May 16, 2023

Timo Minkkinen: “Outsourcing has brought many positive changes”

Timo Minkkinen works as a maintenance technician in Finland, and he has seen a lot during his 40-year career in the industrial sector. The first 28 years, he worked as an operator at a factory and the last 12 years as a maintenance technician in the maintenance team. Five years ago, the production plant’s maintenance organization was outsourced, and Timo and his colleagues became part of the Quant team.

Over the years, sports, camping, fishing, and hunting have been a counterbalance to work. Timo is currently responsible for the maintenance of veneer processing equipment.

– During the years, many things have changed, but only for the better. I am currently working as an area technician at the production plant, and the working days are very versatile and varied, which makes the work interesting.

Timo states that the industry has changed a lot during his career, and it was particularly influenced by Quant’s arrival at the factory. He experiences the maintenance outsourcing as a positive thing, which have brought, for example, opportunities to invest more in developing the maintenance organization’s operations.

– Outsourcing has brought many positive changes, and things have constantly developed in a better direction. With Quant’s processes, work has become more planned, and the definition of responsibilities has improved. We can complete the maintenance work without extreme haste, because of the better planning. Nowadays, we are focusing more on predictive maintenance which has also significantly reduced acute repair situations.

– New tools have also been acquired, which has improved productivity and safety, and it has been a big change. The workshop culture has become cleaner and, in addition to this, work safety has also improved significantly over the past few years. Overall, there is a good atmosphere in the unit!

“We always help a friend“

The team spirit and sense of community is strong within the local team, which Timo also emphasizes.

– We have a really good team! Everyone is in a good and honest mood and of course there is humour too, which is important. We always try our best and we always help a friend, regardless of the situation.

Timo also encourages young people to apply to the field.

– This is a good field if you want to do versatile maintenance related work. If you are interested in developing your own skills, you will definitely find a job in this field, he says.

– I am particularly motivated by the fact that this is customer service work. We strive to make the machines work reliably, and if we succeed, it is of course always a success for ourselves as well!