“Believe in yourself and you will go far” – Aino develops Valmet Automotive’s factory

Aino Tuomaranta works as a factory development engineer at Valmet Automotive’s factory in Salo. She graduated early as a production economics engineer in spring 2020.

Text: Siiri Welling
Photo: Aino Tuomaranta

When Aino Tuomaranta thought about her future field after high school, she didn’t have a ready answer. Tuomaranta studied law at an open university for a year and applied to Estonia to study medicine before finding a degree in industrial engineering at the Turku University of Applied Sciences.

“I’ve always been consistently good at everything. I wanted to do many things at once, not grow up to be just one kind of specialist. That’s why I decided to apply to Turku University of Applied Sciences,” says Tuomaranta, explaining his choice.

The academic year started in autumn 2017, with a busy start: dinners, parties and, of course, orientation – not forgetting school. The class was a good one and it became a tight-knit group that stays together even after the end of the studies.

“Even though there were many parties, school was well managed. In the classroom, there was a feeling that you had to show up for class the next day, even if it had been a hectic day the night before,” says Tuomaranta.

Tuomaranta finds the elective period particularly interesting, when he studied leaning, technology, logistics, product development and international trade. Tuomaranta particularly appreciates the fact that he was able to change the focus of his studies at a later stage and that he was able to influence the curriculum himself.

Normally, it takes four years to complete a degree in industrial engineering, but Tuomaranta decided to do it in three years.

“Last autumn was quite chaotic. I did over 50 credits, only because I was determined to graduate the following spring. And if I decide anything, I always go for 100 in a glass. But at the point when I was giving an oral presentation in English and tapping away on my laptop while walking towards a class on Lemminkäisenkatu, I thought, ‘This doesn’t make sense’,” Tuomaranta laughs.

It was worth it. In the spring, she worked on her thesis and finished it a year early, as planned – even though she was working part-time and still doing hobbies at the same time.

From family business to large enterprise

After graduation, Tuomaranta got a job in his family’s business. In 1979, Tuomaranta’s grandparents founded Aimo Virtanen Oy, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of metal parts and subassemblies. Tuomaranta himself has been working for his parents’ company since he was a child and has done summer jobs, but his first responsible role was as a production designer.

“I had worked on the production side before, when my parents needed help. But now the job was different, because I was suddenly the person who had a responsible role, not just a mechanical one. It was also surprising how hard it was to turn between tasks. My professional skills grew tremendously during the couple of years I worked there.

In March 2022, Tuomaranta came across an attractive job advertisement at Valmet Automotive. The company, known for its batteries and cars, was looking for a business coordinator for its battery factory in Salo. Today, he works as a development engineer at Valmet Automotivi’s Salo plant.

“I am a development engineer at the management team level at the Salo plant, with other departments having their own development engineers, of course. It’s a lot of work, because many things in the battery world and in the company are new and I get to develop them in my job. Battery production has been growing at a very fast pace. I feel that in my current role I am at a vantage point and I can really develop things,” says Tuomaranta.

In particular, Tuomaranta wants to develop the factory’s processes in an efficient and effective direction. He hopes that the Salo factory will become an example of how to get things done efficiently at the same time, but without unnecessary haste. He is personally interested in recycling issues in the development of the battery sector.

“Globally, of course, battery recycling is making progress, and Valmet Automotive is also working with Fortum on recycling. Although we are ahead of the curve in Finland, the whole world of battery recycling is in its infancy. It will be interesting to see how, for example, the design of batteries changes to make them easier to recycle. I feel that batteries can do a huge amount of good, they are the thing of today and the future,” says Tuomaranta.

Scheduling expert

The job of a judge requires the ability to cope with pressure and stress. However, Tuomaranta says stress is not a problem and never has been: if you can plan and schedule your time properly, you can get things done without unnecessary stress. Secondly, he is kind to himself. If she doesn’t have time for something, she doesn’t worry about it either.

“I can be nervous, of course, but I don’t feel stressed. I can prioritise things, and my world doesn’t fall apart if something gets left undone or delayed. Of course, it can feel unpleasant, but prioritising is a must in my professional and personal life. People also understand if you tell them your calendar is full for a while.

Tuomaranta enjoys his job. He has been given a responsible role where he can express his own opinions. She describes Valmet Automotive as a flexible company where all employees are treated equally, regardless of age or gender. This is important for a 25-year-old woman.

Tuomaranta warmly recommends the Turku University of Applied Sciences’ Production Engineering programme to a wide range of people. There is a lot of choice and the courses were well designed. Contrary to what one might expect, you don’t need to be a maths genius to get a degree in production economics, as graduates can work in a wide range of industries.

“But I want to stress that you don’t have to be an A student to make it in life. If you believe that you are good and worthy of success, you can still go far,” concludes Tuomaranta.

The article was published on 10.1.2023 on the previous turkuamk.fi website.