Kilkanen Oy has now moved to the center of energy ecosystem
The factory is part of the energy industry ecosystem in Vaskiluoto, and it is neighboring the Wärtsilä Smart Technology Hub. The location of the new factory is excellent, near the railway, and the harbor and business partners.
The new factory has 3500m2 of working space and Kilkanen has paid attention to the long-term sustainability of the factory. The factory has an environment friendly geothermal heating and cooling system, which will decrease Kilkanen's CO2 footprint substantially. Electricity producing solar panels are also planned to be installed on the factory's roof. These solar panels would cover the main part of the electricity demand in Kilkanen's factory.
– Reducing the carbon footprint and taking care of environmental issues are of great importance to us, emphasizes Lars-Erik Schöring, CEO of Leinolat Group.
Partnership with Wärtsilä further strengthens
The most distinctive piece of machinery in the new Kilkanen factory will be the KOLB engine block machining center, which is the size of a medium size house.The dismantling, refurbishment and rebuilding of this huge machining center is a complex and time-consuming project and the first engine blocks will be manufactured in the new factory during the second quarter of 2022.
Kilkanen acquired the KOLB machining center and parts of the engine block operations from Wärtsilä in March 2020.
– We have great personnel with several years of experience and with the new factory and in this location, we can respond even better to the demand of our customers, says Jouni Kilkanen, CEO of Kilkanen Oy.
Precision machining – High quality and precious work
Kilkanen has invested in several top modern and efficient 5-axis CNC milling machines and with these machines, Kilkanen is able to provide an efficient and high-quality precision machining. In the new factory the layouts and material flow will be optimized enabling further efficiency improvements. This part of the new factory is already up and running.
– Overall, we have an extremely experienced and competent staff and experts, which is a requirement for our high tech 5-axis CNC machines, Jouni Kilkanen says.
– Our business is growing, but at the same time some of our trusted employees are retiring, so we will need new employees very soon, Production Manager Jani Perkiö says.
To attract new employees, one can use different approaches. For example, people can get valuable experience and a profession by taking part in the apprenticeship studies. This learning by doing method suits metal manufacturing businesses well, because this way companies can train their work force for specific work tasks.
– After all, this is the industry where true heavy metal is made, every day of the week, Jani Perkiö says with a smile.
