Upheat Solutions, a pioneering startup founded in 2023, is set to revolutionize industrial heat circulation and drive decarbonization in manufacturing. With deep roots in high-speed technology, the company builds on decades of expertise to develop high-temperature heat pumps that help industrial manufacturers worldwide reduce emissions and operational costs.
Finland – A Hub for High-Speed Technology Innovation
Finland has long been a hub for high-speed technology innovation since the 1980s. One of the most iconic examples is Mir, featured extensively in the blockbuster Titanic, which featured a turbine system designed by Finnish engineering giant Rauma-Repola.
Mir was a class of two self-propelled deep-submergence vehicles. The Mir-1 and Mir-2, delivered in 1987, were designed and built by the Finnish company Rauma-Repola’s Oceanics subsidiary. (Source: Wikipedia)
In 1996, Finnish innovators commercialized the first low-pressure aeration compressors, marking the beginning of a new era in industrial efficiency. Among those innovators was Juha Saari, who had just earned his PhD in high-speed motor technology. Over the next two decades, he played a pivotal role in replacing outdated blower technologies in wastewater aeration and contributed to major high-speed projects at global industry leaders such as Sundyne/United Technologies, CompAir/Gardner Denver, Ingersoll Rand, and Trane Technologies.
Lappeenranta, Finland, has been at the center of this innovation. Runtech, another startup from the region, launched a groundbreaking vacuum pump product series in the early 2000s, which later became part of Ingersoll Rand in 2018.
Tamturbo’s Disruption of Compressed Air Market
Around the same time, another breakthrough was underway – Tamturbo, founded in 2010, set out to disrupt the industrial compressed air market. It became the first and only company to use high-speed technology to make compressed air, typically at pressures between 5 and 9 bar, more sustainable. Tamturbo launched its first unit in 2016 and has since expanded its product line, attracting top-tier industrial customers with its energy-efficient and low-maintenance solutions. During this development Timo Pulkki spearheaded the company development from 2014 to 2021.
During this period, key figures from Upheat Solutions played instrumental roles in Tamturbo’s success. Juha Lammi, who joined in 2014, led the company’s technical and product development for nearly a decade, leaving his mark on its compressor development. As industries grew more interested in sustainability, Pulkki, Lammi and future Upheat co-founder Olli Kuismanen helped customers integrate these solutions into their operations.
Transforming Waste Heat into Reusable Energy – Introducing Upheat Solutions
After establishing Tamturbo as a formidable player in the market, Timo Pulkki, Juha Lammi, and Olli Kuismanen were drawn to an even greater challenge. Summoned by Juha Saari, they set their sights on an untapped, high-impact application of high-speed technology: industrial heat. Heat accounts for a staggering 66% of industrial energy consumption and contributes 20% of global CO₂ emissions. A substantial portion of this heat is wasted—an inefficiency Upheat Solutions aims to solve.
By developing advanced high-temperature heat pumps, Upheat Solutions transforms low-temperature waste heat into reusable process heat, reducing the need for fossil fuels. The result? Significant financial savings for industrial manufacturers and a major step forward in sustainability.
With a proven team of innovators and a mission to redefine industrial energy use, Upheat Solutions is not just continuing Finland’s legacy of high-speed technology – it’s shaping the future of industrial sustainability.
