scandasia china - february 2016

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FEB

2016

China

Designer Johan Persson

in Hong Kong/ Shenzhen

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FEB

2016

China

Designer Johan Persson in Hong Kong/ Shenzhen

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DCCC Shanghai Seminar: How to Deal with Employment Relationship with Expat EmployeesWhere: glo London, No. 1, Wulumuqi South Road, ShanghaiWhen: 24 February, 16:00 - 18:00

Danish Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai invites for an afternoon seminar beginning from 4-6pm at glo London.

In this Seminar, Erex Chen (managing partner of MYLINK Law Office) will share his experience by pointing out typical labor issues which may cause dispute, and finally lead to arbitration/litigation. And he will also explain the legal proceedings for labor arbitration and litigation and some points to prepare or defend in such legal proceedings.

Labor arbitrations and litigations involving expat employees increase rapidly in the past few years. Some of the disputes arise due to the poor-drafted employment contract which leads

to the lack of mutual agreement over certain key labor issues. In addition, compared with Chinese employees, there are special national and local laws and regulations that apply to expat employees, which shall be fully understood by both the employer and the expat employee.

Mr. Chen is particularly experienced in providing legal advice and service for foreign-invested companies in China. Erex Chen represented multi-national companies, including Best Buy (USA), ADI (USA), Aurora Taiwan, Acmeda International (Australia), Jurong Group (Singapore) in corporate management, IP litigation and dispute settlement.

SwedCham Hong Kong: Inspirational BreakfastWhere: Otto e Mezzo, Landmark Alexandra, Shop 202, 2/F, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong KongWhen: 26 February 2016, Friday 08:00 - 09:30

Swedcham is happy to invite you to an Inspirational Breakfast with Erik Ryd from Hop Lun.

Join our Inspirational Breakfast to hear how Erik Ryd landed in Hong Kong with little knowledge and experience in 1988. Listen to the story when he bought the name Hop Lun (Hong Kong ) Ltd from an auditor and how he set up the first office with a monthly rent of 9,000 HKD. From there, Erik will share the exciting story how the company has managed all the ups and downs and become one of the leading bra manufacturer in Asia with over 25,000 employees.

Front cover: Johan Persson, designerPhotos: Inga Backmann www.ingabeckmann.com

4 ScandAsia.China • February 2016

News Brief

New pig feed factory by Danish DLG in China

Danish DLG supplies farmers with feed from its own factories, seed grain, fertilizer, agricultural lime, crop protection, fuel

and much more besides for daily operations.For nearly two years, DLG has been active

in the Chinese market for feed and premix, and DLG earlier signed with IFU (Industrialisation Fund for Developing Countries) an agreement to buy 25% stake in Puai Feed in China.

The investment in China with Puai Feed enables DLG to open a modern factory by European standards. PUAI Feed has in December 2015 inaugurated a new pig feed factory in Hunan province. A second factory will be ready in March 2016. Both factories built according to European standards for quality and food safety. Puai now have five factories.

The investment in Puai Feed is a partnership between DLG and Puai which DLG delivers know-how mainly in pig feed and vitamins / minerals. In addition, training in Denmark and China by Chinese workers and managers from Puai in Denmark. Puai Feed contrast, market knowledge and provides DLG access to the rapidly growing

Chinese market through investment.Puai Feed is a privately owned company

that has approximately 1,600 employees and a turnover of over 1 billion. kr. DLG in 2014 received a return on its investment of 10%.

“It is very satisfying that we can help to make a difference in the Chinese market, and there is no doubt that the new feed mill, which is on par with the best European factories can create value in both the Chinese pig as in Puai and DLG’s owners, “said DLG’s CEO Jacob Holm responsible for the business area and Vitamins.

The new factory I perfect timing for next step in the DLG long terms investments in China as the market demands for food safety increases.

In addition to production employees are attached 100 sales employees for the facility. Half of them have customers in the wholesale market, while the other half acts as a kind of farm managers at customer sites. A concept that is far from what we know in Denmark.

“These employees are remunerated in part of us, part of the farmers. They act as a kind of farm managers at farm level. They are well

educated and have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and are very dedicated, “says Jacob Holm.

Also, the feed mix is the last few years has been raised to a higher level. The reason is that Puai regularly has employees in Denmark and Danish people travel to China to share knowledge about what it takes to feed may help to increase the production level of Chinese pig.

