The number of VEO industrial sectional drive and automation deliveries rose by a third from the previous year

In 2018, VEO’s Industry unit customers in the paper and metal industries invested in the modernisation of sectional drives and automation projects more than in the past few years, which meant more project deliveries for VEO in these sectors across Finland.

One of the year’s most interesting project was the Raina 2 slitting line electrification and automation system modernisation. The project was delivered to Europe’s leading special steels manufacturer SSAB. The complete project included electric motors, sectional drive switchgear with drives, bus duct, automation and HMI-system, as well as design, project management, commissioning and training.

“Thanks to the year’s brisk market and SSAB-like cases, the total number of our sectional drive project deliveries tripled from 2017,” beams VEO’s Project Lead Engineer Tero Lehtimäki.

The growth in this area is very positive, given that acquiring projects in the past was challenging since customers prefer to choose project partners based on the most impressive references. This made it really difficult for VEO as a newcomer to get a foot in the door.

“But now the situation has changed, and our customers are much more interested in VEO’s sectional drives applications, automation and process know-how. In last year’s projects we were able to demonstrate our drive expertise through project management, installation and commissioning, and show that we can also stick to very tight schedules. These successes will certainly increase our chances of signing new deals. Our aim is to decisively develop our knowhow in industrial sectional drive control automation and process knowhow. In this way, we can maintain this upward trend also in the future,” says Sales Manager Juha Tuisku.