Alexander Häggman from Ostrobothnia places fifth at the woodworking World Championship in Shanghai
While reading about WorldSkills in Shanghai, I was drawn to Finnish cabinetmaker Alexander Häggman from Ostrobothnia. The competition, the 48th of its kind, ran from September 23 to 27 and brought together some 1,400 young people from over 70 countries in 64 skill areas. Finland sent 23 competitors and came home with one gold and eight Medals of Excellence.
Häggman trained at Optima in Jakobstad and now works at DetailWorks in Nykarleby. The Cabinetmaking discipline judges joinery, interpretation of drawings, choice of materials, and the finish, function and style of the furniture. He had previously won a Finnish championship gold and placed fifth at the European Championship in Denmark in 2025. Preparations began more than two years before the competition, with training on his own, team training, camps and a full dress rehearsal in Villmanstrand.
The task was a traditional Chinese tea cabinet with a removable serving tray, decorated with a laser-cut horse in thin veneer to celebrate the Year of the Horse. About an hour into the competition, the fictional client made an extra request: a storage box for the tray, so the plans had to be changed on the fly.
He finished fifth out of 25, five points short of bronze, and received a Medal of Excellence. Gold went to Tobias Kelz from Germany with 731 points, silver to Qi Sheng Chen from Taipei with 730, and bronze to Jonas Wenter from South Tyrol with 727. The French expert even offered him a job in France. Personally, I think it says something about the level of the trade that a few points separate the medal places.
The next WorldSkills will be held in 2027 in Düsseldorf.
Source: Tekijä-lehti
Häggman trained at Optima in Jakobstad and now works at DetailWorks in Nykarleby. The Cabinetmaking discipline judges joinery, interpretation of drawings, choice of materials, and the finish, function and style of the furniture. He had previously won a Finnish championship gold and placed fifth at the European Championship in Denmark in 2025. Preparations began more than two years before the competition, with training on his own, team training, camps and a full dress rehearsal in Villmanstrand.
The task was a traditional Chinese tea cabinet with a removable serving tray, decorated with a laser-cut horse in thin veneer to celebrate the Year of the Horse. About an hour into the competition, the fictional client made an extra request: a storage box for the tray, so the plans had to be changed on the fly.
He finished fifth out of 25, five points short of bronze, and received a Medal of Excellence. Gold went to Tobias Kelz from Germany with 731 points, silver to Qi Sheng Chen from Taipei with 730, and bronze to Jonas Wenter from South Tyrol with 727. The French expert even offered him a job in France. Personally, I think it says something about the level of the trade that a few points separate the medal places.
The next WorldSkills will be held in 2027 in Düsseldorf.
Source: Tekijä-lehti
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