Timo Kylä-Nikkilä, CEO of Stairon, is happy to shake the dusty image of the sector and challenge traditional ways of thinking. He believes that today’s successful mechanical workshop combines creativity, technology and service in its expertise.
“This has always been done” thinking must be forgotten and we must start looking for original solutions to customer problems, “says Kylä-Nikkilä.
The machine workshop’s traditional operating model is undergoing a change
As a result of the entrepreneurial change implemented at Stairon in 2019, the company has continued to develop and modernise its operations with the aim of being an industrial service provider that will solve the customer’s challenges and the most desirable partner in its sector.
– The competitiveness of Western companies is constantly in the spotlight. In global competition, the competitiveness of a common supply chain formed by all companies in the value chain is crucial. On our part we want to actively develop this integration in cooperation with the actors in the chain. One plus one must be more than two, says Kylä-Nikkilä.
– The development of a functional and cost-effective entity requires clear investments and will from both the supplier and the customer. Holding on to many traditions in the industry will deactivate and stifle activities, as priority is given to avoiding mistakes instead of bold solutions. This is exactly what Stairon wants to challenge and solve together with customers.
Stairon’s problem-solving ability is always based on strong expertise in industrial manufacture. Now the best practices are being developed at the cutting edge of technology, so to speak.
– In addition to the machine and equipment base, we have invested strongly in different information systems to support customer and supplier integration. Of course, the utilisation of digitalisation remains a huge potential throughout the supply chain – the development of data volume, speed and diversity is continuing.
Stairon guides young people to the field
The roots of Pansio-based Stairon go back to the 1960s. Since 2009, the Stairon name has been used since the Metso Paper Turku Works business deal. Over fifty years ago, the company focused on the design, manufacture and product development of air conditioning systems for paper machines. Stairon currently serves technology industry operators, who represent more than ten different industries.
According to Kylä-Nikkilä, the multidisciplinary nature and in-depth expertise of the activities are competitive advantages for Stairon. The strong expertise of the Pansio factory has succeeded in refining solutions for a wide range of industries, including the energy, mining, shipping and food industries.
According to Kylä-Nikkilä, the continuity of operations must be actively ensured. The image of the machine shop industry is not as streamlined as many others. The shabby workshop image should be adjusted to better reflect what everyday life currently predominantly is in the manufacturing industry. This is how the most talented young people are brought to the industry.
– The future lies with young people from educational institutions. Cooperation with educational institutions is a competitive advantage for us, and we will use it to ensure that we have also the best experts in the future.
There are also many experts in the machine shop industry who are about to retire in the next few years. By offering young people training and on-the-job learning opportunities, their experiences, learning and knowledge will gradually transfer to a new generation.
A modern company invests in digitalisation and responsibility
Stairon is increasingly managed through knowledge. Digitalisation and automation seek cost and resource efficiency and respond to future challenges. One of them is sustainable development. It is part of global development that does not ignore the engineering industry either.
– It’s important to identify megatrends. Environmental awareness and thus evolving requirements for resource efficiency, renewable energy and renewable raw materials. The growth, prosperity and education of the middle class in developing countries increase awareness and purchasing power. The consumer of the future is responsible and conscious. All these will ultimately also affect the activities of each industrial company directly or at least indirectly.
A lot has happened in twelve years of Stairon. And the pace of change is hardly slowing down. Kylä-Nikkilä emphasises that when a company calls itself a service company, it must also act accordingly. Often that means the courage to think differently. As when Stairon developed a method for servicing the internal surfaces of cruise ship exhaust pipes through rope work, enabling uninterrupted operation of vessels.
– The future Stairon wants to solve even difficult problems. Throw us a challenge! We are ready for this at Stairon, says Kylä-Nikkilä.
Stairon’s 12 years
- More than 1500 implemented customer projects
- Services for more than 100 industrial operators
- Deliveries to over 50 countries
- Equipment manufacturing for more than ten industrial sectors