Artificial intelligence The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decisionmaking, and translation between languages. (Source: Oxford Dictionaries)
#OSC/6
CUSTOMER CASES
Saga Trade Finland Oy Panostaja Oyj LH Lift Oy Mauste-Sallinen Oy Eumer Finland Oy
IS YOUR COMPANY READY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
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Again, the gorilla on the cover wasn’t subjected to animal tests this year. Instead, Oscar employees, known for their boldness, took part in a little human experiment when they got on stage with prominent Finnish actors at the filming of the movie Valmentaja.
According to the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list, Oscar Software is still the fastestgrowing ERP service center in Finland. Suomen Asiakastieto has awarded Oscar Software with Finland’s Strongest Platinum special certificate, because the company has been in the top credit category of the rating system since 2008.
50 Korkein luottoluokitus yli 5 vuotta ŠBisnode
2016
Technology Fast 50 2017 Finland
Contents 4 6
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Editorial
What can your company do to utilize artificial intelligence by midsummer?
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MAUSTE-SALLINEN OY A holistic system and product tracking as prerequisites in the food industry
SAGA TRADE FINLAND OY Modern e-commerce in beauty and wellness
PANOSTAJA OYJ Helping Finnish SMEs grow
LH LIFT OY Broad and stable systems support business
16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31
EUMER FINLAND OY As a user of Oscar‘s services, you’ll have more time to go fishing
A guide to the possibilities and benefits of a modern business platform
Our popular culture needs entrepreneurship stories
With a good support network, an athlete can focus on the results
Oscar is always recruiting – are you our next employee?
We here at Oscar
Current affairs
Oscar produces success in many industries
Oscar Software
Dear reader, these are exciting times. Digitality, robotics and artificial intelligence create and promise almost unbelievable opportunities for businesses. An opportunity for one may also be a threat to another. One must stay alert and experiment boldly to avoid falling behind. An open-minded company that adopts an out-of-the-box model of thinking will be able to create a new, digital business model also in traditional industries like the machine shop industry. Digitality makes the world smaller and simultaneously broadens the potential market of many Finnish companies. One must dare to think big and global.
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Editorial
The words “artificial intelligence” and “robotics” that constantly show up in current technology headlines are fundamentally related to both cost savings and increase in sales, but also to information analysis and prediction. They are also part of Oscar’s agenda. We focus particularly on the utilization of artificial intelligence in various financial management operations and the development of electronic sales and marketing using robotics. We also strongly utilize sales and marketing automatics and learning in things like our ecommerce implementations.
We grow and develop Oscar Software’s vision and customer promise is still the “one door, one key” principle. We implement our vision by offering our customers an enterprise resource planning service platform that consists of software modules and services and know-how. At Oscar, know-how today means a strong team of more than one hundred experts. Our task is to automate and improve the efficiency of the customer’s basic processes from the first sales contact to constant, high-quality customership management. We are constantly developing even more sophisticated reporting and analytics solutions for corporate governance together with our customers. Our selection of e-commerce services – web portals, online stores, mobile solutions – are constantly expanding. Our e-commerce business has had many new customers, we have implemented many significant online business solutions and the number of people in our own team has increased.
Financial and human resources management have the strongest growth of all our services. The benefits are clear and diverse when the basics of finance and payroll administration are part of the same package. At the moment, our Talousosasto® service is expanding towards human resources management, management sparring and controller services. The supply and demand of IT services in all its forms is growing as well. We offer our customers lower costs and increased sales. At the core is Oscar’s business platform, which includes software and services for enterprise resource planning and e-commerce. We want to create a package that allows a company to succeed and grow profitably.
On the fair winds of digitalization Fair winds are currently blowing in the Finnish economy, and Finnish businesses have good opportunities to succeed in the digitalizing world. We are a highly educated nation whose people are technologically oriented. We should keep in mind, however, that innovation means more than just a technical device or a piece of code. Digital business models are increasingly about new ways of selling and marketing, pricing, delivering and serving the customer. Even businesses network in supply chains and their roles change – business models are constantly evolving. I wish all readers open-mindedness, new thinking and a profitable future!
Simo Salminen, CEO
#5
WHAT CAN YOUR COMPANY DO TO UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BY MID-JUNE? Algorithm, machine learning, deep learning and neural network are concepts that can frustrate many corporate decision-makers, even those attuned to the times. Artificial intelligence sounds distant and removed from daily business. There are still people in successful Finnish companies and boards who don’t fully understand what artificial intelligence does and where it can be found. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is often approached from a very technical perspective that appeals to IT professionals. But what about Finnish corporate decisionmakers and decision-making? At what point and how should one jump onto this increasingly faster-chugging train of artificial intelligence? We had a chat with Antti Merilehto, author of the book "Tekoäly – matkaopas johtajalle" (Artificial intelligence – a manager’s travel guide), published in February.
