TT Gaskets maintains high customer satisfaction with enhanced feedback cycle for swift response

February 1, 2023

Customer feedback has always been extremely valuable for our company. We are now transitioning from our previous longer feedback cycle towards continuous feedback collection. Our aim is to react to changes more quickly and streamline our service according to your feedback. TT Gaskets’ customer satisfaction scores have consistently been good in the past, but we hope that quicker response times can increase satisfaction to an even higher level.

The first customer survey according to our new model was conducted in the autumn of 2022. We received an outstanding number of answers from all the countries we are currently operating in.

Our customers were especially satisfied with the following aspects of our service (out of a maximum score of 5):

• Professionalism of our staff: 4,5
• Product quality: 4,4
• Trustworthiness as a partner: 4,4
• Environmental responsibility: 4,3

The overall grade for all areas in the survey was 4,17 and our NPS score was 47. We are extremely proud of these great results! All feedback is important and valuable. We are grateful that our customers take time to answer the surveys – this way we can continue to meet their expectations and market demand.

In addition to good grades, we are also grateful for the open feedback we received in the survey. The bulk of the feedback was good and encouraging but naturally we also discovered some areas of development from the comments. Some of the feedback was related to delivery times, an area that also received the lowest grade (3,7). Much to our regret, we have lately faced difficulties in meeting some delivery time expectations due to limited raw material availability, while information regarding availability has also been lacking. We are improving our future communications within the information we receive from our suppliers!

All in all, we are very pleased with the survey’s results and the continuing trust our customers place in us. We hope that our service continues to meet your expectations also in future surveys!

TT Gaskets invests in the German-speaking market – David Lindgren joins our sales team

January 25, 2023

We are happy to introduce David Lindgren, the latest addition to the TT Gaskets family! As Key Account Manager, David will be taking our products and services to the German-speaking market in Central Europe.

After living in Switzerland for the last five years, David is now located in Munich. He has a long and illustrated history of working in procurement within different industries such as commercial vehicles, the automotive industry, and reciprocating compressors. David’s great experience of TT Gaskets as a customer got him into talks with CEO Aleksi Arpiainen when it came time to look for a new professional challenge.

“TT Gaskets is a pioneer in the global gasket business. I’ve been really impressed with the out-of-the-box thinking and advanced solutions that the great TTG team is producing at our world-class facilities. What sets us apart from a lot of competitors is our ability to provide R&D services, tailored solutions, and sealing as a service. TT Gaskets’ sustainability and circular economy practices are also on a level of their own,” David highlights.

As well as working with our current customers, David will also be in charge of establishing new partnerships in German-speaking countries.

Motivated team with a shared mission

David started on January 1^st and has spent most of the month in Tampere getting to know his colleagues plus the ins and outs of the sealing industry. He sees a lot of market potential for TT Gaskets’ solutions and Finnish quality in Germany and its neighboring countries.

“The TT Gaskets team really feels like a family. We have a lot of highly motivated young experts who share a mission of making sure that our customers receive the best possible service. I’m having a great time learning about the wealth of gasket materials and manufacturing methods we have,” David says.

David has been a regular visitor in our country since 2006 and has a strong personal connection with Finland.

“I have a passion for the Alps in Central Europe, and I equally love Finnish nature and all its sports possibilities like skiing and mountain biking. I’m always taking Finnish delicacies and other stuff home for my German friends and relatives. You could well say that this is my second home!”

Don’t hesitate to contact David with any of your gasket and sealing needs in Central Europe!

David Lindgren
tel. +49 162 541 8370
david.lindgren@tt-gaskets.de

3D printing enables agile production and helps bring creative ideas into reality

October 3, 2022

TT Gaskets’ investment in an industrial 3D printer has brought agility into the product development of different productional accessories.

Getting accustomed to 3D printing started by practicing creating different shapes and measuring the dimensional accuracies of different plastic types.

As we got comfortable with the technology, the printer was soon used in real-world applications. In-house product development quickly resulted in new innovations such as jigs and interchangeable trays that hasten laser marking, brackets for expanding our conveyor line, marking plates and other productional accessories.

These kind of creative solutions and applications make our production more agile thus benefiting both TT Gaskets and our customers. Many of the ideas for 3D printed objects have come from our production line. In some cases, an idea has been refined into a 3D printed product right away and implemented into our production the following day.

Great production benefits at a low cost

3D-printed objects have proven to be surprisingly fast to design and print – one object takes four to five hours on average to complete. Considering their low printing costs, the productional benefits are great – often these accessories hasten different operations significantly. Savings are indirectly generated at other departments as traditional methods and tools are not required to manufacture accessories and our production capacity can be fully allocated towards customer work.

We have also conducted internal experimentation on 3D printing different gasket components, and the results are promising. Time and further research will show if this technology can be utilized in our sealing products in the future. Meanwhile, we are also investigating the possibilities and benefits of 3D printing metals.

