Geobear - The Original Inventor of Geopolymer Injection
Pioneering Ground Improvement Since 1983
We’ve come a long way since it all started, at a department store in Finland, in 1983.
At a department store in Finland, the shop floor was starting to look like a potato field. The carts were rolling away from customers who struggled to fill them with purchases and make it to checkout. Business was suffering as more customers complained. The shop manager wanted to fix the problem without shutting down the business, so he called Veikko Hakkinen.
Veikko had invented a way to replace cement and grout with a polymer, which raised floors quickly and easily without the need for rebuilding. This was exactly what the shop manager was looking for. Confident he’d found a solution to a serious problem, Veikko patented his invention in 1983.
Hakkinen’s polymer solution started to gain popularity all over the world.
Timo Lahtinen became the head of the business in 1987, expanding into over 50 countries in the next 22 years. The company completed over 100,000 projects, created licensing deals with more than 30 companies, created new techniques, and got more patents.
When Timo retired in 2012, there were several companies using resin injection for ground improvement. Timo’s plan to become the market leader involved shifting from licensing into a ground improvement contracting business. Once the contracting business was off the ground in Finland, Timo started the process in the UK.
Becoming the worldwide leader in ground improvement contracting.
Today, Geobear is headquartered in London. CEO, Otso Lahtinen, has continued to build on his father’s vision by expanding across Europe, Asia, and the United States. In addition to homeowners and commercial buildings, Geobear now serves major ports, airports, railways, and more.
