Reikälevy Oy started its business operation in 1968 in Hyvinkää having a rented wooden barrack of 200 m² as their premises. The company of the founders, brothers Matti and Mikko Mäki-Haapoja, moved to Ylihärmä in 1972, where the first own premises of 860 m² were constructed. The name of the company, Reikälevy, ‘Perforated Plate’, speaks for its branch of activity of the time.

Domestic textiles

The same time the business operation of Haapoja brothers begun, Matti’s wife Anna-Liisa started producing domestic textiles. The operation started at their home, in the kitchen of a one-bedroom apartment, to which they had purchased their first sewing machine, “Eeva”, by instalment. She produced custom-made puff curtains. When the family and the perforated plate business of brothers Haapoja moved to Ylihärmä, Anna-Liisa’s business operation grew into that extent that it needed to have its own premises in the same yard with the machine workshop. The business operation increased, and in its best time the textile production employed over 20 sewers. By the trademark Liisa & Matti, the products were sold in all franchising groups in Finland. The export to Sweden had also a significant role. Affected by the pressures of cheap production, the business operation was closed down in 2003.

Contract Manufacturing

The first customer was Paraisten Kalkkivuori Oy (Partek) in Lohja. The subcontracting project consisted of perforating asbestos-cement slates with a 63-ton Russian press. After the actual working hours, the company built as evening work their very first metal and aluminium perforating machine for the needs air conditioning business. All in all, four own perforating machines were manufactured. The machines were later replaced with an automatic punching line of a Belgian manufacturer Soenen, which had ten times the capacity compared to the previous four machines. The first sheet metal centre was built in the beginning of the 1980s and the first actual contract manufacturing customer was Oy Strömberg Ab Vaasa. The contracts were updated when Strömberg became part of Kymi Oy, later part of ASEA, and today it belongs to ABB. Even though the name of the contact person kept changing, we kept manufacturing the same parts of thin plates for frequency converters. From those days the company’s contract manufacturing has grown into the extent that it is today. Today we have several customers operating in the international market.

SAMI Agricultural Machines

In the end of the 1960s, perforated cardboard plates for cold-air dryers of grain were imported to Finland from Sweden. Reikälevy Oy took advantage of the moment, and started to offer perforated metal plates to the market in 1969. Propfans used in cold-air dryers were imported to Finland from Sweden and Denmark. Reikälevy started to manufacture them in 1974. This was only the beginning; after the production of propfans, Reikälevy started to produce prefabricated cold-air dryers, screw conveyors, silos, etc. SAMI as a trademark has taken its place among Finnish farmers with its high-quality products. Sami products are marketed via Agrimarket chain. From the days the business operation started, agricultural machinery has been one of Reikälevy’s strongest profit centres.

Growing company

The company has kept its name, even though perforated steel plates are only a small part of the company’s business operation. The company has modern premises and production equipment, and a state-of-the-art operating system. To these main principles the company relies, when it strives for healthy growth also in the future.

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