Industry Spotlight: Rekola
Rekola Oy Trolley Systems is a Finnish family-owned company with a focus on cleaning and waste management trolley solutions. It soon becomes evident that for Rekola, it’s about making a difference – not just in one way, but in several.
Petri Rekola is the CEO and the second generation running the family business. A generational shift is imminent, and Petri’s daughter, Oona, representing the third generation, oversees the day-to-day operations. We managed to catch up with Petri, who is often on the go.
Focus on teamwork
For Petri, it has been clear that the company can’t do all the work internally. Success is built on teamwork, both internally and externally. “I have always worked closely with our end-users. If I have an idea, it’s about testing and developing the idea together with the person who will eventually use the product in their work.”
All-man show
And Rekola reasons that the same goes when it comes to sustainability and environmental issues. “Of course, we do what everyone else does. We review our own energy consumption, our raw materials, recycled materials, and so on. Don’t get me wrong; it’s great that companies have become aware of environmental work. But the key to successful sustainability work lies in changing not only your own behaviour, but everyone’s.” Petri illustrates this with an example. “Let’s say we manufacture a floor mop. We make it from recycled plastic, we replace the mop head with recycled material – you know, we do everything to ensure the product is produced from recycled material as far as possible. That’s fantastic in itself, but it doesn’t change the users’ water consumption. They still use the same amount of water when cleaning.
Rekola’s mission is to assist users in reducing their environmental footprint. We design and produce products that support our customers’ processes, aiming to lower their CO2 emissions in their current operations. Our approach involves developing products so that both we and our customers can benefit from reduced environmental impact in the day-to-day activities.”
Petri Rekola
David versus Goliath
We asked Petri if he has a memory he’d like to share. He did. “A global cleaning company contacted us and wanted help developing a cleaning trolley for the Swedish hospital environment. I knew they had a large global supplier, so I asked why they didn’t ask them. The answer was that they wanted the product in three months – not three years. There are advantages to being an innovative, small company. We are flexible and quick.”
Robots will take over
When asked about what will happen in the cleaning market in 10 years, Petri believes that we will see more robots, and manual work will be reduced, although it will still exist. He also thinks that cleaners will become more specialised in using robots and there will be new demands on cleaning processes. “Perhaps the demand for skills can increase cleaners’ pride in their work. That would make me happy.”