New warehouse new services p. 12–13 Cleaner environment with LNG trucks p. 4–5 Customer and personnel magazine 2020 Market leader chooses Powder-Trans p. 6–7 Bror-Torsten Roos knows everyone p. 20

Editorial In this issue: • • • • • • • • • The customer - our partner Dear Reader. You are looking at the first issue of Powder-Trans Group’s new magazine. The magazine is geared toward all of our partners. This is one way that we at Powder-Trans can achieve the goals that we have worked towards since the company got its start almost 50 years ago. For us, the relationship with our customers is a matter of honour. We refer to our customers as partners. The same goes for other stakeholders that we collaborate with to take our transports and logistics services to a whole new level. We will now take the next step toward continuous communication with you all so that we can achieve the conditions for improved operations for all of us – now and in the future. The name of the magazine ‘TEAM’ comes from our slogan Together Everyone Achieves More. It sums up and explains how we work and make progress together, so that we all benefit. There are plenty of examples. During 2020, we launched our new expanded warehouse and workshop facilities in Lieto. They enable significant additional services for our customers. We can now offer more total solutions within bulk logistics. Total solutions are also the key for our often challenging large-scale projects. Together we have been able to bring home major projects over the years, and new ones are already in the works. So that our entire business can achieve its goals in terms of quality and quantity, we require not only professional and motivated personnel, but also a vehicle fleet and equipment that meet today’s standards and are at the cutting edge of development. That is why we have not only continued our comprehensive investments in new vehicles, but also in LNG-powered trucks, mirrorless vehicles and the development of eco-friendly tyres. Our work for the environment continues. Our eco-friendly solutions include solar panels on the roof of the new warehouse and more comprehensive recycling of packaging materials, not to mention the development of our drivers’ driving habits and efficiency of transports. • • • • • • • • • • • The customer - our partner 2 Phasing in our new logo 3 Gas-power for cleaner transports 4-5 A market leader with safety as a priority 6-7 New environmental measures 8 From project to project 9 Fossil-free heat for a better tomorrow 10-11 New warehouse, double the capacity 12-13 Summer job became a job for life 14 Better tyres thanks to new project Mirrorless vehicles tested Keeping tabs on the Nordics Successful audit New appointment German quality meets global flexibility 15 15 16-17 17 17 18 New intranet – improved communication 19 A lifetime of trucks 20 Transports even in the time of distancing 21 This issue contains all of that and more. We would love to hear your feedback on our magazine so we can make improvements. Because whatever we do, we can do it better together. Enjoy your read! 2 Fredrik Blomqvist • • We at PT Revitalising history 22-23 24

Phasing in our new logo The updated logo will be used in parallel with the current one, which has been in use for a decade. The current company logo originates in the mid-1980s and features the entire company name ‘Powder-Trans’. The new symbol being launched includes only the initials PT, surrounded by a line in the shape of a tank to symbolise bulk transports as well as partnership and community. “The goal of the new logo is to achieve a more modern design. We also want the company and its services to be recognisable without having to use the current longer and larger logo,” says Sture Holm from the company HolmMediaData, who designed the new logo together with the graphic design studio Pixaton. The idea is not to replace the current logo with the new one. Instead they will complement one another. At the same time, the current logo found above the cabin at the front of the truck has been given a uniform appearance with a white In upcoming years, a new logo will begin to appear in Powder-Trans’s operations. The new logo is a modern symbol featuring the letters P and T, for the company name. background and the logo and text in Powder-Trans’s colours, regardless of the make of the vehicle. Earlier, the colours varied depending on the vehicle’s make and the base coat of the cabin. These modernisations will apply to all new vehicles, but also other vehicles that require new decals. The first vehicles have already been given the new logo. “The modernisation is part of a project for boosting the company’s visibility and marketing, which we launched at the start of 2020,” says Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist. The project also includes several other measures such as a printed annual report and the new personnel and stakeholder magazine TEAM. A new graphics style guide that builds on the parallel use of the new and existing logos was designed also with Powder-Trans’s 50year anniversary in 2022 in mind. 3

Editorial Gas-power for cleaner transports Driver Per Råstedt fills up his truck with natural gas. Powder-Trans’s new gas-powered truck is one of the first of its kind in Nordic bulk transports. Transports using liquid natural gas (LNG) and biogas (LBG) as their fuel also interest customers. In mid-August 2020, PowderTrans’s first LNG-powered truck rolled into the terminal area in Lieto. The Scania truck is such a novelty in the sector that transport companies are still at the testing stage. For Powder-Trans, this trial is in response to the growing interest in alternative fuels, which can also be seen among customers. “The transport industry is currently undergoing a major shift. An increasing number of us are focusing on environmental friendliness and alternative fuels are sought af- 4 ter by customers,” says Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist. “An increasing number of us are focusing on environmental friendliness and alternative fuels are sought after.” Powder-Trans’s new LNG-powered truck will ferry bulk transports to major industry in southern Finland. The truck will depart from the terminal in Lieto or carry out transports from the Port of Turku. Improved conditions One of the reasons that PowderTrans was ready to invest in an LNG-powered truck is the good refueling opportunities in the nearby regions. “There is a station just a few hundred metres from our terminal and one at the Port of Turku, around ten kilometres from here,” Blomqvist explains.

The truck has two fuel tanks, with a total volume of 758 litres. “With full tanks, the truck can go up to 800–1200 kilometres,” says Blomqvist. When it comes to transports carried out with Trans-Powder’s new gas-powered truck, a range of 800 kilometres is enough. That is why it is not a problem that filling stations are still fairly thin on the ground. The gas-powered truck has enough horse power to pull trailers as heavy as 60 tonnes, which is sufficient for Powder-Trans’s needs. Powder-Trans’s new Scania truck has the largest engine in an LNG-powered truck on the market to date. Its performance equals that of a diesel-powered truck. “In addition, it’s so much quieter. That’s something I appreciate. The less noise, the better,” says Trans-Powder’s driver Per Råstedt. Eco-friendliness, comfort and performance go together seamlessly. New and interesting Per Råstedt is one of the drivers that will be operating the new LNG-powered truck. In the spring when he got word that he would get to drive the new gas-powered truck, his immediate reaction was positive. “You have to plan where and when to refuel.” “New technological developments are interesting, so I was of course thrilled with the news.” In the autumn of 2020, Råstedt will celebrate his twentieth year as a driver for Powder-Trans. So, switching to a new and entirely unique vehicle suits him to a tee. Råstedt was involved from the very start when the truck came to Powder-Trans for testing. He drove the truck for roughly 1,000 kilometres during the test period. During the autumn, Powder-Trans’s own workshop has put the final touches on the truck. “At the start I obviously was concerned about a bunch of technical Fredrik Blomqvist believes in LNG and biogas as fuels of the future. details, but so far things have gone well.” What stands out about the truck is really the refuelling. “You have to plan where and when to refuel. There aren’t that many stations around,” Råstedt says. Liquified gas The refuelling itself is also unique. The natural gas used in the vehicle is cooled to -162 degrees Celsius and turns into a liquid, taking up 600 times less space than in its natural gaseous state. The vehicle’s fuel tank keeps the gas cold, just like a thermos flask. If the truck stands still for longer, the gas warms up and begins to expand. There is a pipe that allows the gas to exit the fuel tank in case of situations like this. If the tank is kept full during prolonged stops, the cold holds better, preventing any loss of gas. Trucks powered by gas are still a fairly unusual occurrence in Finland, and even in the rest of the Nordic countries. Per Råstedt believes that trucks powered with gas will become more common in the sector, especially if engines grow as trucks also become longer and heavier. “I think there will be more trucks like these, but it does require major investments. Also, they are so new that not many companies are ready to invest in them just yet.” Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist declares that Powder-Trans is interested in buying several of these trucks. “We are still evaluating how the truck operates in practice. In the future, we might find ourselves buying LNG-powered trucks for transports in the rest of the Nordics too.” Refuelling stations for LNG are still few and far between, but the network continues to develop. 5

