Of all responsibilities at ATA Gears, Logistics Coordinator Mika Korpilähde’s job is the one that the turmoil of the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine affect most, with additional challenges and stress. Mika’s job is in ATA Gears’ final logistics, with duties such as invoicing and dispatching the finished bevel and cylindrical gears to customers around the world.
Mika’s work requires creativity, problem solving skills and the ability to prioritize, because it is never just one or two issues on his desk but 6 or 8 at the same time. The ability to tolerate uncertainty is another requirement, because even the best plans do not guarantee that you can follow them that same day. ”One e-mail waiting for you in the morning can change it all,” says Mika. ”It may state that a delivery which was sent in good time is lost in Antwerp, and then that’s what I have to tackle.”
Bevel and cylindrical gears can be very big and heavy. Mika remembers one delivery where the total weight of the load was 30 000kg. It was divided into four consignments and needed an oversized trailer and a special extra bigforklift to get it on the trailer plus quite a few special dispatch arrangements. And it is Mika’s job to anticipate what may lie ahead and take all that into account when preparing the dispatch. One delivery may involve several connections and each one of these constitutes a risk for the delivery. All customs documents also need to be in perfect order, and various countries have different practices, which Mika needs to master.
”I guess it’s fair to say this is not quite an ordinary job. If 2 or 3 days have gone peacefully, one actually begins to expect a catastrophe,” Mika describes the nature of his work. ”And always there’s at least a minor mishap, just because when goods are delivered to the other side of the world, there are numerous steps and people in the chain. There’s no way to be in contact or influence them all. Anything can happen. My job is to anticipate the unexpected and try to make sure that the customer gets his gears in faultless condition.”
Some of ATA Gears’ customers choose to arrange the delivery of the gears they have ordered themselves, but even then, Mika helps to find them the best options and requests transportation quotations. Mika is definitely proud of his job and has earned ATA Gears customers’ trust.