2006 was a milestone for Vaisala, as the company celebrated its 70th anniversary. The celebrations culminated in an extremely good financial result.
Vaisala's net sales grew to EUR 220.8 million. Active demand and growth in the number of orders received were witnessed throughout the Group. Sales grew in all our main markets - North-America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Organic growth was complemented by the business acquisition of weather radar signal processor and application software manufacturer Sigmet Inc.
The main organizational changes were the outsourcing of the radiosonde assembly to Malaysia, and the reorganization of the sales organization. The outsourcing proceeded as planned, and deliveries to customers started in the second half of 2006. In the beginning of 2006, Vaisala re-organized its sales organization based on customer segments. The goal is to serve our different customer groups more efficiently.
In the beginning of October, Vaisala appointed a new CEO. Kjell Forsén took up the role from his predecessor Pekka Ketonen, who had expressed his wish to retire.
Vaisala has been able to maintain its strong market share in the fierce competition. Our goal also in the future is to be the global market leader in our chosen business areas.
