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This book has been created to celebrate our sixty-year journey together. Every decade is full of stories, but we are just scratching the surface here. Hopefully we are able to convey to you some of that Haarla spirit that makes every day with our customers, partners and co-workers so special.
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The beginning: Vodka, papermills and a VW Beetle
There was no limits to Jarkko Haarla Sr’s vision – particularly no speed limits.
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Looking for solutions together
A case example about a vegan drink product.
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Getting there on time – our logistics and warehousing partners
Meet the companies that deliver what we promise.
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The present & the future: People, expertise and constant learning
Empowering the people makes Julius Haarla tick.
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What do we mean by “solution provider”?
We don’t just take orders – we take care.
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More than customers –walking side by side
A big thank you to all you Haarla customers out there!
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Color us Haarla
The Haarla personnel created their own avatars and tell us what keeps them going.
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Hear it from our suppliers
What our network of trusted suppliers has to say about Haarla?
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Different generations, same drive
What unites our most senior worker and a Haarla newcomer?
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Contents
A matter of chemistry Haarla in numbers
Peter Nokes talks about chemicals and partnerships.
The important figures at a glimpse.
The Haarla difference Haarla birthday cake
What’s with the trapeze artists?
You couldn’t leave out any layer.
The ingredients of your good day
How the deep and wide Haarla expertise can make your day better.
Haarla route sixty
The timeline of our journey.
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down to the factory floor!”
Jarkko Haarla Sr Haarla founder
“Get
The beginning: Vodka, papermills and a VW Beetle
While finishing his compulsory military service in the early fifties, Jarkko Haarla Sr
was not the most typical young Finn. Raised in America, he had adopted a certain straightforward way of communicating – polite, but to the point. As his talents in leadership and technology were noticed by the army, even he couldn’t talk himself out of being recruited as an officer.
“Luckily, a relative ran a papermill that needed modernization,” Jarkko Haarla Sr reminisces. “You see, a Soviet vodka brand required very fine labels that they couldn’t produce – yet.”
After a letter stating that Jarkko was needed for Finnish paper exports, he was free to do what he soon turned out to be very good at – increasing the productivity of a papermill.
Get in the Beetle
Very soon, Jarkko Sr also started creating his international network of chemical suppliers. That meant thousands of kilometers in his VW Beetle as well as meetings with countless factory directors. Besides that, he supervised the modernization of all the major papermills in Finland – which there were many of at the time. The company called Haarla got off to a flying start.
Getting the right ingredients
One single incident perfectly sums up the reason for why Haarla earned the trust of so many industries.
“Everybody was asking how the hell we managed to squeeze that much production out of the machine, as it went up by 20%”, Jarkko Sr grins. “The secret was to get down to the factory floor, read the gauges, get the data – and apply it!”
“A big tack paper plant needed a certain type of adhesive. Too bad no product seemed to match their requirements,” Jarkko Haarla Sr remembers. “I immediately thought of an adhesive company I had dealt with in England, went there with their wish list and sure enough, returned with a product sample that fit the need perfectly.”
The response from the customer was memorable: “Where the hell did you find that? Do you have any idea how much time you have just saved us?” This is what Haarla has been doing from the beginning – creating value by bringing the industry and suppliers together.
The present & the future: People, expertise and constant learning
In a family-built enterprise such as Haarla, you really can’t separate the DNA of the founders and the company. Julius Haarla grew up in a company that looked like his father – and later shaped it to fit the needs of the next millennium. Today, the people and their expertise are at the core of Haarla.
“Father is a kind of a techie,” Julius Haarla grins. “As kids, we never got new bikes as he insisted on fixing the old ones, even if it didn’t make any sense economically. For myself, I have always been more of a people person.”
Indeed, the people have always been at the heart of how Haarla expanded its operations to new territories. “Each of our segment, be it chemistry, mining or well-being, has grown around a person assigned to manage and develop it,” Julius says. “The food sector has been run by me for 22 years, so it probably has my looks.”
Constant learning
For many years, the paper industry was the main customer for Haarla. But you will not thrive for six decades without re-inventing yourself many times over. Today, two of the biggest Haarla cornerstones are chemical and food industry –which are both very much process industries. “When you really like what you do, you want to become better”, Julius points out. “For example, the food industry and paper industry have surprisingly much in common. Starch is used in both making paper and making sausages. There is a connection between making paper, gypsum board and rye cracker bread. Once you start to see these connections, you are becoming a process industry expert!”
Empowering people
After many changes, the good old Haarla basics are still there – the connection with the partners and customers, earning the respect and credibility. But Julius wants to head to the future with the help of empowered, independent decision makers.
“Previously, the managers were showing the way like generals on the battlefield,” Julius compares. “In the past five years, we have put everybody into the strategic process, so that each and every person takes responsibility more independently. Empowering people is our competitive edge.”
