FINLAND - FLOWER GARDEN OF THE NORTH

(How I experienced Finland)

Simo Jelača, Ph.D.

(A road between lakes in Finland)

Deciding on the technology of processing corn into grain alcohol for the Finnish company Alco with the equipment supplier of their company Rosenlew, I traveled to Finland at the beginning of September with my fellow technologist from Tehnoproces Franjo. The weather in Vojvodina was ideal for enjoying, and in Finland it was as pleasant as you could wish. We first visited Alco, making sure that they are the top company in the world and that there are almost no equals. Their expert associates then took us through the plants in Ramayaki and Koskenkorva, where the impression of the highest level of industrial production was confirmed.

The city of Helsinki left us with the impression of perfection in terms of organization of life, cleanliness, business, traffic and everything in the environment. Flowers on all sides, it can be seen that every foot of the country is under control, everything is processed, which shows that human civilization is at a high level here. We had accommodation at the Intercontinental Hotel, at the highest level. From there, under strong impressions, I wrote home and to the firm.

Ramajaki is a small town where the famous vodka Finlandia is produced. There we met Finnish technologists who were given the task of working on a project for Kombinat Vrbas. Koskenkorva is also a small town where vodka of the same name is produced, which name was also offered to Vrbas. Both places are in beautiful natural landscapes, surrounded by forests and lakes, which Finland abounds like in Canada. Official statistics say that Finland has 187,888 lakes and takes 10% of the total territory of the country. The Finns are exploiting their forests as planned, cutting down entire plots at the same time, in which they then plant new seedlings. Hence, their forests, except for those in the far north, are all the same. The law stipulates that they must plant only more than they cut, and not the other way around. They have, they told us, numerous lakes, which with their forests makes the country a European pearl.

We flew to the city of Pori by plane, with one host associate from Rosenlew. We were accommodated in a local hotel where a party was held that evening, with a dance. An Arab was sitting at our table with his host. The Arab was playing with the most beautiful woman in the hall, so I loudly commented to Franjo that the Arab was a "rich person", which he also heard. He addressed me in Serbian, asking me not to be rude, he knows our language, he graduated from the Faculty of Forestry in Sarajevo. There was nothing left for me but to apologize most sincerely, thinking that we really should be careful everywhere and always because you never know who can understand us. In Pori, we visited the Rosenlew factory, which produces equipment according to Alco's technology projects. There we met director Reyma Koskinen and his associate Mauri Elo. The two of them were the bearers of the project for the production of grain alcohol. The next day we all returned together in Helsinki by car. Traveling, we had the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of Finland, a country you can only wish for. Finland is one of the northernmost countries in Europe with a rather harsh climate. Almost two thirds of the Finnish territory is under forested areas, which makes it the most forested country in Europe. Finland borders Norway, Sweden, Russia and Estonia. It has an area of 338,145 km2, with 5,532,333 inhabitants (statistics in 2017), of which 89% speak Finnish. Swedish is used by 53% of the population, who normally study in Finnish schools, and 5.7% speak Sami language. About 200,000 semi-domesticated reindeer live in Finland, as semi-domesticated animals in Lapland, where they are used to pull sledges. Finland is a highly industrialized country with a high standard of living and is considered one of the happiest countries in the world. The first business talks were held at the Intercontinental Hotel and it was agreed that our Finnish partners would prepare their offer for an alcohol factory, with a capacity of 10 million liters of grain alcohol per year, with production of Koskenkorva vodka, Jeen and absolute alkohol. At the end of the conversation, the Finns gave us pleasure in their famous sauna, 102° C. “The Finns are crazy about the sauna”.

On the way back, by plane, we landed in the town of Turku, where my acquaintance from England Lisa Montekayno lived. And when we arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, we stayed there for 24 hours to see the beauties of the city, which many call "Northern Venice". According to the numerous bays, it is not known whether the city is more in the sea or the sea in the city. Numerous buildings are beautiful architecturally, preserved, and it is known that they never fought on their territory.

Returning to Vrbas, I made a report which I submitted to the General Manager of Kombinat and local politicians. And knowing that several of them hated me, out of envy, I wrote the report with very professional terminology, which they did not understand otherwise. Hence, no one asked me any additional questions, so they accepted the report without comment.

It will be a couple of months before the Finnish partners submit their official offer with the conceptual design of the project, including the technological diagram and material and energy balances of the process. I studied that procedure in detail, and then it was checked by my associate for alcohol technology, Zorica Vujosevic, and my colleague from Tehnoproces, Franjo Feldeshi. We have determined that the procedure is good, continuous and we have all given our consent that it can be accepted.

