A year ago, around this same time, I named the year 2018 “The Year of Success”. To continue the tradition, the year 2019 will be named “The Year of Growth”. Almost in a blink of the eye, we have grown into a big work community of over 50 people. At the same time, we have opened several new offices outside of Finland.

This rapid change is amply exemplified by our relocation to new offices in the Ilmala district of Helsinki in late summer 2019. The previous office space in Pitäjänmäki became so crowded that even the janitor’s closet was used for negotiations over the telephone. The conference rooms were almost always occupied, ventilation did not keep up with the increasing number of people, and you had to weave around the bikes of those who cycled to work in the lobby. We moved from this intimate chaos to a modern, professional space with room to breathe and meet customers and partners.

Even though growth and the changes it causes have not always been easy, the benefits are clear to our employees, customers and partners. For example, the extensive property base of Leanheat has enabled us to develop extremely professional methods for building maintenance. As the growth continues, the methods are developing further, and customers can expect even more benefits from our services. From the employees’ point of view, growth opens wide personal development paths and new opportunities for specialization. For partners, scaling up will bring a more profitable partnership. For example, when working with district heating companies, top-notch technology must be supported by credible business continuity long into the future, because decisions are not made just for the next year or two, but with sights set much further into the future.

To secure our future in the long term, finally the greatest change was that Leanheat became a full part of Danfoss. We see a future where digital services are used to manage buildings and district heating networks all around the globe. As part of Danfoss, we can export our solutions everywhere in the world, and thereby continue substantial investment in the development of our services. This guarantees our competitiveness and enables us to ensure that all our customers in Finland and elsewhere can enjoy the best possible quality and prices. With Danfoss, what we do is now supported by 40,000 colleagues all around the world.

Although the company is growing, the business framework is developing, and our work becomes more international, we cherish the core of our business – uncomplicated and agile, customer-centric operation. A big thank-you to all our employees, customers and partners for a magnificent year!

Jukka Aho, Managing Director