Metos' production remains based in two sites in Finland: Kerava (pictured. left) and Sorsakoski


have much capital, but they had ideas and perseverance.” Stainless steel was the


CHANGE A


hundred years is a long time in business: Milestones of this signifi cance


aren’t reached simply by chance. Looking back at Metos’ long history validates the maxim that the most successful, sustainable businesses are those that have the agility and the foresight to move with the times. T e company that would


become Metos formed in 1922, not long after Finland gained independence from Russia, and in subsequent decades it would contend with war, recession, and many other challenges. It would develop from a family business started by Aare Leikola into a listed company and later part of the Ali Group. “T e company’s legal name


may have changed over the years,” says marketing director Juha Björklund, “but the brand,


Metos, has established itself as the number-one expert in the professional kitchen industry and one of the largest European companies in the fi eld.” Production remains based


at two sites in Finland: Kerava, which manufactures equipment and appliances – primarily food kettles, pressure cookers, cold counters, refrigerated drawers and kitchen trolleys – and Sorsakoski, which makes stainless steel kitchen furniture. “Our main product group is


Metos Proveno combi kettles and their accessories, which can be used to integrate the kettles into larger-scale food production,” says Björklund. “In this sector, we are one of the pioneers on a global scale, pointing the way for the development of a modern professional kitchen.” T at pioneering spirit was


evident from the beginning, says Björklund, who compares Metos’ origins to the start-ups of today. “In 1922, the founders did not


METOS IS THE NUMBER-ONE EXPERT IN THE PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN INDUSTRY AND ONE OF THE LARGEST EUROPEAN COMPANIES Juha Björklund


revolutionary new material of the time, and Metos was one of the fi rst to learn how to work with it. Starting with miscellaneous jobs such as producing metal buttons for soldiers’ uniforms, by the mid-1920s Metos was making kitchen furniture and appliances, although “professional kitchens were quite modestly equipped” in those days, says Björklund, with many still relying on wood- burning stoves. Gradually, though, Metos


grew into Finland’s largest stainless steel processor. Its status would appear to be confi rmed when it was commissioned to supply equipment to the 1940 Olympic Games in Helsinki – but then war was declared, and Metos pivoted to supply the army instead with (among other things) generators, fi replaces, mine shells, parts for gas masks and skis. (T e postponed games were fi nally held in 1952, with Metos as kitchen equipment supplier.)


Postwar expansion


T e decades following the war were a time of optimism and reconstruction. It was during this period that Metos made some key innovations that continue to defi ne its culture today. One was a focus on training.


In the 1950s Metos launched maintenance training, set up a vocational school to plug gaps in expertise, and helped produce teaching materials for schools. T en, in the early 1960s, Metos


created a new maintenance service unit to accommodate a major change in the company’s business model. “Instead of selling individual ▸


Aliworld 89


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100