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Chemical Industry:
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK - CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
The chemical industry is an important player in the Finnish
economy, and the know-how has also been recognized on international
markets. Relative to Finnish industry as a whole, the chemical
industry produced 11.5% of the gross output, created 9.3%
of the value added and 9.1% of the workforce in 2001.
The gross value of the chemical industry’s output in
2001 was about 11.3 billion euros. A considerable part of
the Finnish chemical industry’s output is used by other
industry and production. Basic chemicals and oil-refining
products are the chemical industry’s biggest product
group in terms of the value of the output. The third-biggest
is the plastic industry. About 40% of the output, 5.1 billion
euros, is exported, the main market being the EU region. The
biggest export countries are Sweden, Germany, Russia and Great
Britain.
Important customer sectors in the chemical industry include
the pulp and paper industry, and the electrical and electronics
industry. Consumers and their well-being are directly served
by the pharmaceuticals industry in particular. Paints, plastic
pipes and insulation are produced for construction. Water
treatment chemicals and the handling of hazardous waste are
provided for managing the environment. All these areas need
superior know-how.
The chemical industry is extremely international. Finnish
companies have acquired companies abroad. Foreign ownership
in the chemical industry operating in Finland has gone up
to 10 per cent. The Finnish strength is the infrastructure,
which supports important research and development in the sector
and is indispensable for creating competitive know-how.
Published 2003
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