cinemas are shown in the original lan-
guage with subtitles.

shops
Souvenir shops in Tallinn and most other tour-
ist locations are open seven days a week,
10:00-18:00 or 19:00. Big supermarkets and
hypermarkets are open seven days a week
from 9:00-21:00 or 10:00-22:00. Department
stores close a few hours earlier on Sundays or,
in smaller towns, may be closed on Sundays.
Smaller food shops may have shorter open-
ing hours. Some 24-hour shops can be found
as well. Other shops usually open at 9:00 or
10:00 and close at 18:00 or 19:00; they of-
ten close early on Saturdays and are closed on
Sundays. The majority of shops accept credit
cards, with the exception of smaller stores and
stores in rural areas.
souvenirs
Souvenir and shopping preferences vary
hugely but there are certain souvenir gifts that
have gladdened many a heart. Estonian handi-
craft comes in many forms. There are woollen
sweaters and mittens with local ethnic pat-
terns, linen sheets and tablecloths, crocheted
shawls and veils, colourful woven rugs, hand-
made jewellery and glassware, baskets, and
an array of wooden spoons and butterknives
made from juniper. Fine and applied art for
show and purchase is on display at art gal-
leries around the country, featuring graph-
ics, glass, ceramics, hand-painted silk scarves
and leatherwork. Various herbal teas from
wild plants are available at pharmacies. Local
honey – pure or flavoured, e.g. ginger, is an-
other delicious treat. In rural areas, you may
find hand-milled flour. And those who keep
coming back swear by the Estonian black rye
bread. To bring home local spirits, popular
choices include Vana Tallinn or kristallkümmel
liqueur or local beer. And there is no place bet-
ter than Estonia to buy Estonian music.
Crime
Although common sense is advisable in all
destinations, Estonia gives no particular reason
to be excessively worried. Do not walk the un-
lit and abandoned areas alone at night. Do not
leave bags or items of value in the car, as not
to tempt car thieves or robbers. Pickpockets
may operate at crowded tourist destinations
in Tallinn, so make sure your wallet and docu-
ments are stored safely.
Language
Estonian is not widely spoken in the world, so
Estonians do not expect short-term visitors to
master the local language. Still, local people
are thrilled and pleased to hear a foreigner say
“Tere!” (Hi!) or “Aitäh (Thank you) in Estonian.
Knowledge of foreign languages is naturally a
must for hotel staff and numerous other pro-
fessions in the service sector. Many people are
fluent in English, particularly the younger ur-
ban generation, and a great number of people
also speak Finnish, due to Finnish TV, Finland’s
close proximity to Estonia and the great num-
ber of Finnish tourists. German is less widely
spoken in Estonia, although previous genera-
tions have often studied German, not English,
at school. Russian-language use has dropped
to a point where older people no longer speak
the language well and the younger generation
have already chosen other languages to learn
at school. Studying French has become more
popular over the last few years but the number
of people who speak French is still quite small.
An English-Estonian dictionary is available on-
line at www.ibs.ee/dict.
estonians
Estonians are typical Nordic people – they are
reserved, not too talkative and speak rather
monotonously, with very little intonation. All
this may give one the impression of coldness
bordering on rudeness. But rest assured, this
is not the case, and the speaker may actu-
ally be extremely well-meaning, even excited.
There are several well-known Estonian sayings,
such as “Think first, then speak”, “Weigh eve-
rything carefully nine times before making a
move”, and “Talking is silver, silence is gold”.
It is, therefore, no wonder that the people are
not very good at small talk, do not waste too
much time on grand introductions, and usually
come straight to the point. This is why Estoni-
ans’ English may sometimes sound shockingly
direct. There is, however, often a subtle irony
involved in Estonians’ utterances - delivered
with a serious face and just the slightest twin-
kle of the eye.
Estonians are relatively individualistic. There
is a saying that five Estonians mean six par-
ties. Even though people agree on the final
objective, they insist on reaching it in their
own ways. Estonians also value their privacy.
In the old days, it was said that the neigh-
bour’s house was close enough if you could
see the smoke from the chimney. Modern,
tight-packed urbanites flock to remote coun-
tryside on the weekends to enjoy more space
and privacy.
Even though guests at birthday parties and
concerts are rather quiet and subdued in the
onset, they warm up eventually and turn into
a direct opposite of their day-character, as you
are likely to see in Tallinn’s clubs.
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Life in Estonia (issue Fall/Winter 2014-2015)

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