Vaisala general brochure (pdf, 857 KB)

Innovation. Reliability. Solutions.

Vaisala’s missionThe Vaisala Group works to provide environmental measurementswhich create the basis for a better quality of life, protect life andproperty, optimize economic activities, promote environmentalprotection and improve our understanding of climate change.Vaisala at a glanceVaisala develops, manufacturesand markets electronic measurementinstruments and systems forenvironmental measurement andthe measurement needs of industry.Vaisala sensors, instruments andsystems are used the world over byorganizations that need to measurethe environment with great accuracyand consistency.Vaisala offers a comprehensiverange of products that providethe measurement data necessary forforecasting the weather, protectingthe environment and improvingthe safety of air and road traffic.In industrial settings Vaisala productshelp to enhance the efficiency ofmanufacturing processes andimprove the working environment,as well as reduce adverse impactson the environment.Vaisala focuses on market segmentswhere it can be the global market leaderand preferred supplier. Vaisala puts ahigh priority on customer satisfaction.Economies of scale and scope are thebasis of Vaisala’s competitiveness.Vaisala has more than 1000 employeesand reached net sales of EUR 196million in 2002. Operations outsideFinland accounted for 96% of netsales in 2002.The parent company, headquarteredin Vantaa, Finland, is listed on theHelsinki Exchanges (HEX). Vaisala hasoffices and business operations in theUnited States, Canada, the UnitedKingdom, Sweden, France, Germany,China, Malaysia, Japan and Australia.• For current financial information, Vaisala’s historical backgroundand other information, please visit www.vaisala.com

Business areasVaisala’s core business is environmentalmeasurement, especially weathermeasurement, and correspondingindustrial measurements. Business isconducted by four divisions: VaisalaSolutions, Vaisala Remote Sensing,Vaisala Soundings and VaisalaInstruments.The Vaisala Solutions, VaisalaSoundings and Vaisala Remote Sensingdivisions develop, manufacture andmarket products and solutions that areused to measure weather conditions.The Vaisala Instruments divisionspecializes in products that measureindustrial and environmental conditionsin various industrial and meteorologicalapplications, and provides maintenancepartnerships for them.Vaisala’s product selection is as diverseas the environmental conditions itmeasures. The application areas varyfrom division to division, but eachdivision strives to use Vaisala’s worldleadingtechnologies. Whatever thescope or purpose of the measurement,all the divisions share the same goal:excellence in measurement.Vaisala is the global market leaderin many of its core businesses:upper-air observation systems, aviationand road weather systems, lightningand thunderstorm detection systems,optical instruments that measurepresent weather/visibility, andinstruments that measure relativehumidity and barometric pressure.Dolor sit amet, consectetueradipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tinciduntut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enimad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitationulla.• For updates on the latest developments, please read the news on www.vaisala.comVaisala products and systems areused to measure many differentenvironments, large and small –from the Earth’s atmosphere to theinterior of an engine component.

Supporting your operations.InnovationReliabilitySolutionsContinuous, dynamic productdevelopment and specialization arethe basis for cutting-edge productsand technologies. Vaisala productsare based mainly on Vaisala’s ownresearch and development, in whichthe company invests substantiallyevery year. Vaisala nurtures closecooperation with universities andresearch institutes and also networksactively with specialists in fields whichcomplement its own expertise.Vaisala places a great emphasis onthe ongoing development of corecompetencies to maintain a solidknowledge of its special fields andapplications. It all goes to ensure thatVaisala products are in the forefrontof environmental measurementtechnology, both now and in the future.Reliability in every situationcharacterizes both Vaisala productsand Vaisala, the company. Vaisalaworks actively to ensure that itsproducts operate faultlessly even in themost demanding conditions. Vaisalaproducts undergo a thorough testingprocedure – often conducted incooperation with customers – beforebeing introduced to the market. Vaisalacombines a long history of excellence inmeasurement technologies with solidapplication knowledge. This is thefoundation on which Vaisala builds itsoperations and products.Vaisala is a stable and financiallysound company. Adhering to strictethical principles, Vaisala only promiseswhat is feasible. Vaisala is committedto providing comprehensive customersupport, nurturing close contacts withcustomers and business partners.Vaisala’s sharp focus on customerservice ensures that the customer’sneed for environmental measurementis met with an appropriate, reliableand durable Vaisala solution.Whatever the scope of the customer’sneed, Vaisala supports the customerin selecting, installing, using andmaintaining the appropriate Vaisalasolution. In this way Vaisala’scomprehensive knowledge ofapplications and technologies trulybenefits the customer.

