^{Published on 13.10.2026}

^{Pictured: Jonas Eklind (left) and Janne Kostamo (right) at Innokas exhibit in Alihankinta 2026}

The Nordic region is home to many companies developing advanced solutions for new and demanding applications. Based on his experience in international Nordic businesses and market expansion, Innokas Chair of the Board Jonas Eklind sees considerable potential in this technology market. The challenge and opportunity lie in turning proven concepts into reliable products that perform as intended and can be manufactured sustainably and cost-effectively at scale.

At Alihankinta 2026, Jonas and Innokas CEO Janne Kostamo discussed what this requires in medtech, industrial high-tech, defence and dual-use, and how Innokas can support the transition to production.

What opportunities does the Nordic high-tech market offer?

Jonas sees the Nordic region as an important source of world-class innovation, with companies developing advanced technologies across Innokas’ focus markets.

“The Nordic region has many companies developing advanced solutions,” Jonas says. “They understand their technology and customers, but they may not have all the development, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities needed to bring the product to market.”

This creates an opportunity for Innokas to support companies that have demonstrated that their technology works and are preparing for the next stage. This stage requires a different combination of expertise from the development of the original concept.

“We are talking about turning a proven high-tech concept into a functional and validated product and reliable volume deliveries,” Jonas explains. “That requires a broad combination of expertise.”

How does Innokas turn proven concepts into manufacturable products?

Customers approach Innokas at different stages of product maturity. Some need support in developing and industrialising a product. Others have an established design and require additional production capacity.

“Customers can come to us from different starting points,” Janne says. “We can support product development and ensure that the design is built for manufacturing. We can also help more mature companies with established products increase their production capacity.”

Considering manufacturing early helps prevent avoidable problems later. Product design, component choices, testing, quality requirements and production methods all affect how reliably and efficiently a product can be scaled.

“Our manufacturing expertise is involved while the product is still being developed,” Janne explains. “This allows us to identify manufacturability issues before the design is finalised and create a more direct route from a working prototype to repeatable production.”

Innokas supports this process by combining product development, software, testing, quality and regulatory expertise with contract manufacturing. Specialists from different disciplines can work directly with each other, reducing the need for the customer to coordinate separate phases between several partners. Product and manufacturing knowledge can also be carried from development into production without a separate handover.

Jonas sees this concentration of expertise as one of Innokas’ clearest strengths.

“There is a great deal of knowledge within Innokas, particularly around complex and regulated high-tech products,” he says. “We have the capabilities needed to take a product from a proven concept to volume production.”

Innokas’ customer cases provide practical evidence of how these capabilities work together across development, industrialisation and manufacturing.

What does Jonas bring to Innokas as Chair?

Jonas’ view of Innokas is informed by his experience in international Nordic businesses, geographical expansion, industrial growth, and new technology segments. He sees the company’s expertise and existing customer deliveries as a solid foundation for developing its position in the Nordic market.

As Chair, his role is to help management examine opportunities, test assumptions, and maintain a clear strategic direction.

“The Board should provide perspective and constructive challenges,” Jonas says. “It should help the organisation ask the right questions and make well-founded decisions.”

Janne sees open discussion between the CEO and Chair as an important part of that work.

“We need to be able to discuss ideas and challenge them before they are put into practice,” he says. “That creates a better basis for decision-making.”

Alihankinta 2026 provided a useful setting for these conversations, as well as for meeting customers and cooperation partners and taking the pulse of Nordic technology markets. The event highlighted a practical opportunity for Innokas in helping Nordic technology companies turn proven concepts into reliable products and scalable production.