Tibnor's Area Sales Manager Riku Frigård: “It was easy to start building cooperation.”

“Long-term customer relationships are typical in our field. For the cooperation to be successful, there must be chemistry between people.

I first met Joel together with Kari, my predecessor at Stairon. The masters who preceded me and Joel were retiring in the same year, and up until then I had been learning how to walk in the shoes of a Regional Purchasing Director. We were both young guys, less than 30 years old. After our discussion, the old hands entrusted us with the work. It has been good to move forward from that strong foundation. Joel and I have learned much from each other.

Tibnor’s slogan is We make a difference. We believe in constant development, and we look for new, better solutions together with the customer. Stairon is a good partner for us because they have similar values. Stairon also wants to offer its customers more and to create the best possible added value.

We primarily offer Stairon steel products such as sheet metal and stainless steel. We also have preliminary treatment service. Stairon tells us much about its activities. That way we can better respond to their needs. We also discuss the development of products and operating methods in order to intelligently save working time and materials.

Stairon is enthusiastic about its own activities, and their group exudes a sense of eagerness to get things done. Partners like that are great to work with. In addition to Joel, I have learned to know other people at Stairon. They are all great people, and the work has proceeded well.

Joel and I also do other things together. For example, we play badminton. If you want to go the site, you have to do things right.”

Stairon Purchasing Director Joel Sjöberg: “We set tough demands and high expectations both for ourselves and our partners.”

”Stairon and Tibnor have worked together for a long time. Although the names of the companies have changed and the operating cultures have developed over the years, the good cooperation has continued.

I came to Stairon in May 2016 after a project abroad to learn from Markku, the Purchaser at the time. I had less than a month to learn the work and to get to know our partners. Tibnor was one of them. Although Riku and I were both new, we were shared a high level of motivation and desire to make the cooperation work.

Working with the same person for four years on almost a weekly basis makes for easy communication. Riku knows what Stairon needs and I know what Tibnor has to offer. Alternating projects and material needs also maintain interest, as they allow us to confront new challenges.

Stairon is an industrial service provider that wants to challenge the self-evident. It means that we are solution-oriented and open to new possibilities. We want to optimise production and our activities to better help our customers. We set stringent demands and expectations both for ourselves and our partners.

As the array of our products truly broad, and as relatively little time is often left for manufacture, we cannot utilise factory orders very often. Thanks to its wide selection, Tibnor is a good steel wholesaler for Stairon. In addition, they can respond to a difficult market situation with competitive prices. Tibnor is also reliable: When they confirm an order I know that the goods will be at Stairon in the Pansio district of Turku at the right time.

I believe that work with Riku and Tibnor will continue in the future as well. Riku does not make empty promises. He is civil, open, and he genuinely wants to advance our cooperation. We occasionally spend time together during our free time. We play badminton, and if the weather is nice, we sometimes sit on the riverbank in Turku.”