Our customer A market leader with safety Raw materials for the construction industry, medical supplies and the forest industry are among the products sold by the European company Inovyn. When the company selects a transport company, safety and the environment come first. Inovyn is a market leader in almost everything it produces. Some of its key products are vinyl plastic, chlorine and sodium hydroxide. All of these are produced in several locations around Europe, including the Nordic countries. Inovyn is also an industry leader in this area. “We are the only manufacturer in the Nordics and, as a result, we have a large market share,” says Leif Axelsson, Inovyn’s Logistics Manager. Axelsson is responsible for Invoyn’s transports of PVC plastic in Europe and sodium hydroxide in the Nordics. Axelsson has worked at Inovyn and Norsk Hydro, the previous owner of the Nordic plants, for more than 30 years. Since 2005 he has worked in logistics. In this role, Axelsson works closely with Powder-Trans. Important plants In the Nordics, Inovyn has a plant operating in Stenungssund in Sweden and two in Norway’s Grenland district. “A relatively large share of the production at the plants is high-quality specialty products. Even though the basic products we manufacture are mostly sold in the Nordic countries, the specialty products mean that we also have relatively high sales figures on the continent,” says Axelsson. It all begins at the chlorine plant where the main raw materials salt and water are turned into sodiumhydroxide and chlorine gas using electricity. Sodium hydroxide is a 6 key raw material for many industries, in the Nordic countries especially the pulp and paper industry. Together with ethylene, chlorine is processed into vinyl chloride, which in turn is polymerised into PVC. In the Grenland district, the raw material vinyl chloride monomer, VCM, is manufactured at Inovyn’s plant near the Port of Rafnes. “The plant is large and supplies the PVC plant in Porsgrunn, on the other side of Frierfjord, with raw material,” says Axelsson. The vinyl chloride monomer needed in production is transported through a pipeline under the fjord. The Porsgrunn plant then manufactures the end product, polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, the world’s third most used plastic. The Porsgrunn plant has manufactured PVC plastic for more than 70 years. The plant employs over 100 people and manufactures 200,000 tonnes of plastic each year. “Almost half of the finished plastic consists of salt and the rest is petroleum-based. PVC is therefore a relatively resource-efficient polymer, and has unfairly received a bad reputation,” says Axelsson. Many customers From Porsgrunn, the PVC is sent to customers in the construction industry, for the most part. “The plastic is used to make profiles, for example for windows and pipes, as well as floors. PowderTrans plays a major role in transports to these factories. The plastic is also used in the medical industry, for instance in blood bags,” Axelsson explains. Inovyn’s Swedish plant, Stenungssund, is somewhat newer than the plant in Porsgrunn, but even there, operations have been ongoing for over 50 years. The Stenungssund plant manufactures PVC, among other things, but also the raw material VCM. The production volume

as a priority is 400,000 tonnes per year and the plant employs over 300 people. Long-standing collaboration All of the plants have several quality management, environmental, safety and administrative certifications. These issues are extremely important to the company, which is why they require the same also from their transports. “It goes without saying – safety comes first. No matter what the product. Health, safety and the environment are something that Inovyn and our owner Ineos will never compromise on. We focus strongly on it,” Axelsson emphasises. All transports are carried out using safe equipment and well-trained personnel. Environmental spills are unacceptable and quality management certifications are required. “That is why we are extremely happy with Powder-Trans. They have focused a lot on this area,” Axelsson says. “It goes without saying – safety comes first.” Powder-Trans recently updated its certifications, improving on its earlier results. This is something that Inovyn values. Customer relations between Inovyn’s Nordic plants and Powder-Trans have continued for almost 30 years. Axelsson has collaborated with the current Managing Director of Powder-Trans as well as the previous one. “I first met Fredrik sometime in the 1990s, but I had already worked together with Carl-Johan before that,” he explains. mostly from Norway to Sweden and within Sweden. Leif Axelsson values the partnership. “Powder-Trans’s personnel are very dedicated. We use Powder for really big transports. We need someone with real muscle,” he says. At Powder-Trans they are grateful for the trust. “We are proud to have a customer like Inovyn. It is rewarding to work with a company that has the same goals and values as Powder-Trans,” says Managing director Fredrik Blomqvist. Leif Axelsson sees the future as bright. Inovyn and its owner Ineos are major corporations with considerable resources. “We are investing heavily in the Nordic plants, we have made major investments relatively recently and several investments are in the pipeline. We will gain added capacity.” As to how the co-operation with Powder-Trans will develop in the future, Axelsson says the ball is in Powder-Trans’s court. “Increased transports are a possibility, but right now transports in the Nordic countries are about as big as they can get,” he points out. The experiences of the co-operation give no reason to alter the concept. “I have trouble imagining not having Powder-Trans as our transport company in five years’ time,” Axelsson declares. Inovyn was established in 2015 and is among the three largest producers of vinyls in the world. Its annual turn- over comes to EUR 3.5 billion, its production to 40 million tonnes and the number of employees is 4,300. Inovyn has operations in eight European countries. The owner Ineos is a world leader within the petrochemical industry and the largest privately-owned company in the UK. The corporation is one of the 40 largest manufacturing companies in the world and has a turnover of over USD 60 billion. Its products include everything from biofuel and insulation material to chlorine for purifying water and plastic for food packaging. The operations are made up of 183 units in 26 countries and its personnel number more than 23,000 people. Leif Axelsson is satisfied with the co-operation. Shared values Today, the two companies are in contact daily and Powder-Trans takes care of a large share of the transports from the Nordic plants, Stenungssund, Sweden 7

