Etteplan buys SDS Aura and strengthens its engineering expertise

In addition to shipbuilding strength calculations, SDS Aura has special expertise in ship hull design, steel structures and consulting. These perfectly complement Etteplan’s various fields of engineering expertise. SDS Aura’s personnel, a total of 16 people, will transfer to Etteplan as existing employees. Etteplan, specialising in industrial equipment and plant engineering, embedded systems, IoT (Internet of Things), and technical documentation solutions, already employs more than 100 people in Turku.

Etteplan’s Turku office focuses specifically on engineering services, such as mechanical engineering and electrical automation engineering and technical documentation solutions. The new acquisition will also expand the range of steel structure engineering services.

“SDS Aura’s expertise will strengthen our existing engineering expertise in steel structure engineering and shipbuilding industry in Southwest Finland. The region’s marine industry has grown dramatically in recent years and Turku, in particular, has become a major maritime cluster. The acquisition allows us to expand our service offering to maritime operators but also to other customers requiring steel structure engineering expertise,” says Juha Näkki, Etteplan’s President & CEO.

“This transaction creates an opportunity to further develop the service offering for SDS Aura’s customers. Etteplan’s extensive and diverse engineering expertise and global reach, together with SDS Aura’s knowhow, create synergy and provide SDS Aura’s capable personnel with a chance to grow and develop as part of a larger company,” says Janne Auvinen, SDS Aura’s Managing Director.

The full order books of Finnish shipyards are having a direct impact on the subcontractor network: as subcontractors play a major role in shipbuilding in Finland, skilled partner networks are in a key position.

“The sector is growing strongly and developing quickly as requirements for technologies and special expertise continue to increase. That suits us, because we are all set to tackle future challenges head on – even better going forward thanks to SDS Aura’s experience and significant knowhow,” says Näkki.