In the Summer of 1992, Environics Oy was showcasing chemical warfare agent detectors M90 and M86/A at the 4th International Symposium on Protection against Chemical Warfare Agents, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, from 8 to 12 of June. This as also the occasion of the official public lauch of M90. Environics has been a regular exhibitor at this symposium that happens every third year since then. This event was initially focused only on Chemical Warfare Agents, but throughout the years expanded its reach to full CBRN matters. The photo represents Sales & Marketing Manager Mr. Ilkka Sintonen, the only fulltime sales person by this time.

Environics keeps on showcasing M86/A and M90 Chemical Warfare Agent Detectors in industry dedicated shows, mostly focused on defence area, such as the US Army Worldwide Chemical Conference, which took place at the US Army Chemical School. It is also around this time that accessories for the M90 CWA Detector System such as the M90-PA (personal alarm units) and M90-TM (transmitters for wireless networks and individual warning) are released, supporting the premise that “successful military oprations are based on high mobility and quick decisive action. NBC protection and warning must also be mobile and respond quickly to provide maximum individual protection”.

On the Spring of 1994, Environics was introducing the  MGD-1, an IMS Multi-Gas Detector for organic gases originated in industrial hygiene, fugitive emissions and toxic waste. The MGD-1 featured sub-ppm detection levels of a wide range of gases — it was programmable to detect up to 30 gases simultaneously — it had a fast detection time, could be used as portable of fixed installation point and had  bidirectional rs-232 communication for computer or network linkage. At the same time, the trade show exhibiting equipment still included M90 Chemical Warfare Agent Detector together with the generic slogan: “Gas Detectors, The Sixth Sense for a Safer World”.

Environics is well known in the CBRN industry business by the effectiveness and accuracy of its in-house developed technoligies. This is only possible due to high-skilled dedicated staff with strong collaboration bounds that last for decades. Like “veteran” Bid Manager Ismo Loukoila, in this photo represented in his early years as a Test Engineer, thoroughly checking M90 at the company’s reasearch lab in Työmiehenkatu — Environics first headquarters address — to ensure the device’s highly quality functionality.

Environics, like most Finnish companies, has long tradition in hosting recreational days for the staff. And if there is one activity that never gets old fashioned in Finland, that is the sauna evenings. Sauna is a time for networking and bonding in an informal environment, which is vital for employee relations. In a Finnish sauna, everyone takes off their business clothes so hierarchies are essentially dissolved, and all are free to speak as equals. The only leadership is about deciding who gets to pour water to make the “löyly“!

On Friday 24th of December of 1999 local newspaper Länsi-Savo mentioned Environics as a company “aiming to be market leader”.
At the turn of the millenium Environics was expanding its operations to new areas of application of its in-house developed detection technologies. Environics chemical detection devices were standing out in the market due to their compact size, durability and no use of consumables, such as semiconductors that need to be replaced frequently.

This photo taken somewhere in the vast deserts of the Middle East aims at highlighting a former member of Environics staff: Project Engineer Jouni Aalto. Jouni has had an impressive long path within the company’s history, having collaborated with Environics Oy for over 30 years, therefore being himself a cornerstone for the development and implementation of this organization’s solutions. Throughout 3 decades Jouni wore many hats, being the last one “historian”, as the bearer and author of many photos shared in this compilation.
Thank you Jouni!

This amazing shot was taken in October 2009 during the BELCOAST exercise that gathered military units and technology experts to showcase state-of-the-art solutions. Environics was one of the 160 participant companies in this NATO sponsored critical infrastructure protection technology demonstration that marked the fifth anniversary of NATO’s Defence Against Terrorism Programme of Work. Our team was represented by experienced CBRN professionals Timo Suutarinen and Marko Tanninen demonstrated and made a short video about the use of a Mobile CBRN Monitoring System.

Environics Team has always been active in several projects for installing dedicated CBRN Monitoring systems into mobile and stationary platforms – such as vessels, buildings, or armoured / light vehicles. As a “partner for the whole system lifespan” in most of the situations, this requires that a team of CBRN experts often travels to the installation site for better optimization, for instance considering local harsh environment conditions. Even though details of the ongoing project at the time this photo was taken are unknown, one can easily tell it was not a Naval / Maritime case.

Environics has participated in projects and exercises for developing the response to CBRNE events. In 2013 as part of the DECOVY Project, Finnish authorities representing 13 different organizations practiced some joint activities in an exercise in the South Savo region. The aim of this mutual effort was to develop CBRN operations, to test the compatibility of the material and systems available and to boost and optimize collaboration between the different stakeholders.
As a member of the CBRN Finland, Environics showcaseed their handheld and CBRN system capabilities. Watch DECOVY Project video

In 2014, Environics achieves one of its landmark vehicle project collaborations when receiving a remarkable purchase order for several CBRN reconnaissance systems from the Turkish FNSS, a leading manufacturer and supplier of armoured combat vehicles and weapon systems. Whitin the scope of this project, Environics delivered CBRN Reconnaissance Systems including CBRN detection and identification capabilities for FNSS Special Purpose Wheeled vehicles.
So far, Environics has delivered / installed over 100 vehicle systems, to military and civil defence operators from several different countries.

Besides its strong bond to the military segment, by 2015 Environics had also established itself as a supplier of CBRN solutions for first responders and all the actors involved in civil protection. One of these remarkable solutions are the light vehicles for CBRN reconnaissance missions: a chassis independent container providing a mobile, secure workspace with NBC filtration, like the one in the picture. As in other projects, a team of CBRN specialists travels to the end-customer’s location after the delivery, to provide training onsite and to optimize the solution according to local environment conditions.

Service team on the road! As mentioned in the 2010 caption, having Environics as your CBRN “partner for the whole system lifespan” may mean that some day you will be standing in the hill station town of Lonavala, with a big smile on your face.

In 2019, and under the slogan “Only Fictional Heroes Accomplish Missions Alone” we launched our New Generation Handheld Chemical Detector — ChemProX — that would replace the company’s, so far, landmark product launched in the early 00’s, the ChemPro100i.

In order to better support our partner network spread across the globe, we try to organize annual Partner Days focused in different areas such as North America, Europe / Middle East, and APAC. For instance, in 2020 we hosted US Dealer Days in Round Rock, Texas.