Chapter 2: Estonia

(continued)

2.7 Major Suppliers in the Environmental Technology Market

Local Suppliers on the Market

The major local suppliers on the market are listed in Table 2.21. It is typical of Estonian environmental companies to provide a rather wide range of services without specialization. This is not the case for foreign suppliers as is demonstrated in Table 2.22. Estonian environmental technology suppliers could be largely classified as product vendors rather than providers of "full services" (selling, consulting, maintenance). The relationship between the buyer and the seller typically ends with the sale of the product. However, end-users (buyers) indicated during interviews that further assistance, especially with regard to service maintenance, is required.

TABLE 2.21: MAJOR LOCAL SUPPLIERS ACTIVE ON THE ESTONIAN MARKET
Sector	Company, City	Specialization	Competitive Strenghts and Weaknesses

Air	HNK AS, Tallinn	Air pollution monitoring equipment, flue gas, exhaust gas analysis	Sale and maintenance of equipment

Waste	Baltscade AS, Valga	Pollution clean-up, soil remediation	Experience and equipment available
	Epler & Lorenz AS, Tartu	Collection and utilization of hazardous waste, waste oils	Extensive experience
	KESTO AS	Collection and utilization of hazardous waste	Extensive experience
	MASP AS, Tallinn	Collection and utilization of hazardous waste	Long-term experience
	RECI Eesti AS, Tallinn	Recycling of industrial hazardous waste, production of waste fuel, soil remediation	New solidification method for landfills
	ECOPRO AS, Tallinn	Soil remediation, hazardous waste management
	MAVES AS, Tallinn	Pollution clean-up, geological surveys

Water	Water Hydroseal AS, Tartu	Bio-cleaners, septic tanks, oil and grease traps
Water	AS J.I.T., Viljandi	Bioreactors for sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, submersible pumps and mixers, equipment and organic polymers for sludge treatment

It is fairly difficult to establish which companies are active in the Estonian market. The Estonian environmental technology market is still relatively small. In any given year, one or two major projects can make up most of the annual turnover of a company. This is especially true for air pollution or water purification equipment suppliers, where the largest projects have been the construction of the Tallinn water purification plant and fly ash removal equipment for power plants.

The more stable market share belongs to companies which have been selling their products over the past decade and supplying technology for recent projects. These are typically companies that specialize in sewage treatment plants. Companies that came into the market earlier and established contacts with planning and construction companies have achieved somewhat greater success than recent newcomers.

Generally speaking, domestic environmental technology providers are small and medium-sized businesses that have only been operational for the past 5-10 years. This is a result of the fairly recent restructuring of the country which included extensive privatization. Domestic producers do the majority of their business within their own country, while a select few export within the Baltics and to Central and Eastern Europe. Many local environmental technology companies are involved in joint-ventures and other business relationships with companies from abroad.

The future of the environmental business sector in Estonia is certain to show growth. Demand for technologies in all sectors of the environment is expected to remain the same or grow in the coming years.

Foreign Suppliers on the Market

Table 2.22 lists the major foreign environmental technology providers in the Estonian market. As the table demonstrates, there is little representation from any country besides Finland and Sweden.

TABLE 2.22: MAJOR FOREIGN SUPPLIERS ACTIVE ON THE ESTONIAN MARKET
Sector	Company Name, City	Country of Origin	Specialization

Air	ABB Eesti AS, Tallinn	Multinational

Water	Cardo Pump AS (Main trade mark: ABS Pumps AS)	Swedish	Pumps, wastewater treatment systems
	OU Alfa-Laval, Turi	Swedish	Pumps, valves, plate heat exchangers, substations
	E. Sarlin Eesti AS, Tallinn	Finnish	Pumps
	AS Kemivesi, Tallinn	Finnish, Estonian	Water treatment chemicals
	Painehuuhtelu Oy PTV	Finnish	High-pressure washing of pipelines

Waste	Ragn-Sells Eesti AS	Swedish	Waste collection, separation, utilization, dumping, landfill operation, recycling, high-pressure washing of pipelines
Waste	RECI Eesti AS		Recycling of industrial hazardous waste, production of alternative fuels from waste, cleaning of tanks and pipes, soil remediation

Energy	ESTIVO AS, Tallinn (IVO International)	Finnish	Energy sector planning, power plants and boiler house efficiency, measurement and monitoring of air emissions
Energy	ABB Eesti AS, Tallinn	International

Their presence is mainly focused on the water sector, with a few companies active in the waste and energy sectors. In the air and energy sectors, foreign firms do not have a significant presence in the market.

A large share of foreign technologies are sold on the market by retail trade companies which represent several foreign producers. Retail traders work in various ways, for instance they can establish a subsidiary of a foreign producer, or a local sales organization might be granted the right to represent a certain company. Retail trade companies are often quite specialized, for example, in indoor air ventilation, heating and cooling, water supply and sewage systems. These companies have the necessary experience in meeting customers needs and in providing excellent service.

REC * PUBLICATIONS * ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY MARKET - BALTICS * ESTONIA