Latest news

Kimmo Kurkinen’s entire career has been spent at the Korpilahti factory. Products for the Rapala Group have formed the core of the operations.

According to the old saying, every day is different for a factory manager. However, a diverse role combined with company growth and development keeps Kimmo Kurkinen inspired, even after 25 years. Providing the best solutions for the customer is the primary goal for Muottituote, the Korpilahti factory, and the factory manager.

Factory Manager Kimmo Kurkinen’s career in the plastics industry began on January 1, 2001, right after graduating with a degree in plastics engineering and completing his military service. Starting as a quality engineer, his tasks included establishing a quality management system for the Korpilahti plant, which at the time was fully owned by Rapala and operated under the name KL-Teho.

By 2002, his title had already changed to production manager, a role focused more on practical production development. Over time, his responsibilities expanded to include customer relations, customer product projects, and machinery maintenance and development.

“The work has remained interesting because the role has constantly evolved. Today, my daily routine involves a lot of supervision, systems development, and reporting. However, at Muottituote, many of the administrative tasks are well organized, which leaves the factory manager with enough time to actually visit the factory floor.”

”We all got a brand-new workplace at Korpilahti when Muottituote stepped in.”

In 2019, Rapala also transferred its die-casting operations to Korpilahti. Muottituote then acquired the Korpilahti factory and its production from Rapala at the beginning of 2024. Over 90 percent of the production still consists of Rapala Group products. Kimmo remains closely involved in new product projects as well.

“In these projects, finding the best solutions is critical to ensuring that the customer gets the right, high-quality product as efficiently as possible right from the start,” Kimmo states.

The Korpilahti factory is the only Muottituote facility that also performs zinc die-casting. A large portion of the die-casting production is also dedicated to Rapala products.

Good Conditions Reflect on the Bottom Line

Kimmo Kurkinen, along with the other employees at Korpilahti factory, has been part of the Muottituote team for only a couple of years. According to Kimmo, it has been a pleasant and exciting new phase.

”Learning the daily operations and practices of a family-owned business has been a welcome change, and things have progressed in a great direction. There has been a real investment in improving working conditions and methods. In fact, I’ve often said that we all got a brand-new workplace when Muottituote stepped in.”

”At Muottituote, everything looks promising for growth.”

Kimmo oversees a team of over 20 employees at the Korpilahti factory. Many have long careers here, and employee turnover is quite low.

“The development and growth of the working environment are highly visible to the employees, making it a welcoming workplace to come to. We certainly demand a lot from our staff, but on the other hand, our development efforts give them the opportunity to work efficiently.”

Collaboration and dialogue with all the experts at the plant are a vital part of Kimmo Kurkinen’s work. Finisher Tiina Jormakka has enjoyed working at the Korpilahti plant for a decade already.

Growth Inspires and Motivates for the Future

Over the past quarter of a century, there have been moments of looking elsewhere, but Kimmo Kurkinen has chosen to stay within the plastics industry and at Korpilahti. The factory’s transition to Muottituote’s ownership sealed his continuation in these familiar surroundings.

“My job description has continuously evolved at just the right pace, and visible growth inspires me to keep going here. I guess you have to be a little crazy to still love working with plastics this much,” Kimmo laughs.

His future visions remain firmly anchored in Korpilahti.

“I want to continue developing the factory, increase production volumes, and find new, exciting customers. At Muottituote, everything looks promising for growth. All three factories are developing based on their individual strengths, and investments are maintaining our competitiveness.”

”The work has remained interesting because the role has constantly evolved.”

Kimmo sees Muottituote specifically as a partner and solution provider for its customers. The entire chain, from product design to the manufacturing of the finished plastic product, is a core strength that customers gladly choose.

“Our partnership of over 40 years with Rapala is in a class of its own, but many other customers have also stayed with us for a long time or have chosen to return after a break. That shows our solutions have been excellent and our partnerships are strong.”

A plant manager’s daily life involves a lot of meetings and desk work, but Kimmo Kurkinen gladly heads out to the factory floor whenever possible.