V.A.V. Group and Jet-Steel are two relatively small companies, but their products and solutions are trusted worldwide. The stainless steel expert Jet-Steel operates in Kouvola, Finland, and they have trusted V.A.V. Group seals and profiles for over a decade. The company employs approximately 20 people in Kouvola, many of whom are expert welders, cutters, and other professionals familiar with stainless steel.
Finnish products behind global success
According to Sami Korhonen, CEO of Jet-Steel, the stainless steel products made in Kouvola can be found everywhere in the world thanks to their clients, operating overseas in several countries. The products range from ducts to heat recovery towers, and from huge tank containers to specialized vehicle parts. Nowadays their biggest customers operate in the paper and forest industry, while the construction industry is on the rise.
“We prefer Finnish steel, simply because we trust in it and know the high quality of it. We do our best to process the high-quality raw material into high-quality products, and according to our clients, we are achieving it nicely. With such products, every component must meet our high standards, including the seals and profiles”, Sami Korhonen explains.
Custom meets custom
The story of V.A.V. Group and Jet-Steel started over a decade ago, when Sami and his team were looking for a profile manufacturer who could deliver a custom profile that meets the highest standards. “We heard about V.A.V. Group from a customer, ordered the custom ring profile, and never looked back”, he sums it up. Nowadays, the product range is a lot bigger and the two companies work together seamlessly.
The profiles needed for Jet-Steel’s custom products mostly end up in heavy industry or chemical industry, which sets up strict requirements for the profiles. Custom made frames and rings can be extraordinarily broad, thick, and large – and often required to withstand extreme temperatures. These are not the one-size-fits-all kind of products, but very specific profiles with small tolerances.
Customer service is a big part
One of the reasons for such a great chemistry between the companies are shared values – both V.A.V. Group and Jet-Steel want to exceed the expectations of their customers either by unbeatable quality of the products, or by unbeatable quality of the service. “Ideally, we are working together with the customer already in the design phase. With our knowledge on the material, we can sometimes notice a design ‘flaw’ or just simplify something in the structure to make it more durable, easier to construct or cheaper to manufacture.”
Very often simple is better, and according to Sami, their customers are very grateful for Jet-Steel’s way of doing business. “I cannot recall a single case where the client specifically denied a simple version instead of a complex and more expensive one”, he laughs. He emphasizes the meaning of dialogue and customer service, which he also recognizes as a core strength of V.A.V. Group as well.
What Jet-Steel and V.A.V. Group also have in common is their role as a crucial subcontractor for bigger companies. There’s a lot on the line when it comes to delivering products or services to global operators, so the partnering businesses must trust in each other and their products. Of course, to err is human, but the professionalism comes from how you handle the unfortunate error. And, according to the Jet-Steel CEO Sami, that is the strong suit of smaller companies: “Over the course of more than ten years, I think there has been one frame in total that didn’t fit, and our contact person Mia Ahlgren at V.A.V. Group handled it really well. We got the corrected version quickly and were really satisfied with the service.”
Value proposition is seen in everyday work
During our discussion with Sami, it became clear that the two businesses share the same values, as stated above. V.A.V. Group’s value proposition consists of four key elements: Innovative, Fast, Flexible, Reliable. Even though Jet-Steel’s website does not list the same values, they rise up in our discussion one after another as a part of their philosophy. Being a relatively small enterprise in the industry, product quality, reliability, and customer service are key features in beating the competition.
When asked about how well V.A.V. Group meets their value proposition, Sami does not hesitate with his answer: “Oh 100%, there is nothing that would state otherwise. If there ever were a problem, I am sure it would be taken care of right away.”
Sami was also present at V.A.V. Group’s 20th anniversary factory tour and the festivities afterwards, and was delighted to meet people from the same industry, but also the staff of V.A.V. Group. The discussions went on until the late hours, so the event was successful according to Sami. Of course we had to ask him one last question: Would he recommend us to others?
“I already have, quite a few times”, he laughs. “If my colleagues ever need custom profiles, I know where to direct them”.