China is the world’s largest market for pork and OECD and FAO expect that China will have the highest consumption of pork per. capita worldwide in 2022 with a consumption of over 34 kg each inhabitant. China’s pig population which represents more than 50% of the world’s pig population is more than four times higher than the pig population in the EU (148 million. Vs. 600-700 million.).

The DLG Group is one of the largest agricultural companies in Europe and is currently owned by 30,000 Danish farmers. In addition to agricultural products, the group’s activities also include supplying vegetables to the catering and retail trades, electricity trading, telecom, pot plant sales, etc

On 9 December 2015 Sean Yokota, Head of Asia Strategy at SEB Singapore held an intriguing talk on top 8 surprises

that have the potential to shake the Chinese and global economic world at a Joint Nordic Business Breakfast in Beijing Although the likelihood of these surprises is relatively small, the expected returns are far greater than in base cases. The surprises themselves included economic surprises such as cuts in US interest rates and volatility of Chinese Yuan to cancellation of Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.

Source: Finnish Business Council Beijing

SEB Beijing seminar : Eight surprises that could shake the word

February 2016 • ScandAsia.China 5

News Brief

Finnish Minister of of Economy, Olli Rehn visited Shanghai

Nokia Networks, China Mobile sign one billion USD agreement continues in 2016

Deliveries from Nokia Networks to China Mobile, under the agreement commenced in Q1 2015, will continue

in 2016.The comprehensive framework agreement

for mobile communications equipment and services valued at more than one billion USD (930 million euros) includes Nokia Networks 4G TD-LTE technology and wireless network equipment, core solutions, software and services.

Under the agreement, Nokia Networks provides its TD-LTE-Advanced technology and 2G/3G/4G core network solutions including Voice over LTE (VoLTE). Software and professional services, including network planning, implementation and care, will support China Mobile’s 4G network rollout during 2015 and

beyond. The operator plans to deploy one million TD-LTE base stations by the end of the year to build the world’s largest TD-LTE network.

Nokia’s network infrastructure capabilities and technical exper tise will also help China Mobile drive the evolution of China’s Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem by offering connectivity for healthcare, connected cars and other IoT applications. In addition, Nokia Networks and China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on their strategic cooperation in the evolution and development of 5G.

Mike Wang, President of Greater China, Nokia Networks, said: “This major agreement with China Mobile marks another milestone in our more than 20 years of partnership in the

area of telecommunications. Our agreement will further accelerate TD-LTE development in China and around the world. In addition, we are also helping China Mobile to support and promote the use of innovative IoT applications for areas as diverse as healthcare and connected cars.”

Nokia’s cooperation with China Mobile dates back to 1994 when the company supported China Mobile for China’s first GSM (2G) call in Beijing. As a key member of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) organization, Nokia Networks helped TD-LTE become a global standard. We have established a complete TD-LTE value chain in China, including product design, R&D, testing, manufacturing, procurement, and global sales and marketing.

Finland’s Minister of Economy Olli Rehn visited the FinChi Innovation Centre in Shanghai on 2 December 2015.

Minister Rehn gave an interesting speech about current events in Finland for a full audience. After the speech the audience was able to ask questions to Minister Rehn about different political events.

After visiting FinChi and the FBCS, Minister Rehn attended KONE ceremonies in Kunshan and had meetings with key Ministries in Beijing.

Mr Olli Rehn is the Minister of Economic Affairs in Juha Sipilä’s cabinet. Previously, he served as European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro of the European Commission from 2009 to 2014 and the European Commissioner for Enlargement from 2004 to 2010. Rehn is a member of the Centre Party of Finland.


News Brief

New strategic partnership for Nevs in China: vehicle leasing

On 17 December 2015 National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs) and the Chinese company Panda New Energy Co.,

Ltd. signed a strategic collaboration agreement, according which Nevs will provide Panda with 150,000 9-3 sedan electric vehicles until the end of 2020. In addition, the agreement also

includes 100 000 other EV products and services associated to Nevs and its owners. The total value of the agreement is 78 billion RMB.

Panda New Energy is a new energy vehicle leasing company with focus on low emission mobility solutions. Cooperating with many chauffeured car service platforms in China, Panda

aims to become one of the biggest EV leasing companies in the world.

“This is a strategic collaboration for Nevs not only in terms of the numbers of vehicles, but it is also an important step to implement our vision and new business plan. In the long term, we want to provide our customers with both sustainable products and mobility services,” said Stefan Tilk, Vice Chairman Nevs.

