“At some point, I felt like my previous job was no longer the kind of job where I could do things the way that would really serve the clients. During my maternity leave, I started thinking about what to do next, and I decided to study something completely new.”

A new direction in engineering

The change in field took some careful consideration for Johanna. She considered future job opportunities and ended up studying mechanical engineering at Lapland University of Applied Sciences:

“Mechanical engineering felt right, especially because it also allows you to work with your hands. I like designing, but also the fact that I get to implement and test things myself.”

During her studies, her focus shifted further to plastics technology, which she studied as a cross-curricular subject at Satakunta UAS. This eventually led to her applying for an internship at companies in the field, and is how she eventually landed at our doorstep.

From an internship to a permanent role

Johanna Lonnakko started at V.A.V. Group as an intern on a project related to new raw materials. Project work, thesis, and production tasks ran parallel for a long time. In her thesis, Johanna developed a tool for the TPE line that made it possible to streamline product manufacturing and reduce errors. The solution proved so effective that it was decided to keep the work as internal company information!

As graduation approached and a position opened up at the company, the transition to a permanent role came naturally.

A diverse role keeps the work interesting

Johanna’s workdays vary greatly. The work includes design, 3D printing, production work, quality assurance, and material development.

“Sometimes I can spend weeks on the computer designing and making reports, and other times I’m in production developing and testing new solutions. That variety is what makes the work meaningful.”

According to Johanna, one of the best parts of the job is the opportunity to take ideas from start to finish yourself:

“In many larger companies, the designer designs, and someone else creates the product. Here, you get to make, test, and develop things yourself until they are finished. It teaches you the process in a completely different way.”

Striking a balance between work and home life

The work community gets a special mention from Johanna. In a small organization, cooperation is smooth, and help is easy to get.

“It’s easy to be here, easy to come to work in the mornings. You don’t have to play any role; you can just be yourself. Everyone knows each other, and you can get help quickly since you always know who to ask.”

In contrast to work, her everyday life revolves around her family. Her two young children waiting at home make sure that the evenings are never boring. In addition, her free time includes agility practice with her dog, motorcycle riding, and 3D printing – a hobby that found its way home from her studies.

“I got into 3D printing when I was a student. Nowadays, the plastic printer is sometimes almost like a television for the kids, it’s fun for them to watch while the printing is in progress, especially if I’m printing something for them”, she laughs.

Welcome, Johanna, to your new position at V.A.V. Group!

Artikkeli Meet Johanna Lonnakko: Design & Quality Engineer julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran V.A.V. Group.

Learning the ropes with support from colleagues

Transitioning into the industrial sector was certainly a big change for Teija, but she has more than embraced the challenge. The world of seals and profiles was unfamiliar at first, and she’s grateful for the amount of support she has received from her new colleagues. One of her main concerns before switching jobs was leaving behind a great team. However, Teija is happy to say that she has found another fantastic work community here. “I work with Arttu, Tuomas and Lari here in the office, and they are brilliant! We have some good laughs here – while getting our work done, of course.”

Building up the role of Sales Coordinator

Teija’s position as Sales Coordinator is a new role in our company. She’s been actively developing it from the start and taking on various responsibilities. Her main task is handling customer orders and processing them in the system. She ensures they fit into production schedules and informing customers of any changes. In addition, she works closely with Sari in logistics, assisting with managing export documents and occasionally negotiating with suppliers for, for example, packaging materials for the profiles. 

Teija might have many irons in the fire at once, but she feels in her element. “I work really well under pressure. There are always multiple things going on at once; managing shipments for different profiles and the new Finneasy cattle brushes, all with their own deadlines and details, as well as plenty of people with questions waiting for answers. That’s what I’m good at, keeping many things running at the same time,” Teija says.

Open communication makes for happy customers and colleagues

Teija’s role requires constant communication between our workers on the production lines, the Sales Team, Sari in logistics, and our customers. She enjoys the people-oriented nature of the job and appreciates the open culture, where ideas can be shared freely – even directly with Pasi, our Managing Director.

Outside of work, Teija leads an active life. She competes in motorsports (the Finnish Jokkis class) and is involved in the Finnish Scouting community. She’s already made some great memories with the team! Attending the company’s 20th anniversary celebrations provided a perfect opportunity to connect with both customers and her new colleagues.

We’re so happy to have Teija on board here at V.A.V. Group, and look forward to seeing her shape her role and contribute to our growing team!

Artikkeli Meet Our New Sales Coordinator: Teija Kyllönen julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran V.A.V. Group.

“At first, I thought it was not really up my alley since I studied energy engineering, but I was interested in process engineering, too. It took only a few days on the production line to awaken my curiosity and interest in how V.A.V. Group solves problems for their customers”, Arttu describes his first impression of his current workplace. “The following year, I worked at a different company, but somehow the subject of my thesis led me back to V.A.V. Group”, he laughs.

Our new production line was ramped up during the spring and summer of 2023, and Arttu was among the first employees to work on the latest machinery. “I guess I was doing a good job since I got to use the new production line and even became a trainer on them. Maybe it was some test for the new kid on the block”, he says with a smile. As he was working on the production line by day and on his thesis by night, a new position titled “Development engineer” became open for applicants. Without hesitation, Arttu filled out his application and hoped for the best.

