“We have been able to reduce the plant’s annual consumption of around 300 tonnes of LPG to less than a tenth. At the same time, the plant’s CO2 emissions have also dropped dramatically: by around 800 tonnes per year, and the plant’s operational reliability has improved,” says Tomi Pilbacka, Development Director at Mäkelä Alu.

“With this annual emissions reduction, each of our 280 employees would drive about 20,000 kilometres per year in an internal combustion engine car,” adds Päivi Venesoja, EHSQ Manager at Mäkelä Alu.

Aiming to phase out LPG

LPG consumption has been pushed down to the point where it will be possible to switch from gas energy to biogas within one to two years. With the switch to biogas, the anodizing plant’s energy system will become completely carbon neutral.

“The plant’s energy consumption per tonne produced has fallen by around 40%. In addition to the reduction in gas use, energy efficiency has also improved significantly. Improved efficiency means that this investment, which cost around EUR 1.1 million, will pay for itself in six to seven years,” Pilbacka continues.

The project has received funding from Business Finland.

The technical implementation of the new energy system is based on a system built around heat pumps and heat recovery.

“The project was carried out in cooperation with Finnish technology companies, and our local partners and staff have played a major role in the project. Thanks to the knowledge generated by the project, we have already identified many new areas for reducing emissions from our production. Together with a network of partners, we have launched a new energy efficiency project at our Voikkaa powder-coating paint shop, and planning is already well underway for further projects,” Pilbacka says.

Low carbon footprint anodizing

We are now able to offer our customers anodizing of aluminium profiles with a very low carbon footprint.

“Environmental issues and the pursuit of carbon-neutral production are important themes for us. Our efforts to enhance energy efficiency in anodizing processes is a concrete demonstration of this,” says Päivi Venesoja.

We have invested in sustainable production and environmentally friendly solutions for years – and the work continues! Our production will be completely carbon neutral by the end of 2025.

“In addition to the energy efficiency project that has just started in Voikkaa, we have similar projects coming up in Luoma-aho. We will reach our goal by electrifying new production sites and increasing heat recovery,” Venesoja says.

Artikkeli Our anodizing plant has taken a big step towards carbon neutrality julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

“Our head office and our warehouse in Southern Finland are located in Tuusula. Our logistics centre is located in Tampere. From there, we send our supplies all over Finland and also for export. Exports are growing, and Finnish suppliers are attracting interest. Currently, our products are mainly exported to the Nordic countries, and exports to Estonia are growing,” says Arto Kurtti, Business Director at Wisol Oy.

Smooth and efficient services

Mäkelä Alu manufactures panel fixings and mounting rails for Wisol for both rooftop power plants and solar farms. In total, five different aluminium profiles are in production. In addition, Wisol uses the AluCoating® surface treatment service, which means that the aluminium profiles ordered are finished as requested by the customer; in this case, with a black powder coating.

Wisol has its own storage space, but Mäkelä Alu’s AluStorage® warehousing service is a good addition for storing certain profiles.

“We keep the customer’s most popular rail in our warehouse in a ready-to-use package. This allows the customer to get the products quickly and efficiently. The idea is that by having a buffer in place, we can respond to Wisol’s unexpected needs. The concept is very flexible; this way we ensure that they can also serve their own customers as well as possible,” says Olli Korkia-aho from Mäkelä Alu’s sales team.

“The warehousing service is great for unexpected needs. Sometimes our products are ordered on short notice. For example, if a customer company has not made an order on time, they may suddenly need 3,000 rails in two weeks. On the solar farm side, we don’t keep much of the rails we need in our own stock, as the need for them is always project-specific. Occasionally, we may be offered the opportunity to install smaller power plants on short notice. In situations like these, Mäkelä Alu’s warehousing service has worked extremely well,” says Arto Kurtti.

More than a profile manufacturer

Although Wisol Oy was established only last year, the actual business of developing mounting products for photovoltaic systems started more than six years ago.

“We originally started developing these products at Sadex Oy, which has a long experience in various roofing and ladder products as well as rainwater systems. Mäkelä Alu has long been our partner also in Sadex’s operations, and the aluminium profiles used in the company’s products are still supplied from Mäkelä,” Arto Kurtti says.

