Development of the Metso head office property, sale, and new premises. Metso extraordinary general meeting decided on 1.10.2013 to divide business operations into two companies. The new Valmet Oyj company was set up for paper and power production operations, while Metso focused on mineral processing and industrial valves. As a result of Metso’s new focus and corporate structure, the six-storey head office building near Kasarmitori no longer corresponded to the needs of the almost 150 year-old listed company. There were also fewer staff at the head office, first as a result of the demerger of operations, and then because of the divestment of Metso’s process automation systems in spring 2015.
After consideration in 2015, the decision was made to sell the old building and find leased premises to support Metso’s more flexible and agile working methods and cooperation. Ecorum was tasked with carrying out a two-stage arrangement for new premises in autumn. “The main reason for choosing Ecorum was that the same team were able to take care of both the sale of the old head office and the acquisition of new premises.” Another factor which influenced the decision was Ecorum’s view on price, which was considered realistic. Our own in-house advance calculations arrived at the same figures,” explains Metso project manager Juha Seppälä, who led the premises project.
The sale of the old head office
Since Metso was leaving, Ecorum’s strategy was to sell the property to investors as a site with development potential, which would be empty and would allow the new owner to carry out any changes in a single sweep. Ecorum also helped to acquire the shares of the property company’s two small shareholders. In this way it was possible to offer investors a development site with full ownership. The strategy worked well, and international competitive bidding organised by Ecorum attracted a high number of participants. In summer 2016 the sales process was complete, with Nordic property investment company Genesta selected as the buyer. At 19.6 million euros, the realised sales price even exceeded expectations slightly.
A new life at a new address
The search for a new ideal location and premises was something to rush into; first, the company’s needs were carefully specified. For example, the team analysed the staff’s residential distribution to postcode-level accuracy. Since the old head office was sold at the same time, Ecorum began to anonymously map alternatives for premises without revealing the name of the client.
Six floors became one
Around 30 alternatives for premises were found, of which the best were presented to Metso’s executive management. The premises at Sanomatalo, which were ultimately selected, were not even openly available on the markets, but Ecorum knew that some of the building’s office floors were underused. As such, the building’s entire fifth floor was leased to Metso. Ecorum provided significant help in drawing up the contract, since the lease agreement and its appendices also specified all renovation-related details and agreed on the division of responsibility.
A modern multipurpose office
The fifth floor of the building required renovation and interior design for Metso. Ecorum took care of competitive bidding for interior designers, and also found a technical supervisor for Metso for the renovation project. The floor was transformed into a modern multipurpose office containing 13 conference spaces, 14 private spaces, a cosy work café and telephone booths. A few office rooms were built for use by the Group’s management.
The amount of space was halved
The new single-floor, workpoint-based solution was half the number of square metres of the previous premises, even though the general impression of the premises is very open and spacious. In addition, fewer parking spaces are needed as the railway station and metro are close by. Savings were also achieved as postal, foyer, and security services can all be taken care of in a centralised way at the new address.
The project manager’s final assessment of the premises project
"Despite a tight schedule, our new premises were completed on time and we were able to move in on 1 December 2016. This marked the end of a two-stage premises project in which Ecorum as worked alongside us right from the sale of our old property to organising the move to our new premises. Ecorum’s team came up with these premises for us. As a result of their ingenuity, our head office moved to city-centre premises that support our new, uniform corporate culture in every way. I recommend Ecorum’s team to anyone facing upcoming challenges,” says Metso’s project manager, Juha Seppälä.
Juha Seppälä
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