Applying artificial intelligence and machine learning requires an understanding of the basics The number of major CRM, ERP and Big Data projects over the last years alone shows that companies have understood the importance of collecting data. However, there are still major issues on who should have access to this data and how a company can create an operating model that is constantly improving data utilization and a culture that improves business efficiency. AI will significantly change societal structures and business operations. Machines have long been utilized in automating financial administration and advertising, among others. When the number of repeats done by a machine is taken to a certain point, learning begins. Machine
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Operative efficiency
Customer experience
learning happens when the performance of a task improves over time with practice. At certain things, machines are simply more efficient than humans. – If you’re interested in improving your company’s results, you need to start applying machine learning in your business. However, the application requires a basic understanding of how machine learning and artificial intelligence work, Merilehto emphasizes.
Where should artificial intelligence be applied? The United States and China have a clear head start in the development, research and patenting of artificial intelligence. Europe’s role is very cautious; there is some AI development taking place in Finland. Among Finnish corporate decisionmakers, focus should be shifted from the
Emotional impact
development of AI to its application, which has been made fairly easy for companies in terms of research and development. Where should artificial intelligence be applied, then? To things that save experts’ time. Machines are faster than humans in calculations, repetitive and routine functions that only involve yes/no choices. If there are several ways of doing a task, it should be done by a human. Artificial intelligence is auxiliary intelligence rather than replacement intelligence.
Leadership and empathy are the skills of the future Thanks to machine learning, humans are able to focus in more depth on customership itself – humanity, empathy and teamwork skills. Customer experience is therefore a combination of operative efficiency and empathy. Interactive skills and understanding
emotions will be even more valuable as skills in the corporate world of the future. Management won’t become any easier, either. How can you identify what’s currently happening with artificial intelligence and what is essential for your company in particular? Everything starts by changing your thought model. – Man is responsible for machine learning and its responsibility. Finnish managers can’t go on the defence regarding artificial intelligence. Managers must make individual employees, familiar with the business, understand that they should actively seek opportunities to utilize machine learning, Merilehto outlines. Along with management culture, the change requires data to be accessible to all employees within legal limits, especially those who are close to the customer. The manager’s task is to bring the salesperson and data scientist closer to one another and create a culture where it’s possible to utilize data to study and experiment how the customer’s life and the customer relationship could be improved.
Start testing and making versions “for laughs” today Artificial intelligence is the new electricity, and like electricity, it will be utilized for everyday things in the future. There are many interfaces for machine learning, and the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence start with small experiments. Merilehto encourages you to start testing today, even if it initially only leads to versions “for laughs”, to quote his own words. Many companies may think that they should first wait for a year to make sure their data is in order, so to speak, but you should start obtaining a basic understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning and testing today. After your data project is finished, you’ll be able to utilize the machine learning applications that you have been satisfied with and that have improved the efficiency of your business during the year. Merilehto has a question for every Finnish corporate decision-maker: ”What can your company do to utilize artificial intelligence by mid-June?”
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PRACTICE
Oscar is constantly coming up with ways of identifying uses for artificial intelligence, and we are taking tangible steps forward in development. • Potential uses include the automation of monitoring and error correction, prediction of various features and identification of future events, for example. In financial administration, we are developing image recognition-based decoding of invoices and receipts, for example. • For stock and production features, it’s possible to develop smart shelf locations or to optimize collection routes, for example. Smart glasses free a mobile user’s hands and allow the automated recognition of products and shelf locations. • In sales, the customer will be assisted in spotting their mistakes based on their usual shopping behavior. Artificial intelligence might ask, for example, does the customer really want this particular add-on when the majority have combined their product with a better one. • All this becomes possible after the company has modelled its own operations in digital format as comprehensively as possible. Of course, you’ll be assisted by Oscar’s business platform that ensures that core data isn’t fragmented into different systems but works as a consistent support for decision-making. We are also happy to hear your suggestions.
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Customer
Modern e-commerce in beauty and wellness sectors Saga Trade Finland Oy is a unit of the Sunborn Group, importer and wholesaler of beauty and wellness products. The company uses Oscar’s online stores in addition to ERP on both the B2B and B2C side. #8
The Finnish family business has decades of experience in the beauty and wellness sectors.
The necessity of real-time operations
Problem-solving and willingness to develop
The 40-year old family business from Turku, known, for example, for the Naantali and Ruissalo Spas and the Sunborn Yacht hotels, has been using Oscar’s system since 2005. Division Manager Mika Kuosmanen of Saga Trade Finland comments on the beginning of the partnership. – We needed a new ERP and stock management system, so it was time to find a new system supplier. This was the challenge that we began to resolve by selecting Oscar, or, to be more precise, its predecessor before the corporate merger. In 2006, the par tnership was expanded into B2B e-commerce, and most recently into B2C e-commerce in 2016. Kuosmanen emphasizes the importance of real-time stock management for their operations. We have almost 5,000 different products. Real-time linking of the stock management system and e-commerce is of utmost importance for our operations. We have tried different solutions, but Oscar’s solutions have suited us best, especially in light of the development over the past few years.
Kuosmanen, who was involved in acquiring and developing Oscar’s services and is now the main user, describes the partnership with Oscar as professional, developing and flexible. – Oscar’s contact persons are experts, and their product support and problemsolving abilities have always been great, Kuosmanen describes. According to Kuosmanen, the partnership has succeeded particularly in finding just the right solution for Saga Trade Finland’s specific problems and challenges throughout the long partnership.
