The Commercial Construction Unit of Skanska Talonrakennus Oy won the Recognised for Excellence in Europe recognition in the Finnish Quality Award competition organized by Excellence Finland (Laatukeskus). Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, presented the company with the recognition at the festivities organized in Finlandia Hall on Thursday 10 November 2005. In the history of Finnish Quality Awards, this is the first recognition given to a construction company.
Skanska's recognition for excellent quality is of great importance for the entire construction industry and is bound to shake some of the general public's cemented conceptions of this business. Construction is an industry requiring versatile competence and professional skills. We have systematically invested in the development of our operations and staff, as well as in a smooth functioning of our extensive co-operation network. All these efforts are also reflected in our good economic result, Jalo Takala, Regional Director of Commercial Construction Unit comments on the positive news.
According to the evaluation report issued in the competition, Skanska's services based on clear concepts constitute its major strengths. The client-oriented structure of the organization and the operative system processes based on client needs were also among the positive aspects listed by the evaluators. Health and safety have lately been highlighted as the number one priority. The objective is zero accidents at every site.
Since its incorporation, Skanska has had a quality system which has been developed over the years into the electronic, process-based management system currently in use. In fact, Skanska was the first Finnish construction company to have an operating system comprising three management system certificates for quality, environmental issues, as well as occupational health and safety. A further sign of successful operations, the Commercial Construction Unit has three "The Site of the Year" titles awarded by the Rakennuslehti magazine.
The operations of Skanska's Commercial Construction Unit in Southern Finland comprise both new construction and refurbishments, as well as project development and construction services.
Source: Skanska