On the last day of April next year, a Finnish team arrives in Vrbas, with seven associates. We put them all in "Tito's villa" in the circle of the sugar factory, and Mr. Koskinen got Tito's room and his bed. That night he was distraught, he could not believe what he had experienced, that he was sleeping in Tito's bed. They had first-class drinks in the villa, which Tito loved, and they were given the free will to serve themselves what they wanted and as much as they could. As the Finns drink a lot, they all got drunk, and Koskinen even got sick that night, I was afraid he would die. During the four days of their stay, I didn't even go home to Novi Sad, I stayed with them all the time, as a host. While the Finns were drinking and enjoying themselves, I checked their new project offer, which they said was an improvement over the first. I noticed that they reduced one rectification column, in which way the procedure became discontinuous. Early in the morning, before the joint meeting would take place, I told Koskinen, which surprised him unexpectedly and he could not accept it. And when the associates of the "Vrbas" combine arrived, led by the general director Milutin Nikić, a total of ten of them, during the conversation, Koskinen first referred to the content of the new offer, claiming that it represents a technological improvement. Then I reported that I found an error in the procedure, which makes the procedure discontinuous, and I distanced myself from the offered solution. Nikic vehemently objected to my comment, accusing me of disturbing them. My answer was that, if I am right, I do not accept any responsibility, and if it is determined that I am right, I will be the first to sign it. It was agreed that the expert talks would continue in Finland, after they checked the project based on my remarks.

In the meantime, Zorica also checked the procedure, agreeing with my finding, and I explained it in detail to Aleksa Janičić, who was an economist, but an extraordinary expert in his field. The four of us traveled to Finland at the beginning of May: Aleksa, Beba Mitrović - a lawyer, Zorica - a technologist and I - a technologist, as the project director. Mauri Elo, with whom we flew to Pori, was waiting for us in Helsinki. The talks in Pori began very "tenaciously", Koskinen tried his best to get rid of my claims. I also remained persistent in my claims, because once again, in the meantime, I checked the offered solutions in detail and determined the same. Both Aleksa and Zorica understood my findings and supported me in everything. Then Koskinen booked a wonderful restaurant on the shores of the Baltic Sea, in the North, just for us that evening. And there were more waiters than us, the guests. Along the way, only Koskinen and I rode in one car, and everyone else in the others.

Why are you so persistent? Koskinen asked me.

My answer was: - Mr. Koskinen, I sincerely assure you that I have no bad intentions towards you or any of your associates. On the contrary, I appreciate you very much, I like your technology and I want to have it, but a technological mistake has been made that I, as an expert, cannot accept for the future of that plant and all the people who will work in it. I sincerely ask you to check my remarks in detail, so if it is determined that I was wrong, you can do whatever you want to me. And if it is determined that I am right, correct the mistakes without ever punishing anyone, because the project was done under time pressure, and anyone who does so can make mistakes. Only he who does nothing cannot make a mistake, and it is better not to have such people. I give you an honest word, if I am right and the mistake is corrected for the good of all, I will be the first to sign your offer.

Koskinen listened to me carefully, kept silent for a while, as we approached the sea. At that moment, the sun was approaching the sea surface and illuminating the granite rocks along the shore with orange rays, and the waves were hitting hard and scattering in millions of drops. The view in the direction of the sun, seen through the rainbow, through those drops, was the only impression of the European north. I walked calmly, I felt that I was defending the interests of my company and the country, and for the good of those who will work in that company and raise their children.

As the sun set, it soon began to get dark, Koskinen entered the restaurant with his head still bowed, and then invited everyone else to join us. Koskinen often went out to make phone calls, we assumed, to his associates who were still working. During that time, we were thrilled by the sight of the waves, which inevitably broke, making our stay unforgettable.

The next day we all returned to Helsinki, and during lunch Koskinen went out again several times to make phone calls. Finally, when he returned he told us the following:

- Dear guests, it is my pleasant duty to inform you that Mr. Jelača was right. My associates controlled the entire project and found the same mistake that Mr. Jelača insisted on all the time. We will correct this mistake, which amounts to six million Finnish marks (US $ 1.0 million), in your favor. I congratulate Mr. Jelača and pay my sincere respect to him as an outstanding expert.

At that moment, all my associates jumped up, started hugging me and congratulating me, when Koskinen added: I want to inform you that the engineer who worked on the project, after determining the error, fainted and is in the hospital.

We all looked at each other, and I then asked him to visit him in the hospital, to convey his wishes for a speedy recovery and not to take it as a mistake. The same evening we traveled to Stockholm, and the next day to Vrbas. At the "Vrbas" combine everyone who found out about the recognition I experienced in Finland was delighted, except for director Nikić. Envy was simply visible in his eyes.

I stayed in Finland four times and each time I was delighted with everything I experienced there, the beauty and purity of the cities, and even more the natural beauty of the surroundings, which consisted of lakes and forests. In the northern forests, the Finns have houses intended for tourists, in which the rules apply that you are obliged to leave everything in the condition you found on arrival; enough wood prepared for the fire, water and necessary food, as well as clean bedding and cleaned rooms, even a tidy sauna. This gives them guarantees that every passer-by will find a ready apartment for their stay at any time of the day or night, summer or winter. This shows the highest degree of civilization of the Finns, according to which they are truly an unsurpassed people. My sincere congratulations on all that.

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