Peltolan Pussi Ltd through the six decades

1950

The Helsinki Olympic year 1952 was an important year to the Peltola family, too. Mr Oiva Peltola founds the company Peltolan Pussi and makes his first paper bag machine by himself. Paper bag production starts in the basement of the house of the Peltolas. The first factory-made paper bag machine is delivered in 1956 by the French Holweg S.A. Oiva Peltola and his wife Eeva take care of all the company operations. Mr Peltola travels around Finland meeting clients and getting orders, manufactures the bags and is responsible for the dispatches. Ms Peltola not only cares for the big family but does the company paper work and in the evenings glues paper bag joints. The three daughters of the family also participate in the paper bag making to their best abilities.

Paper bags are used in Finland as a basic everyday package for groceries, bakery products, vegetables, fruit, medicines, cosmetics, books and hardware. Printing gives paper bags extra value and Peltolan Pussi is among the first in Finland to start printing 1-3-colours. The first industrial building of the company is opened in the Nekala area in Tampere, and Pirkko one of the three Peltola daughters, starts her long career with the company.

1960-1970

The Nekala premises are getting too small for the expanding business, and Oiva Peltola has a new factory building built in the Sarankulma industrial area. It is also time to employ more people and to modernize the machinery. Peltolan Pussi is a desired place to work since the importance of motivated and skilled staff is fully understood there.

1980

Plastic bags are getting more and more popular. Oiva Peltola sees the many possibilities of plastic as a packing material, and aquires his first, English-made plastic bag machine at the Helsinki Packaging Fair. The use of paper bags is rapidly decreasing. New ideas and ways to survive have to be found, and finally the Peltolas decide to invest heavily on plastic bag production. At one point there are as many as seven plastic bag machines at Peltolan Pussi. The quality of printing is developed still further by the acquisition of the Italian and Spanish 6-colour flexo-printing machines.

In 1985, Liisa, one of Peltola’s daughters is chosen the Managing director of the company. She has a vision of comprehensive quality that can be achieved only by well-trained personnel, high-quality products and customer service, and efficient machinery.

1990

The quality management system is started to work on, and the factory building is extended once more. Peltolan Pussi Ltd is the first industrial SME to receive an ISO 9001 Quality Management Certificate. Due to the uncertainty of the plastic bag markets, a new strategy for the future is born: plastic bag production is finished and the company gets back to its roots, to its core competence: producing paper bags. Investments in the product development open international markets, and the new machines and the equipment enable superb printing quality and paper bags with windows.

Paper bag renaissance is widely presented at fairs and exhibitions throughout Europe, eg in Paris, Dusseldorf, Stockholm and Munich. Mr Kari Hurme, the Production Manager of the company, has an unprejudiced and innovative way to use paper bags in his art, which arouses admiration and opens new markets both in Finland and abroad.

Liisa Peltola’s son, Ville Järvenpää, starts working in the company and brings in, as a representative of his entrepreneurial family’s third generation, new enthusiasm and fresh points of views.

2000

In February 2000, Peltolan Pussi awarded with ISO 14001 Environment Management Certificate, and the company is continuously ardent in improving its quality procedures and enhancing environmental consciousness. Everyone in the company also contributes to creating the third version of the quality management system. It requires constant staff training and inner growth both on individual and at the community level. In addition the traditional staff training on professional and quality matters, there has also been a large number of specialist representing other fields of expertise; literature, philosophy, family therapy, theater, mountain climbing…In year 2003 the company received the prestigious National Innovation award. In the same year the company was awarded for its achievements by the Regional Federation of Finnish Enterprises