Finnish Delegation Visited Mo Industrial Park: Aiming to Build Long-Term Relations

A delegation from Business Oulu visited Mo Industrial Park this week to learn more about the industrial ecosystem in Rana and explore opportunities for collaboration between Finnish and Norwegian industrial companies.

The visit was part of a joint initiative to strengthen Nordic industrial ties and included presentations, company meetings, and a guided tour of the park.

– We want to build long-term relationships between Mo Industrial Park and the business community in Oulu. If some companies find partners already now, that’s great – but our main goal is lasting cooperation, said Jukka Olli from Business Oulu.

He was accompanied by Heini Malm, Senior Advisor for Business Development at Business Oulu.
– It’s exciting to see how Mo Industrial Park facilitates green industry and collaboration across sectors. We believe there is great potential between our regions, both industrially and academically, said Malm.

Business Oulu represents the city’s business community and works to strengthen innovation, investment, and international connections for companies in Northern Finland. This time, they were joined by several industrial companies from the Oulu region – including Sweco, Mesens, Fimpec, Filtrabit, and Arctic Construction Cluster, as well as representatives from the University of Oulu’s Faculty of Technology, Industrial Engineering and Management.

– There’s nothing like Mo Industrial Park in Northern Norway. We’ve planned this visit for a long time, but only now did we get the right contacts. This is our first organized trip here, and the response has been overwhelming, said Olli.

Focus on green industry and cross-border cooperation

Mayor Geir Waage welcomed the delegation and shared insights about Mo i Rana as an industrial city with a strategic location, a deep-water port, and a new airport under construction. He also addressed the geopolitical situation in the north and how a strengthened east–west corridor – with a rail connection between Mo i Rana and Storuman – could become crucial if Finland were ever blocked in the Baltic Sea.

The Finnish guests also met several of the industrial companies in the park.
Bjørn Ugedal, CEO of Mo Industripark AS, spoke about the park as a growing green industrial cluster and how it facilitates sustainable, forward-looking development.
Frode J. Berg, Plant Director at Elkem, shared insights into the company’s journey toward becoming climate neutral.
Knut Gullesen, CEO of Ferroglobe, presented the company’s production activities.

Jan Gabor from SMA Mineral shared the latest updates on the planned zero-emission lime plant in Mo i Rana – scheduled to start construction in April 2026, with full operation expected by August 2027. He also noted that a potential second phase of the project will depend on available grid capacity.

Roger Skatland, Group CEO of Momek, described how aquaculture has, for the first time, become the company’s largest market. He also emphasized Momek’s people-first approach.
– People are our most important resource, said Skatland.

Kjetil Brose from 7 Steel talked about the company’s growth and how its strategic location in Mo i Rana provides fantastic logistics and access to key markets both north and south.

Industrial park tour and new opportunities

The day concluded with B2B meetings between companies from Oulu and representatives of Mo i Rana’s industrial community. The engagement was strong, and many valuable discussions took place.

Afterwards, the delegation went on a bus tour through the industrial park, with stops outside Rana Gruber and a visit to the new deep-water quay. Along the way, they were given insights into the park’s ongoing development and how collaboration among various actors contributes to building a strong, unified industrial environment.

– It was a very pleasant and productive day, with many questions and genuine interest from our visitors, summarized Arne Westgård, Operations Director at Mo Industripark AS, who organized the visit.
– Meetings like this help strengthen cooperation between Nordic industrial companies and create new opportunities for export, technology development, and green growth.

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