The environment New environmental measures Solar power, renewable diesel and more efficient transports and warehouse management have had a major impact on Powder-Trans’s eco-friendliness in 2020. The next step is modernising its environmental reporting. For some time now, Powder-Trans has carried out long-term work to reduce its environmental impact. During 2020, the work has taken several steps forward. In its properties, Powder-Trans has invested in, for instance, modern LED-lighting and air source and air/water source heat pumps. More than 40 per cent of the power consumption is additionally produced using the company’s own solar power. The new warehouse and workshop facilities in Lieto offer other environmental benefits. Sorting and recycling are managed more effectively than earlier. “The new environmental measures, but also continuous improvement are important for us. The company’s values incorporate eco-thinking. We continuously think about how we can improve and develop in this area,” says Pontus Eggert, Project and Marketing Manager at Powder-Trans. More eco-friendly vehicles Three important and continuous measures for reducing the environmental impact of the operations involve the fuel used by the trucks, how modern the fleet of vehicles is and how skilled the drivers are at 8 eco-conscious driving. “During autumn 2020, we have begun even more carefully to monitor our drivers’ driving profiles and habits. The goal during 2021 is to even more actively encourage drivers who make improvements and maintain their economic driving style,” says Eggert. Investments in new vehicles are also continuing. Already at the start of 2019, 95 per cent of Powder-Trans’s vehicle fleet consisted of vehicles with the two highest Euro levels that classify vehicles’ eco-friendliness. Two thirds of the fleet consists of the highest level. This number has risen during 2020 due to new purchases. “We will also continue to work with alternative fuels and are currently reviewing the benefits of the new LNG-powered truck and how using the gas will work in practice,” says Eggert. In addition to the new gas-powered truck, Powder-Trans has increased its share of other alternative fuels during 2020. Today, Powder-Trans uses the renewable diesel HVO in more and more of its vehicles. Renewable diesel is based on, for instance, recycled cooking oil and results in 90 per cent lower emissions of greenhouse gases than traditional diesel fuel. Also the environmentally-friendly GTL diesel, which is partly based on gas, is used in several of the trucks. The Lieto office also has a charging point available for customers’ electric cars. Next up – environmental report During 2020, Powder-Trans has also become a member of Operation Clean Sweep, a global programme for mitigating the plastic transport industry’s impact on the environment. The goal of the programme is for not a single plastic granule to end up in the environment as a pollutant. In addition to the many measures and projects to help the environment, Powder-Trans will next develop its method for following up and reporting its progress. “The goal is to link our planning system with the onboard computers and environmental reports,” says Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist. Based on this, a standard for environmental reporting will be created. This will make it easier to follow up on the environmental goals and result, for example per customer.

From project to project The gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 is one of many projects Powder-Trans has been involved in during recent years. For a long time, project transports have made up a key part of PowderTrans’s operations. One of the largest projects in Powder-Trans’s history came to a conclusion in 2019. New ones are already waiting. In addition to regular transports, short-term but labour-intensive project transports have long been an important part of the operations of the Powder-Trans Group. In recent years, numerous smaller and larger projects have been completed. “Project transports are obviously important for us, especially during quieter periods,” says Esa Salminen, Sales Manager. Salminen points out that they add variety to the work and offer challenges to the personnel. “They also require a certain capacity in terms of personnel and vehicles. If required, we need to be able to transport large volumes within a short period.” Powder-Trans and its Swedish subsidiary BulkTEAM have succeeded in this several times, on short notice, but with a tight schedule and with large transport volumes. Extensive construction project Powder-Trans’s history includes a fair number of larger projects. For instance, Powder-Trans delivered all of the cement for Sweden’s longest concrete road outside of Uppsala in 2006. Over three months, Powder-Trans delivered cement for 84,000 cubic metres of concrete for a 22-kilometre-long road. In Finland, Powder-Trans deliv- ered cement for the gas pipeline project Nord Stream between Russia and Germany in 2009–2011, and for the construction of Nord Stream 2 between 2018 and 2020, a continuation of the first pipeline project a decade earlier. Nord Stream 2 was one of the biggest projects in recent years. “It kept several vehicle combinations busy for a couple of years,” say Salminen. The project was completed on Finland’s and Powder-Trans’s part in 2019. New project in Sweden Powder-Trans also has a long history of taking care of extra transports in case of sudden disturbances and interruptions in customers’ production, such as in the paper industry. “Those kinds of disturbances often happen unexpectedly and require a capacity that is many times higher than the regular transport capacity. They can involve an extra volume of up to 500 tonnes per day and one-way journeys of up to 800 km,” says Esa Salminen. Assignments such as this are undertaken in addition to other projects and regular transports. Currently, Powder-Trans is taking care of a project for Finnish water treatment plants. It requires not only drivers and vehicles, but also warehouse and loading personnel. In the autumn, a new major project has started up in Sweden. Up until 2021, Powder-Trans and BulkTEAM will take care of a comprehensive project transport for a major infrastructure project. The project involves transports of adhesives. “We were chosen to take care of these projects precisely because we are capable of taking overall responsibility and we have the capacity and competence to carry them out,” says Salminen. Esa Salminen sees project assignments as challenging and interesting. 9

Our customer Fossil-free heat for a better tomorrow Scandbio is an industry leader with ambitious values. Its products are delivered to small private households and major industry alike – always with eco-friendliness at the fore. With five plants in Sweden and one in Latvia, Scandbio is one of Scandinavia’s largest companies within solid processed wood fuels. Furthermore, when its comes to the environment and its customers, the company maintains high standards. Its key products are heating pellets and wood powder. “From an environmental perspective, wood fuel is the best fuel in Sweden, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Wood fuel is sustainable and good for the environment, as well as being affordable and reliable for users,” says Tone Johnsen, Head of Marketing and Communication at Scandbio. The company has a total of around 140 employees at its six production locations. 10 “We are located near the forests where we procure our raw material, and close to the customers. This makes for short transport distances and high flexibility for both partners and customers,” says Johnsen. Tone Johnsen and Scandbio work for the benefit of the environment. The raw material comes from sustainably managed forests and consists of residues from trees harvested for timber, pulp and construction material. “It is all based on a 100-per-cent renewable energy source. We harvest natural resources efficiently and contribute to a circular, sustainable solution. This is how we have operated since our beginnings in 1982,” says Johnsen. All of the plants follow the same policy and have ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification. Together, Scandbio’s units annually produce and sell roughly 550,000 tonnes of biofuel with a turnover of around EUR 100 million. Its market extends across Sweden, Latvia and Denmark. Part of the global effort For Scandbio, there is no question that a major company is responsible for society and the environment.

