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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Marimekko, Finnish fabric designer company, said the prospects for economic growth and business opportunities in East Asia are promising. The plan for 2014 is to open at least six new …
Marimekko targets E Asia expansion Read More
KONE has been awarded four 2013 GOOD DESIGN awards for its design offering, functional elevator signalization series and sleek new elevator car design. This is the third time KONE has …
KONE wins prestigious GOOD DESIGN awards Read More
Norwegian carried more than 1.5 million passengers in January 2014, an increase of 24 percent compared to January last year. The load factor increased despite major capacity growth. In January, …
Norwegian’s passenger growth continues apace Read More
Nokia Normandy aka Nokia X, the Finnish company’s first alleged Android-powered smartphone, is in news again as the device has been listed on certification database of Indonesia and Malaysia. Read …
Nokia X appears on Malaysian, Indonesian certification database Read More
Nido Petroleum has been advised by operator, Sweden’s Lundin Petroleum, that the Hakuryu-11 jack-up rig is being towed to the Balqis-1 location in Indonesia. The Balqis-1 well will be followed …
Nido, Lundin ready to drill Indonesia’s oil well Read More
The World Bank may be dangling the prospect of affordable cell phones in Burma at the expense of freedom of expression and privacy rights. Foreign investment in Burma’s underdeveloped telecommunications …
Telecom investments threaten privacy rights in Burma Read More
The Danish shipping company Nordic Shipholding will in the future be managed from Singapore, writes the Danish business daily Børsen. Hedgefond PAG, the company that acquired Nordic Shipholding in January …
Danish shipping company to be managed from Singapore Read More
Espoo, Finland — Digital marketplace IT solutions provider Tecnotree is pleased to announce it has been awarded a project to supply a convergent Business Support System (BSS) solution for GMM …
Tecnotree awarded project with Thai digital content provider Read More
Finnair and fellow oneworld alliance members Japan Airlines and British Airways are now selling joint fares between Europe and Japan, for travel after April 1, 2014. Customers will benefit from …
Finnair sells joint fares on Europe-Japan routes Read More
Arla Foods unveiled a US$400m investment plan, to boost growth in exports to emerging markets, as hopes rose for further gains in China’s demand that is “supporting the entire dairy …
Arla to capitalize on booming China milk demand Read More
Thailand’s state oil producer, PTTEP, plans to speed up development of its Canadian oil sands assets once an agreement to split up a multibillion-dollar partnership with Statoil ASA is finalized, …
Thailand’s PTTEP plans to speed up oil sands development Read More
Friland A/S, Denmark’s largest specialist organic meats producer, plans to adopt a market entry strategy of “thinking big but starting small” in China, following the company gaining an important foothold …
Danish meat firm to tap China organic market Read More
Tomra Sorting Recycling has officially opened a test center in Xiamen, China, its first test center in China. The company officially opened the test center in December, 2013. In a …
Norway’s Tomra opens test center in China Read More
The Danish cattle breeding company, Viking Genetics, announced on Wednesday it has received an order for bull semen from Thailand’s Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation (DFPO). The initial order is for …
Danish breeding company begins cattle-semen export to Thailand Read More
Telenor Group today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Union Government of Myanmar for a nationwide telecommunications license. The license includes spectrum in the 900MHz and 2.1GHz …
Telenor Group signs mobile license in Myanmar Read More
The DTCC Dairy Agro group and a visiting trade delegation from Danish dairy industry joined this year’s National Dairy Cow Festival in Muak Lek in Saraburi. The festival was opened …
The Danes are back in the Thai dairy sector Read More
Thai agricultural university students entered fierce competition to win HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s first prize trophy and a study tour to Denmark Students from Suranaree University of Technology from Korat have …
Thai students win trip to Denmark Read More
Novo Nordisk increased operating profit in local currencies by 15% in 2013. In China Region, sales increased by 13% (12% in Danish kroner). Sales in North America increased by 18% …
Novo Nordisk 2013 China sales up by 13% Read More
Statoil and the Thai exploration and production company PTTEP have signed an agreement to divide their respective interests in the Kai Kos Dehseh (KKD) oil sands project in Alberta, Canada. …
Statoil and PTTEP swap Canadian oil sands assets Read More
Tanjung Ringgit Eco Region Project in Pink Beach, East Lombok was launched on 29 January 2014 in a ceremony with Minister for Creative Economy Dr Mari Elka Pangestu, Vice Governor …
Asia’s largest eco resort is Swedish-Indonesian venture Read More
Mikkeller, the exclusive Danish beer bar brand, celebrated its Grand Opening in Bangkok Wednesday evening 29 January 2014. The launch of the high-end craft beer outlet, the first of its kind …
Danish Beer Bar Mikkeller grand opening in Bangkok Read More
The IKEA Group net income increased by 3.1% to EUR 3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) for the financial year 2013; and market conditions continued to improve with strong growth in China, …
Growth in China, Russia and US contribute to IKEA profit hike Read More
Norway’s $817 billion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has halved its exposure to coal producers, with most of its remaining interest in the sector in Chinese companies, its chief …
Norway’s sovereign fund halves coal exposure Read More
Chris Beaufait has been appointed new Group Senior Vice President of Vestas and President of Vestas Asia Pacific & China. Chris, who comes from a position as President and General …
Vestas appoints new Asia/China chief Read More
Swedish chef Björn Frantzén will be a guest chef at Les Amis on Saturday February 22nd, serving luxurious Swedish food with an Asian twist. Björn Frantzén is a star in …
A taste of Swedish – with an Asian twist Read More