Vaisala SolutionsVaisala Solutions supplies systems,services and solutions for observingweather conditions on the Earth’ssurface and for collecting, managingand storing surface weather data.The division’s product range comprisesautomatic weather stations for a varietyof applications, aviation weathersystems and related data collectionand processing systems. They are usedto improve the safety of aviation, roadand rail traffic and to meet the weatherobservation needs of meteorologicalinstitutes, land and water managementauthorities, and defense forces. VaisalaSolutions focuses on providing solutionsthat create added value for its customersby improving the productivity andquality of customers’ core processes.Accurate weather data is a cornerstoneof aviation safety. Worldwide, aviationauthorities use the accurate weatherinformation provided by Vaisalaautomated weather observing systemsto help ensure passenger safety.Weather influences traffic flow andsafety on roads and railways to a greatextent. In many cases, bad weather androad conditions are a contributing factorto road accidents. Vaisala road and railweather stations and winter maintenanceproducts and services allow road, railwayand airport authorities to improve trafficsafety. When road surface measurementsand weather data are integrated, it isalso possible to give drivers an earlywarning of hazardous conditions so theycan adjust their speed and driving style.National meteorological services relyon the data provided by their observationsystems and networks. Meteorologicalinstitutes around the world use Vaisalaweather stations and systems as thefoundation of their synoptic observationprograms. This way they can enhanceoperational efficiency, improve dataaccuracy and consistency, and lower theoverall operating costs of an observationnetwork.Defense forces need quickly deployableautomatic weather stations – systemsthat are easy to transport, install andupgrade in the field. Vaisala’s tacticalweather observation systems offerefficiency, mobility and durability in thefield, even in the harshest conditions.Accurate surface weather data is anessential input for many public safetyapplications. On the roads, a suddenchange in weather can have a dramaticeffect on traffic flow and safety.

Weather datafrom near and far.Vaisala Remote SensingVaisala Remote Sensing develops,manufactures and markets windprofilers and lightning detection andlocalization systems that make extensiveuse of remote sensing technology.Remote sensing is a growing observationprinciple in meteorology, aviation,climatology, hydrology and air qualityreseach. The division’s customersinclude national meteorological services,meteorological and climatologicalresearch institutes, power utilities,air quality monitoring agencies,civil aviation authorities, insurancecompanies and defence forces.A number of airport authorities usewind profilers to detect vertical windshear. Organizations that study airquality in urban areas often rely on windprofilers for urban airshed modeling.Defense forces use mobile wind profilersas a ballistic tool for ranging artillery.Additionally, many meteorologicalinstitutes use wind profiling in weatherforecasting, especially for producingmesoscale forecasts.The lightning strikes that accompanythunderstorms can endanger thesafety of civilians and hamper theoperations of electrical utilities,aviation, traffic and recreationalfacilities. Vaisala Remote Sensingprovides lightning detection andlocalization systems and software thattrack the movement of thunderstormsas well as detect and localize lightningstrikes.The division also provides lightningmapping and analysis softwareproducts that are used by manyorganizations to save lives, protectproperty and reduce the economiclosses caused by lightning.

Vaisala Soundings©FMIVaisala Soundings develops, manufacturesand markets equipment forobserving weather in the upperatmosphere. The division’s principalproducts are radiosondes for upper-airobservations and ground equipmentthat receives and processes the weatherdata transmitted by the radiosondes.The division’s core customer groupsare national meteorological services,meteorological research organizationsand defense forces.Phenomenal performance.Meteorological institutes aroundthe world use Vaisala radiosondesand ground equipment for their dayto-dayobservations. Additionally,meteorological observations are madefor a multitude of research purposes,such as studying and monitoringglobal climate change. For example,measurement of ozone content in theatmosphere is important if we are tomonitor the effects of ozone depletionto the ultraviolet radiation (UV) levelson the Earth.Weather influences the operationsof defense forces in many ways.Vaisala provides them with weatherobservation systems that are quickto deploy and easy to maneuver infield operations.

Environmental conditions need tobe closely monitored and controlledin various man-made environments,including industrial facilitiesand offices.Vaisala InstrumentsVaisala Instruments develops,manufactures and marketsinstruments for the measurementof relative humidity, dewpoint,barometric pressure, carbon dioxide,ammonia, wind, visibility, cloudheight and present weather. Thedivision also offers maintenancepartnerships for these instruments.These measurements are usedto improve product quality,the efficiency of manufacturingprocesses, energy consumption,safety and the well-being of people.The division’s products are usedin numerous applications, suchas cleanrooms, pharmaceutical,automotive, building automation,biotechnology and food industries,as well as meteorology. For example,the optimum humidity conditionsin drying processes improve qualityand productivity, and also help toreduce energy and maintenancecosts at the same time. Carbon dioxidemeasurement is used in industrialcontrol, in horticultural and ecologicalapplications as well as in ventilationcontrol. Ammonia leakage detectionis of paramount importance inapplications where ammonia is usedas a refrigerant. Visibility and cloudheight are essential safety parametersin aviation.Vaisala Instruments’ solutionsincorporate patented Vaisala sensortechnologies, which guaranteeaccurate and reliable measurements.

Ref. C210026EN-A