“We want to be part of the global effort to guarantee that future generations will still have a planet,” says Magnus Kyhlberg, Supply Chain Manager at Scandbio. To succeed, Kyhlberg points out that the entire chain has to collaborate based on the same ambitious goals. “In addition to working with biofuel and sustainability, sustainable transports are, of course, a key factor. Euro level trucks and biofuel in tanks are both important.” In addition to eco-consciousness, Scandbio requires high quality from its transport company. Kyhlberg points out that the interaction between the customer and driver is always important. “We deliver everywhere from industry to schools, where the customer meets the driver. The drivers therefore also act as our representatives,” he says. Flexibility and development The co-operation between Scandbio and Powder-Trans’s Swedish subsidiary BulkTEAM has existed ever since BulkTEAM was formed in 2014. Prior to this, BulkTEAM’s earlier co-owner Akkafrakt took care of transports. When the collaboration with BulkTEAM started up, Scandbio was still called Neovapellets, but merged with Lantmännen Agroenergi the same year. Scandbio emerged in 2016. “Scandbio is one of Sweden’s most prominent companies when it comes to environmental innovation. This, of course, places a lot of Wood fuel is both affordable and environmentally sustainable. demands on us in terms of reporting, but also further development of existing technology and systems,” says Lars-Åke Büchau, Subsidiary Manager for Powder-Trans and BulkTEAM’s Swedish unit in Dalby. Since Scandbio’s need for transports is greatest when the cold weather sets in, the partnership requires a lot of flexibility. “Our co-operation takes place largely in the winter months and volumes can vary year on year, depending on the weather. This demands a lot from the co-operation,” Büchau says. Today, the two companies have a five-year transport contract. “We have built up excellent relations and come up with successful solutions, which the contract is proof of,” says Niclas Svedberg, Logistics Coordinator at Scandbio. High ambitions Svedberg takes care of the operations involving Scandbio’s transports. He emphasises that signifi- cant focus has been put on environmental issues in recent years. “We have set even higher demands, but there is still potential for improvement. For example, we could introduce more biofuels.” For that to happen, however, the networking of biofuel refuelling stations must be improved. In southern Sweden, the situation is better, but improvements are required up north. Moreover, customer service can also be developed. New technological opportunities continuously provide potential for the monitoring of transports, for instance. Currently, BulkTEAM takes care of Scandbio’s transports over a large part of Sweden, from the southernmost tip all the way to central Sweden. The transports are handled through a four-way collaboration together with two other Swedish transport companies. “This allows us to ensure that everyone’s truck is as full as possible and they drive as short a distance as possible. We work actively to reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” says Kyhlberg. Scandbio’s environmental impact is already low, but regardless they want to do even better. The goal is to achieve a 100 per cent sustainable company. According to Kyhlberg, motivation is everything. “We believe that bioenergy plays a vital part in the energy transition. Scandbio’s goal is to be a definitive part of developing the energy solutions and sustainable alternatives of the future.” 11

New warehouse, double the capacity A larger workshop and more than twice the storage room. PowderTrans’s new facilities in Lieto will improve customer service and increase the efficiency of the operations. Ever since it was established at its current location in Lieto in 2010, Powder-Trans has invested in its storage and material handling. Throughout the years, both volumes and demand for various storage and handling services have increased and space has become an issue. That is why Powder-Trans carried out a significant investment in added capacity in 2019. In the spring of 2020, the facilities were completed. “Making sure that the customer doesn’t need to hire several companies for their transports has always been our advantage and now we have both increased capacity and higher efficiency,” says Powder-Trans’s Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist. The new almost 3,000-square-metre warehouse and workshop facilities enable new forms of service for customers. “If the customer doesn’t have their own silos or storage facilities, we now have added capacity to help in this area,” says Blomqvist. The terminal, workshop and of- directly in the transport vehicle’s tanks, depending on the customer’s wishes. According to Blomqvist, the operations have taken off even better than expected. “We have already received a positive response from customers. Among other things, the space has allowed customers to take in additional products that they otherwise might not have been able to handle. Some of the reloading is carried out with forklifts. fice in Lieto comprise an even more highly optimised whole. The operations in Lieto benefit one another and increase the efficiency of transports and goods handling. “In addition, thanks to the new building, we can now have another unloading station,” says Blomqvist. Positive response Goods can be received both on pallets or in big bags. Products leave the warehouse both on pallets and “We have already received a positive response from customers.” Juha Hietakari is the warehouse manager at the Lieto terminal. He sees plenty of benefits in the new warehouse for both customers and personnel. “We have even better capacity than earlier to receive goods according to customers’ timetables and other wishes. Another benefit is that we can receive larger unit loads of the products, such as containers,” Hietakari says. For the personnel, the expansion means modern and spacious work facilities. Work is more effective and safer as all of the facilities are on the same property. Faster measures The new warehouse increases quality and efficiency. Juha Hietakari wants to offer customers new solutions. 12 For Powder-Trans, the expansion was something of a milestone for the Lieto operations. The construction required thorough planning, but is now also bearing fruit. “The project has been relatively challenging since we kept up normal operations despite the construction work. The courtyard was needed more or less the entire time for our daily operations. Quite a bit of extra planning was needed in or-

Tero Viitanen (left) and Petri Manelius are happy with the larger warehouse, which offers new opportunities. der for things to run smoothly,” says Powder-Trans’s Pontus Eggert, who was in charge of the construction project. According to Eggert, many of their facilities had become too small recently. Now they are larger, modern and suitable. Powder-Trans now has a total of 4,800 square metres of warehouse and workshop capacity in Lieto. In addition to the expanded 2,200-square-metre warehouse, a new carport for the personnel’s cars and various staff facilities, the company’s workshop received roughly 600 square metres of additional space. “Work on cargo bodies and repairs to the trucks and trailers were sped up considerably. In addition, all of the work can now take place indoors,” says Tero Viitanen, who manages the vehicles at Powder-Trans. The workshop has a high ceiling to enable the tanks to be lifted up. Much larger bodywork can be carried out due to the plentiful space. Besides, the storage area for spare parts is larger than before. According to Fredrik Blomqvist, there have been many benefits. “Quality and safety have both increased. By servicing, for instance, hoses and tanks ourselves, we can be certain that the correct material has been used and can adapt the equipment based on our experience out in the field.” Also the staff facilities in the workshop have been improved significantly. Everything was redone. An own workshop is important. Vladimir Lanko at work. “In connection with the extension, a new ventilation system was installed. We also invested in a new traverse crane to make it safer to lift the tanks,” says Viitanen. Increased eco-friendliness Just like in the workshop, it is now possible to work more proactively at the warehouse. The new warehouse gives customers the opportunity to prepare for both irregular deliveries and possible interruptions in raw material production. “The bigger warehouse allows us to offer stockpiling of products with uncertain supplies or slow imports,” says Fredrik Blomqvist. Juha Hietakari adds that the warehouse is more eco-friendly than before. “Effective sorting, recycling and packing and returning of big bags, if requested by the customer, have been taken into account in the design of the new building.” “With the new warehouse, we can offer a total package.” The new warehouse also has efficient, custom-built equipment for the removal of dust and to prevent the contamination of various products. According to Blomqvist, the new warehouse has a number of standout features. Quality has to be guaranteed throughout the chain. “With the new warehouse, we can offer both a total package and overall responsibility,” Blomqvist sums up. 13

