When you’re responsible for a leading gear manufacturer’s production and its profitability, it sure helps to know it inside out. A good example of this is Marko Nummi, ATA Gears’ Production Director, who has a distinguished history with the company.
Marko started at ATA in 2005 and has seen at first hand all the major changes during the last 15 years. With his immediate team of 14 engineers and 90 operators, they run ATA Gears’ production with state-of-the-art technology.
The potential of 5-axis technology is of a totally different class from the traditional methods, and the first 5-axis machine arrived at ATA Gears at about the same time as Marko – and a lot has happened since then. Today, there are virtually no limits in gear design: Any shape and pattern is possible in a gear and its teeth. And with his vast experience, Marko can justifiably say he just about knows it all.
A miracle team
Advanced machinery and methods keep ATA Gears right at the forefront of development and Marko is justly proud of all the ATA people. As an example of ATA’S achievements Marko mentions the CADCAM system developed by his colleague Mr. Esa Kivisilta. ”Because the commercial alternatives were just not good enough for us and our customers,” Marko explains. ”And this is not something that just anybody could achieve.”
Given that a gear as a power transmission component is such an old invention, it feels almost strange that there is always something new to plan and achieve in R&D. “And as a machinist, you’re definitely at the heart of all this,” says Marko. ”It’s just endless possibilities and one great breakthrough after another.”
Back at his professional roots
Marko is one of those ATA Gears’ employees “who came back home”. He worked for another company in the power transmission business for a while, but decided to return to ATA. He just felt he had more to offer, and a very interesting position opened up. ”It was easy to come back to work with the old team,” he says. ”Settling back in my workplace took no time at all.”
Marko is also happy about ATA Gears’ policy of designing and manufacturing more and more cylindrical gears alongside their main strength – the bevel gears. “ATA Gears’ infra is perfectly suited to the production of cylindrical gears,” Marko declares. ”I am convinced that we can outperform the competition in these, too.”