Nordic News, Business and Life in Asia
Follow the latest business developments connecting the Nordic countries
with Asia. ScandAsia covers companies, investment, trade, technology,
energy, manufacturing and new opportunities across the region.
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At an Extraordinary General Meeting on January 15, REC’s shareholders approved to sell the business as the largest European supplier of solar panels worldwide and to combine with the Norway-based …
Shareholders approve sale of Norway’s REC Solar to Chinese firm Read More
Opportunities afforded by the growing consumer markets of Asia play an important role in Marimekko’s internationalisation. Over the past three years, new markets have been opened up in China, Hong …
Marimekko expands into SE Asia with Singapore, Bkk stores Read More
Arla Foods is integrating its markets in China and South East Asia in a new regional market called Business Unit Asia. The regional office will be placed in Kuala Lumpur, …
Arla establishes new business region in Asia Read More
Denmark is making a push to sell its food and other products in new southeast Asian markets to offset the negative impact of the Russian food boycott and low European …
Danish food exporters target fast growing Vietnam, Philippines Read More
The Finnish meat industry is authorized to export pork to China, the country’s Agriculture Ministry confirmed on January 16. Atria and HKScan, two Finnish companies, have gained permits to export …
Finland to export pork to China Read More
Finland’s national carrier Finnair’s plan to replace part of its cabin crew with cheaper Asian labor have been delayed due to problems with work permits. Finnair recruits the Asian personnel through …
Finnair’s Asian outsourcing is delayed Read More
A group of representatives of the public and private sectors in Region Hovedstaden is currently in China working towards the establishment of a new knowledge centre in the eastern province …
Danish knowhow to help China clean up polluted soil Read More
Oilon has broken new ground in China. While Oilon has previously supplied burners and burner systems mainly for energy-production plants, the groundbreaking new agreements cover the delivery of burner systems …
Oilon seals burner systems deals for hazardous waste plants in China Read More
This year Volvo will start selling its Chinese produced S60L in USA. It is an expansion plan in North America that demands more Volvo cars in America. 1.500 S60L cars produced …
Volvo to sell Chinese cars in USA Read More
Danish robot manufacturer Universal Robots on January 8 announced the official opening of its Asia-Pacific (excluding China and India) headquarters in Singapore. This is its sixth global office. This comes …
Universal Robots opens regional HQ in Singapore Read More
The new OSM building, which houses Norwegian company OSM Maritime Services Inc. (OSM MSI) and the OSM Regional Operating Headquarter Office (OSM ROHQ), caters to at least 300 employees serving more …
OSM Maritime Services opens new office in Manila Read More
Taiwanese computer power manufacturer Delta announced that its subsidiary Deltronic B.V. will acquire the entire stake in Eltek ASA, a Norwegian power management and sales company, for NOK3.9 billion, which …
Taiwanese Company Acquires Norwegian Power Enterprise Read More
AB Volvo has completed the acquisition of 45% of the Chinese automotive manufacturer, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles Co., Ltd. The purchase consideration amounted to RMB 5.5 billion, according to the company’s …
Volvo completes acquisition of 45% of Dongfeng Read More
Swedish automaker Volvo Cars announced Monday it had beaten its historical sales record in 2014, mainly due to a successful expansion in China. Volvo sold 465,866 cars over the year, …
China expansion sees Volvo Cars hit sales high Read More
The deadline for the submission of tenders to supply Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) with a new fleet of 3,183 buses, was finally scheduled for January 2015. Conspicuously absent from …
Bangkok’s new bus fleet saga: why Scania, Volvo opt out Read More
Dynamic duo relaunch Denmark’s iconic audiovisual electronics brand, Bang & Olufsen, in Thailand A penchant for mixing business with pleasure brought Danish businessmen Kenneth Hovmoller and Peter Waagensen to a …
A taste for Danish ultra-luxury home entertainment Read More
A single shipment of Russian oil caused between KR40 million and KR80 million ($6.5 million-$13.1 million) in losses for failed fuel supplier OW Bunker after executives at its Singapore subsidiary …
OW Bunker Singapore lost $13m on one Russian oil shipment Read MoreNorwegian salmon is selling like never before, all over the world. Both prices and production have jumped, despite the loss of major markets in Russia and China, and profits are …
Norwegian salmon exports remain strong despite trade sanctions Read More
A former manager at bankrupt bunker supplier OW Bunker has been arrested in Denmark, the Danish public prosecutor said. Danish authorities will extradite the man to Italy, where is he …
Former OW Bunker manager arrested Read More
HERE, a leader in navigation, mapping and location experiences, on December 15 announced that it has teamed up with Baidu, the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, to power its …
Nokia powering maps for Baidu outside of China Read More
Thailand’s SCG Chemicals Co. Ltd. has announced it has acquired 51 percent of the shares in the independent petrochemical company Norner Holding AS from the current Norwegian owners, private equity …
Thailand’s SCG Chemicals buying Norwegian chemical firm Norner Read More
Barely a few months into its Asia launch, the new range of Volvo Trucks so impressed customers that key agreements have been inked to supply regional hauliers. Pak Nam Po …
New Volvo truck range gains traction in SE Asia Read MoreIn 2013 Denmark exported 131.000 tonnes of pork to Russia, but the summer 2014 Russia banned the all import of European pork. Now Russia they are trying to fill the …
Thailand starts exporting pork to Russia Read More
Moomin Language School, a Finnish edutech startup and a spinoff from Promentor Solutions Ltd. is building a language learning service for kindergartens in China. The company has just signed its …
Finnish Moomin Language School goes to China Read More
Ecolean is experiencing continued growth in the Asian markets. In order to meet customer demand, Ecolean recently added new facilities in China that will increase Ecolean’s production capacity of aseptic …