My job Summer job became a job for life In 1995, Seppo Juhola was given a twomonth-long summer job at Powder-Trans. Twenty-five years later he is still with the company. “Since I’ve been with PowderTrans for a quarter of a century, I can’t very well say that it’s a bad place to work. I have definitely enjoyed working here.” So says Seppo Juhola, who has worked for 25 years as a driver for Powder-Trans. Although PowderTrans turned out to be the right choice for Juhola, in the mid-1990s he had to choose between PowderTrans and an entirely different section of the transport industry. “It’s long ago, but I remember I had two choices. The other was driving a bus.” Unique vehicle Through the years he has driven all over the Nordic countries and the Baltics, with a few detours into Germany and Belgium. “I’ve held my current position at Powder-Trans for three and a half years, so the majority of the time I’ve driven abroad.” Right now, Juhola drives one of Powder-Trans’s more unusual vehicles, a pump truck for liquid putty. The truck is used for deliveries to construction sites especially in and around Helsinki, but also other parts of Finland. “I spend a lot of the time managing and monitoring the equipment when unloading. Since the material begins to react in 20 minutes, I have 14 Seppo Juhola drives an unusual but important vehicle at Powder-Trans. The customers he visits ranges from small houses in the countryside to blocks of flats in major cities. to react quickly if something goes wrong,” Juhola says. Juhola is modest when it comes to his job, but in reality it involves a lot, from making sure water levels are set correctly to making sure that the hoses work as intended. An interesting package Compared with the start of his career, Juhola says that a lot, but not everything, has changed. The vehicles and technology have developed a lot while the drivers’ work is the same, by and large. “Especially those who work with international transports sometimes have to spend longer periods away from home.” “This job is about the mindset.” Juhola believes that is one reason that young people are not attracted to the branch these days. “This job is about the mindset.” For him, the most interesting thing is the variety. It isn’t just about loading, driving and unloading in his case. “There’s filters that need cleaning and valves that need checking. I have to check myself that every- thing works.” What motivates him most is when jobs are successful and the customer is happy. Unloading in major cities and at cramped construction sites also involves added challenges. “In Helsinki, three construction companies may be working on the same block at the same time. It becomes really cramped, but I still need to get in there with the whole trailer in tow.” Customer service is everything Juhola speaks not only Finnish, but also English and Swedish, as he himself puts it, at least well enough to manage the loading and unloading as well as ordering food in the other languages. “I’ve said that if I couldn’t make a delivery due to communication problems, I might as well quit.” For Juhola, customer service is an important aspect of the job. “You can’t always rely on the fact that you have a big truck and that you’re the king of the road. You need to know how to behave too.”

Better tyres thanks to new project During autumn 2020, Powder-Trans took on a partnership with the tyre manufacturer Michelin and the axle manufacturer BPW to achieve optimal savings in fuel and tyre wear. Powder-Trans’s goal is to achieve both lower fuel consumption and minimise tyre wear. Tero Viitanen, Fleet Manager at Powder-Trans, has high expectations when it comes to the new project. “Axles on some of the trailers will be fitted with a system that monitors and automatically increases the tyre pressure and lets the driver know if a tyre is punctured,” he says. The project is a collaboration with the tyre manufacturer Michelin and axle manufacturer BPW. The project was launched in September and will be carried out during autumn 2020. “The goal is improved sustainability and lower fuel consumption. We also hope to reduce punctures while driving,” says Viitanen. The test involves the installation of the system on a trailer, and the results will be compared with a similar trailer without the new system. In collaboration, Powder-Trans and Michelin will continuously monitor the appropriate choice of raw material and opportunities to further optimise the useful life of the tyre. The collaboration is important for Powder-Trans as several environmental aspects will be taken into account, from manufacturing to recycling of the tyres. Mirrorless vehicles tested Together with the modernisation of the fleet of vehicles, Powder-Trans is testing new technologies from manufacturers. During the autumn, three new Mercedes-Benz trucks were delivered and testing in traffic has begun. The vehicles use cameras instead of traditional mirrors. The result is significantly improved traffic safety. The cameras are mounted above the side doors and the image is displayed on two monitors next to each A pillar inside the cabin. The cameras can be turned on using buttons inside the cabin, even when the engine is turned off. Visibility in the front corners is improved as the monitors reduce blind spots compared to conventional rear mirrors. In addition, aerodynamics has improved, which leads to lower fuel consumption. The images in the monitors follow the trailer when turning and thus improve visibility. In addition, there is a function that highlights both the distance lines and support lines in the monitor, which helps when overtaking or, for instance, backing up. At Powder-Trans the same trucks will be used to test the new tyre monitoring system that PowderTrans is testing together with the tyre manufacturer Michelin and axle manufacturer BPW. The new trucks will thus be testing a number of systems. “This way we can gain precise results and comparisons,” says Tero Viitanen, Fleet Manager at Powder-Trans. 15

Our department Keeping tabs on the Nordics The right load, the right route, right on time. Powder-Trans has a closely-knit group of transport organisers who work to make each and every transport as efficient as possible. Thanks to digitalisation, their work has changed in a number of ways. Working as a transport organiser involves a variety of work, which requires equal parts routine and the ability to adapt and react. For Powder-Trans’s four transport organisers in Finland and two in Sweden, each workday is different to the next. “Our days are definitely exciting. Every day we come up against different challenges, which we transport organisers solve together. In order to succeed, we have a team that seems almost tailor-made for this purpose,” says Jani Laaksonen, a transport organiser at PowderTrans’s Lieto unit in Finland. His colleague Richard Haglund at Powder-Trans and the subsidiary BulkTEAM’s unit in Dalby, Sweden agrees. “The assignments are planned to achieve the best possible logistics, but each day is different because conditions can change and existing plans can get switched around.” Transport planning at the units is both challenging and requires responsibility. The units are effective and service-minded at the same time. The transport organisers are in charge of around 120 vehicles along different routes throughout the Nordic countries and partly in the Baltics, and contacts with both customers and drivers. “The most challenging part is getting the goods to the customers on schedule, but at the same time, as economically and effectively as possible. That makes the job interesting,” says Laaksonen. Everything from working hours to environmental aspects, and also ferry timetables for cross-border traffic, have to be taken into account. Without the right tools, it would be an impossible job. “The current number of vehicles would be impossible to steer effectively without electronic and digital monitoring,” says Laaksonen. Thanks to Powder-Trans’s high degree of digitalisation, each transport order is taken care of electronically. Transports, trucks and timetables are monitored in real time. “Additionally, in principle we can Today, Powder-Trans’s transport planning handles all transports electronically. Jani Laaksonen (small photo). 16 work wherever we have access to the internet. If I need to file or alter an order during evenings and holidays, I can access our planning system directly,” says Haglund. Extensive digitalisation The extensive digitalisation at Powder-Trans started already in the early 2000s. In 2002, the company implemented GPS-steered transport planning and monitoring of trucks. Moreover, the company implemented electronic working hours monitoring, even though it was relatively unusual in the sector. The next major changes took place around a decade later, when Powder-Trans modernised its ERP system and updated the onboard computers. Quality Manager Juha Hietakari was in charge of the project at Powder-Trans. “The project took off in 2011 with a search for a supplier for the new system, but we quickly realised that there wasn’t a suitable off-the-shelf system available for bulk transports on the market,” Hietakari says. In the end, Powder-Trans found