Armed with the empowered personnel, Haarla will continue bringing value with expertise. “Give people power and they become curious,” Julius states. “When they are curious, they learn to be the best in what they are doing. We want to be the ones who bring new ideas to our customers!”
Julius Haarla Haarla CEO
making
“There is a connection between
paper, gypsum board and rye cracker bread.”
What do we mean by “solution provider”?
There are many innovative manufacturers of raw material components in the world. And thanks to globalization and digitalization, contacting them is easier than ever.
Still, it takes a lot of work to keep in touch, negotiate, run the projects as well as manage the logistics, warehousing and quantities. The role of the expert supplier between the end-product manufacturer and the raw material producers is as important as ever. At Haarla, we promise to walk the extra mile as comprehensive solution providers. But what does it mean in practice?
What separates a supplier and a solution provider is the ability of the latter to innovate and create solution-centric extra value for their customer. This shortens the product time-tomarket and makes the projects more straightforward. The added value can be productrelated problem-solving or concentrating on things that improve the structure, taste, preservability and other properties of the products. Another crucial thing is to continuously innovate new product ideas with the customer as well as discover new, emerging trends.
Development of the already existing products has often to do with finding new raw materials to replace the existing ones. These can improve the security of manufacturing and often its cost-effectiveness as well. With many alternative ingredients, they are also easy to put out to tender. Still, finding the substitutes can be very challenging with ever more rigorous quality standards and differences in technical properties.
Developing new products has essentially the same challenges. Let’s take a look at how an imaginary new vegan drink product is developed from an idea to a product – with the help of a solution provider.
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Walking side by side with our customers
The word ”partnership” might be overused to the point of being a cliché, but at Haarla, that is how we see our customer relationships. No hit-and-run here but walking and learning side by side – for years, sometimes even decades.
Another side of long relationships is to keep things fresh and innovative instead of getting stuck in the same rut. At Haarla, we like to think our way of working was “agile” long before the term was even coined. It probably has something to do with the can-do-attitude of our founder, but the culture of coming up with straightforward, effective and to-the-point solutions is very much alive at Haarla.
From new customers to old partners, from the very first papermills to the latest health food makers – thank you for trust in our common journey. Without you, there would be no Haarla.
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“Cooperation with Haarla is very agile. Possible changes and situations during the projects are actively handled and the response is fast.
It is also important to discuss with an expert having background in the food industry. Haarla has many great international principals, which gives confidence to the operation.”
Riina Siira Senior Specialist, Product Development Fazer Lifestyle Foods
Hear it from our suppliers
Without the carefully-built network of trusted, innovative suppliers, Haarla would be nothing.
It is time to hear what they have to say about us!
Since the beginning of the business relationship in 2016 we appreciate the professional and pleasant interaction with Haarla Oy. What particularly stands out is the uncomplicated and human nature within the competent Haarla team. We are proud of this valuable partnership, and we are looking forward to continuing our journey together in the future.
Haarla and Metarom have built an alliance of two kinds of sharp expertise as well as technical and sales know-how. To us, it means a winning partnership meaning the best class customer service, efficiency, technicity, same wavelength, common loyalty approach, nice products and pleasant people.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate most warmly to your 60th anniversary. For three years Haarla and CONDETTA have been cooperating on an extremely friendly, comfortable, professional and successful level.
We are looking forward to deepening our collaboration in the next years. The best memory together is the discovery of the city Amiens and degustation of French cheeses with Haarla, Puhdistamo and Maitomaa.
The first projects and launches have already been realised and a lot of exciting and future-oriented projects (in the dairy and plant-based segment) are in the pipeline.
We are looking forward to going the way together with you and wish you all the best for all upcoming years and challenges.
Ingo Karnitzschky, Key Account Manager
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“For three years Haarla and CONDETTA have been cooperating on an extremely friendly, comfortable, professional and successful level.”
“We are proud of this valuable partnership, and we are looking forward to continuing our journey together in the future.”
Alessandra Bart Key Account Manager, Industrial Sales
“Haarla and Metarom have built an alliance of two kinds of sharp expertise as well as technical and sales know-how.”
Haarla belongs to our most valuable customers and through the years of our cooperation we have built a strong and precious partnership.
Thanks to Haarla, TRUMF was able to break through the Finnish market and also to get new impulses which helped us improve our business. What we value the most is Haarla‘s reliability, accuracy and, of course, the sense of humor which is very similar to the Czech one.
Of course, what I appreciate most about the whole collaboration with Haarla is working with Mikko. Because he knows exactly how to work with the customer and very quickly understood how to work / sell mixtures, that it is more complicated work than with commodities.
Mikko can also manage projects, fill in all the details and gather the feedback, which is important for getting the best result.