Ecolean raises output with new China factory Read More
Ascom, a global provider of mission-critical communications systems, recently acquired Scanditronic, a distributor of Ascom’s products in Malaysia and the South East Asia region. As of November 1st Scanditronic has …
Sweden’s Scanditronic renamed as Ascom Read More
A lack of demand in Finland has led to Finnish travel agents to cut the number of package holiday deals they offer during the winter months. Over the years, package …
Finnish agencies cut back on winter package tours to Thailand Read More
Grundfos has been awarded a S$1.4 million grant by the Singapore Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) to develop a novel wastewater filtration technology that can significantly reduce capital …
Grundfos Awarded S$1.4 Million Government Grant for Wastewater Read More
The new Thai-headquarter is the latest sign of Volvo Group’s multibillion baht investments in Thailand. The opening was visited by the Thai Minister of Transport and the Swedish Ambassador to …
Volvo Group opens new headquarter in Bangkok Read More
The deadline for the submission of tenders to supply Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) with a new fleet of 3,183 buses, was finally scheduled for January 2015. Conspicuously absent from …
Bangkok’s bus fleet procurement: why Scania, Volvo opt out Read More
In mid-November MASBA held the yearly Ambassador’s Dinner, which was attended by a record-breaking number of our members and spouses. For the second year in a row, we were enjoying …
MASBA’s yearly Ambassador Dinner Read More
World-leading micro component total solution supplier AAC Technologies Holdings and Swedish audio technology provider Dirac Research AB today announced a cooperation that will combine the best of AAC’s advanced micro …
Swedish, Chinese firms to raise bar on mobile phone sound Read More
The fair trade watchdog Finnwatch says Finnish publishers are selling books made on the back of sweatshop labour from China. According to a fresh report by the NGO Finnish publishers …
NGO: Finnish publishers use China’s sweatshop labour Read More
Monday the 8th December Danish windmill manufacturer Vestas said that it saw huge potential for windpower development in Vietnam and promised to help the country make wind a sustainable energy solution. …
Vestas sees huge potential in Vietnam Read More
Export sales hit record heights for eighth consecutive year. Danish organic food products are more popular than ever abroad, according to new figures from national statistics keeper Dansk Statistik. The …
Denmark sees rapid growth in organic food exports to China Read More
Denmark has great potential in ship management, and eventually Copenhagen can easily compete with Singapore in the area. This is assessed by V. Ships which have recently settled in Copenhagen. …
Denmark to take on Singapore in ship management Read More
Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha told some 800 foreign businessmen, on Wednesday 3 December 2014 about what he thinks should be improved in a range of areas. The businessmen were all …
Thai Prime Minister met with foreign business community Read More
China’s National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), which rescued iconic car brand Saab from bankruptcy in 2012, is getting a new owner also from Asia, according to documents from the District …
Another Asian firm to replace NEVS as maker of Saab car Read More
The leading producer of laminating paper products, Kotkamills, starts an about 13 million euros two-phase investment programme to strengthen its position as the leading global supplier of overlaying films for …
Kotkamills invests in Malaysia, Finland Read More
It was confirmed on December 2 that Denmark’s most famous architectural export, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), has been chosen to design Malaysia Square, a public space at the centre of …
BIG to design modernistic Malaysia Square in KL Read More
E-navigation specialist NAVTOR has set course for Asia, with the news that the Egersund, Norway-based business has opened an office in Singapore. The move comes in response to growing regional …
NAVTOR expands into Asia to meet e-navigation demand Read More
Finnish group opens first packaging plant in Asia / China-based facility focuses on food and healthcare markets Finnish packaging specialist Wipak Group (Nastola; www.wipak.com) in November started operations at its …
Finland’s Wipak sets up shop in China – 1st in Asia Read More
IKEA is launching its biggest “Soft Toys for Education” CSR campaign in Thailand to reach out and support more children than ever before. “We are delighted to launch the third …
IKEA Launches “Soft Toys For Education” Charity Campaign Read More
Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) is closing down its Die Cutting business in Qingdao, China. SMT is proposing to also close down the Die Cutting sales office in Halesowen, UK, subject …
Sandvik to scrap die cutting business in China Read MoreThe Swedish based Survey and GIS equipment maker, Satlab Geosolutions AB, announced on December 1 its expansion into the Asia Pacific market with the establishment of an Office in Singapore. …
Satlab Geosolutions Opens Office in Singapore Read More
Innovation and technology center Miktech has started co-operation to export Finnish food products to China. The export operations will be carried out in collaboration with the Chinese importer Shenzhen Bilberry …
Finland’s berry products enter China market Read More
Martin Roll swapped a thriving career in the Copenhagen advertising industry with an entirely new life in 2000, without a safety net on the other side of the world. Read …
Danish superstar in the business guru league Read More
At the moment IKEA has 16 stores, but their ambitious expansion plan will make this number grow with 3 stores every year, Danish national broadcaster DR reports. IKEA entered the …
IKEA in China plans to expand with 3 stores every year Read More
The Norwegian company Solstadt offshore has been hired by Chevron Offshore Thailand for their 2015 offshore campaign. The campaign includes installing fourteen wellhead platforms in the Gulf of Thailand, according …
Norwegian company to install offshore platforms in the Gulf of Thailand Read More
Carsten Jens Carlstedt is taking over as executive director of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce (DTCC) after the former director Hanh Ngoc Nguyen who has her last day on November …
New Executive Director in Dan-Cham Read More