Mecaplan Oy from Nivala Finland offers product development and expert design services to various industries. There has been demand for their expertise for almost 20 years.
In the spring of 2020, many companies switched to telecommuting and remote work, and customer visits changed over to online meetings. At Mecaplan Oy in Nivala, this was already familiar, as the company has been providing design services from “the plains” to customers located around Finland for almost 20 years.
According to CEO Henri Kneckt, the situation opens up opportunities for many companies to renew their working methods.
“I hope that the benefits of remote work will also be noticed by those who have not used it before. Many jobs can be done regardless of location, and remote work also brings more power to certain tasks. However, especially for first contacts, meeting people and having a face-to-face discussion is important and cannot be completely replaced with online meetings.”
Founded in 2001, Mecaplan Oy is an engineering design agency that offers product development and technical design to customers in various industries. The company helps its customers accelerate product development projects and the transition to serial production, as well as improve the manufacturability of products.
Mecaplan’s customer companies mainly manufacture machines and equipment used in industrial processes. Last year, however, the company received an exceptional assignment when the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat donated a climate pen to President Sauli Niinistö, Finnish MPs and G20 leaders. The ink of the pen was made of carbon dioxide, and Mecaplan carried out the technical design of the pen.
Long-term expertise
Mecaplan originated at the beginning of the millennium, when product development projects for telecommunication network products required production and manufacturing technology expertise. In 2002, Kneckt joined the company as CEO. In the early years, the company’s customers came mainly from the telecommunications sector, but the customer base soon expanded to include electrical and energy technology and machine and equipment design. Since then, companies in the cleantech sector and health technology have joined the ranks, and in the recent years also companies from the marine industry. Kneckt has been the owner and entrepreneur of the company since 2018, when he bought his shares from Sweco Industry Oy and Mecanova Oy. “I had been in the company for a long time, and I knew the customers, the employees and the business. When the opportunity opened up, it was an easy decision to continue on as an entrepreneur,” Kneckt says.
In recent years, Mecaplan has continued to grow into new areas and expanded its operations to Vantaa and a year ago to Turku. In order for the company to succeed in competition, the strategy, according to Kneckt, is to seek long-term partnerships.
“Our strengths are flexibility and expertise to meet the customer’s needs. We’ve been around for a long time, so it also brings confidence and continuity.”
Mecaplan Oy currently employs around 40 people. Its offices are located in Nivala, Vantaa and Turku, and some individuals also work in Tampere and Oulu.
Kneckt notes that the majority of projects today can be managed regardless of location, although there are certainly customer-specific differences.
Great networks in Nivala
– In Nivala we also carries out projects that involve prototype production. The advantage here is that there is a good subcontracting network and a wide range of companies in various mechanical manufacturing technologies in the area.
Over the years, Mecaplan has used NIHAK’s services in sales and marketing, business development, training and networking, among other things.
– Cooperation with NIHAK has been effortless and smooth, and the services have helped to develop the business and expertise, Kneck states.
