There is strength in numbers. A great team produces
better results than one player alone. This is the approach
adopted by local companies.
The first man to express the need for such cooperation
was Einari Vidgrén, the founder of Ponsse, a manufacturer of forestry machines. Ponsse is one of the two companies that have contributed to the emergence of a strong
as iron cooperation network in Ylä-Savo.
Local companies have discovered that every trip, no matter how short, is worth taking if it means you can help
someone out, even if it makes your own load slightly
heavier.
Iisalmi-based Suomivalimo is a supplier of medium-heavy
cast iron components and a reliable, flexible and local
partner to its customers. Founded in Helsinki in 1918, the
foundry relocated to Iisalmi in 1975. Local cooperation
provides a wealth of potential for the company.
Describing this cooperation, the company’s Managing Director Olli Karhunen uses the words ‘in our immediate
vicinity’ instead of ‘near’.
“We have a highly efficient process for supplying surface-finished and machined cast components from the
immediate vicinity of our foundry.” It’s not a long way
from the immediate vicinity of the foundry to the next
door neighbour: there’s not even a fence between them.
A partner in this strong as iron cooperation is Metallityö
Vainio, a contract manufacturer for metal engineering
and construction companies. Its Managing Director Tommi Lähteinen ensures they work in close cooperation
with companies of all sizes.
“Thanks to close cooperation between companies in the
Iisalmi region, Metallityö Vainio can deliver world-class
components to world-class equipment manufacturers,”
he says with pride.