Daily management improves safety and brings out new ideas

September 28, 2022

The TT Gaskets daily management board is a tool for maintaining quality and delivery security. Work planner Jenny Virta writes about how daily management helps rationalize production.

The daily management board (or just the board) has been a part of the TT Gaskets production line for a couple of years now. What does it mean in practice?

After each shift or workday, the board is used to go through the day’s tasks and events. Safety is our top priority which is why it is always the first matter on the board. After security comes quality: if there are any quality issues to be noted, the corresponding department will assess the matter and see how it could be avoided in the future. I feel that this is a great way of maintaining continuous improvement over our quality. The previous week’s delivery security is also evaluated on the board.

Each day we also review the department’s cleanliness and possible anomalies. The board is color coded so that deviations are easily spotted and assessed if necessary.

One of the most important features of the board is the section for new ideas. It helps us enable better practices for our employees thus rationalizing our production line. Most of the new ideas come from our production employees. Suggested ideas and their statuses are reviewed each Monday.

The TT Gaskets’ solar power plant expansion is ready – The sun can now power our entire facility

September 22, 2022

The expansion of the TT Gaskets solar power plant is finished. Having begun in early summer, the project was finished in target schedule and the new panel field was inaugurated in August 2022.

After the expansion roughly one fourth of our yearly energy demand can be met with our own solar power. During the sunniest summer months up to 100 percent of our electricity comes from solar panels and no additional energy from the national network is required.

Solar panels now cover the roof and south-facing facade of the TT Gaskets main building almost entirely. Both the original panel field and the expansion were implemented by Solnet.

– There is now a total of over 1,200 panels or 2,500 square meters of panels installed. The new field has 775 panels. Our solar power plant has produced a total of 290 megawatt hours since the summer of 2021, which translates to about 110 metric tons of CO2 emission reductions, TT Gaskets Smart Engineer Jaakko Niukkala highlights.

Read more: We manufactured gaskets by solar power – first in the world

See what our solar power plant looks like from above:

Behind the Gaskets | Expert interview: Senior purchaser Matti Alasuvanto is at home in unexpected situations

September 6, 2022

Senior purchaser Matti Alasuvanto oversees TT Gaskets’ raw material acquisition. He is also an expert in making sure that our customers succeed in their material choices.

The TT Gaskets nomenclature includes over 3,500 different raw material options. The procurement and logistics of these materials is Matti Alasuvanto’s everyday business.

– My job is to make sure that our customers have the right raw materials available at the right time, right price and right place. The goal is to ensure service security and keep our clients happy, Matti lists.

­­Matti’s workdays include handling offer requests, orders and assessments as well as continuous metric analysis. He is a valued problem solver and specialist when sudden material sourcing or recommendation needs arise.

– This job often features sudden and unexpected situations which is why it’s useful to have plenty of previous experience to lean on. I love it when I can tackle a challenge that has previously remained unsolved, Matti says.

Problem solving and nerves of steel

Purchasing has been Matti’s bread and butter since 1998. He considers procurement an interesting field thanks to its versatility and continuous learning possibilities. His passion for purchasing may be at least partially inherited: Matti’s father worked in purchasing and logistics for half of his career.

– My original plan was to stay at TT Gaskets for five years or so. However, I’ve really enjoyed this job and have been able to develop my role that I’ve now been here close to 12 years, Matti says.

With no shortage of duties, Matti’s days can be quite hectic.

– I calculated that I received approximately one job or request every 160 seconds on average in 2021. Great organizing skills, creativity, quick problem-solving and nerves of steel come in handy in my line of work, Matti says.

Jogging around his hometown Pirkkala, playing basketball and his astronomy hobby bring a much-needed balance in Matti’s everyday life.

Continuous development and lifelong learning

In addition to his wide-ranging work, Matti has developed his expertise by completing degrees, qualifications, courses, and other studies in both Finnish and international universities. Matti is grateful that TT Gaskets has provided versatile options for personal development.

Staying up to date on the latest technologies and methods requires continuous learning, but at the same time Matti highlights the importance of his core competence.

– Software robotics, machine learning and IIot (Industrial Internet of Things) are examples of new technologies that can truly streamline purchasing. However, I’ve learned that before you can take advantage of digitalization and other new applications you must have a solid foundation – those tried-and-true principles and processes that I’ve practiced since the 1990s.

Matti gives nothing but praise for the TT Gaskets community.

– Our truly skilled production employees and teams work seamlessly across department boundaries. I’ve made several great friends while working at TT Gaskets.

Talent Traction pilot program improves TT Gaskets’ HR activities

September 1, 2022

TT Gaskets had the honor of participating in the recent Talent Traction pilot study program. Organized by TAMK and TE Office, the project’s aim was to study the root causes for barriers in hiring internationals in Finland and try to solve those challenges in participating companies.