Networking through partnership According to Kuosmanen, the partnership is developed further, especially for B2C online stores. The current area of development is integration with logistics companies: which logistics partners to choose and how to automate logistics management with them. In Kuosmanen’s words, the partnership with Oscar has also provided excellent opportunities for networking.
Kuosmanen says he enjoys the networking opportunities offered by the Oscar Gala.
– The Oscar Gala, organized in March, is a great opportunity for networking. During the day, you get to see new Oscar solutions live, and the program always produces new ideas and thoughts for one’s own business. It’s great to get a chance to talk to other Oscar customers and exchange ideas on how they have solved problems, Kuosmanen concludes.
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Customer
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Helping € Finnish SMEs grow The Tampere-based investment company Panostaja Oyj develops Finnish SMEs and is known as a pioneer in its field, has had a long partnership with Oscar. Oscar’s services have been utilized in supporting the growth of both the Panostaja parent company and the SMEs owned by it.
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Oscar’s diversity supports growth The partnership with Oscar began in 2006 and was sparked by Panostaja’s need to acquire an accounting system suitable for its parent company. Tapio Tommila, CFO and funding director at Panostaja, which is currently developing seven investment targets, says the partnership has expanded in many ways over the years. – We began the partnership as pilot users of Oscar’s business platform. First we moved our accounting into the
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For Panostaja, growth and ownership are about much more than just business.
system, then the accounting ledger, invoice circulation and payment and most recently, the creation and circulation of electronic travel expense invoices. In addition, our Hyperion group reporting system is on Oscar’s cloud servers, and system maintenance is handled entirely by Oscar, including backups and new user installations. Panostaja acts as an active majority owner in Finnish growth companies. As is typical of growth companies, they often
have a need to make changes in their systems. Tommila describes Oscar’s business platform as a clear and sensible solution for the systems needs of SMEs that desire growth. – As an owner, our task is to recommend the systems solutions we consider to be the best. We have been satisfied with our long partnership with Oscar, and have recommended and adopted Oscar’s system also at some of the growth companies we own.
More efficiency from outsourcing financial administration In addition to the systems side, Panostaja has sought growth and efficiency from outsourcing its financial administration. Expanding Oscar’s service coverage to Oscar Talousosasto® and outsourcing accounting and payroll administration was a logical step for Panostaja as a continuation of the adoption of Oscar’s system. – Our Oscar Talousosasto® accountant and contact person Annika is now part of
our team and sits here with us at Panostaja every week. The partnership has been smooth, and at the start of the year we also transferred our payroll accounting to Oscar.
Smooth and easy
– Over the years, I have asked our own people about the partnership with Oscar, and our entire team thinks it’s always been very smooth and flexible. Let’s keep this up! We’ll see what the future will bring, Tommila concludes.
According to Tommila, partnership with Oscar over the years has been easy and flexible. He believes a partnership is successful when things run smoothly and there’s no need to spend time thinking about the partnership.
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Customer
Broad and stable systems support business Tractor switch unit manufacturer LH Lift Oy has adopted a broad variety of Oscar’s business platform solutions over the years, all the way from e-commerce to design software integrations. #12
Eero Viikki at LH Lift’s Chinese unit’s 10th anniversary party in 2017.
platform. There are add-ons to support outsourced financial administration and payroll accounting, Oscar’s online store and the most recently adopted working hours monitoring system and mobile hand-held terminals for inventories and receiving materials. Integrations to different design software are also important for business. With PDM integration, product structures can be imported into the system directly from various design software, and the EDI interface enables smooth communication between trading partners.
Development attuned to the times LH Lift’s revolving front linkage on Valtra’s new T series tractor. An efficient combination for road maintenance with a sweeper, for example.
The most suitable and competitive service package LH Lift is a 40-year old Finnish family business that manufactures hitches and threepoint and front linkages for tractor factories. The company runs its business from offices in Finland and China and its customer coverage includes AGCO as well as several smaller manufacturers and after sales market operators in Europe and China. LH Lift’s Materials and IT Manager Eero Viikki says the partnership with Oscar began at the turn of the millennium when the company needed to update their previous ERP system, provided by a
smaller software Company, into a broader and more stable one. – Oscar’s solutions were the most suitable for us and most competitive in terms of pricing. Three suppliers made it to the final round when we were choosing between suppliers, says Viikki.
Diverse integrations Having worked in development projects and as a main user, Viikki goes on to say that their array of Oscar services has become very broad over the years. – Apart from maintenance, we use nearly all features of Oscar’s business
According to Viikki, the partnership with Oscar has been active and close over the years. Things haven’t been left as they are; the software has developed constantly. – Oscar is obviously growing and developing. Although growth also brings its own challenges, they are well attuned to the times. Oscar has a professional and committed team. Viikki has been satisfied with the customer relationship and its development and says that besides problem-solving situations, they have also met with Oscar contact persons outside the office for leisure activities. According to Viikki, this is a reflection of the pleasant contact persons and successful partnership.
