The year has changed and rituals include a moment to reflect on the past year.

Does anyone else have the problem that so many strange things have happened that they can't even say anything? My mind is so full that it's empty. Fortunately, the limited use of words is always a passing challenge for me.

A little over a year ago, we set ambitious growth goals for Dimex. The news was already talking about the situation in China, but we had no idea what was coming. The first half of the year was wild. We did intensive development work to streamline operations and panicked, along with the rest of the world, because of the pandemic. Perhaps I remember the empty toilet paper shelves with special fondness. I still don't understand how it happened that I also had an extra Ikea bag at home. That was how the beginning of 2020 was. We worked hard to map and measure Dimex's crisis-receiving capacity. Everyone was on their toes without seeing what was coming. The worst thing is ignorance. We retreated to our own homes and started Teams life. Dimex's board of directors met once a week for a couple of months. So did the entire Dimex staff. We couldn't avoid layoffs either. Many people worked alone at home and took care of children at the same time. Stress tolerance was also measured with a fair hand at Casa Krogerus. The Dimex people continued to work on their construction sites. Roads and houses were built, trucks were running, and property maintenance was done. However, the uncertainty of the economy, jobs, and future overshadowed them, as it did us. In June, the biggest adjustments had been made at Dimex and we realized that we would be fine this year as well. It may not be as we had hoped for at the end of 2019, but we have nothing to worry about. The weight was lifted from our hearts.

I am so very proud of our team. Our operating environment is changing at a rapid pace. It has been like this before, but 2020 showed us new standards for that too. Those who can adapt and change are the future winners. We proved that we can do a lot if we just decide to. In my mind, that creates security for the future.

End of 2020. You can get used to everything. The situation got worse with Covid, but the panic subsided. Business went much better. Since the beginning of autumn, we have been at work more and we have noticed how nice it is to be part of a work community. The amount of chatter in August made me smile. It was nice to work together. Now we have been at home again. I was happy to say goodbye to 2020. A sigh of relief that we survived well and strong, but I will not miss last year.

There are a few hopes for this year: I hope the vaccination rate accelerates. I hope we can meet each other freely both in our free time and at work. And I hope we can recover from this ordeal soon. At Dimex, we believe that 2021 will be better than 2020.

Riitta Krogerus

managing director