Vaisala, a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurements, has opened a new R&D and innovation center in Finland. The new center is a unique arena for product development, including all levels from ideation to hardware and software design, development, and testing.
Image Credit: Vaisala
The new R&D center is located on the same campus area as Vaisala’s head office and production facilities in Vantaa, Finland. The new building houses about 300 experts, representing 67% of Vaisala’s R&D personnel in total, working in various areas of research and development.
Significant investments in R&D
During the recent years, Vaisala has invested strongly in research and development. This has created a need for new facilities to accelerate growth. The number of R&D personnel has increased by some 45% during 2015-2020 (446 people in 2020).
“Vaisala is a global technology leader and this requires long-term commitment and investments in research and development. Last year, we invested 14% of our net sales in R&D,” says Kai Öistämö, President and CEO at Vaisala.
“The need for accurate observations and reliable measurements is increasing due to several pressing societal and environmental challenges, such as climate change. We want to make sure that we have the best possible facilities for top-level product development supporting our long-term growth both now and in the future,” says Öistämö.
Almost 40 custom-made laboratories
Top-level laboratories and custom-designed testing equipment play a key role in Vaisala’s product development facilities. Vaisala’s measurement solutions are used all over the world in the most demanding of conditions, and the technology needs to work reliably and accurately in places like hospitals and cars, inside hurricanes, or even in space.
There are 37 custom-made laboratories in the new R&D center. These include a spacious EMC lab for measuring electromagnetic compliance, rain tower for simulating natural rain, vibration & free fall laboratory, environmental chambers, where instruments can be tested in extreme temperatures and humidity conditions, and system testing laboratories, where software compatibility and quality is ensured.
Multifunctional space design enables agile product development
In addition to modern laboratories, another key requirement for the new R&D premises was multifunctional and flexible design of spaces. This enables experimental product development, agile project work, and fast prototyping.
Construction work of the 7,900 m2 building begun in January 2019, and employees have gradually started to work in the new premises during the spring 2021.