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Customer
A holistic system and product tracking are prerequisites in the food industry As an importer, manufacturer and packer of foodstuffs for retail and industry, it has always been important for Mauste-Sallinen Oy to have systems that fulfil industry requirements. Domestic and modern operator as criteria A Finnish family business that started with cardamom and allspice in 1961 now employs over 60 people and is known not only for spices, but also for nuts, seeds and dried fruit, among others. Based in Naantali, Mauste-Sallinen is the largest domestic operator in its industry whose property and operations are based entirely in Finland. The partnership between MausteSallinen and Oscar began in 2012, and the adoption of services took place in the spring of 2013. – We were looking for a modern, domestic operator who could offer us a holistic system suitable for the food industry, comments Mauste-Sallinen’s financial director Markus Kauppila.
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Oscar’s flexibility stood out Mauste-Sallinen has several main users, which guarantees ERP support for the company’s daily operations. Kauppila, who is responsible for the adoption of new Oscar features and in-house training, says that in the end, flexibility was the decisive factor in selecting the systems supplier. Of the three operators who made it to the final round, Oscar was best able to respond to Mauste-Sallinen’s challenges and stood out mainly with its flexibility. Kauppila describes the Oscar team as agile and modern. – Oscar constantly develops and introduces new features to its services. They respond to our challenges, and problems are always solved, no matter how big they
More than 3,000 different products are processed at the warehouse.
may be. Few partners are able to fulfil such individual customer needs.
Stock management’s major role One of the most important criteria when choosing a systems supplier was the ability to track products as well as mobile collection, which Mauste-Sallinen already had in its old system. Besides stock management that covers thousands of collection lines per day, Mauste-Sallinen utilizes Oscar’s ERP system holistically in managing the order-delivery chain, production management and financial management. The partnership is under constant development. According to Kauppila, the next major service package adoption will be the utilization of mobile technology in production management. There are also other current projects related to the expansion and development of current operations. – On the mobile side, we are currently working on building real-time production logging. One of the following projects will be the expansion of sales features, Kauppila sums up.
Flavors from around the world are processed and packed for every kitchen in Naantali.
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Customer
As a user of Oscar’s services, you’ll have more time to go fishing Eumer Finland Oy is specialized in fishing equipment and offers fishing and nature experiences for businesses and groups. Entrepreneur brothers Olli and Jaakko Ojamo stress that when systems work, entrepreneurs can focus on their own passions.
At Eumer Fishing Center, customers get to enjoy sea, lake or river fishing. There are plenty of choices!
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Customer satisfaction is and will be decisive Running its operations from Finland’s most comprehensive fishing center on the seaside in Merikarvia, Eumer’s life comes from its customers. Customer service and satisfaction have always been at the core of their business and key criteria in choosing partners. – From the beginning, we have invested in customer service, which has made us one of the best in our field in tourism. When choosing a systems supplier, we contacted Oscar’s long-term customers, and through positive customer satisfaction, picked Oscar’s services, says Olli Ojamo. In Ojamo’s opinion, Eumer and Oscar share a passion for developing their own services and products. The partnership has enabled both to focus on their core skills.
Oscar understood Eumer’s needs
Eumer’s first ERP projects were full of challenges. Jaakko Ojamo says that the first system was far too big and inflexible for Eumer’s needs. – Our first SAP-based ERP was coded for us by consultants. The system was too big for a company our size, however. We then blindly became users of an open source ERP, but the supplier’s sales personnel, who spoke code, and our purchasers, who spoke Finnish, didn’t have a common language. The project failed after two years, when the adoption of the system was still unfinished. Jaakko Ojamo says that with Oscar, they immediately found a common language, understood even by Merikarvians with a basic school education. Starting the partnership was easy, and the entrepreneur brothers from Merikarvia felt they were taken care of. – Oscar understood our needs. They were also realistic compared to the other suppliers. They told us what is and isn’t possible; they didn’t promise us the moon from the sky. Our partnership has always been based on human discussion. The people at Oscar know how to come down to the customer’s level.
For businesses who don’t want to be left behind
According to Jaakko Ojamo, the crucial factor when choosing the systems supplier
Eumer’s products are known in Finland and also exported abroad to 20 countries. The online store is open 24/7 at www.eumer.fi.
was that all services can be obtained from one operator in a centralized fashion. In addition to Oscar’s business platform, Eumer uses B2B and B2C online stores selling internationally popular fishing equipment as well as a mobile stock collection system. – The initial investment was big, but after centralizing our company administration in one place, we’re able to react and develop our operation based on a daily report. When financial management services, for example, come from the same place, we also avoid problems between different systems suppliers and extra maintenance costs, Jaakko Ojamo comments. Olli Ojamo thinks Oscar’s and Eumer’s business cultures are in many ways the same. Both are uncompromising operators who walk their own paths, which shows in the companies’ growth and development. Both are also full of energy, goals are set high and pursued through determined teamwork.
Olli Ojamo recommends Oscar for companies who don’t want to be left behind. – The people at Oscar are full of passion for their own work. They are not a software house that sits still – services are developed constantly and each customer also benefits from development work done for other customers. Oscar understands that their own success stems from the success of their customers. The entrepreneur brothers conclude by saying that by using Oscar’s services, entrepreneurs will have more time to focus on their passions – and to go fishing with Eumer, of course!
