A flying visit to the Finnish boat builder

Marine Alutech puts its products in the right light with Finnish lightness. The shipyard's products are used by authorities in many countries around the world.

When you are invited to Finland in May to have maritime technology presented to you, as editor-in-chief of marineforum you are naturally immediately electrified: Who invites you to the tranquil town of Lappvik in the south-west of the new NATO partner? Marine Alutech, of course, known for its fast boats in the service of the authorities. You wouldn't expect the size of the Hamburg trade fair for maritime technology SMM or the density of experts at the military-oriented Undersea Defence Technology (UDT), but somehow it seemed as if the trip would be worthwhile. What do small Finnish manufacturers do, what do they think, what is the mood like among the new partners in the north?

Finnish naval officers test remote control for the first time,Photo: hsc

What is Marine Alutech? Marineforum has already reported on one of the small manufacturer's products, the Watercat M 18, in a presentation of the many competing suppliers. A glance at the product range quickly reveals that almost all of the country's seagoing authorities with 1250 kilometres of coastline are served. The portfolio includes boats for the navy, coastguard, pilot and harbour authorities, fire brigades and police. The Finnish company invited these authorities, suppliers and developers to Lappvik on 12 May to present the products and demonstrate them live.

Marine Alutech develops and produces boats made of aluminium and composite materials. The company has over 30 years of experience in fulfilling regulatory requirements in various maritime environments - worldwide. The list of countries to which it exports is long: customers can be found from Denmark to Chile. Visitors will therefore be unsurprised to discover that German representatives and retired Finnish naval officers are among the employees. Among them is a retired frigate captain who sends warm greetings to the German inspector. His name is Ilja and he was once with the COE CSW in Kiel. We listen and are surprised at how well connected the Finns already are in NATO circles. You are amazed and a little touched to learn how Finland defines defence: The small country has over half a million reservists and discussions about the defence budget are unknown. The focus is on deterrence, credibly across all social parties. The intention to make it as difficult as possible for a potential attacker is clearly articulated. Reference is made to history and the Russian losses in the Karelian War are recalled. As a German, one is not familiar with such public articulations - it is worth looking northwards for this insight alone.

And they report convincingly on what Alutech can do and on the successful cooperation with Atlas Elektronik (see adjacent report), Scania, Mercury, Cummins and many other renowned companies. And they are all represented in a simple hall that has been converted into an exhibition hall without further ado. It looks simple, unadorned and without frills, but for this very reason also professional. Later, the numerous visitors are led to the pier to check whether what was presented upstairs also works down here. For example, the new rigid-hulled inflatable boat. With a rumble of thunder, the boat, powered by a powerful outboard engine, pushes itself out of the bay, gently lifts itself out of the water and confidently turns a full circle - at 50 knots. It's a pity there's no soldier from the naval battalion here. Would it be suitable for the German Navy? It is a watercraft that has not yet been fully developed and still looks somewhat improvised, which is why they are holding back on the praise. The award of the German contract to the colleagues from Boomeranger was only a few days ago and is therefore fresh in everyone's memory. But they don't talk about it, just as they don't talk about business at all. Questions are met with regret, but the successful competitor is not evaluated. That too is a nice Nordic way of doing things. The conversations focus on technical solutions, people talk shop and are shown developments.

The new RHIB on the pier, photo: hsc

Marine Alutech's headquarters have been located in the historic town of Teijo, about an hour west of Helsinki, since 1985. The first ships were built here as early as 1917, and today Teijo is the home of the Watercat brand. In addition to designing and building boats, Alutech offers the full range of ship and customer services, including vehicle maintenance throughout the entire life cycle.

Back to the small exhibition in Lappvik. Here, conversations take place in a relaxed atmosphere with a coffee in hand. Not at all like at the SMM, but perhaps that's why it's a great format. It doesn't take much to put together a successful presentation: a real boat hall that smells of work on boats, a few stands with products explained by those who build and know them, a coffee stand, live music and a food truck. It doesn't have to be a perfect trade fair ambience. When engines are roaring and the sun is shining, it's unforgettable. Beautiful in Finland.

Holger Schlüter