Chemviron congratulate Haarla Oy on their 60th anniversary and we would like to thank the Haarla team for a long and fruitful cooperation for over 40 years in the Finnish market.
We have worked well together as a team and our annual Scandinavian distributor meetings, in the past, were always an interesting occasion, combining product and business training with regional team challenges. One such event involved a rowing race across a lake, set of course by our Finnish hosts, where they had steamed straight across the lake and were enjoying a drink on the other side whilst the rest of us were still struggling to make any sensible progress!
Chemviron value your local and creative support in developing new businesses and taking good care of longstanding and valuable customers for us both and we wish continued success for the future.
Nigel Taylor, Marketing Director
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“Haarla belongs to our most valuable customers and through the years of our cooperation we have built a strong and precious partnership.”
Paul Smely, Product Manager
“Chemviron value your local and creative support in developing new businesses and taking good care of longstanding and valuable customers.”
Getting there on time – our logistics and warehousing partners
The best ingredient is always the one delivered precisely as ordered at the right place and at the right time. That is why the reliable logistics and warehousing partners have always been a big part of Haarla’s success.
T & I Logistics Oy (formerly Kuljetusvälitys Keijo Nummela Oy) has been a transport production and warehousing subcontractor for Haarla for over 20 years. Today, Haarla is their largest individual customer.“
Kuljetusliike E. Laurila Oy has been working with Haarla for nearly a quarter of a century.
“The best thing in our collaboration is openness” says Ismo Matikainen from T&I Logistics. “You really get to feel you are a part of the crowd.”
“With Haarla, we were able to develop the logistics of activated carbon – something completely new to us,” says Vesa Laurila. “As the collaboration went on, we took the responsibility of the whole logistics chain that previously had involved several operators.”
During his seven years at T & I Logistics, Ismo has learned a lot from projects made for Haarla. “There is a culture of sorting out the problems together,” he says. “I can always call with my questions, and the problems get solved by finding the best solution for the customer together.”
Today, the collaboration with Haarla works like a well-oiled machine. “We deliver projects as a turnkey solution”, Vesa says. “Sack deliveries or tang transports, we found the most cost-efficient way together.”
During the years there will always be challenging situations, but Vesa appreciates the way they are handled. “Their straightforward way of doing things has always been natural to us”, he says. ”The generations change, the way of working remains.”
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“Finding the best solution for the customer together.”
”The generations change, the way of working remains.”
“With Haarla, we were able to develop the logistics of activated carbon - something completely new to us.”
Color us Haarla
There are over 30 of us in four different countries. We represent many nationalities and personalities, but is there a uniting factor? Something that keeps us hooked to our daily dose of Haarla spirit? Let’s hear it from the people!
“I love the people and the culture. Positive vibes, energy, being able to trust in colleagues, and the Haarla trust in its employees. We are allowed to strive for better business, be true to ourselves, and still be a part of the big picture. All of this makes a good workplace.”
“At Haarla, everyone does their best to get things done well, even if it is sometimes difficult and requires hard work.”
“Feeling like you are still part of a team even when your teammates are located in a different country or even on a different continent. That’s what I love most about my job!”
why!”
“Congratulations to Haarla on the 60th anniversary! Let’s keep up the good work!”
“Awesome and reliable co-workers.”
Markus Peräkylä
Paula Kärki
Doina Mucundorfean
“I did my first Cooper test since school days. I ran voluntarily, and we had a great time! Haarla people are the best to do sports with.”
“Many years ago, I started at Haarla. 3 offices later, many faces have changed but the sentiment of hard work, respectful colleagues and mutual support have stayed throughout. It has been a journey... and it continues.”
Joanna CharewiczLaihonen
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Petri Kantola
Outi Penttilä
Harri Miettinen Sue Raynsford
“The feeling that we are always at the edge of something new. That’s
Julius Haarla
Kati Kotelainen
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Anu Ylinentalo
Timo Kuikka
Lauri Jokinen Cassandra Taylor
Julia Kalin
Helena Carlberg Brandin Mikko Linnola Taina Saha
Dmitry Tolmachev Anna Söndergaard Marjo Kiveri
Velichka Vangelova Heikki Ojaniemi Laura Mäkinen Tuire Laine
Different generations, same drive
The oldest and youngest Haarla employee
Tuire Laine
Versatile work tasks are something many of us chase after –it is all about trying new things and staying excited.
At Haarla, the idea of a diverse career gets a whole new meaning.
Lauri Jokinen
What can one say about a company and its future when they have started a new job barely a month ago?
Customer Servant Tuire Laine has been working at Haarla for over 34 years. She has seen a lot when it comes to growing up – from the point of view of both an employee and a company.
“In 1988, I started working at Haarla as a teletype operator”, Tuire says. “The company was very small. There were maybe two people working in order processing at the time.”