Richard Haglund can monitor all the trucks in real time, even from home. two suppliers that together offered a customisable solution. The system was planned to go on line in 2012. The new program offered a fully-integrated solution. Since 2012, the system has included everything from the order processing and invoicing to monitoring deliveries, loading, unloading and fuel consumption. This has resulted in optimised, eco-friendly and profitable transports. “The system is also more user-friendly and adjusted to our needs. We’ve been able to integrate our customers’ order systems into it, for example,” says Hietakari. The experiences are positive. Jani Laaksonen manages contacts with several customers who have chosen to integrate their systems. “It has made the work easier and also sped up communication. Manual work stages have been reduced and the risk of human error has been minimised.” Help and flexibility Both Jani Laaksonen and Rickard Haglund are very happy with the system. “Digitalisation is such a huge help,” Haglund points out. Haglund has worked as a transport organiser at BulkTEAM since the company was founded in 2014, but has previous experience both in the work and the sector. Back then and at other companies digital options were few and far between. Jani Laaksonen has been involved throughout Powder-Trans’s most recent digitalisation process. He first worked as a driver before becoming a transport organiser in 2011. Haglund and Laaksonen both use the digital tools in a number of ways. Both start their workdays by reviewing the situation, to see that things are running smoothly and then plan the following day’s transports. “We continuously receive orders from our customers , which we then need to assign vehicles for,” says Haglund. Jani Laaksonen often starts his workdays at home, where he reads emails and remotely checks customers’ silos. Then he drives to the office. “I first check that all of the vehicles are on schedule and that the loads are the correct weight. During the workday, we plan the day’s and the next day’s transports, we check the driver’s driving hours and plan the trucks’ upcoming maintenance and inspections. The last orders usually arrive in the afternoon so that the following day’s driving schedule can be finalised at around 4 p.m.,” he says. Although digitalisation has come far, its development continues. Since the major modernisation in 2011–2012, small improvements have been made regularly. Among other things, the digital tachographs have been updated so that all of the information is directly downloaded into the ERP system. Also 2020 has seen new advances, including the launch of a new intranet. Development continues. Successful audit In August, Powder-Trans underwent a comprehensive SQAS audit (Safety & Quality Assessment for Sustainability). The audit, which is carried out every three years, gave an even better result in 2020 than the previous one in 2017. Powder-Trans’s safety, quality, environmental and social responsibility performance was better than ever. It also showed that the company clearly exceeds the average for companies in Europe. “It’s wonderful to notice that the effective and goal-oriented work we do at Powder-Trans creates results that can be seen in our daily work and in the audit report,” says Juha Hietakari, Quality Manager for Powder-Trans. New appointment Powder-Trans is reinforcing its organisation in Sweden by adding a new position in operative management. Michael Stertman was appointed as Operations Manager, taking responsibility for customer contacts, personnel, training and technology within the company. Stertman will work for PowderTrans’s Swedish subsidiary BulkTEAM. BulkTEAM’s Subsidiary Manager, Lars-Åke Büchau, will continue in his current role with responsibility for the unit in Dalby and for sales, services and customer contacts. “Stertman has been involved in the transport sector since 2003, working as a silo truck driver, logistics manager for project bulk transports and as a subsidiary manager for Swerock AB’s bulk transports. The new position will give us a chance to increase occupational safety and quality to a greater extent at our unit,” says Managing Director Fredrik Blomqvist. 17

Our supplier German quality meets global flexibility As a manufacturer of silo and tank trailers, rail wagons and containers, the German company Feldbinder is a renowned global giant. During 45 years the company has manufactured more than 60,000 vehicles. The Feldbinder story began in 1975, when two friends merged their forces and philosophies. The resulting company began manufacturing silo vehicles with just three employees, but the founders Otto Feldbinder and Jan-Dirk Beckmann had bigger plans in store. The company started growing almost immediately. A few years on, the original plant near Hamburg had been relocated to another part of the city and was now churning out 120 vehicles per year. That plant also quickly became too small and was soon moved to Winsen, south of Hamburg. A decade on, they purchased a second plant in Wittenberg, south of Berlin. “This gave us the opportunity to ramp up production with stainless tank trailers as well as train wagons. Additional capacity was also created for manufacturing aluminium silo tanks to serve new customer in Europe, Asia and the Middle East,” says Volker Hedden, Sales Manager at Feldbinder. “It offered us the chance to ramp up production with tank trailers.” Forty years later, the company is still based in Winsen and relies on Germany as a hub for production, sales and customer service in Eu- 18 rope. ‘Made in Germany’ is a considerable stamp of quality, recognised all over the world, and quality, flex- ibility and reliability are precisely what drives the family-owned Feld- binder forward. ‘Made in Germany’ Powder-Trans has been Feldbinder’s customer since the late 1990s. Today, Feldbinder’s silo vehicles are used to transport everything from food to plastic, and ‘Made in Germany’ has proven to be exactly what it stands for. “In the late 90s, Feldbinder was delighted to host Powder-Trans at an international trade fair, and they signed the first orders for tipping silo semitrailers. The co-operation worked out very well and today, a large portion of Powder-Trans’s fleet consists of Feldbinder’s trailers,” explains Hedden. Currently, the Feldbinder Group manufactures a variety of different silo and tank trailers, containers and rail wagons. Manufacturing is concentrated in two plants: the parent plant outside of Hamburg and the plant in Wittenberg. The company has an annual turnover of close to EUR 200 million, around 1,000 employees and manufactures roughly 2,000 units per year. The company philosophy is based in large part on continuous improvement and tailor-made customer solutions. The customer can specify everything from volume to length, axles to unloading systems. One example of this continued focus on innovation is the 2019 launch of tank trailers made from titanium. The light-weight titanium increases transport volumes by 30 per cent, thanks to a reduction in weight of 40 per cent. In addition, Feldbinder has begun offering vehicles with onboard computers, which digitalises the trailers and increases ease of handing. Key milestones Throughout Feldbinder’s history, new innovations have continuously complemented the product offering. Since the 1990s, Feldbinder has expanded both its European operations and its international sales and service network. “In co-operation with our customers, our technology, our highly-qualified personnel and modern production facilities anticipate a positive outlook for Feldbinder. We also have some investments underway,” says Hedden. In recent years, the company has reached milestones within its production and administration alike. In 2019, the company delivered its 60,000th vehicle. A year earlier, the founders of the company, Otto Feldbinder and Jan-Dirk Beckmann, handed over the reins to the next generation. The family company will thus continue as a family company, both in terms of ownership and management. Feldbinder continues on its mission and maintains its company values involving quality and sustainability, as well as its partnership with Powder-Trans.