Finland’s biggest retail groups say they are studying a report by the NGO Finnwatch alleging abuses at a juice factory in Thailand that supplies many Finnish stores. On 28 January …
Finnish grocery chain probes ‘abuses’ by Thai juice supplier Read More
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, parent company of Volvo Car Corp and Geely Automobile Holding Ltd, is developing a new model at its new research and development center in Sweden. The …
Geely, Volvo start joint development of new sub-compact Read More
Vietnamese young people, including design students across the nation, have been invited to participate in Design Lab, a global design competition hosted by Swedish household and professional appliances manufacturer Electrolux. …
Electrolux launches global design contest in Vietnam Read More
Finnish Ambassador to China Jari Gustafson hosted a morning coffee meeting at the embassy on 16 January 2014. The aim was to strengthen cooperation among Finnish companies active in different …
Morning coffee to strategize Finnish businesses in China Read More
The Royal Danish Consulate General in Guangzhou together with Arla Foods China, Co-Ro Food (China) Ltd. and Kjeldsens Ltd. hosted the event “Happy Denmark, Hello Guangzhou” to promote Danish food …
A taste of Danish food and culture in Guangzhou Read More
Chinese guides demand thousands of kroner from luxury shops in exchange for bringing them wealthy Chinese tourists, Berlingske newspaper reports. Luxury shops told the newspaper how the guides refuse to …
Copenhagen shops pay Chinese guides kickbacks for rich tourists Read More
Finnish firms are scouting for investment opportunities in the country, encouraged largely by the Philippines’ rosy economic prospects and the slew of incentives being offered to foreign investors. Trade Undersecretary …
Finnish firms scout for Philippine projects Read More
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed efficiency in the biomass supply and use for energy in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta as part of the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme …
VTT helps fasttracking bioenergy in Vietnam Read More
Starting 24 January 2014, LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort will be holding its unique LEGO® building activity in conjunction with Chinese New Year. To celebrate the Year of the Horse, guests visiting …
Legoland Malaysia celebrates Chinese Year of Horse Read More
KONE, a Finnish elevator and escalator manufacturer, will supply 162 elevators and escalators to enable smooth people flow at the Manila Bay Resorts complex, a new casino, hotel and retail …
Philippine resort orders over 100 KONE lifts, escalators Read More
After conducting a thorough analysis to identify the owners of oil palm plantations, 11 companies were found to be in breach of Storebrands sustainability standards. – As a savings and …
Storebrand shuns most palm oil producers Read More
Since September last year where it was announced that the Danish Beer Bar and Brewery Mikkeller was planning to open a branch in …
Danish Beer Bar Mikkeller to open in Bangkok Read More
A joint venture between Singapore-listed Rex International Holding and Malaysia’s Hibiscus Petroleum has won five new offshore licences in Norway, Rex said on Wednesday. Lime Norway was awarded the licences …
Singapore-Malaysian venture awarded Norway’s offshore licences Read More
Blue Water Shipping, one of Denmark’s most successful freight forwarders, have opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City. The office has been set up by Flemming Johannesen and six …
Blue Water Shipping opens in Ho Chi Minh City Read More
The Indonesian Embassy in Oslo, Norway, promoted eco-tourism potentials and the creative industries of Indonesia at the Reiselivsmessen 2014, the largest travel and tourism exhibition in Norway. The event took …
Indonesia promotes ecotourism in Norway Read More
Clean Marine has been selected by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China to supply exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) for two 38,000 dwt. Chemical Tankers being built for Stolt Tankers and NYK …
Clean Marine clinches EGCS contract with Chinese shipbuilder Read More
The Pesanggaran Bali power plant with a 200 MW nominal output will be the largest engine based power plant in Indonesia. The new power plant will ensure greater reliability in …
Wärtsilä receives order for power plant project in Indonesia Read More
The delayed issuance of telecom licences to Norway-based telecommunications firm Telenor and Qatar’s Ooredoo are now expected by the end of the month, more than a year after the tender …
Telecom licence for Telenor delayed until end of January Read More
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) have joined forces to collaborate on the development of their respective maritime programmes to groom the next generation …
Denmark, Singapore universities offer joint maritime programme Read More
China’s anti-trust probe against Swedish firm Tetra Pak has not stopped as reported by a Hong Kong media, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) said on 15 Jan …
China says probe against Tetra Pak continues Read More
People’s Education Press (PEP), the largest educational publisher in China, has chosen Young Digital Planet as a supplier of tools to build its digital learning solutions. Young Digital Planet is …
Sanoma to help 250 million Chinese learn digitally Read More
Norwegian has been awarded “Best European low-cost airline” by AirlineRatings.com. The jury praises Norwegian’s ability to offer its passengers an innovative quality product at a low fare. ”I am very …
Norwegian awarded ‘Best European low-cost airline’ Read More
COMSOL announced on 14 January 2014 a new subsidiary located in China with the opening of offices in Shanghai and Beijing. The new offices establish COMSOL direct operations in China …
Sweden’s COMSOL sets up shop in China Read More
Volvo Car Corp Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said on 13 January 2014 the Swedish automaker returned to profitability in the year just ended after fixing its business in China and …
Volvo Cars returns to profitability in 2013 Read MoreSwedish furniture chain Ikea plans to open a second store in Malaysia. The store will be located within a commercial development by Penang Development Corporation in Batu Kawan, Penang and …
Ikea opens one more store in Malaysia Read More