It was therefore natural that Mäkelä Alu was also chosen as the profile supplier for Wisol Oy’s mounting products.

“The cooperation has always been constructive and smooth, which made it easy to continue. I didn’t feel the need to seek other suppliers,” he says.

“We received good help from Mäkelä Alu in designing the profiles. I had drawn a profile model on graph paper to see if it would be good, and that’s where it all started,” Arto says.

What the whole Wisol team appreciates about Mäkelä Alu is that they are not just a manufacturer.

“Mäkelä’s service concept is very similar to ours: Wisol is not just a supplier either, our service range is much broader. When we deal with Olli or Viljo Sivula, we see that they have a genuine desire to be our partner and, for example, to develop and make a product even better together,” Arto says.

Optimistic about the future

Effective and close cooperation is in the interest of both companies and ensures a successful and long-lasting partnership.

“Mäkelä Alu has an active team that is always happy to talk to us. There’s even a project going on right now where they’ve been involved in discussions and thinking about whether we could make a certain product out of aluminium. This gives a very positive signal to us that the whole Mäkelä Alu team wants to participate and go over these things together,” Arto says happily.

“We believe that the next step in the cooperation could be a profile made from recycled AluPure, which would create added value for both sides by achieving emission reductions. It is great to cooperate with a customer that shares the same values of environmental responsibility with us through its own operations,” says Viljo Sivula, Sales Manager at Mäkelä Alu.

The construction of solar farms is now growing strongly both in Finland and abroad. Wisol aims to target more export markets, once the domestic market is up and running.

“The whole market is still very much in its infancy in Finland. We want to strengthen our foothold in Finland first, before we really start to invest in exports. Of course, Europeans and Chinese are rushing into the same markets, but our strength is our specialised knowledge of northern conditions, which we have years of experience in. In Norway, for example, snow loads are slightly different from, say, the Netherlands. With our specialised expertise, we’ve been able to secure a fairly significant installation company in Norway,” he continues.

Artikkeli Wisol Oy: An aluminium profile supplier is an important partner in the photovoltaic sector julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

At Mäkelä Alu, we have developed our surface treatment services in such a way that even small batches and individual pieces can be coated cost-effectively.

“As many as 34 percent of the orders received at the powder-coating paint shop are single-piece orders. This staggering figure shows that we are able to meet all customer needs: even a single piece can be painted in any colour,” says production manager Vesa Saarenlaita.

We have already used more than 850 paint colours this year

Powder coating is an ideal aluminium surface treatment solution that is based on the use of electrical charges and heat. The powder paint adheres to the aluminium surface through electrostatic attraction, after which it is melted into a smooth and durable coating in a furnace. This gives the product an extremely hard surface that protects it against UV radiation, corrosion, abrasion, and impact.

“The colour options are endless, as there are thousands of shades available. This year alone, we have coated aluminium profiles in more than 850 different colours. The most popular colours are white, and various shades of grey and black. After these, the spread is rather large. In our powder-coating paint shop, you can find all the colours of the colour palette and see how boldly designers use colours today,” says Saarenlaita.

The paints are mainly supplied by Teknos, Axalta, and AkzoNobel. We also use three smaller suppliers according to the needs and wishes of the customers. This way, we can ensure that the customer gets exactly the right colour, as different manufacturers may sometimes have slight differences in shades.

Daily quality control

We have maintained the GSB certificate for 20 years. It sets strict requirements for the paints and pretreatment methods we use. They are the key to ensuring that the coating of the aluminium profiles can withstand demanding conditions – from strong sunlight to heavy rain.

In addition to regular external audits, quality tests are carried out daily at the powder-coating paint shop: coated test pieces are boiled in boiling water and subjected to raster tests, bending tests, deep drawing tests, drop-weight impact tests, and gloss measurement tests. The test pieces are stored for five years for possible later inspections.

Quality control also includes monitoring the thickness of the coating. The right thickness ensures a good surface quality for the profiles. Taking coating thickness measurements also helps us minimise our powder consumption.