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A guide to the possibilities and benefits of a modern business platform Oscar’s new ERP guide provides comprehensive basic information to support decision-making in a company considering an ERP project.
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In September 2017, for the first time in the company’s history, Oscar produced a guide for companies considering changing their ERP system. We interviewed a few experts: UPM’s CIO Turkka Keskinen, TTS’ IT Manager Pekka Vartiainen, LH Lift Materials and IT Manager Eero Viikki, Professor of Information Systems Matti Rossi and our customers. Their responses highlighted certain points regarding system selection, project management and adoption. The guide also introduces the possibilities and benefits of future ERP, i.e. a modern business platform. The aim of the publication is to provide comprehensive basic information for those considering a systems project. The guide has been written neutrally on a general level and is suitable for everyone, regardless of which supplier is being considered or has been chosen.
Download a free ERP changer’s guide!
Toiminnanohjauksen
onnela ja tuonela ERP:STÄ LIIKETOIMINTA-ALUSTAAN – KOKENEET KONKARIT KERTOVAT
Are you committing a sin, too? The guide talks about ERP sins, which refer to the most typical problems with the old system.
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Manual and underutilized ERP
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Overlapping software
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The software or supplier is too big
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The old ERP
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End of software lifecycle
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Too many integrations
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No system
Things to note SURVEY YOUR NEEDS: why are you starting this project? What do you wish to change? SYSTEM SELECTION: how can the supplier respond to your needs? STARTING THE PROJECT: prepare carefully, plan a schedule, name the responsible persons
What exactly is a business platform? • A broad application and service environment that enables diverse and efficient business management. • Consists of pieces that are vital for business, such as financial and material administration. • You can also add features to the platform that develop your own process, such as a mobile stock collection terminal or online store. • Grows with the customer. The services consist of various applications that can be chosen freely, so a new company, for example, doesn’t need to get all features at once. • Staff, customers, suppliers and sub-contractors are linked directly and electronically to the company’s process in a single system.
DURING THE PROJECT: keep an eye on the schedule and budget, trust the experts and your own skills, give the project leader enough responsibility
A good system reduces the need for integrations
supports the company’s development and growth
adapts to the company’s needs, not vice versa
is logical to use
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Our popular culture needs entrepreneurship stories The radical changes in business life are not only limited to the development of technology and artificial intelligence. There is also pressure on the new generation of entrepreneurs and managers. We live in a corporate world where business is personified. Attention has now shifted from companies to entrepreneurs and managers as persons. Tuukka Temonen’s movie Valmentaja (‘The Coach’) , based on the entrepreneurship story of Jari Sarasvuo, premieres in October 2018. The movie raises a question: Have our parents doomed us to a certain work model? How do we seek acceptance in the modern corporate world?
Success in corporate life has been a difficult subject to approach Finnish corporate culture is relatively young, and lately, there have been no movies about business life and its recent events and personas. – Movies discussing the success of entrepreneurs and managers have long been missing from our popular culture. The subject has been difficult to approach and far removed from the public. The purpose of the Valmentaja movie is to make corporate success more approachable through storytelling and humour. It’s important to see entrepreneurs also in contexts other than stock exchange releases and invest ment magazines, Temonen comments. There are a few colorful personalities like Sarasvuo in Finland, but none whose careers are as broad and diverse as his.
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Sarasvuo’s career has had its share of both successes and failures. – Few entrepreneurs are willing to openly discuss their failures. This leads to unnecessarily opportunistic entrepreneurship starts that often fail. I hope, however, that the movie will encourage people to do their own thing and seek their own dreams, and will spark the desire to prove oneself that Sarasvuo has often demonstrated.
A story of humanity and acceptance Temonen points out that the movie’s theme of seeking acceptance that dives into the depths of humanity and progresses from one decade to the next will appeal to all lovers of popular culture, not just the entrepreneurship-oriented. The movie appeals to active influencers attuned to the times, culture enthusiasts and those interested in the recent events in corporate life. The movie is for those who want to understand how Finnish corporate culture has come to the point where it is now.
Movie partners are bold and ready to dive in Bold and personal companies with the ability to laugh at themselves were sought to partner up with the Valmentaja movie. According to Temonen, how a company
feels about Sarasvuo’s values, for example, made no difference. – The companies who decided to partner with us understood what a broad national audience a cultural movie like this will have. Studies show that movies are still the most popular leisure activity, and the audience will include current and future customers of many partner companies. Oscar as a company is the combination of many of the characteristics the Valmentaja movie deals with. According to Temonen, the people at Oscar are a great example of how things are handled carefully, but the personalities are lively and always full of humour.
The Oscar team’s enthusiasm for the movie partnership is reflected by the fact that the team also participated in the filming. An extra bit was filmed for Oscar’s own use that will premier at the Oscar Gala; besides Oscar team members, actors from t he Valmentaja mov ie also participated. – It says a lot about the team when they’re able to throw themselves into the role of an actor in front of prominent Finnish actors. Of course, us movie professionals and Oscar have had another thing in common for quite some time – the Oscar Gala and its awards, Temonen concludes with a laugh.