”We are very pleased to form a cooperation with Nevs, a company with a rich innovation heritage and the right ability to fulfil our demands. Being in an emerging market for new energy vehicles, we are happy to find a partner who shares our commitment to the environment,” said Ma Chao, Chairman Panda New Energy.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB’s (Nevs) vision is to shape mobility for a more sustainable future, and focuses on the development of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility services. Nevs acquired the main assets of the former Saab Automobile in 2012. Nevs is Co-owned by National Modern Energy Holdings, Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech industrial Development Area (THT), and the Beijing State Research Information Technology Co., Ltd. (SRIT).

Swedish packaging and labeling Boxon expands in China

Believing strongly in their concept, Swedish packaging and labeling producer Boxon continues its China expansion as the

demand from European global companies with manufacturing there is widespread and persistent.

Their presence in China since 2011 has given them an edge over their competitors, since it is difficult to hold on local customers who would prefer the packaging flow to be handled locally.

Based in Shanghai, Boxon decided to implement their Scandinavian business model in China from the beginning, which has proven to be a clear recipe for success. Since 2013, they have also had European management and from 1 December 2015 Allan Riber Nielsen is at the helm as their new General Manager.

Allan has worked in Shanghai for two years, most recently at Prime Cargo where he served as National Sales Manager. Before that, Allan has held senior positions within Scan Global Logistics, in Denmark as well as in Asia.

Boxon now employ approximately 20

persons within sales, purchase, logistics and marketing. Their offer has expanded to include both packaging- and marking solutions as well as bulk packaging.

For the past few years they have had strong growth for Boxon in China, which is a clear sign of how successful they have been at developing Boxon China into a well-functioning supplier and partner for their customers. They entered China when they saw a need from our Scandinavian and European customers who had moved their manufacturing to China.

“Being able to offer packaging material and solutions on site has major advantages for our customers, where we can take greater responsibility for the customer’s total packaging needs.”

They had realised that many Scandinavian and European customers who have moved their manufacturing to China would need a local provider of packaging materials and solutions. As one of the first Scandinavian companies to enter this arena, they have developed excellent

customer relationships and a broad customer base.

“I’m really looking forward to get star ted. Boxon really have some unique products, services and not least, a solid Scandinavian mindset. Boxon is the best supplier when it comes to packaging solutions. My job is to make sure we get out on the market and reaching European companies in China,” says Allan Riber Nielsen.

Boxon is one of the leading packaging and labelling companies in the Nordic countries and Europe, with three strong business areas building our business. Boxon Pak, offering profitable packaging solutions, Boxon Systems with specialization in intelligent marking, and Boxon Bulk based in Germany offering customized big-bags solutions for bulk handling.

The Boxon Tech, a division specializing in packaging solutions in the automotive industry.

The company’s head office is in Ramlösa south of Helsingborg, with presence and customers in several European countries and a rapidly growing business in China.


News Brief

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On 7 January 2016 the inaugural flight to Beijing for Finnair’s brand new

Airbus A350 XWB aircraft took place, following on last year’s successful introduction into the Nordic airline’s long-haul traffic of this plane, on the Helsinki-Shanghai route. The Finnair Airbus landed at the Beijing International Airport’s Terminal 3.

Finnair became the first airline in the world to fly one of the newly released aircrafts to China on November 22, 2015, when its inaugural A350 flight from Helsinki landed in Shanghai to a crowd of supporters.

“The A350 is the future of flying, and we are extremely proud to be the first airline in the world to bring it to China, using both the Shanghai and Beijing routes,” said Pekka Vauramo, Finnair’s CEO. “We hope to bring a completely new and enhanced travel experience to our passengers and to realize our commitment to the market. Finnair has maintained a strong track record in regard to punctuality and safety. The A350 brings better fuel efficiency, added capacity and better competitiveness to Finnair.”

Finnair is not only the first European air line to fly Airbus A350 XWB, but also the first airline to operate A350 aircraft to China in the world.

Finnair chose Shanghai as the first long-haul destination for A350 XWB, which largely suppor ts Finnair strategy as to double its Asian traffic by 2020 from the 2010 baseline in

addition to other Chinese routes. Finnair’s investment on A350 is an important step towards this target. Meanwhile , Helsinki-Shanghai route is one of the most important routes to this strategy.

