Sponda Plc Press release 16 September 2010 at 12:40 p.m. Metso's production premises being built by Sponda in Vantaa reach roof height Property investment company Sponda Plc is building production premises for Metso in the Hakkila district of Vantaa, at Vanha Porvoontie 229. Construction of the new building, which is being erected beside the Honkatalo logistics centre owned by Sponda, has progressed with a fast schedule to roof height, and the topping out ceremony is being held on the site on Thursday 16 September 2010. Construction work started in March 2010, and the project will be completed in January 2011. The 22,000 square metre production plant is being rented in its entirety to Metso under a long-term lease. Sponda is also leasing to Metso 12,000 square metres of office and warehouse premises in the Honkatalo office building next to the new building. ”It looks as if the overall favorable sentiment and the recovery of demand in the global markets are continuing. Starting up the new valve factory next spring will place us in an excellent position to respond to the growing demand from our customers in the oil and gas and pulp and paper industries,” states Metso's Markku Simula, President, Flow Control business unit. Sponda's overall expenditure for the project is estimated at EUR 40 million. The new build investment meets the profitability targets set by Sponda for its development projects. Aiming for energy efficiency When they are ready, Metso's production premises will join Sponda's energy efficiency scheme, in which Sponda and its customer companies are together looking for energy savings. Energy efficiency and environmental aspects have been taken into account in the planning stage for the building. Methods used to reduce heat loss include fitting energy efficient windows and increasing the thickness of the insulation in the walls. Various technology solutions are also being used to boost energy efficiency, such as heat recovery, air curtains in doorways, and lighting and air conditioning automation. The automation system regulates the lighting and air conditioning in accordance with working hours. Particular attention has been paid during construction of the new building to protecting the groundwater in the area and to the absorption of storm water on the site. “Our other key goals, in addition to energy efficiency, have been to build production premises for Metso that are suitable for their way of working and that also provide a pleasant working environment for personnel,” stresses Mr Hynynen. Excellent logistics facilities The production plant is being erected in the centrally located, lively Vantaan Akseli (Vantaa axis) business park, and the new plant will be a useful addition to the existing buildings in the area. The area provides ideal facilities for logistics businesses and for companies with production operations. The business park contains customs, warehousing, personnel hire and forwarding services. Logistically the location is excellent, mid-way between Helsinki-Vantaan airport and Vuosaari Harbour and right next to the Kehä III outer ringroad and the Lahti motorway. Sponda owns altogether about 67,500 square metres of logistics property in the Hakkila business park, and still has scope for further building in the area, in addition to the current project currently underway. Sponda Plc Sponda Plc is a real estate investment company specializing in commercial properties in the largest cities in Finland and in Russia. Sponda's business concept is to own, lease and develop office, retail and logistics properties into environments that promote the business success of its clients. The fair value of Sponda's investment properties is approximately EUR 2.8 billion euros and the leasable area is around 1.5 million m².