An aspiring engineer

The main reason for applying for the position was Arttu’s experience in production, where he got to know the processes and the people working at V.A.V. Group: “It was astonishing to see how everyone is tirelessly working towards the same goal, fulfilling the customers’ orders and exceeding their expectations. The flexibility and innovation of a small production facility was desirable to me, something you won’t see in bigger factories where I also briefly worked”, says Arttu. Working in a larger corporation would mean he would travel a lot for work, which isn’t in his interests now. “It’s mutually beneficial to gather more experience and knowledge here before heading out to prospective clients”, Arttu reckons. Working as the first full-time development engineer, Arttu significantly influences the job content and how he develops the processes. Now that the new extrusion line is in operation, Arttu hasn’t had time to get bored at work. “I like how the day goes by without noticing because there are many interesting tasks and challenges to solve. The cooperation between employees is seamless, and I wouldn’t change it for the world”, he praises.

Experience in production is an advantage in development

A good development engineer knows every bit of the production process, which makes developing and enhancing the processes more streamlined and efficient. “I think it was a great opportunity for me. I got to see and experience every phase of our production, so I better understand the big picture. Instead of sitting in an ivory tower, I can approach anyone and work together with them to develop our processes further”, Arttu explains. Solving problems with Tools manufacturing and quality manager Tuomas and Project manager Hannu, the three men form a super effective team ready to tackle any challenges. The fourth tireless team member is the 3D printer responsible for custom tools for every purpose. The endless opportunities of the most complex profiles imaginable and the wide range of use cases fascinate Arttu, who is eager to explore new industries, uses, and solutions – once he has gathered more experience and knowledge.

Our new extrusion line has been Arttu’s primary focus, and he has quickly become an expert in his field. The 25-year-old development engineer has some long-term goals on how to serve customers even better: “Having seen the possibilities our products have, there’s so much untapped potential from my point of view. From an engineering perspective, any seal, gasket or profile application could be done with our tools and materials.” After more time gathering information and experience, Arttu believes he could help new customers in new industrial fields find the perfect sealing solution. The young man has the much-needed patience, though, so that is a matter of the future. “If I encounter problems in solving a problem, I have Tuomas there to help me. He has great experience producing custom tools while I oversee the process itself. And if Tuomas runs into a dead end, we have our mentor Hannu, who has started his career by building the custom tools by hand, using saws and drills to cut the intricate shapes. I think he has used hundreds of files and cutting wires in his time!”

Reaching out to new customers

When asked what Arttu wants to say to our customers, he immediately answers: “We have the will and ability to grow as a business, as a problem solver. Our machines are top-of-the-line, and there’s an astounding amount of workmanship among our staff, so there’s barely anything we couldn’t do with the materials we use. All our investments aim to serve our customers even better.” He encourages businesses from all industries to ask for assistance because, just like everyone else at V.A.V. Group, Arttu is there to help and solve problems.

Artikkeli Meet our development engineer: Arttu Juntunen julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran V.A.V. Group.

Lari Vandell applied for the production manager position and joined the team after Easter earlier this year. When asked why he decided to apply for the job, he explained that the company’s forward way of thinking and modern technology made him interested. V.A.V. Group’s investments in better facilities and 3D printing, in particular, gave Vandell a good impression of the company: 

– Details like these pique your interest, and in my case, they definitely contributed to my decision to apply.

Vandell’s career path started off in 2008 behind the grill at Hesburger, where he worked before and after completing his year in military service, and during his higher education. Vandell worked summers in the SSAB steelworks in Raahe, and graduated with a bachelor’s in Mechanical and Production Engineering in 2015. After graduation Vandell created a 3D-printing project for the Haapavesi Technological Center before returning to work at SSAB. For the last four years, Vandell worked as a production manager at Kymsol.

Seamless production lines and quality control

The role of production manager is already familiar to Vandell, whose career path has included several supervising positions. This is Vandell’s first time switching away from steelworks, and the silicone and rubber industry came with new processes and production methods for him to learn, but Vandell is confident in his skills in supervising and production management:

– I’m not sure what pulled me into these managing roles since I never purposefully looked for them, but they always felt right to me. This industry is new and different for me, but my goal and job are still very much the same, I take care of quality control and make sure that the right products go to the right clients when they’re meant to.

Vandell has settled in well at VAV Group and has enjoyed his first months at the job:

– The crew here is great, and I felt welcomed by everyone right from the start. The work community is full of professionals, and everyone is always ready to help and answer questions. 

VAV Group’s three main goals are to provide fast, flexible, and high-quality service and all three are very common themes in Vandell’s day-to-day work:

– This is a cliché, but every day is different and comes with new challenges, he laughs.

–  Each day brings changes that we have to react to and adapt to. Our flexibility and problem-solving skills are what help us tackle those challenges and ensure that everything we produce is high-quality and shipped out to clients on time.

Artikkeli Meet our Production Manager: Lari Vandell julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran V.A.V. Group.