Antti Kivimaa, who started as the Production Manager at Vieskan Elementti in 2019, says that the core production work has remained unchanged despite recent significant challenges in the construction industry, society, and globally.
“At the same time, we have developed our operations and improved productivity. Bold decisions have helped us break the loss cycle, achieving positive results in such challenging conditions for the second consecutive year, proving our decisions were right.”
“The world has generally become very cyclical, teaching us to tolerate uncertainty, especially regarding material supply. So far, we have received materials without production suffering from minor delivery delays.”
“In construction, a certain level of uncertainty has always existed, and the future cannot be predicted very far. Practically, management looks five years ahead, sales at least six months ahead, and in production, we operate on a two-month cycle. These form an overall picture guided by the company’s goals.”
Development has brought efficiency to production
A particularly encouraging aspect at Vieskan Elementti is that the entire staff, including production, is informed about goals and achievements. This further motivates a skilled and committed team.
“Improved internal communication increases a sense of unity. When all aspects are considered, the feeling of rush in production has disappeared, even though more is accomplished in the same time.”
“Key in developing production has been reducing waste and enhancing pre-fabrication, which has shortened assembly line work times.”
“Bold decisions to streamline production include pre-making modular halls and the most popular hall sizes for inventory. These solutions provide a steady workload, even during quieter periods.”
Upcoming summer production needs more workers
Kivimaa knows the entire production chain personally. He started as a summer worker in 2003, later becoming a full-time employee after his studies. Over the years, he has worked in various production roles and as a transport manager. After a brief stint elsewhere, he returned, noting that knowing the different parts of the whole is crucial as a production manager.
Employee turnover at Vieskan Elementti is low, reflecting commitment and responsibility. The appreciation of production workers is the company’s most important resource. Without skilled workers, even the best decisions will not yield results.
“We know what our team can do. Trust in the workers is essential for a rapidly developing company.”
“Last summer, we managed without summer workers, but this year we will need more workforce for the summer. Additionally, it seems we will also need more permanent employees for our skilled team as the order backlog grows.”
