We have been doing in-house logistics for Avesco since the beginning of their Finnish operations. A partnership that is grounded in shared development has given the company a flexible human resource and space to focus on their core operations.
Swiss family company Avesco began its Finnish operations in 2020, when the company purchased the Caterpillar business from Wihuri. A cooperation with Transval started soon after. Avesco begun building its own network of locations, and we came in to move operations to a new warehouse in Kerava in the fall of 2021.
”We didn’t have the competency to do in-house logistics. Our options were to recruit our own 10-person resource or an in-house operator. We went with the latter, which in our opinion has been the right solution,” says Antti Pitkänen who oversees procurement and logistics at Avesco.
The move to the Kerava warehouse ended up going so smoothly that the warehouse was only closed for one Friday. Antti stresses the importance of a smooth move: it is critical for Avesco’s clients that spare parts can be received quickly when needed and machines are not out of production for a single day.
Photo: Avesco
Shared development acts as the foundation
Starting the work together early on meant that we could develop our ways of working together. We have for example joined forces to assess IT solutions, warehouse layouts, and the machines used for working.
Our shared development continues today. Avesco is using a continuous improvement process that is also implemented for Transval’s employees. Development ideas are actively brought to the table and potential exceptions handled swiftly.
“Working together is easy when you’re surrounded by great people who you can talk with openly. We meet regularly and never wait until the monthly meetings if something is urgent,” Antti says.
The work together is guided by Avesco’s values, safety, flexibility, and solution orientation. It is especially important for Avesco that all employees are treated the same, whether they are from Transval or Avesco’s own team. Equipment, break and social rooms and parking lots, for example, are the same for everyone.
“It’s not ‘them’, but rather ‘us’!” Antti points out.
Our biggest strength is a flexible human resource
Antti gives thanks to Transval’s flexibility. One of the biggest benefits of our co-operation has been our flexible human resource. We have for example offered specific help to Avesco’s Kuopio warehouse and substituted during vacations.
”“Both our calculations and practice have shown that the service provided by Transval is cost-competitive in relation to using our own employees. When situations have changed, Transval has been flexible. We haven’t had the need to use time and money on recruitment and resourcing, and instead have been able to focus on our core business,” Antti says.
Our work together will continue in the future. We will be finetuning our processes and possibly growing together, as Avesco reaches toward their goals. Transval’s manpower has already grown by one, and many projects have received additional resourcing from us.
”From the beginning, we have worked with Avesco as partners, which has been a great source of motivation for us. We often reach the best results when we work together towards a common goal,” says Kai Kankaala, Sales Director at Transval.
Interested in logistics outsourcing solutions?
For more information contact: Kai Kankaala, sales director, tel 040 673 7993, Kai.Kankaala@transval.fi
