WIDE OPERATION RANGE SETTLED THE DECISION ... - Vahterus

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Vahterus&UsQuality THROUGH peopleThe constant development of steel materialskeeps purchasers at Vahterus alert.-New materials are more and more madefor specific end-uses. For example, for thepetrochemistry industry, perfect materialsfor specific needs are constantly developed,says Project Purchaser Matti Luomahaara.The four purchasers at Vahterus constantlywork in close cooperation with project managersand designers within projects.Europe during the summer holidays and thishas to be taken into account.Challenges occur when material supplierslisted by the client expect orders of hundredsof units but we only need one or two unitsfor a unique project. In these cases it can beeven difficult to get an offer.-Then we try open every possible doorand call all possible contacts to discuss thecase. Open communication with clients andchallenges. We have the right tools and connectionsall over the world. There is nothingwe cannot handle. This is part of our companystrategy, emphasizes Luomahaara.In March, it will be four years since MattiLuomahaara got interested in the growingcompany and joined team Vahterus. Justbefore joining the company, Luomahaara,together with his wife, had found a place fortheir own house in Luonnonmaa in Naantali.Purchaser knows constantly developing materialsMatti Luomahaara, Purchaser-My responsibility is purchasing, in otherwords buying materials for ongoing projects.It’s my task to know the materials and makepurchasing decisions according to what isrequired by the project and the client, explainsLuomahaara.The most demanding purchases are usuallymade for the petrochemistry industry aswell as projects for large power plants.-We have big clients with specific needs.They are very precise about material qualityand quality testing. Only specific suppliersare qualified, explains Luomahaara.Luomahaara has worked as a purchaserat Vahterus for about four years. Accordingto Luomahaara, it is possible to acquire thebasic information of steel materials throughstudying but in the end the knowledge ismainly gained through work.-One’s has to be a multiply skilled person,be familiar manufacturing techiques as wellas know and recognize materials. New materialsare introduced every year, which makesthe work interesting.For materials that are needed on a regularbasis, Vahterus uses its own network of suppliers.Most of the needed materials is basicblack and clear pressure vessel steel andmost of the materials come from Germany,England, the Netherlands, Sweden and ofcourse Finland.-Suppliers that we have cooperated withfor many years know our demands and thatwe are always in a hurry. There are fast deliveriesand even faster, ”Vahterus –deliveries”,says Luomahaara and laughs.One of the main issues of the job is to makepurchases so that the required schedule canbe kept and to make sure that the price paidfor each material is the right one.-It is important to anticipate possible challengesof production. One has to communicatethem to project managers and designers.For example, we cannot get materials fromsuppliers is needed to find a balance. Sometimesthe solution satisfies all parties, sometimesit is better for one of them. However,these experiences teach us a great deal andthe information gained can be used for allparties’ advantage in future cases.The list of material suppliers approvedby the client can also be rather short andthe companies listed may be located faraway and be previouslyunknown for Vahterus.-The startingpoint is that forus, there areno insurmountableThe house was finished in 2008. It’s locatedfive kilometres from the nearest suburb withsea and nature all around.-Most of my hobbies are at sea, I fish andhunt in the archipelago, explains Luomahaara.The family’s daughter is now threeyears old and she will be getting a new siblingin the spring.Matti Luomahaara8
VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2013On a weekly basis Vahterus sends outapproximately 50-70 product shipments allaround the world. Especially Friday is a busyday when large shipments head around theworld via Helsinki Port. The last stop for eachproduct is finalized in the morning allthoughit should be leaving for the harbour alreadybefore noontime. At rush times like thesethe production department helps out withthe shipping.Final glance over customer’s product brings inresponsibilityMika Rantala, Shippingproduct at Vahterus is the shipping departmentwhere the products receive their finalcheck.The Quality Controller goes through everything– for example that all laboratory testshave been done, welding seams have beenX-rayed, all in all that the product is ready tobe sent out to the customer. After this theproduct is packed in a wooden, usually tailor-made,crate where it is safe against bumps,shakes and changing weather conditions.-During the transportation crates aremoved around in terminals, cars and airplanes,explains Mika Rantala who has workedat Vahterus’ shipping department for overfour years.Rantala and his two colleagues make surethat everything is ready for shipments in time.-We need to stick to the agreed shipmenttimes. Ships and planes depart according totheir schedules and we have tohave our units on board!At the shipping departmentpacking starts withsecuring the unit tightly ontothe bottom of the crate. Theproduct is also supportedinside the crate with cradlesthat are placed so that norubbing marks are left on theunits. After thorough checkand careful packing of theproduct the crate is sealedand accompanied with consignmentpapers.-Then we just need to stickthe papers on to the craterand make sure that the truckis ready to take off on its waysafely, explains Rantala.All units from thesmallest of 20-30 kilos tothe biggest of almost20 tonnes are sentout through the shippingdepartment atVahterus. The largest units are moved witha crane directly to the truck and the crateis assembled around it from ready-madeelements. The products are moved to theshipping department after painting and thoroughdrying after which Rantala and his colleaguesadd the shipping plates and stickersand make sure that all else that is needed forthe shipment is ready. For long marine transportationcertain units are protected againstcorrosion by filling them with Nitrogen. Thisrequires that the connection nozzles are carefullyplugged.An important part of Rantala’s work isordering the tailor-made shipping crates.The elements come from the neighboringcity of Laitila. Some of Vahterus’ products fitin into standard shipping crates but usuallythe shipping department orders them separately.They try to predict and follow thefinalization of the products as precisely aspossible and order the wooden containersa week or two before the shipment.-If the customer wants to advance theshipment we need to have the crates ready,stresses Rantala.Schedules are usually tight and the shippingdepartment makes sure they are on topof the schedules. However, sometimes theRantala has earlier experience with internationalshipments from his previous job wherehe started up the operations for a new shippingdepartment. At Vahterus Rantala enjoyshis current work.-It’s a clean job indoors and we have awarm forklift truck to drive around with, hemuses.In his free time Rantala coaches his daughter’sringette team in Uusikaupunki. Thehobby began when Rantala started as a coachfor the team six years ago. After that Rantalahas spent a lot of his free time on skates. Oneof Rantala’s greatest sport achievements wascompleting the Paavo Nurmi Marathon inTurku a few years back. After that a badmintoninjury kept Rantala outside the running tracksfor quite a while but now he is already planningto participate in another marathon. Rantala’sfamily includes his spouse, a daughterand a son who is already out onhis own andcurrently completinghis militaryservice.Mika Rantala9
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WIDE OPERATION RANGE SETTLED THE DECISION ... - Vahterus

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