“F innair has wor ked on A350XWB program for ten years. This moment heralds a new and exciting chapter in Finnair’s 92 year history. A350 will make great contribution to both passenger and cargo for China market. On behave of Finnair, I sincere hope everyone would join us to look forward the wonderful performance of Finnair’s A350 fleet” said Finnair CEO, Pekka Vauramo when Finnair launched the said Airbus on the Helsinki-Shanghai route last year.

Passengers on board Finnair’s Airbus A350XWB enjoy the extraordinary flight experience more conveniently. The aircraft “ k e e p p a s s e n g e r s m o r e entertained and better connected by its new entertainment systems and Wi-Fi.” Finnair aims to offer its customers unique Nordic experience.

A350WXB is devoted to give passengers more enjoyable and peaceful flights through the popular Zodiac Cirrus business seat, economy comfort seats with extra leg space, additional services, full internet access, and ambient LED lighting system. The new aircraft is quiet and spacious, which enables passengers to enjoy their journey even more than before.

“As Finnair was the fir st Western European airline to fly

Finnair’s Airbus A350X on routes to Shanghai and Beijing

to China in 1988, it is only fitting to operate Europe’s first A350 into this market. With the new A350, Finnair will continue to enhance products and services, expand new destinations in Europe, and contribute on making passengers’ journey more convenient

and comfortable. ”said Sales Director, Greater China at Finnair, Lar s Olofsson.

New A350 aircrafts will also be put in on the Hong Kong route.


Designer Johan Persson on Hong Kong/ Shenzhen – the next global start-up and design hubBy Joakim PerssonPhotos: Inga Backmann www.ingabeckmann.com



Everything is very exciting and that will also nurture

the development, and a more nuanced and

educated view on both design and art – based

on building at better understanding of the

reasons behind things.

Meet Johan Persson, a Swedish na-tive with a 20-year track record of brand and design manage-ment, successfully operating out of Hong Kong since ten years

back. Running his own industrial design studio C’monde Studios from there Johan benefits from being at the doorstep of the ‘world’s factory’ – Shenzhen (in China); which played a key part in moving from Stockholm to the Far East. He is now also building the own audio accessory brand ‘me.u’, consisting in a concept of curated music playlists and earphones, where his own hobby and strong interest in music has nicely come into play as well.

Well established as one of Hong Kong’s top designers Johan can also paint his picture with some interesting insights about the local, emerg-ing design and start-up scene. This is also the theme for a recent documentary film Designers Inbetween (directed by the Finn Oliver Lehtonen and his colleague), featuring Johan among many other Scandinavians and the crème the la crème of Hong Kong’s design scene.

In-between east and west“A really interesting start-up scene is beginning to emerge, in fact competing with the established ones like Silicone Valley and New York City. Many come here from those places, either settling down directly in Shenzhen or start working with any of the incubators here in Hong Kong.”

‘Hong Kong is more of a global metropolitan, since so many designers are coming here on their way into China to support some project. I used to live in Stockholm for many years working for No Picnic [a Scandinavian design innovation agency] and I meet more designers in Hong Kong than back home,” continues Johan when being asked to compare with elsewhere.

Designers Inbetween por trays star t-ups’ struggles in the production process, staking on one’s own brand with the financial risks, moving to a new culture etc., by talking to and following various start-ups and brands from the industry´s leading professionals. This film depicts what drives these pioneers to put their livelihoods on the line, chase their dreams and realise their potential in a “truly unique international community brim-ming with creativity and fuelled by an infectious positivity.”

“It’s about being in-between markets; not re-ally in China and more in a western market here in Hong Kong,” says Johan.

Built on trade and recognised today as one of the world’s leading financial centres, Hong Kong has always nurtured the independent busi-ness owner and a can-do entrepreneurial spirit. It is today also seen as a gateway to the Chinese consumer market. Combined with Shenzhen – the high-tech and manufacturing hub of southern China – this forms a very substantial base for the design industry and start-ups (Shenzhen alone is said to have more than 6,000 design agencies and

in-house design departments employing more than 100,000 designers). Hong Kong increas-ingly attracts Western designers, including Johan himself, to be closer to the nearby Southern manufacturing provinces in China.

“The start-up scene is about to explode here! There are many incubator companies; such as Brink, an IoT (Internet of Things) platform where Johan works as mentor; and Nest, working with consumer electronics and online start-ups, but it’s growing into a start-up hub here in Hong Kong, which is very interesting. That scene has now started migrating to Shenzhen, where they also have a very large incubator for start-ups.”