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With a good support network, an athlete can focus on the results Before us stands Ristomatti Hakola, who has just returned home from Pyeongchang, South Korea after accomplishing Finland’s alltime best result in sprint skiing at his first Olympic Games by being the sixth to cross the finish line. Photos: Tero Vehkamäki #22
Before the Olympics, Ristomatti won the skiathlon Finnish championship in Vantaa.
Ristomatti in the lead at the skiing Finnish championships in Vantaa in January 2018.
Ristomatti’s positive personality and appreciation of his support network was also evident during the Pyeongchang 50 km race when he cheered on a teammate fighting for gold in the middle of his own race. he was little, the skier understands that quite a few others had the same goal. The Olympics are held every four years, and you have one day to succeed. – You need to be a real magician to make ever y t hing click, jokes t he national team skier, who’s also known as a wisecracker.
Towards the highest podium Having dreamed about the Olympics since he was a little boy, the 26-year old skier from Kankaanpää says he went to the Olympics fit and in good spirits. Hakola had a good early season, although the preceding training season included periods of illness. Still, there was development even during illness through resting. – In sports, it’s not the one who trains the most who wins, but the one who trains most wisely and knows their body best. With ten years of training behind you, you can afford a couple of bad months, says Hakola. After winning the sprint heats, the ambitious Hakola went to the final seeking the highest podium. Having watched the Olympics actively on television since
Succeeding alone is hard in individual sports Hakola emphasizes the importance of a support network for the success of a professional athlete. In his view, ideally all the athlete needs to do is produce results. Everything else happens in the background. – A lt hough t h i s i s a n i nd i v idu a l sport, it’s very hard to succeed in it alone. There’s a lot going on around an athlete. Without the support network around me, I’d be skiing slowly or not at all, Hakola describes. The young skier is full of energy and always encourages Oscar’s staff, who have supported him for over a decade, to exercise – and specifically to ski, of course. – Sports will keep your mind fresh and the joy of exercise is contagious!
New technologies spice up an athlete’s life Sports is about much more than just equipment, but technology is present in a modern athlete’s life in many ways. Heart rate monitors are utilized in training, data on the quality of sleep is collected during the night, equipment and ski waxes develop. Hakola sees the development of technology as positive for sports. – If all the development combined gives your performance even a one-percent advantage, it will show in the results. After all, this is a sport where every second counts. Hakola thinks technologies also provide entertainment for an athlete’s sometimes muddy daily life, such as watching the heart rate monitor during a jog. Hakola also toys with the idea of utilizing artificial intelligence in sports. – It’s fascinating to think that in the future, artificial intelligence would be able to look at data and immediately tell me how I should train that day. Technology should never be trusted blindly, however. You must always use common sense and listen to your feelings, Hakola concludes.
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g in it u r c e r s y a lw a is Oscar
ARE YOU OUR NEXT EMPLOYEE? Oscar’s target revenue for 2018 is over EUR 10 million, which means massive growth and thereby dozens of new recruitments for various tasks. If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in software design and implementation, business solutions sales, marketing, customer service, project work, financial management, ICT support, accounting or business development in general, we always have openings for the best! We offer work at our main places of business in Tampere, Helsinki and Raisio. Some Oscar employees are also based in other regions! Telecommuting is also possible. #24
Why should you work at Oscar?
Oscar employee benefits in a nutshell:
1
You’ll get a broad view of the ERP field 1 and diverse tasks
At Oscar, you’ll be working at a large small house and will get to see the broad field of ERP and engage in diverse tasks related to it. Oscar employees are well acquainted with their customers’ business and will often also get to influence customer processes and their development. Oscar offers opportunities for career advancement between various tasks and areas of expertise, and we’ve also built a career path inside the company for people who seek management positions, for example. Oscar’s vision is to keep growing at the least at the current speed by offering a high-quality business platform solution and supporting financial administration and business services. The service is in great demand, which makes working at Oscar extremely motivating!
2
DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS
PARTICIPATION IN SPORTING EVENTS
ENTREPRENEURIAL WAY OF OPERATING
CAFÉ OSCAR
SALARY SYSTEM WITH INCENTIVES
FANTASTIC CO-WORKERS
ACTIVE LEISURE ACTIVITIES
OFFICES AT THE CITY CENTER
AMAZING PARTIES
GYM
LEISURE-TIME ACCIDENT INSURANCE
An encouraging and rewarding working environment and culture
Oscar has a very entrepreneurial and energetic working culture, which is tangibly reflected not only in salaries, but also career and development opportunities. In addition to satisfied customers, our key goals include result-oriented operations, good collaboration and constant development, which you can reach through several paths. The work is suitably flexible and the working culture allows you to build a career path of your own liking. Our operations are guided by result-orientation and a hunger for success, which is the shared mission of everyone at Oscar! At Oscar, we work hard and for real, but never with an unnecessarily serious face. Our daily work is inspired by shared values, a desire to grow together with our customers and to challenge ourselves, our colleagues and customers to even bigger successes. Oscar is also an ideal employer for a junior employee at the beginning of their career with the right attitude, motivation and learning abilities. Our experienced team will help you spread your wings.
