North Outdoor boosts efficiency and profitability with battery investment and Elisa Industriq’s Gridle service

Three 108kW batteries combined with Gridle’s smart optimization will significantly cut the facility’s electricity costs and open new revenue streams by enabling it to participate in balancing and wholesale electricity markets. These savings, along with the additional income, ensure a rapid payback on the battery investment.

In recent years, the energy crisis, inflation, and rising interest rates have presented challenges to many Finnish apparel companies. Despite the tough times, North Outdoor has continued to invest in developing its operations, building a multimillion-euro logistics centre and Finland’s largest knitting facility in Rusko, Oulu. The 5,000 m² property consumes around 400 MWh of electricity a year with annual energy bills of about €35,000. With this battery investment, North Outdoor is aiming to transform its energy costs into a competitive advantage and financial benefit.

“This investment improves both the profitability and value of our property. We ran the numbers carefully, and even conservative estimates show that the investment is cash-flow positive from day one. That’s why we’ve decided to purchase three batteries. Elisa’s reliability and Gridle’s optimization expertise were the factors that convinced us,” says Lauri Pyykönen, CEO of North Outdoor.

Specializing in merino wool clothing, North Outdoor is part of PYKA Oy, owned by former Olympic skiers Lauri Pyykönen and Teemu Kattilakoski. For these entrepreneurs, producing their clothing in Finland is a key part of responsible and sustainable business – and sustainability also lies behind the battery investment. Thanks to Gridle, North Outdoor now uses greener electricity, charging batteries automatically during low-cost periods when power is generated from renewable sources. When the batteries are not needed for internal use, the company can sell the capacity to help balance the grid. In case of a power outage, the batteries will keep production running.

“North Outdoor’s example highlights the strengths of combining battery capacity with Gridle. We offer entrepreneurs an effortless way to improve the profitability and energy efficiency of their properties. They can focus on their core business, while we handle energy optimization. And supporting Finland’s electricity grid means that everyone benefits,” says Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita, Managing Director of Gridle and Head of AI at Elisa Industriq.

More information & interview requests:

Elisa Industriq Mediadesk, mediadesk@elisaindustriq.com, tel. +358 50 305 1605

North Outdoor, Lauri Pyykönen, lauri.pyykonen@pyka.fi, puh +358 40 558 0801

About North Outdoor / PYKA Oy

North Outdoor is a clothing brand from Oulu specializing in merino wool garments. The company became part of PYKA Oy through an acquisition in 2017. All North Outdoor products are designed in Finland, and the sweaters as well as some accessories are manufactured at the company’s own knitting mill in Rusko, Oulu. PYKA Oy operates broadly in the outdoor and sports product sector. They import Icebug footwear and Lillsport ski gloves and, in summer 2025, acquired the Hofler glove business. More information: https://northoutdoor.com

About Gridle

Gridle is an AI-powered energy flexibility service that maximizes the value of flexible energy assets such as batteries, e-boilers and thermal storage systems. Gridle turns energy flexibility, the ability to shift when electricity is produced or consumed, into financial value. Gridle controls energy assets intelligently and decides when energy assets should use, store or produce energy. It then offers this flexibility capacity to electricity markets that balance supply and demand, enabling customers to cut energy costs and gain new revenue streams. The service is vendor-neutral and ensures the security of mission-critical assets and infrastructure. Drawing on Elisa’s 140+ years of innovation and automation and its expertise in operating nationally critical infrastructure, Gridle delivers dependable energy services that translates directly into operational efficiency and measurable financial outcomes. Learn more: www.elisaindustriq.com/gridle

About Elisa Industriq

Elisa Industriq creates software solutions for operational intelligence by multiplying industrial knowledge with AI innovation. Our businesses – camLine, sedApta, Polystar, CalcuQuote, TenForce, and Gridle – serve over 2,000 clients internationally in the manufacturing, telecommunications, and energy sectors.

Elisa Industriq delivers business value for customers by reducing costs, improving quality, and generating growth. Our software solutions integrate with customers’ existing systems to optimize their operations in areas including manufacturing execution, supply chain optimization, network analytics, and energy management.

Elisa Industriq is part of Elisa, a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services headquartered in Finland. Our shared mission is a sustainable future through digitalization. Elisa Industriq employs nearly 1,600 experts in Europe, Asia, and North America. Learn more: www.elisaindustriq.com