100-year-old Lemminkäinen announces construction sector innovation award

Today, August 2nd, in honour of its centenary year, Lemminkäinen is announcing the September launch of a construction sector innovation competition open to everyone. The aim of the competition is to develop novel approaches and inventions that will improve people’s everyday lives, work and mobility. The award is EUR 50,000.

Lemminkäinen creates safe and sustainable conditions for everyday living, working and travelling. The winner of the innovation award will be expected to bring novel solutions, perspectives, models or approaches to Finnish construction – be it in new construction, renovation construction, servicing and maintenance, or project development.

Lemminkäinen’s centenary-year innovation competition is open to all construction sector participants, municipalities, students and members of the general public. However, Lemminkäinen employees are excluded from entry. Competition registration will begin in the beginning of September, and the winner will be announced in early March 2011.

More information on the competition’s aims and how to participate will be given in September.

Additional information
Kati Renvall, Secretary to the Innovation Award Jury
Senior Vice President, Communications and Marketing, Lemminkäinen Group
Tel. +358 2071 54855

One hundred years of construction: Lemminkäinen 1910-2010

Asfaltti Osakeyhtiö Lemminkäinen was founded in 1910 as a specialist business and subcontractor of Helsinki’s master builders. At first the company concentrated on building waterproofing works, the bituminous paving of yards and streets, and the production of building products. In the years following Finland’s independence from Russia, Lemminkäinen expanded into the manufacture of roofing felt, and in the 1930s it started to produce and lay hot-mix asphalt. After the Second World War the company became the leader of Finland’s asphalt paving industry.

Lemminkäinen’s strong growth dates from the 1970s, when the relatively modest “tar firm” started to develop into a diversified international construction group. Initially, the emphasis in Lemminkäinen’s international operations was on the former Soviet Union and Africa. The company expanded into building construction with the acquisition of Oy Alfred A. Palmberg Ab in 1975, and into technical building services after the acquisition of Tekmanni Oy in 2000. Lemminkäinen’s share was first quoted on Helsinki Stock Exchange’s OTC list in 1989, moving to the main list in 1995.

Lemminkäinen Group’s present-day business sectors are Building Construction, Infrastructure Construction, Technical Building Services and Building Products.

• A century of building excellence
• Lemminkäinen's history