The Estonian industrial sector needs new, talented people. To achieve this, the industry needs to be more appealing to motivate people to invest their time and energy in this sector, stated YOOK manager Katre Kõvask at the Industry5.0 conference.
One way to accomplish this is through the use of role models. The industry needs role models or, in other words, influencers explained Katre Kõvask. According to her, an influencer does not necessarily have to be one person. A perfect example is the scientific program “Rakett 69”, which could be shown and popularised in schools, Kõvask gave an example.
“So that the image around the industry is not dark, dull, and routine work, but rather as a field that requires bright minds, enormous wisdom, programmers, engineers, automation experts, and electrical specialists. Pursuing a career in this field can lead to a fulfilling, exciting, and challenging life,” said Kõvask.
YOOK currently has around 15 employees and was launched at the beginning of the year as the first oat drink factory in the Baltics, located in Türi. The company is making solid progress in expanding to international markets. They have introduced oat drinks with different flavours to the Estonian market, and these products are already available in Latvia and Lithuania.
In addition, an agreement with Kuwait was recently signed, Kõvask said. “We will hopefully move forward quickly in the Gulf countries.” Currently, a maximum of 20 million litres of oat drinks can be produced annually in one shift, which will be exported beyond the Baltic countries in the future. In an earlier interview, Kõvask mentioned that they are primarily interested in the South Korean, Vietnam, and Japanese markets and are also looking at Singapore and Indonesia. The focus is also on the Gulf countries, and they are seeking export opportunities in Western Europe.
“No one is waiting for us anywhere. We have to discover strategies on our own. Perhaps at times, shamelessly sell our products, so to speak, and identify those areas where the bigger players are vulnerable and we still have an advantage due to our small size and status as new entrants,” Kõvask remarked.
Watch the video for more information about the type of industry Estonia needs, according to Katre Kõvask. The video also covers how to help industrial exports grow, how Yook outperforms other companies in the competitive oat drink market, and Katre Kõvask’s opinion on what needs to be done for industrial policy to become one of the foundations of economic policy.
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