Insta to Deliver Fazer’s Largest Automation Project at new Lahti Factory
Insta has landed a significant and exciting assignment to deliver the main automation system as well as process electrical and automation installations for Fazer’s new chocolate factory in Lahti. Operations are set to start in 2028.This project represents the largest investment in Fazer’s history and one of the most notable undertakings in the history of Finland’s food industry.
The delivery includes the factory’s main automation system, which integrates all production equipment and processes into one unified platform. Insta is also responsible for process electrical and automation installations, ensuring seamless commissioning and reliable operation. The project began immediately after signing the contract and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. Insta’s delivery phase will conclude in early 2028, guaranteeing a smooth and uninterrupted production start-up. Close collaboration will continue throughout the entire project until the factory is fully operational.
Construction work on the new factory, covering approximately 33,300 square meters, started in summer 2025. During the construction phase, the site will employ hundreds of professionals, with an estimated workload exceeding 500,000 working hours. The new production facility will be highly electrified and automated, and its comprehensive energy recycling system will make it CO₂ emission-free in terms of its own energy consumption. Additionally, the factory aims to achieve BREEAM environmental certification. Operations are expected to begin in 2028.
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Originally published on 27 Nov
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Viking Line is starting 2026 by renewing its offer of travel and transport powered by a high share of renewable European biogas. After multiplying the use of biofuel tenfold last year, the Åland-based shipping company has now secured another year at the same ambitious level.
The biogas is used alongside liquefied natural gas on the company’s newest ships, Viking Glory and Viking Grace, which operate daily between Turku and Stockholm. This combination results in very low sulphur and particle emissions, as well as a greatly reduced climate footprint.
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Originally published on 3 Feb
The author of the most promising idea in the business idea competition at this year’s Icebreakers’26 business opportunity festival will receive €10,000 to support the development of their entrepreneurial venture.
Icebreakers’26 will take place at the University of Latvia’s (UL) House of Science in Torņakalns on March 5. The festival’s central theme is “Change the Rules of the Game,” accentuating the audacity to think and act differently in order to create innovations and develop entrepreneurial skills. It is a theme that encourages participants to challenge conventions, step out of their comfort zones, and seek new solutions that drive change in business, research, and society. It encourages the use of knowledge, creativity, and collaboration as a foundation for sustainable development—and participants to not merely follow trends, but actually change the rules of the game.
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Originally published on 4 Feb
Lithuanian capital markets infrastructure provider Axiology has secured €5 million in seed funding to expand its regulated, blockchain-based platform for issuing, trading, and settling securities across Europe. The investment will support the rollout of new tokenised securities capabilities under the EU DLT Pilot Regime and accelerate the company’s go-to-market strategy.
The funding round was led by Exponential Science, e2vc, and Coinvest Capital, with participation from TIBAS Ventures and Plug and Play. Existing investors, including BSV Ventures, NGL Ventures, and others, also joined the round. To date, Axiology has raised €7 million in total.
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Originally published on 4 Feb
At a media event hosted today by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, it was announced that the Slovenia‑based energy company NGEN Group is entering the Latvian market with a €50 million investment.
According to information provided by investors, a deal has been concluded whereby NGEN Group has become the 100% owner of SIA “Liepāja ESS” to implement a stand-alone grid-connected battery energy storage project with a capacity of 100 MW and a storage capacity of 200 MWh in Grobiņa parish, Dienvidkurzeme region, at the Grobiņa substation. Construction work is planned to be completed this year.
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Originally published on 3 Feb
To secure the status of Europe’s frontier DefenceTech destination, Estonia is moving fast, and is now building a pipeline for defence startups to win major international funding. Estonia’s Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, has established a pre-accelerator programme called the Defence Business Lab, according to the official press release.
Designed to help local companies compete more effectively in major international defence funding competitions, the programme aims to prepare early-stage development teams for successful applications to NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), two significant sources of defence funding.
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Originally published on 2 Feb
Innovation in Finland defines the way business operates. The country fosters ecosystems where global players connect, and technology leadership spans AI, connectivity, electrification, and defense. For international investors and partners, Finland offers advanced solutions and a collaborative model that accelerates impact.
“We are living in an AI supercycle,” notes Nokia’s Veli-Pekka Luoma, emphasizing Finland’s shift from connecting people to connecting intelligence. This vision is backed by robust infrastructure, cutting-edge R&D, and a commitment to sustainability.
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Originally published on 2 Feb
Enersense has signed an agreement with Lithuania’s VŠĮ Plačiajuostis Internetas, the state-owned organisation responsible for developing Lithuania’s broadband infrastructure, for the design and construction of telecommunications towers. The towers form part of Lithuania’s nationwide programme to expand high-speed broadband infrastructure.
The towers are steel lattice communication structures that form part of Lithuania’s essential digital infrastructure.
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Originally published on 29 Jan
Cast AI, the leading Application Performance Automation platform valued at over $1 billion, today announced it has won the European AI Award 2025 in the AI Business category. The award, presented by the European AI Forum (AIEF), recognizes outstanding achievements in AI that are shaping business, science, policy, investment, and ecosystem development across Europe.
Cast AI was honored for its platform that automates AI application performance in Kubernetes environments, delivering significant cost optimization and operational efficiency. The company was one of only three winners selected in the AI Business category, chosen from nominees across the continent for their contributions to economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and societal benefits through AI.
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Originally published on 2 Feb
We are proud to announce that the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) has officially joined the Apply AI Alliance Stakeholders’ Catalogue.
This catalogue serves as the European Commission’s “official phonebook” of trusted organizations. It is the primary resource used by the Commission to identify stakeholders for shaping AI policy, participating in sectoral workshops, and attending annual AI Office gatherings.
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Originally published on 2 Feb
Today, 29 January, the Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, the State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, Bernhard Kotsch and the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Vidmantas Verbickas, signed a four-party cooperation memorandum in Tallinn aimed at strengthening ties between the countries in the fields of strategic communication and media literacy. The agreement was signed ahead of the meeting also by the Latvian State Secretary Andžejs Vilumsons, with Latvia represented at the meeting by the Inspector General of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ilgvars Kļava. The agreement is an updated version of the cooperation memorandum first concluded between the foreign ministries of the four countries in 2015.
Secretary General Vseviov emphasised that in the context of growing foreign influence activities, disinformation and hostile propaganda, it is crucial to strengthen societal resilience. He noted that closer cooperation between like-minded countries is key to protecting and developing the democratic information space.
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Originally published on 29 Jan