From spreadsheets to automation: a user‑friendly solution streamlines structural engineering practices

Sorvimo Optimointipalvelut is a university spin-off founded in the autumn of 2016 by three dedicated researchers, who are today known as Professor Sami Pajunen, Associate Professor Kristo Mela and Emeritus Professor Markku Heinisuo. The company was built on the long‑standing expertise in strength calculations and structural design developed at the former Tampere University of Technology (TUT). 

Sorvimo was launched with the support of a grant from the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation Tekes (later renamed as Business Finland), awarded to advance the commercialisation of structural optimisation expertise. The company’s unique business concept is rooted in a commitment to automating and streamlining engineering design. Sorvimo’s competitive advantage has always been based on a strong theoretical foundation combined with advanced expertise in structural dimensioning and programming. 

Over the past decade, Sorvimo has steadily expanded and is now recognised as one of the leading technology providers in its sector. Professor Pajunen considers it important that funding is allocated not only to rare unicorn start‑ups, but also to companies that are on the path towards growth and profitability.

“I believe Sorvimo’s growth and continuity demonstrate that the original seed funding was invested wisely,” says Pajunen.

A strong foundation in experimental and theoretical research paved the way for Sorvimo’s establishment 

Decades of experimental and theoretical research in the design of steel structures carried out by Markku Heinisuo provided the solid foundation on which Sorvimo would later be built.

“We started out as a team of three: two enthusiastic visionaries and one seasoned authority who had already laid the groundwork, ensuring we could achieve things that no one else could,” says Pajunen. 

The first seeds of the company were sown in 2010, when research into optimisation was initiated at TUT, leading to a series of collaborative projects with industry. The master’s theses completed by Petri Laakkonen – who went on to become Sorvimo’s first CEO – and by Lassi‑Pekka Taskinen – the current CEO – marked the first concrete steps towards turning this research into a commercial venture. Both MSc theses were supervised by Sami Pajunen, who is now Head of the Civil Engineering Unit at Tampere University and also serves as a technical specialist and Board member at Sorvimo. 

According to Pajunen and Taskinen, once the collaborative industry projects were underway, it quickly became clear that the bidding phase required tools that were not only faster but also more accurate and efficient. There was a clear gap where automation should have been, and the researchers set out to fill it.

Funding was successfully secured from Tekes for the years 2015–16,  and Sorvimo was established one month after the research project concluded. 

However, the founders soon realised that even the most ambitious academic ideas do not necessarily meet the practical needs of industry. They quickly adjusted their strategy, and Sorvimo has since concentrated on developing basic structural engineering tools. Following the advancement of artificial intelligence, the original concept of optimising entire structural design processes has re-emerged as a viable option and is now the focus of a new development project. 

Pajunen finds academic research so fascinating that he has no intention of taking on a more prominent role within the company. 

“But I could always launch a new spin-off! Universities are expected to promote the transfer of research into real-world solutions, and one effective way of doing that is through the creation of spin‑off companies,” he says.  

Photo: Jonne Renvall, Tampereen yliopisto

Sorvimo’s solutions increase the speed and accuracy of structural design processes 

According to CEO Taskinen, Sorvimo’s greatest value to its customers lies in improving the accuracy, efficiency and speed of structural design processes. Its digital tools also enhance product management by enabling the integration of data into customers’ existing systems. 

Sorvimo’s solutions are used by leading suppliers of building products, such as Ruukki and SSAB, as well as by major providers of structural building solutions, such as Nordec. The total number of individual users runs into the thousands.

“Our tools enable customers to refine their structural design processes or produce more accurate cost estimates, helping them to reduce material usage, for example. Typically, we replace an existing desktop application or a custom Excel spreadsheet with a modern, web-based cloud service,” says Taskinen. 

According to him, the company has no real competitors in Finland – unless Excel counts as one. Sorvimo is actively seeking to engage with potential customers who still rely on manually completed tables in their design work. 

“There is enormous business potential in replacing local Excel-based solutions,” he adds with a smile. 

So far, the company’s operations have been focused largely on the Finnish market, with only a small share of its services delivered to international clients. As the Eurocodes govern structural design calculations across Europe, Sorvimo is well-positioned to provide services to customers throughout the continent. The company is also pursuing new business opportunities, such as the commercialisation of its own computational software and services, as well as expansion into digital training. 

In keeping with the principles of open science, Sorvimo has chosen not to withhold but to make freely available some of the computational tools it has developed in-house. 

“For example, students can use these openly accessible tools when completing their coursework. Our tools have been used by students at Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and we are very pleased to have received a great deal of positive feedback from them,” says Taskinen. 

Further information

Sami Pajunen
040 849 0571
sami.pajunen [at] tuni.fi

Lassi-Pekka Taskinen
lassi-pekka.taskinen [at] sorvimo.com