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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.