14 July 2023: Johan “Jussi” Gullichsen, Professor Emeritus of Pulping Technology, Honorary Doctor in Technology and long-time Chairman of the Board of Directors of the A. Ahlström companies, passed away on Saturday 13 May 2023 in Somero, Finland.
Gullichsen was born in Pihlava on 28 June 1936 to the Ahlström industrial family and spent his childhood at Villa Mairea in Noormarkku. In 1958, he married Anna Ramsay, and they got three children. Jussi graduated as a Master of Science from Åbo Akademi University in 1962 and was granted an honorary doctorate in 1988.
At the start of his career, Gullichsen was focused on process and factory design and founded a consulting firm together with Bengt Arhippainen. The most significant innovation of his career is the medium consistency (MC) technology that enables the building of large and efficient pulp mills. In total, he registered over 60 patents and published over 180 scientific articles. Among his great achievements was also acting as one of the two editors-in-chief for a 19-volume international textbook series.
Gullichsen worked in education since the 1970s, among other things introducing pulp technology students to using computer simulations in factory design. Since Jussi joined as a professor at the Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University) in 1989, pulping technology became considerably more atractive as a major subject. Having an interest in students, he participated in student guild activities and, for example, several study trips abroad. Supporting young researchers was close to his heart, and so the research colloquium and research award bearing his name were initiated.
Johan Gullichsen was rewarded with many accolades during his distinguished career. In 1986, he was given the most prestigious international award in the forest industry, the Marcus Wallenberg Prize. In addition, he has received awards such as the Finnish Engineering Prize of the Year (1984) and the Lampén Medal (2004), as well as been invited to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame (2005). The Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association invited Johan Gullichsen to become its honorary member in 2014.
Gullichsen was also an internationally accomplished competitive sailor. In 1964, Jussi participated in the Tokyo Olympics in the 5.5 class, placing 6th, and he won silver in the 2005 Sydney World Championships. He also achieved success in competitins with crew members Peter Fazer and Robert Matson on Tre Gubbar. His favourite way to spend his free time was in the outer archipelago of Kemiö, making friends with the local islanders. At family estate in Palikainen, Jussi experimented with different things and his life-long interest in technology was continued, for example, in developing a small-scale power plant based on wood chip gasification.
To the Ahlström family, Jussi was an important unifying force, and his expertise and judgment were held in high regard. He strongly represented the family’s values and worked on the boards of the family company and different foundations for almost four decades.