The Talent Traction students learned about practicalities in working life, the Finnish language and service design. There was also a practical training period in companies, where the companies could learn more about their internationalization stage and receive development ideas from the students.

“This project has helped us to understand the importance of considering the cultural background, language and competencies of candidates and employees, so that they can integrate into our company and Finnish working life,” TT Gaskets’ Human Resources Specialist Sanni Kraneis says.

Student Annika Oravecz did her training at TT Gaskets and praises the practical approach of the education. The education offered her a chance to learn about Finnish work life, offered an opportunity for networking and gave concrete tools for finding a job in Finland.

At TT Gaskets, the program has led to concrete measures. A work-buddy mentoring program, more detailed introduction to work and to the company itself and various joint family activities are examples of how to welcome employees to work at TT Gaskets.

“Reviewing our international capabilities and receiving development ideas from the students has really helped us to develop further our operations”, TT Gaskets’ CEO Aleksi Arpiainen says.

• Learn more about the Talent Traction program at the TAMK website
• Interested in joining the TT Gaskets team? Read more about working with us

Life in Finland | Aurora Borealis and company insights

June 13, 2022

This is the third part of Antoine Blanquart’s blog about his tenure in Finland and TT Gaskets. Also be sure to read the first and second parts.

For the next two months I will be working in the purchasing department, learning more about how the company deals with its suppliers around the world.

I finally met Teemu Sillanpää, Matti Alasuvanto and Mirko Vuorinen. Teemu gave me my first assignments, which are quite interesting and insightful for me as it is the exact application of what I have learnt during my studies. I’m looking for new European suppliers, preferably from a French-speaking country, for specific products that are quite complicated to find.

First impression of Finland

My life at Tampere is very interesting, I discover many things every day, whether at TT Gaskets or outside. For example, a few days ago, after having worked all day at TTG, we went for a walk next to the Pyynikki tour, the time was perfect because we were able to see the sunset!

This weekend, the company lent us their car. Thanks to this, we went to Helsinki on Saturday with Lisa. The city is very impressive, the different infrastructure is very pretty!  

We returned to Tampere in the evening. Oh! I forgot, speaking of this evening, at 10.30pm, I received a notification that said “Aurora Borealis”, we ran to the car to try to catch a glimpse of one! We went to the public sauna of Rauhaniemi and were lucky enough to see one. It was amazing and very pretty!

TT Gaskets partners with Würth Svenska AB in Sweden

June 9, 2022

TT Gaskets and Würth Svenska AB have entered a partnership agreement. Effective immediately, Würth will become TT Gaskets’ official distributor and supplier of our stock gaskets and custom sealing solutions for industrial manufacturers and companies in Sweden.

“Würth’s slogan Happy customers together aligns with our mission to support and develop sealing solutions together with our customers. I believe that the partnership will enable both companies to provide even better service that caters to future industry needs,” TT Gaskets’ Sales Director Matti Salo says.

Founded in 1967, Würth Svenska AB is one of Sweden’s leading B2B suppliers of products, tools and machinery for the construction, automotive and engineering industries with 37 locations. We look forward to a fruitful partnership and new customerships!

Life in Finland | First days and hockey games

May 30, 2022

This is the second part of Antoine Blanquart’s blog about his tenure in Finland and TT Gaskets. Find the first part here.

On my first day Teemu Piipponen and Matti Järvinen organized a tour of the factory for me. I had the opportunity to see the company’s premises as well as the various warehouses. It was a surprise to see the great working environment with TVs and sport equipment for the employees. The welcome at TTG is just like this picture, incredible!

Settling in TTG

On my second day, I was able to catch up with Aleksi Arpiainen, CEO of the company. We discussed together the different projects we could undertake together. He also elaborated on how he wants to run TT Gaskets and his vision for the company. Ethics, CSR, and employees’ well-being are major priorities for him.

When back to my office after this meeting, I was surprised to find a rose on my desk for my girlfriend Lisa, to celebrate the Women’s Rights Day, on March 8^th. 

First Hockey Game

The following day I was invited by a few colleagues to see a hockey game. It wasn’t a random game as it was Ilves, one of the two Tampere teams, who was playing to keep their first place in the general ranking, knowing that the team behind them in the ranking is the second Tampere team, Tappara.

We went to the Nokia Arena, a brand-new stadium that opened last December. Great first impression for me discovering this very impressive sport that I didn’t really know much about!

At the end Ilves won 5–4 which we celebrated in a pub right next to the stadium where we could watch the Champions League match where the French team PSG got eliminated by real Madrid. Nevertheless, I was grateful as it was my birthday, and I got to spend a great evening with my colleagues to celebrate it!