Internationalization Awards of the President of the Republic presented to Neural DSP Technologies, Kuusakoski Group, AGCO Corporation and EnergyVaasa

Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, has granted the annual internationalization award to successful Finnish companies. Neural DSP Technologies, which develops and manufactures digital sound processing software and equipment, is awarded the Newcomer Company of 2023 award, and Kuusakoski Group, a recycling and foundry group, will receive the Growth Company award. The Long-term International Investor award goes to AGCO Corporation. The Community Award of the Year is granted to EnergyVaasa.

The Internationalization Award of the President of the Republic of Finland is bestowed annually in recognition of internationally successful companies or communities. Particular attention is paid to competitiveness, the international nature of the business and profitability. In addition, the evaluation emphasizes the ethical nature of operations, the impact on the development of Finnish competence and employment, as well as foreign investments and the promotion of Finland's innovation ecosystem. The companies' backgrounds are determined through the same Know Your Customer process through which financial institutions and other operators identify and know their customers as well as the quality and scope of their activities.

"The awarded companies demonstrate in an excellent way the importance of continuous innovation both in terms of competitive advantage, internationalization and sustainable development. In addition to international success, the evaluation emphasized green transition and sustainable development," says Ilona Lundström, Chairman of the Team Finland Executive Group and Director-General at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Nominations were proposed by various business organizations. The final award recipients were proposed to the president by the actors of the Team Finland network, Business Finland, ELY centers (Centers for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), Finnvera, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Neural revolutionized digital audio processing and is growing quickly

The recipient of the Newcomer Company award, Neural DSP Technologies, develops and manufactures digital audio processing software and equipment. The company's products are based on algorithmic research and machine learning, which has enabled the digitalization of traditional, expensive music equipment. Neural created and launched its effect processor onto the market, which revolutionized the entire digital audio processing sector, both in terms of technology and user-friendliness. Technology has reduced the cost of digital audio processing, making devices available to everyone for a fraction of the original price. Neural's hardware products are distributed by major music retailers around the world. The company's turnover in 2022 was EUR 30 million and its head office is in Punavuori, Helsinki.

Douglas Castro and Francisco Cresp 

"We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. At Neural DSP, our mission is to revolutionize the music industry with cutting-edge neural audio processing technology. This recognition from the President of the country that opened its doors to two immigrants who came here with nothing more than big dreams and the drive to invent amazing things inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation on a global scale," says Douglas Castro (CEO, Co-founder) and Francisco Cresp (CPO, Co-founder) from Neural.

Kuusakoski Group's recycling and foundry businesses play a significant role in enabling the green transition

Kuusakoski Group, presented with the Growth Company award, is a recycling and foundry group founded in 1914, the majority of whose business comes from exports or international subsidiaries. The Kuusakoski Group consists of Kuusakoski Oy, which is in the recycling business, and Alteams Oy, which is in the foundry business. Kuusakoski Group launched a distinct green transition investment program in the autumn of 2022, which is one concrete example of the company's goal to be a responsible pioneer in the circular economy. Every year, the company delivers more than one million tons of recycled materials and products, such as recycled metals, as raw material for the manufacturing industry.

"Kuusakoski has grown throughout the period of industrialization in Finland after the wars, and strong internationalization in the following decades also helped us grow. Now the driver for growth is our customers' increased need for low-carbon raw materials. I am particularly proud of our consistent product development and investments in cutting-edge technological know-how throughout our company's 110-year history," says Veikko Kuusakoski, CEO of Kuusakoski Group (in the photo).  

AGCO's investments have laid the foundation for global demand

The award for long-term international investor went to the AGCO Corporation.In 2004, US-based AGCO became the owner of a business entity that it purchased from Kone, which includes the businesses of AGCO Power Oy and Valtra Oy Ab as export companies, as well as AGCO Suomi Oy, which is responsible for distributing and servicing agricultural machinery in the Finnish market. AGCO is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. Of the companies brands in Finland, Valtra manufactures tractors, and AGCO Power Oy's primarily produces engines and transmission components.

Investments have continued also in recent years. At AGCO Power, which employs approximately 950 people, the focus has been on product development and flexible automated manufacturing. In September 2023, Valtra announced the relocation of its flagship tractor production from France back to Finland, with tens of millions invested in a new production facility. Valtra employs approximately 1,100 people in Suolahti. The expansion of the transmission plant will create an additional 200 jobs in the next few years. AGCO Suomi employs approximately 150 employees throughout the country.

Juha Tervala

"The international growth stories of Valtra and AGCO Power continue to be fueled through substantial investments of hundreds of millions of euros in product development and manufacturing that have laid the foundation in Finland for the growing global demand for our products," say Valtra Managing Director Jari Rautjärvi and AGCO Power Managing Director Juha Tervala.

EnergyVaasa is the largest energy technology cluster in the Nordics

Community Award winner EnergyVaasa is a network of energy companies and research institutes founded in 2001. The cluster aims to develop sustainable technology solutions that help reduce emissions and save energy on a global scale. It consists of nearly 200 companies and other organizations. The combined annual turnover of the companies is EUR 6 billion, of which exports account for more than 80%. The companies develop cutting-edge technology that focuses on smart energy solutions, shipping, sustainable energy, flexible energy development and digitalization, among other things. Cooperation plays a significant role in the region, and the operations have been coordinated by Oy Merinova Ab and Vaasanseudun kehitys Oy VASEK.

Kristoffer Jansson, Stefan Råback, Mika Konu and Tomas Häyry 

"The EnergyVaasa cluster is the most significant energy technology concentration in the Nordics. Here, even competing companies innovate and jointly develop energy-efficient solutions, which help achieve global climate goals and at the same time create a significant share of Finland's technology exports," say VASEK and Merinova CEOs Stefan Råback and Mika Konu.

Photos of the companies
Photo account of the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

More information

Team Finland
Risto Huhta-Koivisto, Senior Advisor
Business Finland
risto.huhta-koivisto (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 40 343 3347

Neural DSP Technologies Oy
Dan Davies, CMO
dan (at) neuraldsp.com
+44 773 208 4193

Kuusakoski Group
Tuomas Haikka, CSO
tuomas.haikka (at) kuusakoski.com
+358 40 749 4218

AGCO Group
Pamela Engels, Senior Manager, Communications & Digital Marketing
pamela.engels (at) AGCOcorp.com
+358 40 1983 855

EnergyVaasa
Kristoffer Jansson, Communications & Brand Manager
Vaasanseudun Kehitys Oy VASEK
kristoffer.jansson@vasek.fi
+358 40 539 4055

The Team Finland network promotes the success of Finland and Finnish companies around the world. With its publicly funded services, the network supports companies in internationalization, attracts investments in Finland and builds Finland’s image around the world. Read more about Team Finland and its services on www.team-finland.fi