Industrial Espionage Suspected At Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä's unit in Vaasa, Finland, has been hit by a case of serious industrial espionage, a regional paper Pohjalainen reported. "The police are investigating the case, as there is reason to suspect there has been spying," Wärtsilä Finland Oy's Chief Executive Heikki Miilumaki was quoted by the paper as saying. Miilumaki said it seemed one member of Wärtsilä's personnel was involved in the case, but would not say in which department the person worked. "Thus, we want to ensure that people in different departments will not start blaming each other during the investigations," he said. Officials at Wärtsilä were not immediately available for further comment. Some 1,500 people work at Wärtsilä's Vaasa plant, which manufactures marine engines and diesel power plants. Wärtsilä is the world's leading ship power supplier, and over 97 percent of its net sales are generated outside of Finland. - (Reuters)