The Entrepreneurship Award, organised by Enterprise Estonia, is in its 29th year, yet the competition for the top spots is as fierce as ever.
This year’s grand ceremony will take place on November 2nd, highlighting the top-performing and most inspiring success stories across seven categories, including Industry Digitiser and Best Foreign Investor. The category winners have already been announced, with HANZA Mechanics Tartu AS taking the first spot in a tight race to the top in the Foreign Investor category.
Part of the global HANZA group, the company focuses on contract manufacturing services. HANZA offers a unique “all you need is one” concept, providing end-to-end manufacturing solutions, including machining, sheet metal mechanics, cabling, and final assembly. Among HANZA’s clients are leading companies such as 3M, ABB, Epiroc, GE, Getinge, John Deere, Mitsubishi, SAAB, Sandvik, Siemens and Tomra.
Estonia is a cornerstone of their success. HANZA, already one of South Estonia’s largest employers, recently completed a €10M expansion of their sheet metal facility, adding 4,000 square meters of production space. “A new, modern facility in Estonia, tailormade for complex assembly, creates a strong foundation for continued rapid growth,” said Francesco Franzé, Chairman of the Board of HANZA, at the grand opening in March, 2024.
The company has invested €20 million over the past three years in facility improvements and cutting-edge equipment, positioning its Tartu complex as a world-class manufacturing hub that “sells itself” to potential clients. “When sales directors from Sweden, Germany, and Finland bring clients here, the general feedback is that we have a world-class factory,” says Liivar Kongi, head of HANZA Mechanics Baltic cluster, speaking to Delfi.
Estonia, with its compact size, is full of opportunities for manufacturing operations, offering a skilled workforce, efficient infrastructure, and a business-friendly environment. The upcoming €160M incentive for large-scale investments into next-gen industry will only further strengthen Estonia’s appeal as a prime location for global manufacturers like HANZA to establish and expand their operations.
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