“It is already clear that there will not be two identical days”, laughs Lauri Jokinen, Key Account Manager and the youngest employee at Haarla. “My first weeks have matched my expectations. I was looking for a workplace with structure but also with flexibility and will to break boundaries. That is the best kind of expertise in my opinion.”
Lauri finds the enormous amount of data and knowledge as well as the ability to use them effectively to help customers most interesting about Haarla.
Tuire has noticed that being able to develop her skills and having changing tasks have been most important for her in her career. Not to mention the meaning of great coworkers.
“I have had the possibility to do almost everything imaginable while working at Haarla”, Tuire says. “Simple and manual tasks have changed into more complex jobs done by the computer. Haarla has evolved from paper production to a large company with multiple different areas of expertise and strong focus on safety and environmental issues.”
“I am very excited to learn about different products, their processes and their causal connections thoroughly rather than just memorizing features”, Lauri says.
Lauri thinks that the expertise Haarla holds makes sure the company has and always will work very adaptively. He finds that interesting when it comes to his future career as well.
“There is a great balance between knowledge and being able to see if there is a need to change course – and then actually changing it”, he ponders.
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A matter of chemistry
Industrial technology and food products might seem a little random in the same business portfolio. Yet, if you look closer, the details reveal many unifying elements between all the Haarla product groups. It’s all about finding the right match and balance in terms of process, product specifics and partnerships.
Peter Nokes
What unites Haarla 60 years ago and today is the focused specialist model which was created in the beginning of the story of Haarla. In 1962, the starting few were all experts in pulp and paper production, and their knowledge of relevant products, processes and technology formed partnerships with clients who appreciated their thorough expertise.
When Peter Nokes started his association with Haarla 20 years later, he was focused on other industrial bonding products and applications.
“Many of the chemicals and processes in the paper industry were also within the supply chain needs of the petrochemical resin industry, for example,” Peter says. “This crossover has seen Haarla expand into the construction, insulation and mining industries and many others. Just a model, a principle, and a will to apply them further.”
Links make it happen
The rest of us may not immediately see it, but Peter, now Commercial Director of Haarla, has a clear vision of links and unifying elements in his mind. He certainly does not believe in getting stuck in nominal aspects.
“It all comes down to understanding your products and processes and offering added benefit and trusted service to your clients,”
Peter says. “Rather than be jack of all trades and master of none, we focus on specific business areas or applications and become experts as a
It’s all about connection
Chemistry is an important factor when it comes to customer relationships, too. Not so much in the romantic way, but in finding common ground and having exceptional trust.
“Once a customer of mine said, ‘I want our business with Haarla to be considered a partnership. I know that there will be times when some products are difficult to find, and prices will increase. But then as a partner I can rely on Haarla to ensure we have enough products of the right quality to meet our needs and that Haarla
The Haarla difference
Be the star of the show
For a few years now, Haarla has been using this image of trapeze artists to illustrate our philosophy. Not because it can be quite the circus here sometimes, but because it symbolizes the perfect trust between the two experts: our customer and us. Come what may, we will catch you safely. And the end result – it will look effortless and get applauded to. You will take a bow.
The ingredients of your good day
Walking the extra mile
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Haarla in numbers
25 Multi-layered expertise with a unique twist? Piece of cake!
Haarla route sixty
The first trial speed limits in Finland do not apply to Jarkko Haarla Sr and his Beetle.
1962
materials and solutions for paper mills. Starting cooperation with Johnson corporation.
Beatles 1st single.
President Kekkonen makes the speed limits permanent. Jarkko Sr still has the pedal on the metal.
Julius Haarla
Creating the international supplier network means plenty of traveling in Europe and USA.
1st commercial satellite Telstar. negotiations, the great Finnish tradition!
Apollo 11.
1970 1980
International trade calls for the first Telex machine in
Jarkko Haarla Sr travels to New York. We are starting cooperation with Chemviron!
Haarla starts diversifying into resins and engineered wood industry.
Rubik’s Cube takes the world by storm
The new era begins with the fall of the Berlin wall.
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Karlshamns Ab gets us involved in oils, fats, and margarine.
The new food business team is founded and Johannes Haarla, CEO. New generation of Haarla family is taking over.
knighted by Queen Beatrix of Netherlands.
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1990
The new World Wide Web really takes off.
From agency to distribution company. We are starting to offer blending solutions for customers’ businesses!
Finland wins the Eurovision song contest! The hell freezes over.
Haarla – Panchem merger gives birth to Haarla office in UK.
2000 2010
Office in China, Qingdao starts operating.
Haarla, Amtrade and Panchem merge. We are growing!
A billion people are using Facebook.
2020
Expansion to Baltics and Russianspeaking countries, with office in Tallinn.
Julius Haarla, CEO.
Haarla Swedish Haarla!
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