Vertical powder-coating lines are perfectly suited for coating small batches

Investing in the efficient coating of small batches is a conscious and unusual choice.

“Our vertical powder-coating lines enable the effective coating of small batches. Our powder-coating paint shop in Voikkaa has been specially developed for handling small batches. At the paint shop, individual pieces can be guided along a separate line to another paint booth while the other paint booth is painting another colour. In this way, colour changes are possible without any loss in line capacity. Our vertical powder-coating line in Alajärvi also has two powder booths, so the colour change can already be started while the other powder booth is still painting the previous colour,” says Saarenlaita.

Currently, new coating lines are being planned for the Alajärvi horizontal powder-coating paint shop, which will take into account the need for quick colour changes.

Batching production by colour brings cost-savings

In order to make the coating process as cost-effective as possible, we aim to process profiles ordered in the same colour on the same day, because colour changes always generate some paint waste.

Last year, more than 40,000 colour changes were made in our powder-coating paint shops, which means an average of more than 3,300 colour changes per month.

“Reducing colour changes is important in terms of costs, especially since the rise in the price of materials is also reflected in paints and pretreatment materials. From this point of view, it would be beneficial if the customer could sequence their orders by colour. This would bring some cost savings,” says Saarenlaita.

FIGURES

• This year, the average batch size in our powder-coating paint shops has been 13 pcs and 53 kg: 7 pcs and 34 kg in Voikkaa, and 18 pcs and 69 kg in Luoma-aho.
• Out of all the different colours, our three most popular colours cover 24 percent of all painted profiles.
• This year, we have coated profiles in 853 different colours.
• On average, 5 kg of waste paint is generated per colour change.

In addition to powder-coating, our AluCoating® surface treatment services include anodizing, which is used, for example, in the furniture industry. It gives the product an attractive appearance and protects it against corrosion. Our anodizing line produces natural-coloured aluminium profiles. With the help of our partners, we can also provide coloured profiles. You can also finish your profiles with our decorative Decoral coating.

Artikkeli Mäkelä Alu’s GSB-certified powder-coating lines can also handle small batches julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

The company began operations by installing solar panels on the roofs of summer cottages in the 1970s. In the 21st century, the company started importing solar panels to Finland, which was soon followed by their production.

Solar Finland Oy is a family business and a leading company in its field. The company’s closest competitor is found in Lithuania.

“Our goal is to be a leading global player in the solar energy sector,” says the company’s CEO Esa Areva.

“Solar energy is the cheapest form of energy in the world, which is reflected in the high level of interest in it. Various countries also strongly support solar energy investments,” says Areva, describing the market.

Solar Finland only accepts environmentally friendly raw material

Solar Finland always wants to ensure that the equipment they use for environmentally friendly energy production is manufactured in an environmentally friendly way.

“This is why we have chosen Mäkelä Alu as our aluminium supplier,” says Areva.

Solar Finland uses aluminium in the frames and mounts of its solar panels.

“Mäkelä Alu’s fully recycled aluminium allows us to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in our products. That is our number one criterion when choosing a supplier, so we don’t want to acquire our aluminium from anywhere else. In addition, our aluminium scrap can be recycled back to Mäkelä Alu.”

Solar Finland has given a lot of thought to environmental issues in its product development, and the company also collaborates with universities.

The company aims to implement solar panel installations in the most energy-efficient way, and aluminium has proven to be a better solution than iron or plastic.

Solar Finland’s fully automated solar panel production line consists of approximately 30 different machines.

“We want to know where the aluminium we use comes from and the amount of emissions it generates”

In addition to recycling, Mäkelä Alu also shares Solar Finland’s other values, which include the quality, purity and traceability of raw materials, and responsible production.

“We find it important that our raw material supplier actively manages their emissions. We want to know how the aluminium smelting process is carried out, what type of energy is used, and where the raw material comes from. Mäkelä Alu’s profiles have all possible certificates, from certificates of origin to emissions certificates. Therefore, we do not need to wonder whether actors throughout the supply chain have acted responsibly in terms of the environment and human rights.”

