According to many power transmission professionals working in demanding industrial and maritime applications, the world’s finest bevel gears are manufactured at ATA Gears’ factory in Tampere, Finland. This excellence comes in part from ATA’s meticulous sourcing of the world’s finest raw materials and their suppliers.
The sum of many parts
Mr. Sami Uusmies works at ATA Gears’ Purchasing Department. His main duty is the sourcing of raw materials and working tools. Sami explains how ATA achieves quality: “It’s not only price that matters; it’s the best solution overall – the best quality from all perspectives. Sami explains more: “In addition to the initial price, the total price of raw materials is affected by their machinability, in other words, how long it takes to machine them, and that needs to be evaluated during the sourcing process. The total price is also important information for the sales department so that they can price ATA Gears products correctly. This takes very close cooperation between Sami and the sales personnel.
Returning home
Sami has been involved in this process at ATA Gears for a year now. He used to work for ATA as a machinist and after broadening his experience elsewhere returned to a familiar firm but a new job. “It was an easy decision to return, when the boss called to ask if I would like to come back,” says Sami. “Everyone likes to be appreciated, and a new position as purchasing engineer at ATA made it a personally meaningful career move.” Sami’s job entails knowing materials technology through and through, which makes his background as a machinist a great advantage.
Truly international
What is best about the purchasing job? ”It is the variety the job offers and what it demands and its truly international nature that I like most,” Sami says. ”Raw materials are sourced worldwide – primarily Germany – so if you enjoy speaking foreign languages to do business, this is definitely a great job. In day-to-day communication, people appreciate your taking an interest in them and their culture so you need to be sociable. That goes both ways, with the customer and with the supplier: Ultimately everybody is empathetic.”
Sami’s motto is: Make sure that the customer gets precisely what he has ordered, a high-quality bevel gear manufactured according to exact material specifications. Because quality and price are both holistic issues, all the raw materials ATA Gears uses are tested continuously.And where does Sami get his biggest kicks? “The biggest thrill comes from knowing I got the right raw materials and at a good price. And the customer gets a solution to an acute problem.”