Personnel New intranet – improved communication High-quality training material, electronic reporting and better internal and external communication are the goals of Powder-Trans’s new intranet. Work on a new company-wide intranet began in the autumn of 2019. During the space of less than a year, the supplier’s platform was tailored to the specific needs of Powder-Trans. “The supplier had a stable platform that already had the majority of the features we were looking for. In addition, they were able to expand their system with the add-ons we were after,” says Pontus Eggert who was responsible for the project at Powder-Trans. Eggert lists several key features of the new intranet. The intranet includes everything from manuals and checklists to in-house news and the drivers’ own training certificates. “We have additionally built in a training platform and guidelines and directives, both external and in- ternal. The intranet has to function as our central tool for distribution of training and other informational material for our drivers,” says Eggert. Smoother communication Thanks to the new intranet, drivers can also report deviations and damages electronically. “The result is faster communication between the customer, driver, office and subcontractors, improved transparency and better communication within the company, in general,” says Eggert. The intranet enables the sending of urgent information in various formats such as text, images and video, to the drivers for instance. HR Manager Christian Blomqvist is Pontus Eggert emphasises the importance of improving training and safety. thrilled with the opportunities it offers. During the autumn and winter of 2020, all of the drivers will have gained access to the intranet. “The intranet enables the flow of information to the drivers and personnel much faster than before. Photos and videos make things much easier to understand and improve communication and understanding.” Improved communication is a key feature of the intranet according to Christian Blomqvist (left), conversing with Juho Lähteenmäki. 19

Profile A lifetime of trucks Trucks have made up a large part of his life for more than 60 years. Today, Bror-Torsten Roos still remembers the models and registration numbers of the trucks he has sold and seen over the course of his life. In addition to being a veteran of the Finnish truck trade, BrorTorsten Roos is also an avid truck enthusiast. “I was a school kid when I sat on a truck platform next to a wood gasifier and burned a whole in my new shirt. I’ve had trucks on the brain ever since I was young,” he says. After retiring Roos has continued to stay abreast of the sector’s happenings, analysing statistics on truck sales, and remembering the vehicles he has sold, how they were equipped, and even the registration numbers they were assigned. During his career, he could, with just a small margin of error, also estimate how many kilometres a vehicle might have on its trip meter after a certain number of years. “After having worked so long in the same business, I knew approximately how much the trucks had been driven, depending on where they drove and what they transported, and how many drivers they had. I guess it’s just that I was so interest- ed and have a good memory,” says Roos modestly. Even to an outsider, it is clear that Roos has given his heart and soul to his career. “At the time, most transport company owners drove their own trucks, so we adjusted our working hours according to theirs.” It all started at home in Virkkala, near Lohja, Finland, in the 1950s when he came into contact with the limestone quarry’s cement trucks. When he worked at Helsinki City Transport after his military service, he could catch a ride from the capital city to his home in Lohja with one of his friends who drove the cement trucks. He soon began driving a cement truck himself, until he took up his studies again. “After I graduated, I got a job at Volvo Auto’s technical department. However, it was a relatively chal- Carl-Johan Blomqvist (left) and Bror-Torsten Roos, or BT and Roosen as he is also called, have been friends for a long time. 20 lenging area of responsibility that stretched from Joensuu in eastern Finland all the way to northern Finland.” Roos was slightly unsatisfied for this reason, but soon a new opportunity would come knocking. In 1964, Scan-Auto was looking for personnel. “I spent almost 37 years there.” In the beginning he worked in the workshop, but later he started selling used trucks. In 1974, Scan-Auto built a new shop in Lohja. That is where Roos would carry out his actual life’s work, for almost 30 years. Thanks to some good contacts, his fluent Finnish and Swedish and huge enthusiasm for the job, Roos quickly became a successful salesman. “At the time, most transport company owners drove their own trucks, so we adjusted our working hours according to theirs. My workdays often began at eight in the morning. I was home at nine in the evening.” In addition, Roos was faithful to

one make of truck for the rest of his career. Scan-Auto’s and Roos’s truck of choice was and would forever be Scania. “That’s how it turned out, but I did consider Volvo a couple times.” Volvo would have gladly hired Roos, and once he was even tempted. Still, Scania turned out to be the truck of choice for his whole career. Tough times Over the decades, Roos has experienced stiff competition, changes in official regulations and an amazing technological advancement. “Things changed almost twice a year, but we had excellent training so we managed to keep up.” The financial recession in the 1990s was also a notable period. “In 1990, I delivered altogether fifteen trucks in just under three months at the start of the year, but then things came to a halt. In 1993, I invoiced only three new trucks during the whole year, but in 1994 things already started looking up when haulage companies could start deducting VAT.” 30 sales Undoubtedly, Roos has many stories and memories to recount. The partnership with Powder-Trans and its founder Carl-Johan Blomqvist is one of them. “I’ll never forget when I sold my first T 112 to Carl-Johan. It was evening by the time we finally shook hands.” It was 1980 and that sale was the first step in the long-standing business partnership between Bror-Torsten and Carl-Johan. Even though negotiations were often tough, the partners became and remain friends to this day. Between 1980 and 2000, Roos sold a total of 30 trucks to Powder-Trans, a clear sign that Roos chose the right profession. “It was always obvious to me that I wanted to sell trucks. I can’t complain, I am happy with how things turned out,” he sums up. Transports even in the time of distancing Amanda Juhola at work. The year 2020 was when physical distancing and careful hygiene became critical, also in most companies’ operations. Powder-Trans took action early on. When the coronavirus epidemic broke out early on in the year, it was clear to Powder-Trans that fast measures needed to be taken to secure the health of personnel, customers and the surrounding community. At the same time, they needed to ensure that transports would continue. Limiting important transports that would be needed now more than ever was not an option. “The most important measures were, of course, washing our hands as often as possible and staying 1–2 metres away from one another, but we also recommended that our drivers buy ready-made meals from roadside restaurants to eat in their cabins,” says HR Manager Christian Blomqvist. Powder-Trans took measures starting in March in line with official directives and the comapny´s own plan. “A lot of it was just using our common sense. Our drivers and personnel were informed of official measures and restrictions that were carried out by some of our customers,” says Blomqvist. Office employees started work- ing from home and in the field customers and drivers took care to minimise contact. Thanks to Powder-Trans’s advanced digitalisation efforts, the work went smoothly even without physical customer contacts. Driver Amanda Juhola felt that the epidemic had very little impact on her work. “All of the information on loading, unloading and destinations were supplied electronically or by phone so we were able to mostly avoid physical contact. So it was easy to adapt to the situation as a driver.” The work has since continued, independently and without any trouble. Finland’s isolation of the Uusimaa region from the rest of the country in March in order to prevent the spread of the virus had little impact as transport vehicles could move freely. “The most complicated thing was getting coffee from petrol stations and avoiding groups of people. The most important thing in terms of the job, just as in my free time, was using common sense, keeping a safe distance and keeping my hands and surfaces clean,” says Juhola. 21