Correspondingly, Solar Finland issues an energy certificate for its customers, which specifies how long it takes for the solar panel to generate the same amount of energy used to manufacture it, and under what conditions.

Pekka Hannula from Mäkelä Alu (on the left) and Anu Areva and Pasi Areva from Solar Finland are very pleased with the smooth cooperation.

Customers value environmental friendliness

Areva emphasises that environmental friendliness is not just important to Solar Finland.

“It is also important to our customers, and ultimately to their customers, and people are willing to pay for it. Besides, even if the price were a few per cent higher, it is still a 50-year investment. That is how long we plan for our solar panels to serve our customers, without maintenance. After that, we hope our products are recycled back to us.”

Areva says that when investing in solar energy, people rarely think about whether the solar panels were actually manufactured in an energy-friendly and environmentally friendly way. Even consumers don’t think to question it when investing in a good form of energy.

“The fact is that during their lifetime, many solar panels do not produce the amount of energy that would compensate for the energy used and emissions generated in their manufacture. There are so many differences between different manufacturing processes and raw material suppliers.”

High-quality raw materials help avoid problems in the future

Areva admits that when they started production, using cheap aluminium from Asia seemed like an attractive option. However, the idea was quickly dismissed due to inconsistencies in the quality of the raw material.

“In the global market, it is not at all self-evident that aluminium is pure aluminium and that no cheap metal has been added to the alloy, which could cause the product to start to rust over the years. We don’t want these kinds of problems, as we provide a 25-year guarantee for our product. When we work with Mäkelä Alu, we know exactly what we get. Being able to trust our partner is important to us.”

“Of course, we also believe that it is important that the aluminium profiles are manufactured nearby, so that their transport does not require much energy. I think it’s a similar case to locally sourced food.”

Production lines around the world

Solar Finland’s latest undertaking is to begin building solar panel production lines all across the world. This also creates a new need for the use of aluminium. The company’s goal is to set up two new production lines a year.

“Exporting our know-how and production lines to other parts of the world is more sensible and environmentally friendly than exporting the actual solar panels. The idea is to find a local partner and share our know-how with them. In this way, we will also have the opportunity to employ locals.”

Areva also sees new opportunities in using solar energy in Finland, for example with the development of storage solutions.

Solar panels can also be used in façades. Even in Finland, there is great potential in covering south-facing façades with solar panels.

Demand for recycled aluminium is increasing

Pekka Hannula from Mäkelä Alu, who coordinates the partnership with Solar Finland, states that the cooperation between the companies is diverse. Mäkelä Alu manufactures about twenty different aluminium profiles for Solar Finland. Most of the profiles are delivered anodized. Some of the profiles are further processed by Mäkelä Alu’s partners, and some are stored using Mäkelä Alu’s warehousing service.

The recycled aluminium used by Solar Finland is produced in Mäkelä Alu’s own foundry. Any raw material left over from Solar Finland’s production is recycled back to the foundry.

“In April 2019, we received a certificate for our recycled aluminium, and demand for this aluminium is increasing,” says Hannula.

When ordering aluminium profiles, the customer can choose Mäkelä Alu’s recycled aluminium as the raw material.

“What adds to its environmental value is the fact that the production of recycled aluminium reduces the need for cargo transportation,” says Hannula.

Artikkeli Mäkelä Alu’s recycled aluminium meets Solar Finland’s values julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

Decoral coating is mainly done to the customers’ own products. Various wood patterns have been particularly popular.

“The Decoral-coated aluminium is at its best when it’s used to bring flamboyance in a structure that needs to be lighter and more fire-safe than wood, for example. Cruise ships have been our key customers,” says Sales Specialist Janne Kohonen.

Now Decoral is finding its way into the construction industry.

“I just came across the first hospital where the architect had chosen Decoral coating for the aluminium profiles in their space dividers,” Kohonen says.

Warmth and cosyness for a shopping centre’s corridors

Supplier of corporate visual identities and illuminated signage projects Neontekniikka Oy SNT and its partner JC-Tekniikka Oy were given the challenge of creating a new visual identity for the interior design of the Columbus shopping centre in Vuosaari, Helsinki. The assignment was to create a stylish and eye-catching look for the white fascias of the shop windows to which illuminated signage was attached.

