Finland is known for its metalworks, and Mäkelä Alu is one of the pioneers in aluminium profiles. A family business with nearly 90 years of experience, Mäkelä Alu has taken huge leaps from pressing tin plates to being a carbon-neutral manufacturer of aluminium profiles. Mäkelä Alu operates in Alajärvi and Kouvola, employing approximately 240 experts in several steps of the manufacturing process. One of their solutions involves quality profiles by V.A.V. Group.
Similar manufacturing processes
Aluminium profiles are made similarly to silicone and TPE profiles. The requested profile is designed to match the requirements, then an extrusion die is made with the exact measures for the manufacturing process. The heated mass, or billet in aluminium’s case, is pressed through an extrusion die to have the requested form of the profile. So far, this sounds very similar to our process!
The aluminium profiles manufactured in Alajärvi, Finland mostly end up in the construction industry. They can be found in balconies, windows, and facades. Many of us are familiar with aluminium cases for electronics or cables, and are very likely to bump into Mäkelä Alu’s products in our everyday lives. “35% of our profiles are being exported, so domestic customers still form the majority of our demand”, says Mika Korkea-aho, Sales Director at Mäkelä Alu. It has been a long journey, from tin plates to roof profiles, sauna stove platings, and finally, to custom aluminium profiles!
Protecting the products
Being a lightweight material means aluminium is not extremely dense. Depending on the consistency of the profile, it can be somewhat prone to damage both in transport and storage. To make things easier for their own storing needs, Mäkelä Alu developed the AluBasket® solution, a weatherproof and environmentally friendly aluminium basket for transporting and storing long aluminium profiles. The stackable baskets can be safely used with a forklift without the fear of damaging the profiles.
“It was our internal logistics that started the design process. We needed something to efficiently store and move up to 3600 cages loaded with profiles in our storage, and at some point, we realized our customers could benefit from them, too”, Mika Korkea-aho describes. The aluminium cages are lined with V.A.V. Group’s TPE profiles to protect the more delicate aluminium from shaking around and getting scratched.
Nowadays, AluBasket® is more than a product; it is a service that V.A.V. Group also uses to store longer, stiffer profiles. “I guess we did a full circle by having V.A.V. Group provide us with the profiles for the AluBasket®, and we provide them with the service in return,” Korkea-aho laughs.
Incomparable recyclability
Aluminium is a superb material from the environmental perspective, being 100% recyclable. The need for virgin material is very low when aluminium products have been recycled accordingly. Mäkelä Alu is putting a lot of effort into recycling the materials, thus minimizing their carbon footprint. The same applies to the AluBasket®: “If a basket is damaged, we primarily repair it since we have the tools and ability to do so. But if it is broken beyond repair, we remove the plastic covers and TPE profiles and smelt the aluminium parts for reuse. Nothing goes to waste”, Mika Korkea-aho proudly states.
Recycling is not the only way of reducing their carbon footprint, though. Since 2005, Mäkelä Alu has consciously decreased their emissions and energy consumption. Their ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality from their door to customer’s door in 2025 was already achieved in early 2025. Mika Korkea-aho knows environmental aspects are also important to V.A.V. Group, so he sees a lot of good in the cooperation. “We started reducing our energy consumption rather early and got carried away with all the good we saw from it. We made huge investments to reduce it even further and set the goal of carbon neutrality by 2025. Over the years, we have minimized our environmental impact while maintaining the highest quality with our aluminium profiles.” Having a like-minded business partner makes things easier, according to Mr. Korkea-aho. If you are curious about the environmental values of V.A.V. Group, read this article next.
Cooperation as seamless as the products
Mäkelä Alu has been a satisfied customer of V.A.V. Group for over a decade. Mika Korkea-aho can’t see a reason why it would be otherwise: “Everything has been running smoothly, to be honest. I can’t recall any delivery issues or problems with the profiles, and I haven’t heard of any unsatisfied comments from V.A.V. Group’s end considering our AluBasket® service.”
It’s hard to disagree with him: When companies use each other’s products and services, it is only fair to say they are happy with each other’s performance. When asked about the future, Mika looks in the distance and says, “I could imagine our products are often linked together, having a solid aluminum profile with a soft TPE or silicone edge, cushion, or profile. At least we know where to direct someone when they need a high-quality profile to accompany our products!”
