Chairman´s Message

BUILDING CAPABILITIES FOR SEVERE WEATHER

In 2017, we saw plenty of extreme weather conditions around the world, with hurricanes and floods.

For Vaisala, they are a reminder of how important our work is. Without the data from our equipment, weather forecasts would not be as reliable as they are. And observations are needed every day – you cannot measure yesterday’s temperature today.

In severe weather, reliable forecasts can be a matter of life and death. Even when this is not the case, we help secure air and sea traffic, and make people’s lives safer and healthier.

This is a big responsibility. It spurs us on to develop ourshare of new answers to the global problems we face.

Our know-how has been built over eight decades. Finland, turning 100, and Vaisala have shared some major milestones.

Radiosondes, used primarily as research devices, showed their value during World War II, with continued demand for increasingly accurate weather forecasts. Vilho Väisälä realized radiosondes had to be mass-produced and built a new factory in 1944, having founded Vaisala in 1936.

We have operated on the global market from the start, but the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki gave us a new boost. The first Finnish airport meeting international standards was built then, so Vaisala moved its operations near to the new gate to worldwide markets.

Vaisala also owes a great deal to the investments Finland has made in education and technology. In our technology-friendly atmosphere, scores of engineers have been trained, always willing to face challenges and create new solutions.

A good example is the development of our humidity sensor in the 1970s. Today, it is still a market leader, paving the way for the bleeding edge sensor technology behind Vaisala’s technological leadership in industrial measurements.

Our mission has always been to give back and support academic research and education. We work hard to foster this innovation-friendly climate and keep Vaisala a showcase of Finnish high technology.

Helsinki, February, 2018

Raimo Voipio
Chairman of the Board of Directors