Ismo – 35 years of development
More than three decades working in the same company. This might sound strange nowadays since people are used to constant change of the working life. What keeps a person in the same company for that long and how does their motivation stay high? We discussed this with Ismo, who works as a quality manager at Alsiva.
Ismo started his professional career in 1987. His career started from where the products come to life, the foundry. Ismo tells us how significantly the work has changed in the foundry over the decades. Even though the principle of the work is still the same, the metal is still hot, the work itself has changed into much less laborious and more data-based because of automation. Ismo has worked in numerous roles in the foundry, from a foundry worker to supervisor, production manager, quality and development manager of the whole Group and settling close to where he started, focusing on quality management and producing added value for die-casted solutions. His vast practical experience supports him in his current role as a quality manager.
We had a long conversation about what kept Ismo with us for this long. He tells us that his own stability-seeking personality had its part to play in the decision of staying in one company, but also sees that he has gotten so much trust and support from the organization that has kept him committed. During 35 years you get to see one thing and maybe another, both amazing moments as well as challenging times. As Ismo says, challenges have always been defeated, together. There is a great atmosphere of working towards the same goal in the community and Ismo praises good personal chemistry between his colleagues. That brings strength to each and every day at work. He also mentions trust on both sides as a motivating factor. Financially challenging times have not made him worry about getting by. The company always paid everyone on time.
The job description of a quality manager has also kept Ismo motivated through its diversity. Especially in foundry work, self-determination and taking your own initiative is important, since the official education possibilities are quite scarce in Finland. Ismo praises the atmosphere regarding extra training at Alsiva. For us, extra training and education are paramount to both the quality of our expertise as well as for engaging our employees.
Offering added value to the customer is at the heart of our operations. We asked Ismo how he sees the meaning of added value through the eyes of a quality professional. He states that anticipation is important, then comes after sales services and marketing. Excellent project management, that happens to be our specialty, is crucial according to Ismo. Our long customer relationships speak for themselves and Ismo tells us that warm relationships with his contacts bring joy and feelings of success to every single one of his days.