Reliability is one of the most important values

R-Sarkon is the leading supplier of serial production components in its industry. Of the three founders, Timo Hirvasnoro, Timo Kääntee and Jari Salo are on the Board of Directors. In February 2017, they sold 40% of the company’s shares to Mikko and Sari Raittila. 

Sari works as the company's CEO and Mikko as the technical director. The new generation has been taking responsibility for leading R-Sarkon’s business alongside the operational management for over ten years already.

“The good customer relationships built over the decades are an important factor in the operations and success of the company as a whole. Good customer relationships have led to us making products for other units at our biggest customers,” Sari Raittila says. 

She points out that honesty and openness are things that every customer appreciates. Production Director Aleksi Valonen also points to the company’s machinery. Every year, R-Sarkon invests about 5–10% of its net sales in new and better technology. 

“The investments in machinery have played an important role, as well as our professional personnel. Over the years, we have succeeded in recruiting precisely the right people,” Valonen says. 

New means of recruitment 

CNC turning and CNC machining require professional skill and quality. At its site on the Koillisväylä road, R-Sarkon now has approximately 4,500 square metres of production space and 70 professional employees. 

The machinery consists of about 70 lathes, and production takes place in three shifts. R-Sarkon also has seven machining centres, three robot cells, tool and assembly departments and presses. 

“We have expanded over the last three years, and we are now into our fourth year of expansion. The most challenging part will be recruitment,” Sari Raittila explains. 

“We want to find good people who are motivated to work in this industry and develop themselves. It is also important to boost the image of the industry to the same level as the modern-day technology industry.” 

Petri Paavola, the Quality Director, states that the company’s long-term collaboration with Winnova has been a good way of recruiting people. R-Sarkon is able to train newcomers to the field through apprenticeship contracts, for example. 

“We offer Winnova’s students the opportunity for practical training. At any given time, we have up to three people completing their vocational education on apprenticeship contracts,” Paavola says. 

A good customer relationship depends on the whole package 

Continuous personnel training and joint development work involving the entire organisation drive the company forward and, thereby, also improve customers’ products. 

“We are a group of competitive experts. This is enabled by efficient processes, which we invest in and continuously develop. Production methods are developed by the organisation as a whole,” Sari Raittila says. 

Wide-ranging expertise, combined with professional pride, ensures a diverse range of services for different production industries. R-Sarkon’s operations are guided by the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. 

“Our long-lasting customer relationships are a clear sign that our service capabilities and flexibility are very strong. Quality and price are important, but the customer relationship depends on the whole package. Reliability and honesty are very important factors in that,” Mikko Raittila emphasises. 

Collaboration means working with the customer. The customer specifies the terms governing products and deliveries, and R-Sarkon has always adhered to these and will continue to do so. 

“We work closely with our customers on product development. Our robust expertise is entirely at our customers’ disposal. We are able to make changes to customers’ models at short notice,” Valonen says. 

Trust is born of a clear vision 

The trusted company has received recognition locally and from customers in recent years. 

In 2018, R-Sarkon received the Supplier Award from Assa Abloy Scandinavia. It was the first time such an award was given. This recognition is given to a supplier whose operations have demonstrated outstanding initiative, commitment and long-term cooperation. 

“The prize winner had to surpass beyond the quality and reliability target and perform well on a set number of projects that reduce costs. These were clear indicators and we met all three targets,” Mikko Raittila says. 

In 2017, the City of Rauma awarded R-Sarkon the Ruorimiehet medal. This medal is awarded in recognition of the company’s distinguished work as a successful and innovative industrial company in Rauma. 

“It is important that we have robust expertise in our own industry and a clear vision of what we do well and the limits of our operations. This is how we build customer trust,” Raittila emphasises.