PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PATH MAKERS 2024

Tuotekehityksen tiennäyttäjät 2024

The first ever Product Development Path Makers awards were handed over in 2024, supported by Aalto Design Factory, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK), the City of Espoo, and Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation.

Based on nominations made in August-September 2024, a jury consisting of representatives from Aalto University, Espoo, Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation, TEK and industry selected four winners and three honorary mentions. The main award was determined based on a public vote on the four jury-selected winners. The awards and the honorable mentions were handed out by the Product Development Path Makers jury, Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala, President of Aalto University Ilkka Niemelä, and Chairman of the Board of the Technology Industries Centennial Foundation Aaro Cantell.

The main award based on the public vote was coined as the “Ekman Award”, in honor of Professor Emeritus Kalevi “Eetu” Ekman’s career, passion and commitment to develop education and research in product development and founding the Design Factory concept. In 2024, the Ekman Award went to the KONE Veturi project, leveraging scenario-based planning to develop a joint vision in a large development consortia.

2024 AWARD WINNERS

EKMAN AWARD WINNER: KONE Veturi

KONE’s Veturi Project Collaborative Innovation for revolutionizing urban living

The Flow of urban life the ‘Veturi’ Program (2020-2024), co-funded by Business Finland, has achieved market success through innovative partnerships with approximately two hundred partners.

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Vaisala

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Device through Agile Development

In only 12 months from idea to product launch, Vaisala, a global leader in measurement instruments and intelligence for climate action, revolutionized the way carbon capture measurements are made – helping to speed up and strengthen the adoption of technologies for curbing CO2 exhausts and combating climate change. Bringing agile development, autonomy and minimum viable product thinking to a hardware solution, they have been able to learn their way forward.

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Surgify

Halo Surgical Drill through Effective Collaboration

Surgify, established in 2017, collaborated with surgeons and universities to develop a surgical drill that selectively cuts hard tissue while protecting soft tissue. Gaining access to insights, feedback, and machinery through collaboration and user-centered design, Surgify has developed a completely new type of burr in a tightly regulated industry, opening up new opportunities for safer surgeries.

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Sulapac

Sustainable Packaging Materials through Comprehensive Knowledge and Strong Vision

Sulapac, a company founded in 2016 by two female biochemists with PhDs in biomaterials, has thought big and boldly from the start. Sulapac’s first product, a 100% bio-based and biodegradable wood-composite cosmetic packaging, won international awards and the interest of global luxury brands, but the founders were after an even greater impact. With the vision to make Sulapac the new standard for sustainable materials replacing plastic, the company portfolio now consists of 13 materials used in various types of packaging and products across industries. The development of such a comprehensive portfolio and rapid expansion into new product categories was enabled by in-house expertise covering everything from polymer science to final packaging solutions.

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