The ‘Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub’ is designated for young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and elsewhere to start their businesses. Also, the big Silicon Valley-based, hardware accelerator HAX has a huge office in Shenzhen.

“This whole new scene incorporates design, where it’s very interesting to see about such start-ups how willing they are to invest and the impor-tance they place on design. As a creative director that includes looking at web, product, and brand design, as well as identity and the entire spectra in all circumstances where one comes across a brand. And that in turn builds on innovation; looking at being creative in the innovative part of the product development, and not just a matter of a cost and outsourcing. In this regard it’s about being able to utilize the price point on which one

Designer Johan Persson on Hong Kong/ Shenzhen – the next global start-up and design hubBy Joakim PerssonPhotos: Inga Backmann www.ingabeckmann.com


News Brief

Chinese granted Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland

Key persons of two successful Finnish companies in China, Ms. Xue Ruixia, Managing Director of Marja Kurki China

Operations, and Ms. Yuan Xiaoyu, Head of Public and Government Affairs of UPM in China, have been granted the Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland for their contributions to the Finnish-Chinese relations.

The two received the honours in an event hosted by Ambassador Marja Rislakki at her residence on 30th of November, 2015.

The President of the Republic of Finland decides on this decoration in his capacity as the Grand Master of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Although Marja Kurki and UPM represent very different sectors, they have also much in common: their products reflect the Finnish brand and know how – Marja Kurki representing Finnish design and UPM Finnish forestry and clean tech expertise.

Both Ms. Xue and Ms. Yuan have brought together Chinese and Finnish key players, and thereby reinforced the good trade relations between the countries. They both have also been active players in promoting the Finland brand, including in national projects like Finland at Shanghai World Expo and Pure Finland in Beijing.

Ms. Xue and Ms. Yuan have also engaged actively in the work of the Finnish Business Council in Beijing, sharing their knowledge about China with other Finnish actors. This helping hand has supported many other new companies to enter Chinese market.

Ms. Xue’s career at Marja Kurki dates back already to the beginning of 1990’s. Working as a managing director of Marja Kurki’s China operations, she had a key role in establishing Marja Kurki’s operations in China in 1994. With her profound knowledge about the China market the company has grown from a small office in China to having an extensive sales network around the country today.

Ms. Yuan has been working for UPM already for 15 years. Her role in establishing and nurturing good public relations, both at the local and national level in China has been an important part of UPM’s success story in China. During these years, UPM has been taking a new direction to strengthening its role as a Biofore company. UPM is an excellent example of the Finnish clean tech know-how: how a traditionally very energy intensive industry has managed to transform into a clean tech pioneer.

builds up one’s business plan.”He also gives credit to Hong Kong’s recent

emphasis on culture, with M+ and the establish-ing of an art hub. A cornerstone of the ambitious West Kowloon Cultural District Project, M+ is Hong Kong’s new museum for visual culture.

“Everything is very exciting and that will also nurture the development, and a more nuanced and educated view on both design and art – based on building at better understanding of the reasons behind things.”

Earlier, at No Picnic, Johan worked a lot with, among others, Sony Ericsson, frequently travelling to the production base in the region. With C’monde Studios Johan and his team as-sist clients to brand, design and to develop their products, utilising being close to the manufactur-ing hub.

“We have done quite a lot of furniture for Karim Rashid.”

Karim Rashid was described by Time maga-zine as the “most famous industrial designer in all the Americas”

Johan has worked a lot on product develop-ment within the audio market, including devel-oping the whole headphone series for Danish brand Jabra.

Me.u born out of love affair with mu-sicAnd now he is very busy as brand manager for the own star t-up me.u (www.meunyc.com), which initially focuses on the 21 million univer-sity students in the U.S, offering those who buy me.u earphones to discover new emerging art-ists with America’s independent pop and rock scenes. His partner me.u partner Jerry Berger is the owner of the collage distributor HPI, as the great door opener to all university bookstores.

“It came from my interest in starting my own brand, and my long love affair with music, and connecting that to something larger, so it is not just a product but building a movement.”

Me.u provides an opportunity to connect with the most fresh and interesting music right now within newcomers in the U.S., e.g. building a broader experience, with the help of one’s

phone connecting to a curated playlist with the best and freshest rock/pop bands.

