In his opinion piece in Talouselämä, Tuganay highlights a shift that many industrial companies have yet to fully grasp. With the EU’s new Data Act now in force, manufacturers will gain a legally backed right to access operational data generated by the machines they purchase, lease, or use, including robots, cranes, and other equipment that has traditionally remained locked behind vendor-controlled interfaces.
Tuganay stresses that this is far more than a technical update. The regulation has the potential to significantly transform cost efficiency, predictive maintenance, and overall competitiveness across Finnish industry. He points to studies such as McKinsey’s, which show that predictive maintenance can cut downtime by up to 50% and extend equipment lifetime by up to 40%, benefits that have long been out of reach due to fragmented data ownership and slow negotiations with equipment suppliers.
However, he also emphasizes that the regulation introduces new ambiguities. Terms like “readily accessible” or “reasonable timeframe” are open to interpretation, which could push companies and suppliers into lengthy discussions instead of immediately putting data to work. He argues that this ambiguity makes preparation critical: companies must understand both their new rights and the obligations of their suppliers.
– Ergin Tuganay, Head of Data & AI, Nortal Finland
The greatest risk, Tuganay argues, is lack of action. Many Finnish companies recognize the Data Act by name but have not yet assessed what data they truly need or how accessing it could improve operations. Those who wait until the last minute may find themselves entering negotiations from a weak position, leaving considerable business value unrealized.
Ultimately, Tuganay frames the Data Act as a potential competitive advantage for Finland’s industrial sector. However, realizing this benefit depends on early coordination among companies, suppliers, and technology partners around data standards and governance.
Read the full opinion piece in Finnish in Talouselämä to explore Tuganay’s insights in depth.