The architect who had designed the refurbishment had originally chosen wooden grates above the shop windows. However, Juha Craelius from JC-Tekniikka Oy recommended the client a cost-effective and more fire-safe option, Decoral-coated aluminium. The client decided to replace the wooden elements with aluminium.

“I had already seen Decoral samples at Mäkelä Alu’s partner some years previously,” says Mika Vehmas, Product Development Manager at Neontekniikka Oy.

2,500 pieces to coat

In total, Mäkelä Alu was sent 2,500 pieces to be treated. After receiving Decoral coating, the pieces were sent back to Neontekniikka Oy, where the structures were assembled and they were integrated with LED lighting. There is a white base metal sheet that peeks between the grate openings.

Oak-patterned illuminated grates bring atmosphere to the shopping centre’s corridors.

“The look is warm and cosy,” says Vehmas.

Stone pattern has potential in apartment building renovations

Mika Vehmas thinks that the solution is not only eye-catching but also cost-effective and fire-safe.

“Because of fire load, a similar structure made of real wood could probably not have been made without having a fire-retardant treatment as well.”

Vehmas believes that the Decoral coating will become more and more common in construction. The coating’s varied possibilities are bound to attract interest.

“Stone patterns have particular potential in apartment buildings’ facades, both in new buildings and old ones that are to be renovated,” Vehmas says.

The denim pattern also caught Vehmas’ eye.

Decoral-coated aluminium grates add liveliness to entrances

When work began to decorate the facade of the shopping centre Elo in Ylöjärvi, the side entrances were a topic of discussion. They needed to be made more prominent somehow so that customers would use more than just the main entrance. The tasks to design the enhancement and manage the project were assigned to Bolder Development Oy.

“The purpose was to make the walls surrounding the side entrances look like wooden grates that had been used for the suspended ceiling of the canopy. However, the weather conditions and snow have their toll on the materials, so real wood would have required a lot of maintenance,” says Project Manager Weera Brown.

According to Brown, Decoral-coated aluminium was the only sensible solution.

Lai-Teräs Mäkinen Ky, a facade construction company, was responsible for the grates with horizontal pieces, and they ordered the surface treatment from Mäkelä Alu.

“The pieces are 50 x 60 millimetres in thickness and six metres long at maximum,” says Lai-Teräs Oy’s Project Manager Markku Sumuvuori.

A wide range of options to choose from

Weera Brown compliments Mäkelä Alu for their pattern range. They chose the Acasia pattern for their project.

The installation itself took only a day. Pieces were sawn to the right length on site and finished off with an aluminium end strip.

“I was on the fence about how Decoral would act when sawn or exposed to the cold, but it withstood it very well and there were no problems at all,” says Sumuvuori.

The same ball-shaped decorations used elsewhere in the shopping centre will also decorate the grates as well.

True to life and maintenance-free

Both Brown and Sumuvuori are very pleased with the eye-catching end-result.

“The grate imitates wood really well. In addition, it is maintenance-free, durable and washable. It was an economical solution as well,” Brown says.

“We had a positive experience with Decoral. The price was right for us , too. The coating can imitate various materials, and it is nearly completely maintenance-free. You just have to dust it. We will definitely suggest this option to our clients in the future,” says Sumuvuori.

A researched and certified product

Mäkelä Alu is the only manufacturer of Decoral coating in Scandinavia and the Baltic region.

“We offer other surface treatments as well, but Decoral is the most researched as a product. Its application possibilities in outdoor settings have been tested, and it has been certified, so it is durable and safe,” says Janne Kohonen.

The true likeness of the pattern and durability come from how the treatment penetrates the powder coating beneath and is not just placed on top of it.

First, the pieces to be treated are primed with a polyurethane powder coating. The desired pattern pigment is made on a special transfer film.

The pieces are wrapped by hand in a vacuum bag made of this transfer film. The product is heated in a furnace to 200 degrees Celsius. It sublimates the product, meaning that the pattern transfers to the coating by penetrating it.