Me.u partners with some of the best emerg-ing artists in America, where me.u music director Brian Kesey in New York has both his feet within the American indie scene (bass player in Parlour Tricks and involved in two of the east costs larg-est music festivals).

“Brian digs out the up-and-coming bands and talk to the artists; getting them to come up with their playlist and also the background infor-mation. One wants to explore further what in-spires these artists; things one, as band member or individual, can in turn be stimulated by. Being able to find these new gems who can inspire, and where one continuously builds up with more artists and playlists, digging into their bank of inspiration that one has not yet discovered - that’s the kind of platform we’re developing.”

“We believe that today’s consumer wants to have something that is interesting and engaging. This could be the modern way to really involve the end consumer. And those who are like-minded who favour music and always look for new music can see this platform as something in-teresting for themselves,” Johan explains further.

Having built up great knowledge about audio accessories Johan has also placed great emphasis on the sound quality of the earphones.

“They have superb sound compared to our price. We have measured continuously what our competitors deliver within the same price point and tried to make it both a more qualitative and also better-sounding product than they can de-liver. It’s also easier when being a small business to be more flexible, and with a personal interest in it taking things more seriously, going the extra mile and tweaking the soundscape.”

Johan’s personal devotion to music is also there and present in Hong Kong.

“Music has always been a part of me. My current band Poubelle International plays an in-teractive indie rock and performing live in events mostly in Hong Kong. There are many irons in the fire but I like to be busy.”

Portrait photos: Inga Backmann, www.ing-abeckmann.com


News Brief

The evolution of Helsinki city during the past 200 years is exhibited as part of UABB Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture

Shenzhen in China which runs until 4 March 2016. The sixth Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of

Urbanism Architecture invites us to take a fresh look at how we could revitalize our existing urban fabric. Its theme, Re-Living the City reminds us of the power of design to redefine the content and meaning of a ‘city’.

‘WAY – Seaway, Railway, Bikeway’ sheds light on the evolution of Helsinki’s urban fabric and culture, focusing on the axis between the West Harbour and Töölönlahti Bay. The two neighbourhoods are today connected by this Baana Bicycle Corridor, a pedestrian and bicycle thoroughfare that runs from the port to the city centre in a repurposed freight rail canyon.

The Baana Bicycle Corridor is the connecting thread that weaves together city districts and eras that have played a key role in Helsinki’s urban restructuring process. What ‘urban life’ ideally means to people has varied from era to era? The exhibition illustrates paradigm shifts in urban planning and ideology by focusing on three different ‘ways’: The seaway enabling the free flow of trade; the railway connecting the all-important port and central railway station; and the new bikeway that emblemizes today’s ‘shared city’ philosophy.

Architecture and urban planning have a direct formative influence on our lives by shaping the urban fabric around us. By tracing the history of the Töölönlahti–Jätkäsaari axis, we can follow Helsinki’s historical transformation from northern coastal town to industrialized community to the present moment and beyond, towards a future mapped by visionaries. The urban transformation process is at once local yet also linked to a broader international context.

The exhibition also invites us to compare Helsinki’s historical evolution with that of Shenzhen, where a similar transformation is currently occurring, albeit at a much faster pace than in the Finnish capital.

Helsinki’s urban fabric tells the story of European modernism. Every city in the world is the product of its local conditions, whilst its urban fabric bears traces of broader social changes. Helsinki, like other cities, is a compendium of narratives about urbanization, industrialization and globalization – all of which are tangible and visible in Helsinki’s urban core.

Helsinki was founded in the 1500s to serve as a port of free trade. Its shoreline has undergone many changes since the late 1800s: Islands have been connected with the mainland, and bays have been filled. Today the city’s shoreline has a combined length of over 120 km. During past 200 years, the city of Helsinki has undergone big

restructuring processes. The city centre has shifted from the Market Square and Senate Square to the vicinity of the main railway station, Töölönlahti Bay and onwards to Kamppi. Like many coastal towns, Helsinki is now freeing its prime waterfront property, previously occupied by industry, for the use of the townspeople.

This marks the second time the Museum of Finnish Architecture is par ticipating in the Shenzhen biennale.

