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Success stories
Vahterus Sustaining quality and service excellence in a period of rapid expansion
Leighton Nicholas, Key Account Manager
anticipated, it faced difficulties in meeting its customers’ requirements on price and lead times. And while scaling up in such a short period would be incredibly challenging, the task was made greater as a result of the strains that had been placed on critical supply chains by both the pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine.
How is Vahterus thriving? The solution In the face of a rapid rise in demand for its products across all core sectors and regions, Vahterus has been successful in overcoming key challenges including skills shortages and supply chain issues to maximize market opportunities. Thanks to savvy investments in facilities expansion, R&D scaleup and US collaboration, the firm has sustained its emphasis on delivering premium solutions to customers while doubling its order intake to €100m in the space of two short years.
Vahterus had to quickly adapt to respond to this rapid and extensive growth and continue to meet customer requirements while maintaining its core values on quality. The main challenges the firm encountered were in expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet the global demands for its product, the company opting to further develop its local manufacturing facilities and assembly capabilities to support its key business regions.
The challenge Plate and shell heat exchanger technology specialist Vahterus entered 2021 in an extremely positive position. The firm had begun to experience exceptional demand for its products, with its sales in all sectors across EMEA, APAC and America having achieved unprecedented growth. The firm’s order book was filling up at a dramatic rate, driven by recent forays into the LNG, heat pumps and hydrogen markets. This was of course positive. However, such high level of growth needs careful management, and it presented several challenges. Owing to its partnership approach of working with customers to develop bespoke solutions that meet specific needs, the firm was accepting orders that did not immediately have the answers to – particularly as it had begun operating in new markets involving new technologies. As it experienced higher growth than it had ever
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EIC Survive and Thrive
Here, the decision was taken to extend its core facilities in Finland and in mid-2021, the company successfully doubled its plate pack assembly production capacity with a new 3,000m² production facility, Vahterus’ biggest expansion yet. With the building now complete, the manufacturing machinery is expected to be in place by the end of March that will compromise of critical robotics solutions which will serve to improve factory performance. Alongside this, the firm eyed expansion overseas. Having opened its first assembly facility in China for the Asian market with great success 10 years ago, the decision was taken to replicate that very same model in the US. This process started at the end of 2021 when the company acquired US-based manufacturing entity Harliss Specialties to support its supply chain capabilities in North America and decrease the delivery times in the region. With the newly improved manufacturing headquarters in Finland providing the foundation for the business, Vahterus also
2023