We at PT Robin Rosenberg Family: Married to Annika, father to Lina, servant to Sulo the cat Job: Transport organiser for international transports, Lieto, Finland When did you begin working at Powder-Trans? April 2015 Your best working life experience: It’s hard to pick a single event. The most rewarding thing about my daily work is when transports go as planned and customers, the bosses and drivers are all happy with the results. What do you value most in your colleagues? I most value my colleagues’ co-operation and the mood around the transport organisers’ table. It can get hectic at times and even loud but we’re all working towards the same goal. With regard to the drivers, I most value their competence and ability to adapt to quickly changing situations. What makes you happy? Everyday things with my family, good food and the great outdoors. Our local sports club TPS’s successes both in football and ice-hockey. Åsa Algotsson Family: I live in Genarp, Sweden with my husband Christofer and our kids Emma and Julia and our cat Siri. Job: I work as an accountant for BulkTEAM, Dalby, Sweden. When did you begin working at Powder-Trans? January 2018 Your best working life experience: One of my best experiences was when I plucked up 22 What makes you angry? People who don’t take responsibility for their actions. What are your plans for your next holiday? ’m hoping that the world goes back to normal and I can travel to the European Football Championships to see Finland make its major tournament debut next summer. How do you see Powder-Trans in 10 years time? Still ambitious and innovative. A valued employer and partner. the courage to take a break from my working life to study economics so that I can do the work I do today. What do you value most in your colleagues? What I value most is that they are helpful, reliable and down-to-earth, but best of all, I can be myself at work. What makes you happy? My family, sunshine, friends. The feeling I get when I can help a friend or if I get praised by a colleague. What makes you angry? Not a lot makes me angry, but a broken coffeemaker can ruin my whole day. What are your plans for your next holiday? Right now, we are thinking about getting a camper van, so maybe taking a family road trip across Europe would be great. How do you see Powder-Trans 10 years time? Considering our future new facilities, my hope is that both our turnover and personnel grow. More digital and goal-oriented solutions and an increased digital presence.

Margus Akkerman Family: Two kids Job: Driver, Lieto, Finland When did you begin working at Powder-Trans? 2009 Your best working life experience: It’s hard to pinpoint one particular thing, but driving a silo truck is the best thing in itself. Especially when I have a special assignment and everything we’ve agreed on in terms of the transport goes precisely according to plan. What do you value most in your colleagues? Above all I value honesty. What makes you happy? I am happy when I can do something I enjoy. At Powder-Trans, I’ve been given the opportunity to show what I can do and I’ve also gained the confidence to use new and tougher equipment to get the job done. I enjoy working at Powder-Trans. Kristian Rantala Family: Wife Olivia and Tomppa the cat Job: CFO, Lieto, Finland When did you begin working at Powder-Trans? January 2018 Your best working life experience: A recreation event in San Francisco with my previous employer where I sailed a catamaran under the What makes you angry? I’m a calm man so there is no need to get angry. =) What are your plans for your next holiday? On my next holiday I definitely want to do something fun with my family. How do you see Powder-Trans in 10 years time? That’s a great question. During the past decade I’ve seen Powder-Trans climbing higher and higher. But how high can we still climb? As the saying goes “The sky is the limit.” Golden Gate Bridge. What do you value most in your colleagues? As a company, Powder-Trans is just the right size with a good corporate culture where colleagues are willing to help one another when needed. In bigger companies, employees often stick strictly to their own tasks and are not prepared to step outside the boundaries of their own area. What makes you happy? Positive people, family, holidays, our summer cottage in Pargas. What makes you angry? Negative people, mobile apps, traffic along the road to our cottage, watery vegetable soup. What are your plans for your next holiday? Definitely a trip abroad. I didn’t get to do a lot of that this summer... How do you see Powder-Trans in 10 years time? In ten years, Powder-Trans will be the Nordic countries’ leading company within powder transports, the first choice for customers and employees in the sector, with a significantly higher turnover and an even better result than today. 23

Vintage corner Revitalising history Knowing and preserving your history is all the more important these days. The Vintage Truck Association of Finland ensures that the history of the transport sector is preserved. The Vintage Truck Association of Finland (VTAF) has more than 1,000 members currently. Roughly 100 of them are companies that provide financial support. This says a lot about the importance of the association, both within the transport sector and among people in general. “Upholding traditions is a meaningful part of a well-functioning society, and a key aspect of the Vintage Truck Association’s activities,” says Juha Helin who has been Chairman of the association since 2017. The VTAF has grown substantially especially during the 2000s and today organises numerous events and brings together experts and enthusiasts alike. “Being involved in these circles gives you of new acquaintances all over Finland,” says Helin. Carl-Johan Blomqvist (left) and Juha Helin encourage members to restore old vehicles. continue to delight future generations,” says Helin. The Vintage Truck Association of Finland, and vintage trucks in general, also have their role to play in Powder-Trans’s history and operations. The founder of Powder-Trans, Carl-Johan Blomqvist has a longheld interest in the vehicles that he and the company grew up with. “We preserve traditional knowledge and encourage our members to restore old vehicles so they can continue to delight future generations.” “When I joined the association in 2012, Calle was the first to welcome me. I remember it well,” says Helin. Preserving knowhow Burgeoning interest The members also help one another in a huge number of restoration projects. Many of the vehicles were destined for the scrapyard and have now been given a new life. Today, they tell an important part of Finland’s history; transportation through the decades, industrialisation and vehicle development. “We preserve traditional knowledge and encourage our members to restore old vehicles so they can Today, vintage trucks are a common sight at national trade fairs and local events. When the Vintage Truck Association of Finland was established in 1987, things were very different. The first national vintage truck exhibition had been organised the year before and the hobby was slowly starting to take off. VTAF’s 14 founders have grown into a huge group of enthusiasts. In addition, there are numerous local and re- Publisher: Powder-Trans Ab Oy, FI 21420 Lieto Production Oy HolmMediaData Ab Planning & layout: Sture Holm Text: Christoffer Holm gional associations with the same interest. “Today, there are around 1,600 trucks registered as museum vehicles and in addition there are a large number of restored and unrestored vintage trucks still cruising the roads,” says Helin. According to law, a truck can only be registered as a museum vehicle if it is more than 30 years old and in its original condition or well restored. After the vehicle inspection, the owner receives a certificate that frees the vehicle from both diesel tax and vehicle tax, but also restricts the use of the vehicle to 30 days per year. For a large portion of this time the vehicle participates in various meets and parades. “Vintage trucks as a hobby is a culture in and of itself, believe it or not. As proof of this, the association received a culture award at the 2019 Finnish Vehicle and Traffic Gala,” says Helin. In addition to various meets and courses, the Vintage Truck Association of Finland organises three extremely popular excursions to different places in Finland. “The colourful caravans of trucks and truck shows arranged along the way have been popular with the public. We specifically try to drive our vintage trucks, not just put them on display,” Helin explains. Photos: Pontus Eggert, Christoffer Holm and Powder-Trans photo archive Composition: Ab Pixaton Oy Translation: Traduct Oy Printing: Paino-Kaarina Oy