The exhibition is co-produced by the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Architecture Information Centre of Finland, with Museum Director Juulia Kauste heading the curatorial team and expert input provided by Professor Panu Lehtovuori from the Tampere University of Technology and Jari Huhtaniemi, an architect from the Helsinki City Planning Department. The concept was designed by Tuomo Tammenpää and the exhibition was realized by Juho Haavisto, an exhibition producer at the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Source: Embassy of Finland, Beijing

Helsinki’s 200-year story at Shenzhen Biennale


The leading Nordic food company HKScan opened an office in Hong Kong on 13 January 2016, expanding its footprint

in Asia. At the same time it launched Flodins meat brand targeting high-end restaurants and premium retailers. HKScan celebrated the official opening of its Asian sales office with the launch of Omega-3 pork products.

HKScan is the leading Nordic meat expert, who produce, market and sell high-quality, responsibly produced pork, beef, poultry and lamb products, processed meats and convenience foods under strong brand names.

Speakers at the launch included HKScan representatives and a Pekka Puska, a Finnish professor and expert on public health, gave a specialist view.

The flagship product in HKScan’s Asian offering is its family of tasty, tender-textured Omega-3 pork products, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This unique family of products – henceforth to be marketed as Flodins® Omega-3 pork – will

first be sold through a selection of restaurants, after which it will eventually become available via wholesalers and retailers.

For many years now Asia has been an important export market for HKScan. Its leading Asia-bound products are Finnish-grown pork bellies and pork loins exported to Japan, a market with a high appreciation for pure, unpolluted foods. HKScan also exports Danish-grown chicken wings and drumsticks to Korea and Malaysia as well as Swedish-sourced products such as pork trotters and offal to various Asian countries.

“Up to now we have only exported frozen meats to Asia. The launch of fresh meat exports is a new inroad for us. Thanks to our efficiently coordinated cold chain, our Finnish Omega-3 pork products will find their way fresh to our Asian customers within 24 hours,” says Jukka Nikkinen, Executive Vice President, Away from Home at HKScan.

Consul General Jari Sinkari remembered his youth in a Finnish countryside when speaking at

Nordic Omega-3 pork launched in Hong KongNews Brief

the opening dinner and welcoming HKScan into the Finnish-Hongkongese business community.

“The more fat the meat contained the better - and all green things were supposed to be dumped from plate to animals”. That was the mentality in the 1970’s North Karelia before professor Pekka Puska launched his groundbreaking campaign to fight cardiovascular disease with more balanced diet.

The Finnish narrative with healthier food and better public health is also a strong story of companies taking more responsibility in the quality of their products.

HKScan has developed its products with Finnish researchers. Flodins pork contains 4 times more favourable Omega-3 compound than normal meat. The secret behind this is rapeseed feed (Yau choy in Cantonese).

Their exports are a direct response to current demand patterns in Asia, where consumers are showing a growing preference for healthier foods and lifestyles. Healthy diet choices are a rising trend particularly among the young urban population in Asia.

“HKScan has a good reputation not only for its high quality but also for its responsible production. We are delighted to have the opportunity to launch our premium offering in Hong Kong at a time when local consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of food quality, purity, safety and responsible production methods,” says Hannu Kottonen, CEO of HKScan Group.

“HKScan’s key assets are the transparency of our production chain, the traceability of our raw materials and our good animal health status, and this naturally goes for our exports too. Finland and Sweden for instance observes a zero-tolerance policy on salmonella, which is rare by European and global standards,” adds Kottonen.

In the near future HKScan will be seeking further growth in Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, Korea and other Asian markets. Expansion into Asia via Hong Kong as its launch pad is par t of the company’s profitable growth strategy. Having a local presence in Asia is critical for the Group’s export expansion strategy in Asia, affirms Kottonen.

“We plan to open a second sales office in China as soon as the authorities have completed processing the relevant permits and our exports from Finland to China begin in earnest. It is highly important that we work together efficiently and systematically to secure export permits for a variety of meats and processed products across all our production countries. Our office in Hong Kong is a commission agent that offers other high-quality Nordic food brands the opportunity to establish a presence on the growing Asian market alongside HKScan,” says Kottonen.

HKScan currently expor ts to near ly 50 countries around the world.

HKScan is the leading Nordic meat expert.

Their customers are the retail, food service, industrial and export sectors, and our home markets comprise Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Baltics. They export to close to 50 countries.


Bangkok, Thailand


News Brief

China future market for Swedish meat

China is the future market for Swedish food, especially Swedish pork. The Swedish quality and food security, combined with

the importance of pork in the Chinese food culture, provide great, positive potential for both Sweden and China in our future collaborations, states the Kött- & Charkföretagen (Meat and Processing Companies).