3
LUNCH AND EXERCISE VOUCHERS
An opportunity to influence your own income level
At Oscar, an employee can genuinely influence their own income level by carrying out their tasks successfully. You will be supported by experienced superiors and a committed management that participates in daily operations. Because we want to become better and succeed, we have no salary caps to limit financial success. Nearly all employees are covered by various incentives – for some they are based on personal performance, some have team incentives. The income level is determined by work performance, not by title or official position. In addition to the incentive bonus, Oscar employees’ benefit package includes training sessions that are open to all, recreational and other events throughout the year and modern employee benefits from a gym to flexible working hours, modern working spaces and telecommuting.
Check out all our openings and apply for a job – or submit an open application!
www.oscar.fi/rekrytointi
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WE AT OSCAR What are us folks at Oscar like? What kind of a corporate culture is behind Oscar’s gorilla mascot? We interviewed four people working at Oscar’s different departments and asked them the same four questions.
Juha
1. What is Oscar’s corporate culture like? 2. How is the Oscar spirit visible in your daily work? How about outside the company? 3. What do Oscar employees have in common? Use three adjectives. 4. What is the coolest thing about Oscar?
Juha Jalonen
Terhi Kopponen
As an e-commerce project manager since May 2017, Juha participates in launching new online stores and developing old ones. His working days consist of practical planning and project management together with dozens of customers.
Terhi started at Oscar eight years ago as a project manager and has been heading the financial administration business unit since 2016. Her tasks include development projects related to Oscar Pro financial administration features, supervisor work and large adoption projects.
E-commerce project manager
1. Oscar’s corporate culture looks to the future. The house is not yet finished, and expansion requires building a foundation. 2. Daily work is pleasantly varying. There are plenty of customers and at Oscar, we get to do tasks that cross the boundaries of traditional business functions. With Oscar’s strong growth, customers can get things like BI solutions and the Talousosasto® and e-commerce services from a single supplier. 3. The attitude for professional service, openness for changing things and the courage for curiosity. 4. The story of our workplace can be told tirelessly over and over, and it has the makings for a great sequel.
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Project manager
1. Oscar’s corporate culture offers freedom and responsibility. 2. Oscar’s spirit is about casualness. Work gets done industriously, but without unnecessary formality. You can always get help from co-workers at Oscar. 3. Oscar employees share a desire to figure things out and solve customers’ problems – and a relaxed atmosphere, of course. 4. The coolest thing at Oscar is the opportunity to make a difference, whether it’s about developing software features or improving the efficiency of our own or a customer’s operations. At Oscar, your opinion matters and you’re encouraged to express it.
Terhi
Päivi Soltin
Oscar Talousosasto®, Business manager Although Päivi only started at Oscar in September 2017 and is still new, her experience in the industry goes back 25 years. Päivi’s day consists mainly of sparring team members and customers and developing processes.
Päivi Ari
1. Oscar’s corporate culture at the moment is wild and free in a positive way. They appreciate different kinds of people and willingness to develop across the board. 2. As professionalism and devotion that is reflected to the customer as great customer service. 3. Willingness to develop and innovate, an industrious spirit and casualness. 4. Getting an opportunity to use my brain and develop new things for software, operating methods as well as best practices.
Ari Leppälampi Senior software designer
Ari is part of Oscar’s regular crew. He has been a developer of the Oscar Pro product since 2000 and has been working for Oscar Software since the very beginning of the company. 1. Oscar’s corporate culture is strongly growth-oriented. 2. Oscar’s spirit is visible in daily work as collaboration and a relaxed atmosphere. Growth improves our credibility for handling even larger projects. 3. An Oscar employee is hard-working and relaxed and has a sense of humour. 4. The coolest thing is growing and still having a great team spirit.
Oscar’s business continues to diversify and we need even more experts in different fields. Our recruitment rate has been accelerating rapidly, and we currently have a lively atmosphere between experienced veterans, fresh talent and Oscar returnees. DO YOU FEEL LIKE A MEMBER OF THE OSCAR TEAM? www.oscar.fi/rekrytointi, rekrytointi@oscar.fi
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Current affairs Award-winning growth continues
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program annually lists the fastest-growing technology companies in Finland. Like last year, Oscar retained its top spot as the fastest-growing supplier of corporate business platforms or broad ERP in Finland. The growth is reflected by the opening of a new office in Raisio and constant recruitments.
Oscar opens a new regional office in Raisio
50
Technology Fast 50 2017 Finland
In November, Raisio cheerfully celebrated the growth and opening of Oscar’s new regional office. The opening ribbon was cut by deputy speaker of the parliament Arto Satonen. Besides the opening of a new office, business growth is also clearly visible in recruitments numbers. Over 30 new employees started working at Oscar in 2017.
Oscar’s trademark got registered
On April 19, 2017 the European Union Intellectual Property Office announced that Oscar’s trademark has now been registered throughout the EU. The registration process took almost three years. We feel proud to bear the Oscar brand!
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Coding through blue-and-white eyes
Oscar proudly bears the Koodia Suomesta (Code From Finland) symbol. For Oscar, this means 100% Finnish code rather than the 80% threshold required for the symbol. By choosing a company that produces Finnish code, you’ll ensure that all services, products and support are available in Finnish. With your choice, you’ll also ensure the production of quality services and software in the future.