From large pieces to small hinges

The furnace sets the maximum size for pieces to be coated. The maximum length is 6.7 metres, width 1.5 metres and height 24 centimetres.  When the sheets are straight, their maximum size is 2.5 x 1.25 metres. The maximum weight of a single item to be coated is 60 kilograms.

In addition to large surfaces, Decoral has been used for hinges and floor drain covers, among other items.

Because it is lightweight, it offers a good alternative to stone and marble. Aluminium is a safe option for wetrooms as well.

“When planning to use a surface treatment, it is worth remembering that Mäkelä Alu has a wide network of processing partners who could provide good options for implementing various other stages of work while the surfaces are being treated. This way the project can be optimised logistically as well,” Janne Kohonen says.

Decoral-coating has the following certificates:

• Quality-system approval, according to Marine Equipment Directive, module D
• EC Type-examination certificate, according to Marine Equipment Directive, module B

Artikkeli Wood or denim pattern for aluminium profiles with Decoral-coating julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

Lumon has seen successful growth since the 1970s. The company is a family business, just like Mäkelä Alu. Lumon believes in innovation, technology and cooperation, which has undoubtedly been one of the underlying factors contributing to the successful collaboration with Mäkelä Alu.

“Mäkelä Alu’s development and genuine desire to be a part of our supply chain have been crucial. The will to grow and develop together in a transparent way has also been vital,” says the Head of Procurement Antti Aholainen from Lumon Oy.

“We supply powder coated aluminium profiles to Lumon, but in reality, our cooperation extends well beyond that. In practice, it can be said that we are part of Lumon’s production, as the powder coated profiles are delivered directly to their production lines. Over the years, we have strengthened our cooperation to suit customer needs and to ensure that both of our processes are sufficiently efficient,” says Mäkelä Alu’s Sales Director Mika Korkea-aho.

“When both the owners and the people involved have a genuine desire to develop and challenge current practices, there is a real opportunity to make the cooperation something truly unique,” says Petri Mäkelä, the Chairman of the Board and owner of Mäkelä Alu Oy.

From a self-managed warehouse to a rental warehouse and beyond

Mäkelä Alu’s role in the supply chain is considered significant by Lumon. The cooperation has a direct impact on efficiency and costs.

“We have previously had our own warehouse for profiles, but then we switched to Mäkelä Alu’s CallOff service, which worked very well at that time. But once the volumes began to grow, we were no longer able to store the profiles. However, last year, Mäkelä Alu introduced a solution which, from our point of view, had a very positive effect on profile availability: The company opened a new office with a paint shop and warehouses in Voikkaa, Kuusankoski. Now we have the opportunity to get pre-treated aluminium profiles for each production batch directly from Voikkaa,” says Antti Aholainen.

“The location of the Voikkaa paint shop in proximity to our Kouvola factory and the reforms made to the operating models and processes shortened the delivery time of the profiles by several days,” Antti adds.

High hopes for the future

Lumon is a major company in the European and North American balcony and terrace markets. The company’s main export countries are Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Russia, France, Switzerland and Canada. The group employs more than 1,000 people in total. The company’s production is centralised in Finland, with the exception of one plant in Canada.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Lumon is looking forward to the future and future developments.

“Lumon is continually growing and becoming more international. Strong growth is expected especially in the domestic residential sector and international business. We have not been immune to the effects of the coronavirus, but this year is still going to be successful from a business point of view,” Aholainen says.

Cooperation with Mäkelä Alu will also be continuously developed in the future.

“We hold regular strategy meetings with the owners and key personnel from both companies. We are constantly improving our processes.”

The balconies of the apartments in the Tripla shopping centre in Pasila, Helsinki, have been glazed by Lumon. The railing and balcony glazing products shown in the picture have been designed, manufactured and installed by Lumon.

Artikkeli Powder coated aluminium profiles directly to customer’s production julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

The Vimpeli-based company Tikli Group Oy is the only manufacturer of mass-produced aluminium ladders in Finland. The reason for this dominant market position can be found approximately five kilometres away, in Alajärvi. At Mäkelä Alu.

The production of aluminium ladders was made possible by Mäkelä Alu’s aluminium production, which began in the early 1990s.