The Chinese Ambassador Chen Yuming and Sweden’s Rural Affairs Minister Sven-Erik Bucht in late 2015 discussed the Swedish raw materials and Chinese food culture during a press conference in Stockholm, prior to Swedish Minister delegation to China to continue talks to get Sweden approved as exporter of pork.

China is well known for its good food culture and variants of its cuisine has been available in Sweden since 1944 when Chinese food was

served for the first time in Stockholm. As China’s economy has improved the demand for pork has risen sharply, especially bone parts with meat, but also other qualitative Chinese delicacies.

China is the world’s second largest importer of food and the country that consumes the most pork in the world. The average Chinese citizen eats 39 kg of pork per year. This is more pork than the average Swede consumes. Pork is in China associated with success, fertility and virility. The very fact that Chinese people consume more and more pork daily is a concrete symbol of China’s economic success. This positive trend is spreading rapidly to all parts of China, which means that the increase in consumption of pork in China is expected to continue for many years to come.

The Swedish delegation headed by Minister Sven-Erik Bucht, along with representatives from

industry, trade associations, government agencies and others visited China to bring attention to the opportunity for a long-term cooperation concerning Swedish food, including Swedish pork and ultimately processed meat products. This export cooperation would par tly benefit the Chinese consumers in having access to quality and safe Swedish products, while the cooperation is also expected to have a positive economic development for the Swedish meat processing companies and even Swedish livestock producers.

“The Chinese food culture represents great potential for the Swedish meat processing industry. In the cities there is a strong, growing trend to buy healthy and convenient food, especially among young Chinese. In Sweden there are products, both meat and processed products, that matched this trend this trend well,” says Magnus Därth, President of the industry organisation Kött och Charkföretagen. “According to our estimate, about 25 million kilos of pork produced by Swedish farmers can fetch a higher on an average price of four Swedish Krona (SEK) per kilo in China. It is an income gain of SEK 100 million annually for the Swedish meat industry.”

According to Magnus Därth, the Chinese customers and consumers appreciate that the Swedish products produced in a safe and sustainable way. The production chain’s focus on food safety and traceability, but also low antibiotic consumption and good animal welfare are all factors that contribute to Swedish products having a high confidence in China.

KFI Kapital announced on 18 December 2015 that it has sold waste water treatment company Purac to SDIC & Beijing Drainage

Investment Fund, a fund majority-owned by the Beijing Drainage Group. Before the transaction, KFI Kapital owned 92,2 per cent of the shares in Purac AB through a holding company.

Purac was founded in 1956 in Lund and has been majority owned by KFI Kapital through the holding company Läckeby Water Group since 2008. Under the ownership of KFI Kapital, Purac has developed into a leading contractor within water and wastewater treatment and biogas production in Scandinavia and China. The company is expected to generate sales of approximately 730 MSEK in 2015, with 143 employees in four countries. Purac is managed from its head office in Lund, and is primarily active on its home markets in Sweden, Norway and China.

“Purac is a leading player on a growing market and there has been a great interest for the company. With Beijing Drainage Group as owner, Purac will be perfectly equipped to continue its successful expansion, especially in China” says Stefan Lambert, CEO of KFI Kapital.

“Beijing Drainage Group shares our vision of Purac’s future development and we look forward to refining the company together with them. Through the transaction, Purac will have a strong

long term owner,” according to Jonas Fack, CEO of Purac.

“We have worked with Purac since the early 1990’s on the Chinese market and the acquisition will enable our cooperation to reach a new level. We look forward to taking over the responsibility for Purac and to continue developing the company together with its management. We see great potential in continued growth both in Scandinavia and in China,” says Fu Xiao, CEO of SDIC & Beijing Drainage Investment Fund.

KFI Kapital is an investment company focusing on small, profitable companies with a Swedish base. KFI Kapital is owned by KF Invest, a fully owned subsidiary of KF.

SDIC & Beijing Drainage Investment Fund (SDIC), is a fund mainly sponsored by a majority-owned subsidiary of Beijing Drainage Group (BDG). SDIC owns and develops businesses focused on water and wastewater treatment in China. SDIC has available investment funds of 10 GRMB. BDG is a state-owned Chinese company that owns and operates 95% of all reclaimed water, wastewater and sludge reuse utilities in Beijing.

Swedish waste water treatment firm sold to China

scandasia china - february 2016

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