Oscar publishes an ERP guide
The first publication of Oscar’s smallscale study department will make you ask whether your current ERP system is up to date. Based on the views of experienced systems project veterans, the guide instructs decision-makers on how to pick the most suitable system for the company and what should be considered when changing company systems in order to finish the project smoothly.
The 2017 Oscar awards Oscar Pro Main user of the year 2017: Mikko Nykopp Pineline Group Oy Oscar Pro User organization of the year 2017: Vitario Oy
Partnering with the movie Valmentaja
Valmentaja, the movie based on Sarasvuo’s entrepreneurship story that is coming out in October was looking for bold and individual companies to partner with. Due to its corporate culture, Oscar fit the bill perfectly. Boldness in and commitment to the movie partnership were evidenced by Oscar employees’ open-minded participation in the actual shooting, among other things.
Oscar Tisma Main user of the year 2017: Ville Östman Oy Vestek Ab Oscar Tisma User organization of the year 2017: Oy Novo Wood Ltd Oscar Talousosasto® User organization of the year 2017: AT-Tuote Oy
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Oscar produces success in many industries Oscar Software’s solutions are known for their flexibility and
adaptability for different customer needs. In addition, features for specific needs have been developed for the special characteristics of many industries. Oscar solutions are constantly developing with new customers, among other things.
INDUSTRY
COMMERCE
MAINTENANCE
SERVICES
• Metal industry
• Wholesale
• Expert services
• Machine shops
• Importing
• Mobile phone maintenance
• Chemical industry
• Special goods sales
• Paper processing
• Agency sales
• Food industry
• Retail
• Electrotechnical industry • Textile industry • Naval industry • Carpentry industry • Construction industry • Excavation
• Environmental services
• Electronics maintenance • IT maintenance
• Capital investment • Logistics • Cleaning services
• E-commerce
• Machine and equipment maintenance
• Training and colleges
• Export sales
• Upkeep
• Merchandiser sales
• Field maintenance
• Electrical network construction
• Franchising
• Licensed maintenance • Warranty maintenance • Maintenance chains
• Publishing • Contracting • Banking • Energy trading
DIGITAL SPECIAL SOLUTIONS We also implement digital business solutions fully customized to the customers’ wishes.
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Staff
Eight owners who participate in daily operations
>120 Offices
Education
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATORS BUSINESS GRADUATES GRADUATE ENGINEERS
Customers
900
MASTERS BACHELORS ENGINEERS
Customers in more than 10 countries Tampere
Mikkeli Kotka
Raisio
Helsinki
ennuste
10M€
Staff average age 39 years = young work community 7567
Revenue
46%
Development of Oscar Software’s revenue (€1,000)
5808 4845
3086 1033
54%
2008
1749 2010
2013
2015
2016
2017
2018
Average growth over 25%/year for the first 10 years, revenue for the current period about 7.6 million. Since the first year of operations, sales have increased by about 2,000%.
Recognitions Korkein luottoluokitus yli 5 vuotta ©Bisnode
2016
50
Technology Fast 50 2017 Finland
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A SUCCESS FACTOR. THE OSCAR BUSINESS PLATFORM Industry-specific ERP expertise Industry and project work
Wholesale
Online business
Oscar HR
Oscar IT
Oscar Talousosasto®
Human resources services
IT outsourcing and maintenance services
Financial management and administration services
Intranet
Extranet
Purchase invoice circulation
E-commerce
BtoB
Quality management
Stock and logistics services
Software and server outsourcing
IoT – Internet of Things
Fine capacity loading
Bank integration
Material management
Human resources and payroll management
Info TV
Booking system Cash sales
Batch tracking
Recruitment
Human resources administration Logistics
Accounting
Rough capacity loading
Marketing automation
Document management
Group automation
Purchase invoices
Operator services
Targeted marketing
Product management Maintenance control
Payroll
EDI/OVTconnections
E-invoice forwarding
Mobile solutions
Integrations and interfaces
Marketing Invoicing
Oscar Cloud
Serial number tracking
Travel expenses
Services
Oscar Logistics
Data collection
Customer satisfaction measurement
Scanning service
Orderdelivery chain management
BtoC
BI solutions
Working hours monitoring
CRM
Maintenance and upkeep
Job queue management
Maintenance control
Internal computation
Enterprise resource planning
Stock management
Project management
Budgeting
Maintenance orders
Acquisition planning
Financial management
Orders Reporting
Tender calculation Contract management
Customership management
Maintenance and device management
The best ERP solutions and business services with solid expertise.
OSC/6
Oscar Software Oy • www.oscar.fi www.facebook.com/oscarsoftware • www.twitter.com/oscarsoftware • www.instagram.com/oscarsoftware www.linkedin.com/company/oscar-software-oy • www.youtube.com/oscarsoftware Hallituskatu 16 A, FI-33200 Tampere • Tikkurilantie 136, FI-01510 Vantaa • Raisiontori 7, FI-21200 Raisio Switchboard +358 (0)10 820 1000