Power stations can improve their profit levels by using a new productivityimprovement programme. The programme, PIP, has been developed by Ramse Consulting Ltd, a Finnish-based firm. It believes that individual power plants can make increased profits from more efficient operation.

Clothes that can stand up to the worst of the weather are now being introduced by Snickers, the Swedish manufacturer of workwear. "These are our most advanced garments so far, with lots of details that facilitate demanding outdoor work", says Per-Henrik Magnusson, product development manager of the company. "These have had five years of testing and development."

Fiber Pac, packaging made totally from cellulose is enabling AssiDomän to compete with plastic packaging in the packaging market. 'Our new packaging has similar properties, but is much easier on the environment', says Poul Fitzsimons of AssiDomän. Several major companies such as Motorola and Bosch Telecom have already discovered the environmental and economic advantages, and demand is very high.

SCA is the first company in the world to equip its entire fleet of vessels with catalytic converter cleaning. For an investment of SEK 20 million (around $2.5 million) they claim to be able to reduce NOX (oxides of nitrogen) emissions by 90%, 1400 tonnes per year in all. "That's equivalent to the NOX emissions for all our truck haulage operations, both of timber and of finished products", says Rolf Johannesson, CEO at SCA Transforest.

Conventional X-ray imaging equipment can now be upgraded to produce more advanced 3D images. Instrumentarium Imaging, a Finland-based specialist in X-ray imaging technology, is demonstrating new possibilities with its proprietary TACT technology. This technique is applicable in medical diagnosis as well as dental imaging applications.

Pubs, restaurant and bars are facing increased safety requirements relating to carbon dioxide emissions in premises. AGA, the international industrial gases group, is launching a carbon dioxide detection system to help them deal with this problem.

SSC Satellitbild in Sweden is increasing the number of satellite images of cityscapes that can be accessed over the Internet.

The introduction of the Thermalert GP series by Raytek Corporation now enables infrared temperature measurement to compete with thermocouples and other probe devices. The cost factor is especially significant in a wide range of multiple-sensor web applications. Examples are paper, textile and plastic production, where noncontact methods allow measurement of the actual process material rather than the heating medium.

The cornerstone of development in modern food packaging lies in the improvement of the raw material, i.e. board. Most board manufacturers work actively towards developing boards which are as functional and environmentally friendly as possible. However, many packaging manufacturers, both in the Nordic countries and in Europe, are not necessarily interested in the opportunities offered by new materials. Traditional materials are easier to use as they work well in old packaging machinery and in familiar packaging solutions. Enso Paperboards, the Finnish board manufacturer, considers continuous collaboration with, for example, manufacturers of food, confectionery and tobacco products to be the prerequisite for developing better and more sophisticated packaging materials. A package is a total concept, the development of which needs the cooperation of all parties, from the raw material producer to the end user. Besides making it possible to create tailor-made solutions, cooperation also produces considerable cost and environmental savings. Active product development work has already yielded results that are within the reach of consumers world wide.