Companies' access to the subcontracting network for major projects has been made possible by their own activity, the business services of the Kaustinen sub-regional municipality, and suurhanketoimisto.fi as a digital platform economy service. Suurhanketoimisto Suurhanketoimisto has been used by a total of four major projects: the OX2 projects in Lestijärvi, Honkakanka and Kannisto, and the Sibanye-Stillwater Keliber lithium project. The regional employment impact of the major projects has been significant. A regional economic impact study was carried out by Seppo Penttilä of the Chydenius University Centre in Kokkola. OX2 estimates that their projects have a domestic content rate of 85%. OX2's Honkakankaan project alone has employed between 45 and 50 companies through the large project office (Source: Markus Luukkonen, Project Manager, OX2). The Sibanye-Stillwater Keliber lithium project has been invoiced by companies in the Kaustinen sub-region for more than EUR 40 million.
SuurhanketoimistoDuring the project, the .fi platform developed into a practical tool connecting SMEs and large project companies. The project developed new sections for the large project office, such as a front page news portal and a section for housing advertisements. The necessary service design was carried out by the project actors themselves. At the start of the project there were 130 registered companies in the large project office and at the end of the project there were 333 companies. The number of new registered businesses, which was twice the target set in the project plan, was exceeded and the number of users of the service increased almost 40-fold as a result of the project's activities. In 2025, the project's year of operation, 3,900 unique users generated 47,000 sessions (Google Analytics).
In addition, the SEMUKAS project gave birth to new concepts such as the Clean Energy Corridor, the Service Corridor, and the Monopole Gas Pipeline. The concepts presented have created a common platform for the development of a dialogue between counties. The Multifamily Pipeline hypothesis was presented to Gasgrid in autumn 2024.
The project developed inter-regional cooperation between the municipalities in the project area and between the city of Kokkola. In addition, doors were opened to Alajärvi, Kruunupy, NIHAK, Vieremä and Saarijärvi. During the project, cooperation between the Port of Kokkola, the Koivuranta industrial area in Karstula and the Wiilo Logistics Centre in Viitasaari developed into a significant and recognised potential.
SEMUKAS-The project area consisted of the municipalities of the Kaustinen sub-region and the Northern Central Finland Sydänsuomessa region. Kaustinen sub-regional municipality was the main implementer of the project, while Witas and Chydenius University Centre in Kokkola were sub-implementers. The project was implemented between 1.11.2023 and 30.4.2026.
SuurhanketoimistoThe .fi front page news portal will serve as an Invest in site to increase the attractiveness of the region and promote the positive development of the energy transition. The service introduced an AI-based translation tool already in 2024 as one of the first websites to do so. The results of the project, including articles and a register of companies, can be found at suurhanketoimisto.fi.
SuurhanketoimistoThe .fi service SEMUKAS has evolved into a leading B2B business subcontracting registry, perfectly meeting the needs of large local projects. Suurhanketoimisto has served as a case study for the energy industry as a well-designed local service. Future major projects have also expressed their interest in the Major Projects Office.
The project also served as an expert resource for mayors and municipalities in Central Ostrobothnia in promoting the energy transition and clean transition, acting as an expert resource for municipalities.
The project organised coaching coffee mornings with a focus on both the coaching component and networking. The events included ample networking time, which enabled new business networks and contacts to be established. Part of the events included matchmaking sessions for investors and potential principals. Morning coffee events were very popular, with a peak of 60 people from five different regions networking at the Kaustinen Folk Art Centre at the same time. For example, Patria's subcontracting coffee morning on 26.11.2025 resulted in a new Pillars of Growth business group project. At the time of publishing this article, at least five of the participating companies have become Patria-audited, and are thus becoming part of Patria's subcontracting network.
SEMUKAS-The project organised a seminar on "Opportunities for subcontracting companies in major projects" at the Kaustinen Folk Art Centre on 10 February 2026. Video recordings and summaries of the final seminar can be found on the Kaustinen Region's Youbute channel.
Many thanks for the cooperation to the project partners, the companies that participated in the events and other stakeholders.
Project Manager.
