RMC enters new production development phase and simultaneously renews its management

RMC was established in 2014, when STX Finland ceased operations in Rauma. The company has multiplied its turnover in recent years and its order book is now more than EUR 1 billion. The current CEO, Jyrki Heinimaa, PhD, has managed RMC since 2017. Under Heinimaa’s leadership, RMC has grown from a start-up to a world-class shipbuilding company, with strong expertise in both car and passenger ferries as well as government vessels. Now, says Heinimaa, it is time to pass on the leadership role.

“We have come a huge distance in a very short time. When I became CEO in 2017, our goal was to grow RMC into a significant competitor to other shipyards around the world, and we have succeeded in this. For example, in 2020, the company’s growth rate was over 400 per cent. When I began this journey, I remember thinking that five years would be a suitable time to spend at the helm of the same ship so to speak, and now, five years later, the time has come to head towards new challenges. I am very grateful to RMC, all my colleagues, network partners and customers for the opportunity to be involved in bringing back world-class car and passenger ferry construction and know-how to Rauma. However, now is the right time to step back and take part in strengthening the maritime industry network in other capacities,” says Heinimaa.

RMC’s Board of Directors has appointed Mika Laurilehto, M.Sc. (Eng.), as interim CEO. Laurilehto, who is also responsible for planning, joined RMC in 2020. Prior to that, he held management positions at MV Werften in Germany and as CEO of Deltamarin Oy in Finland from 2005–2017.

Simultaneously, the management of the Squadron 2020 project for the Finnish Navy has been renewed. Timo Suistio, RMC’s Executive Vice President, will retire in the autumn of 2022. Ret. Captain Timo Ståhlhammar has been appointed as the new Project Manager for the Squadron 2020 project. Ståhlhammar has worked at RMC since 2016 as the Project Manager for the combat systems utilised in the Squadron 2020 project. Prior to joining RMC, Stålhammar was Finland’s Defence Attaché in the United States. Until his retirement, Suistio will continue to support the Squadron 2020 project and sales projects as a Senior Advisor.

Domestic ownership and strong expertise in Arctic shipbuilding

RMC is the only wholly domestically-owned shipbuilding company in its class size, which enables both decision-making and employment to remain in Finland. RMC specialises in the development, construction and maintenance of icebreakers, car and passenger ferries, and vessels required by military and government agencies. The company also has industry-leading expertise in Arctic shipbuilding, on which the expertise and competitiveness of the Finnish maritime industry rely heavily on.

RMC’s strategy is based on a networked operating model. The company employs more than 200 shipbuilding experts who head collaborations with dozens of partner companies responsible for project implementation.

Currently under construction at RMC is a new car and passenger ferry for Estonian shipping company Tallink. In addition, the construction of two car and passenger ferries ordered by Spirit of Tasmania for the route between Australia and Tasmania recently began at Rauma Shipyard.

The company is also starting construction work on the corvettes for the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 project. To this end, a EUR 26 million multi-purpose dock hall is currently being built at Rauma Shipyard, enabling the ships to be both built indoors and separate from other ships. The hall also represents a significant investment in terms of future projects.

“Now is a good time to look at the new phase of the company with fresh eyes. RMC has claimed its place as a leading Finnish shipyard among the world’s shipyards. We would like to thank Jyrki Heinimaa for his significant contribution to growing RMC. Thanks to him, the order book extends to the second half of the decade,” states Mikko Niini, Chairman of the Board of RMC.

Read the original press release here

Jyrki Heinimaa continues as Chairman of the Finnish Marine Industries' Board.