On Thursday, January 18, 2024, there was very challenging winter weather in southern Finland, which caused excitement and challenges for both the event organizers and the participants. Public transport was delayed and drivers had to slow down due to bad weather. Some of the performers and guests had spent the night before the event at the airport and were worried to see if they could make a substitute flight to Helsinki-Vantaa in time before their own performance started.

"Building the day is a big challenge for our Steel Pile Day project team every year, but it is always very rewarding to see the end result. The event has grown in popularity over the years and has become the largest and most significant event in the foundation construction industry," says Petri Suonpuro, Head of the Pile product line.

 

Petri Suonpuro and Petteri Steen, SSAB Europe, Tubular Products

 

At the beginning of the day, Petteri Steen, General manager of Tubular Products, introduced the guests to the world of SSAB and Tubular Products. One of the most significant achievements in Tubular Products in 2023 was zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI). “Safety development is a continuous task and must be earned every day,” says Petteri. Another major achievement was the production of the world’s first fossil-free Zero™ tubes at the Pulkkila factory in early August 2023.

The first actual presentation was conducted by Runar Stjern, Project Manager (Geo Fundamentering AS), who arrived from Norway. Runar presented the Ocean Space Center project, where the RD pile wall once again performed excellently at the challenging location of the marine technology center. Runar visited the Finnish Steel Pile Day for the first time, but SSAB Norway’s Stålpeledagen has become a familiar event over the years. "It was great that the presentations were available in both Finnish and English. I’m happy to be part of the event in the years to come," said Runar.

Tuija Tyynismaa from Mitta Oy said that she had visited the event for several years. Tuija says that the year starts with SSAB’s Steel Pile Day, which she sees as a highlight at the start of the year. “During the Steel Pile Day, you can meet designers and contractors as well as other experts in the field, from whom it’s also interesting to hear about the projects that are about to start,” says Tuija.

Tuija Tyynismaa from Mitta Oy and SSAB’s Technical Support Manager Antti Perälä thought that it is nice to follow traditions. “If there was no Steel Pile Day in January, January would feel empty,” Tuija says.

 

One of the most anticipated speeches of the day was the presentation by Sami Eronen, President of Ruukki Construction. He has a long history of working with steel piles earlier in his career. At the beginning of the presentation, Sami said that he was one of the “guilty ones” starting the event 17 years ago, when he worked in the sales and development of steel piles.

"Originally we started organizing the Steel Pile Day on the basis that we wanted to bring together stakeholders from different areas of foundation construction, such as designers, authorities, contractors, clients and material suppliers. We wanted to build a joint event where we can develop the industry together. The event has served the purpose very well. From the very beginning, the content of the event was really important, but it is just as important that the stakeholders in the industry meet one another.

This is a great community and industry, a construction area where there are many skilled people with long careers in different companies. This is collaboration between companies, but also between people. Individuals have an influence on what kind of planning solutions and guidelines are made. That’s why it’s important to have an open dialog and a mindset of doing things together.

If you think about the events in the construction industry in Finland and the Nordic countries, or even narrower segment of foundation construction, it is difficult to find an event like the Steel Pile Day. We should be really proud of this event," summarizes Sami Eronen the mood of the day.

Sami Eronen, President, Ruukki Construction

SSAB's Steel Pile Day was organized for the 17th time on January 18, 2024

 

The presentations that were heard during the day can be viewed on the event website.