Harnessing the future SKS Connecto

HARNESSING THE FUTURE

SKS Connecto is a leading European manufacturer of wire sets and cable harnesses. Philip Yorke talked to Ilpo Makela, the company’s communications director, about its dedicated, high-tech products and expanding range of value-added services.

SKS was founded in Finland in 1924 and is a privately owned company that forms a significant part of the Finnish SKS Group. The SKS Group is a multi-faceted conglomerate involved in the machine building industry and offers a broad portfolio of products and services. These range from the manufacture and sale of components and semi-finished products to machine assemblies and complete, ready-to-install machines. SKS Connecto focuses on providing customer-specific cable harnesses and wire sets, as well as assemblies and contract manufacturing services. The company also offers design consultancy and prototype manufacturing in addition to logistics and material-flow management services.

The SKS Group is a modern family enterprise with offices in Finland, Russia, the Baltic countries and China. The group has over 700 employees and in 2010 achieved sales of more than €110 million.

Product lifecycle management

As part of the SKS Group, SKS Connecto offers much more than quality, tailor-made wire sets and harnesses. Industrial machine builders can benefit from a partnership with a modern customer-orientated company that provides many competitive advantages.

SKS supplies automation, electrical and machine-building components, drives, control systems and contract manufacturing, as well as complete machine vision products and services. SKS can therefore manage the entire lifecycle of industrial machinery and equipment.

SKS Connecto manufactures complex, custom-designed wire sets and cable harnesses to meet its customers’ specific requirements, as well as offering machine assemblies and contract manufacturing. The company’s expert designers are quick to understand a customer’s individual needs and to provide the most cost-effective response to any challenge. High quality components and a wide range of specialist competences guarantee the optimum outcomes for its customers.

Mr Makela said, “We are the subcontractor of choice for many leading machine builders operating both in Finland and beyond. We have recently established a major manufacturing plant in Poland called SKS Connecto Polska and this will serve our Finnish customers as well as our growing number of customers in Poland and the Baltics. We are also producing customer-specific harnesses for customers coming from Romania and Estonia.

“Our products are used in a multitude of industries, from tree-felling machinery and harbour cranes to concrete laying equipment and electrical installations. We specialise in designing and producing highly individual and difficult wire and harness solutions for our diverse range of customers. We work in close partnership with our customers and our designers can offer a unique combination of in-depth experience and practical solutions. We also have a wide

range of harnesses in stock as an additional service, and our customised harnesses can be made to accommodate very high and very low production runs.”

Expanding value-added services

SKS Connecto is one of the largest divisions in the SKS Group and one of the fastest growing. All SKS companies support each other and form part of an integrated design and manufacturing service team. This means that SKS can offer the whole manufacturing and service package from components and harnesses to complete, ready-to-operate machines. In addition to the manufacture of cable harnesses and wire sets, SKS Connecto distributes busbars and busducts as well as assemblies and a full range of design services.

Many European manufacturers have established production facilities in Poland, in part because of the country’s proximity to Germany. In order to provide a full range of services, SKS Connecto has also expanded its range of value-added services, which include customer training programmes and data processing systems. In addition the company offers full design and prototype services as well as testing and logistics programmes.

Mr Makela added, “We are well aware that we have plenty of competitors in Finland and also in Poland and the Baltic states. However, they cannot offer the individual services that we can offer and generally they are looking for clients that require larger production series, which means runs of 1000 pieces or more. Many of our customers order as few as15 pieces at any one time, so we have to move very quickly to make these short runs profitable and to meet our customers’ strict deadlines. As a familyowned, independent business we are able to do this as we are very flexible and able to adapt our production runs to accommodate any new manufacturing challenges. We also benefit from having a very special network of suppliers and sub-contractors and you cannot find this kind of comprehensive network anywhere else in Europe. When we receive an order we can respond very quickly and can supply the individual products or tailormade components within a matter of days.”

Ensuring a competitive advantage

The SKS Group’s goal is to improve the competitiveness and productivity of its customers’ manufacturing operations. The company therefore continuously develops its own competencies in order to be able to meet its customers’ changing needs. SKS listens to its customers and develops the optimum, cost-effective solutions, utilising all the knowledge and competencies available within the group for the customer’s benefit. SKS customers can gain the competitive advantage by outsourcing a development project, an assembly or any other related service to the SKS Group, thereby ensuring a better price/quality ratio.

SKS promises industrial machine builders and equipment manufacturers a futureorientated, no-risk partnership designed to provide competitive and cost-effective advantages at all stages of production. n