Pintos: Corporate responsibility implemented through development

In addition to hard work, the operations of Pintos have always been characterised by the desire for development. All the profits from the firm have been invested.
“Even back in my grandfather’s day, the machines always had to be top of the line. As soon as money came in somewhere, a new machine was purchased to make work easier. These values were adapted by my father when he joined the company in 1969. He started making reinforcement mesh in 1983 and, in 1996, the company acquired a major competitor Jäki, located in Lappi, Rauma. There was a bit of luck involved in the acquisition and it was successful. With the acquisition of Jäki, the turnover of Pintos doubled in a couple of years’ time.

You can only get by in this sector if you invest in the most modern technology and machinery.

At the Lappi factory, the investment was made to install a new reinforcement mesh production line in 2014.

The years and the new generation have not slowed down the pace. The most recent investment in Eura was worth €4 million in 2013 and it meant changes in the entire structure of the production facility. In 2014, another €4 million was invested in the Lappi facility. Pintos still believes that you can only get by if you invest in the most modern technology and machinery. Another key aspect is employee satisfaction.
“We cannot get new people to join us if the work conditions do not continue to develop and improve. Thanks to automatisation, some of the strenuous work stages are now history. That is how it goes today. Efficiency and competitive edge were also improved significantly in the process.

Barbed-profile nails have a good grip of wood in particular.

At Pintos, construction is considered a logistic operation and particular attention has been paid to a smooth workflow.
“Our starting point has been to do things in a smarter, more sensible manner at our factory.”

Pere picks out an example: balcony slabs with rounded corners for which Pintos manufactures the reinforcement mesh ready-made in the appropriate size and shape.
“The concrete element factories used to receive rectangular mesh and it was cut to fit the shape of the balcony at the factory. It took enormously long, the occupational safety was poor and up to 30 per cent of material was lost. With the added transport and fuel expenses of material being first transported to our factory, then to the element factory and then bringing the extra 30 per cent back.”

Reinforcement mesh raw material at the yard of the Lappi production facility.

Another example of modern machines, production control and process management is the ongoing pilot programme in which the customer can view on the screen screen of a tablet computer in their own concrete factory industry software that shows what is the state of their order at Pintos production.
“They can schedule their own production accordingly. With the synchronisation of production schedules, waste is not generated and no-one has to do pointless work.”

The smart operations correspond to one of the definitions of the circular economy, as it saves resources and transport expenses.
“Green thinking is highly practical.”