Press release 8.5.2015
Vaajakos-based Siparila is Wood Industry Company of the Year
Siparila Oy has been selected as the Wood Industry Company of the Year 2015. The criteria for the award is the pioneering role Siparila Oy has played in creating a positive image for the entire industry. "Throughout its history, Siparila has made strong product development and has grown from a local company employing 20 people to a national company employing almost 100 people," says Tapani Tuohiniemi, Executive Director of the Wood Industry Entrepreneurs Association.
The company also has an exceptional way of managing its staff. Siparila relies on individual employees. Since 2008, the company has been working independently without a supervisor. "At Siparila, work queues are displayed on computers, but staff have the freedom to organise work according to their own vision. This gives employees the freedom to influence their own work. We have top professionals who know how to solve problems," says Juha Sojakka, Managing Director. The low-level organisation also allows for flexible product development and helps to cope with challenging economic cycles.
Export growth of up to 40 per cent per year
A family business seeking growth has turned its sights abroad in recent years. Siparila exports around six million euros worth of its products abroad. The share of exports has increased by an average of 40% annually over the last five years. The company's main export countries are Denmark, Germany and Japan. In 2015, Siparila is about to enter the United States, where new distribution channels for Siparila's wood products have been found during the spring. "There is not yet a culture in the United States of using prefinished wood products. However, we are confident that we can also convince American consumers of the time and money saved by using a finished surface," says Juha Sojakka, CEO.
Comprehensive solutions from domestic raw materials
In just over ten years, Siparila Oy, founded by Juha and Laura Sojakka, has transformed the exterior cladding and interior panels market in Finland by designing and manufacturing highly finished products for both professional builders and consumers. The company is the only manufacturer in Finland to offer a comprehensive range of interior panels. Product development is carried out both in-house and in cooperation with designers and architects, bringing new user-oriented perspectives to the product. The products manufactured by Siparila have been designed by designers such as Ristomatti Ratia and interior architect Kari Lappalainen.
An innovative partner for the construction industry
Siparila is also active in the construction of wooden apartment buildings. Siparila's WoodWorks installation service has been used to create individual timber facades for several public buildings in Finland, such as the facades of the Haltia Nature Centre in Espoo, Finland, and the exterior of the Puukuoka, Finland's tallest wooden apartment building, in Jyväskylä. Siparila has carried out product development to promote the use of wood in public buildings by developing a fire-resistant exterior cladding in 2013. Pre-painted, nail-free TOPCOAT® exterior cladding panels have also boosted the use of wood in industrial construction. The latest innovation is a patented solution for more efficient installation of window sills. A patent application for the product has been filed in spring 2015.
Inquiries:
Juha Sojakka, Managing Director, Siparila Oy, tel. 044 333 4610, juha.sojakka@siparila.fi
The Wood Industry Company of the Year award is presented by the Wood Industry Entrepreneurs Association. Puuteollisuusyrittäjät ry is the leading lobbyist for the furniture, construction and joinery industry. It has 500 members. The companies employ more than 6 000 people and had a combined turnover of more than €950 million in 2014.
The Wood Industry Company of the Year is awarded with the Lignum Fennicum award, designed by Mia Waire and implemented by Pertti Lehtinen.
Siparila Oy, established in 2003, is a growth company in the woodworking industry that develops and manufactures wood products designed for the homes of the future, such as exterior cladding, interior panels and yard solutions, and provides services to improve the quality of construction. The steadily growing family business currently employs around 100 people in three locations; Vaajakoski, Parkano and Haapavede in Jyväskylä. In 2014, the company's turnover was EUR 17.9 million.
