Skarta founded a new business unit – electrical grid business to complement the value chain
21.03.22Skarta Group’s value chain has now become more comprehensive with the addition of a new electrical grid business unit to the company. The electrical grid business unit is being developed and advanced by two new Skarta employees, Antti Keskinen and Pauli Lahti, both longtime experts in the field.
As a builder of a clean future, Skarta is increasingly carrying out comprehensive renewable energy projects. With the addition of an electrical grid business unit in Seinäjoki to Skarta’s repertoire as of 1 March 2022, the entire supplier process is available on the one-stop-shopping principle. Partners and the subcontracting network will remain an important part of operations, although all expertise in, for example, the construction of wind farms can now be found within the company.
“Skarta has a long and broad history with wind farm foundations and earthworks as well as wind farm internal network cabling. Additionally, a wind farm has to be connected to the nationwide electrical grid, and now that too is available from Skarta through our new business. Our new electrical grid business unit enables the construction of substations and power lines, and the business strengthens Skarta’s value chain as a whole,” says Antti Keskinen, director of Skarta’s electrical grid business.
Keskinen develops the business together with Pauli Lahti, the sales manager of the electrical grid business. The two men are excited about the field, the new business unit, and their roles:
“We see excellent growth opportunities here. Our society is currently going through a transition to the green economy and wind and solar farms are being built at an ever-increasing pace. It is amazing to be part of building a clean future.”
An important area of operations for Skarta’s electrical grid business, alongside constructing power plants, is strengthening the national electrical grid in such a way that the power plants can be connected to the electrical grid and that electricity can be brought from northern Finland to southern Finland. This is because large wind farms are usually located in the north, while the biggest consumers are in the south.
Growth plans already under way
Keskinen, Master of Science in electrical engineering, and Lahti, Bachelor of electrical engineering, are new Skarta employees, but they share a work history. Both have worked in the field for a long time and they have a good partner network, which they believe will help in starting the new business.
“Skarta already had a strong partnership and subcontracting network, which is very important. Even though we now have a comprehensive value chain with regards to, for example, wind farms, we do not intend to do everything by ourselves in the future. Projects are long and the size of a wind farm varies a lot, so Skarta will continue to work together with its partners. Good project leadership and the scalability of operations are central and an important part of a successful project.”
For Pauli Lahti, the role of Skarta’s sales manager is particularly exciting because it allows him to take part in building the new business from the very beginning.
“From the start, I have had a good feeling that Skarta takes care of its employees and the tools are in order. They will be needed immediately, as there has been a lot of buzz going from the very start and we are already processing offer requests.”
Antti Keskinen shares his positive sentiments: “It is great to take part in developing and growing Skarta’s electrical grid business in an active work community. As the business director, I will invest in our staff, customers, and partners in particular. My vision is for Skarta to be known for its employees with a good attitude and atmosphere, as well as our high-quality and safe operations. I already see Skarta as a company where the employees are in a key role and cooperation between different businesses and partners works well.”
CEO of Skarta Finland Oy Jukka Juola comments on the heads of the new business unit: “Antti and Pauli are an excellent addition to Skarta’s growing group of experts. They are top experts in their field and valued partners, whose experience will certainly be welcome in our customer base too.”
Keskinen and Lahti set their sights towards the future:
“Growth plans for the electrical grid business are already under way. Soon, we will start looking for new Skarta employees to join us as colleagues.”