“Previously, we would have had to import aluminium profiles from abroad and the production of ladders would not have been profitable,” says Tikli Group’s Sales Manager Timo Mastokangas.

Tikli’s extension ladders, A-ladders and step stools are now classic products that are highly rated by both corporate and private customers.

Full marks for surface treatment

Tikli Group is one of Mäkelä Alu’s longest-standing customers. The companies have collaborated closely right from the start.

“It has been a long-term and solid relationship,” says Timo Mastokangas.

In addition to untreated profiles, Tikli Group also buys surface-treated profiles from Mäkelä Alu through the AluCoating® surface treatment service. The service also enables the application of special coatings required on certain ladders.

According to Mastokangas, Mäkelä Alu is a partner that guarantees high-quality raw materials and a smooth process.

“It’s a great advantage that we can get high-quality profiles delivered quickly from nearby. The strength of profiles is very important in our products,” says Mastokangas.

“Special arrangements can also be made.”

Less packaging waste, less hassle

The delivery of raw materials is smooth and efficient. Tikli Group orders a certain tonnage per week from Mäkelä Alu. Cut-to-size profiles are delivered to Tikli Group’s production line twice a week according to the company’s raw material needs.

According to Mastokangas, efficiency is enhanced by the fact that the profiles delivered to the automated lines do not have to be wrapped in plastic. This saves a lot of effort and reduces packaging waste.

The AluBasket® service facilitates temporary storage

In addition to its own products, Tikli Group also processes aluminium. The company specialises in CNC machining. Mäkelä Alu is an important subcontracting partner. Tikli Group is also part of Mäkelä Alu’s La Alucenter partner network. The network allows the company to offer a wide range of service packages to its customers.

In the deliveries of raw material for further processing, Tikli Group utilises Mäkelä Alu’s environmentally friendly AluBasket® service, where the profiles are delivered in convenient aluminium baskets.

According to Mastokangas, the AluBasket® service facilitates the temporary storage of profiles.

“The profiles can be conveniently stored in the baskets. Also, no extra packaging material is required, since the aluminium basket alone is sufficient.”

Artikkeli A long-term partner appreciates good quality and logistics julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.

Mäkelä Alu supplies aluminium profiles for the Swedish window manufacturer Svenska Fönster AB’s entire range of windows. The profiles are delivered to an external subcontractor who stores and processes the profiles before the windows are manufactured.

“We started cooperation with Mäkelä Alu on a small scale in 2013. In 2015, our cooperation expanded significantly with the introduction of Mäkelä Alu’s specialty colours. Mäkelä offers specialty colours that can be customised to order. This places high demands on order accuracy and the quality of profiles. The specialty colour segment also includes the surface treatment of plates. Mäkelä Alu also supplies standard colours for some of our windows,” says Stefan Hellgren, Purchasing Planner at Svenska Fönster AB.

“Mäkelä Alu’s operating model helps us to produce our products cost-effectively and enables us to offer our customers an extensive range of windows in different colours. This makes us an attractive window supplier for a wide range of customers. We are very pleased with our cooperation with Mäkelä Alu. We think that Mäkelä Alu is a committed supplier who wants to develop its operations together with Svenska Fönster,” Hellgren adds.

Successful cooperation is based on trust

Mäkelä Alu offers warehousing and surface treatment services to Svenska Fönster.

“Since the beginning of our cooperation, we have earned Svenska Fönster’s trust to supply them with more and more painted aluminium profiles in different colours. The cooperation has been very interesting,” says Anders Bengtsson from Mäkelä Alu AB. Mäkelä Alu AB is Mäkelä Alu Oy’s subsidiary located in Sweden.

“A short delivery time from order to delivery places high demands on the warehousing and management of raw profiles. This requires committed and customer-oriented staff. Our unique logistics model enables the fast delivery of painted profiles. Having our high-bay warehouse and paint shop in the same location brings flexibility to colour modifications in both small and large orders,” says Anders.

Would you like to know more? Contact our sales team and set up an appointment!

Artikkeli A service package for surface-treated aluminium profiles julkaistiin ensimmäisen kerran Mäkelä Alu Oy.