Page 17 - KWH Group – Annual Review 2016

electric sanders, especially the Mirka DEROS range, are strengthening the brand in every sector. Growth is strong in the EMEA area (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and is responsible for almost 65 % of Mirka’s global sales. In other markets, Mirka’s sales have re- mained stable.Mirka’s satisfactory pro tability is due to the increased proportion of unique products and abrasive solutions. Mirka’s own sales or- ganisation is located close to its customers in every important market. During the year, Mirka set up a new subsidiary in Dubai to strengthen its presence in the Middle East.Mirka’s competitive advantage is its ef cient logistics chain. During the autumn, a new distribution centre was opened in Vantaa to free up more space for production at the fa- cility in Oravainen. The warehouse in Canada was also consolidated with the warehouse in the USA.Product development and investment are the keysMirka remains committed to investing in product development. The latest production line was of cially opened in September 2016.Abrasive solutions and unique products are developed in a lean development environ- ment in close collaboration with universi- ties, research institutes and local companies. During 2016, the company worked actively on a number of new patents.Mirka continued to implement and invest in new production technology over the past year. A number of product and technology development projects have been completed. In the woodworking sector, a number of new cloth products were introduced, including Hiolit XO. New battery-powered electrical sanders were launched during the year, the AOS-B and AROS-B, as well as new vacuum extraction models. Mirka also further devel- oped several of its polishing solutions.Zero accidents visionThe “zero accidents” vision is a major com- ponent of Mirka’s approach to sustainability. Almost 700 machinery safety improvements were implemented during the year. At the be- ginning of October 2016 the factory in Kar- jaa celebrated 5 years without industrial acci- dents. A great deal of occupational health and safety training was carried out during the year.15v