2.5 million investment in VILPE’s factory in Korsholm
Family business VILPE invests 2.5 million euros in expanding the factory and office in Korsholm, Finland. The investment also includes machinery. The space on the first floor is for production and packaging and on the second floor there will be new office premises. The construction work begins on May 17th.
“Our company has grown and we seek growth in the future. We are committed to environmentally friendly production in Finland. This means that we need well-functioning production lines. The investment enables us to compete not only in Finland but also on the Central European and Russian markets”, says VILPE’s CEO Tuomas Saikkonen.
During the last years, VILPE has invested heavily in the factory in Korsholm. In 2020 VILPE started expanded the machinery hall by 755 m2 and it will be ready after the final inspection the upcoming summer. The investment in geothermal power plant will also be finished this spring. Replacing oil with geothermal energy will cut the factory’s carbon dioxide emission by 330 tonnes annually. Read more about VILPE’s investment in geothermal energy here.
VILPE has not been afraid to make major investments in a short time period because the company has faith in the future. The demand for products has remained stable during the covid-19 pandemic. However, the future challenges will be global logistics flows and price competitiveness. The factory expansion allows production lines to be re-organised internally to improve efficiency. It also enables more flexible production and larger storage for raw materials and components.
Post-pandemic life considered in office design
The investment gives much-needed square metres to the office premises and they were designed to fit the post-pandemic work life. A modern office is a way to attract new recruitments especially in the Vaasa region.
“The pandemic has increased remote working and the ways of working have become more versatile in our organization. Some people will certainly want to continue remote working but face-to-face meetings are valuable in several situations. The office has to feel attractive so employees would want to come into the office”, says Saikkonen
Studio Joanna Laajisto is the interior architecture for the project.
“The office spaces have to be inspiring and ease collaboration in order for people to want to go there in the morning. Exchanging ideas face-to-face in the office is much easier compared to remote meetings”, explains Joanna Laajisto.
The covid-19 pandemic has affected the office design. Generally speaking, open-plan offices are decreasing.
“The office premises have to be flexible. They need to offer hybrid workplaces to ensure smooth cooperation for both smaller and larger teams. The design has to work with common ways of cooperation, e.g., allow for smooth video conferences”, says Laajisto.
VILPE’s expansion will be ready in summer 2022. The project also includes renovating the old office rooms, and this project will be ready by the end of 2022. The expansion supports the company’s growth strategy and allows the production in Korsholm to reach 30 million euros by 2025.
The expansion
Excavation work for foundations starts on May 17th 2021. The expansion will be finished during the summer 2022.
New premises, 1881 m2:
• office 691 m2
• production & packaging 1085 m2
• dispatch department 104 m2
The building project also includes total-renovation of old premises (662 m2). Ready by the end of 2022.
• office 428 m2
• personnel rooms 215 m2
• other 20 m2
-Building architecture: Göran Doktar GD Byggnadsplanering, Korsholm. Doktar has been involved in all VILPE factory expansions since the 1980s.
-Civil engineering: Ingenjörsbyrå Bj Häggblom Oy, Jakobstad
-Interior design and architecture: Studio Joanna Laajisto, Helsinki
-HVAC design: LVI Granlund Pohjanmaa Oy
-Electricity planning: Iecon Oy, Vaasa
-IT and meeting room technology: IT-Konsultointi Ronny Backman, Korsholm
More information:
Tuomas Saikkonen
050 537 6724
CEO
VILPE
Joanna Laajisto
044 214 5937
CEO & interior architect
Studio Joanna Laajisto
