You’ll never walk alone

“Great colleagues, that’s what has kept me here,” Kari Savolainen says and continues: “Even though there’s nothing wrong with the employer either.” This is how you would imagine, when a man has faithfully served ATA Gears for a highly creditable period of 45 years, as a machinist – or ‘tooth smith’ as Kari puts it. “My job is to dig the teeth out of the loaf.”

Head held up high

The traditional song for Liverpool, Kari and his wife Tarja’s favourite football team, one of the world’s most legendary anthems, urges you to keep your head up high and that’s what Kari Savolainen is used to doing, both at work and in his free time. In his working life, throughout decades of changing general economic situations and in his free time, even after the gruelling defeats in the Premier League and Champions League.

At the end of the storm, There’s a golden sky

Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain

A wide variety of events and many different people fit into that 45-year career. “Most of the present ATA employees weren’t even born when I came to ATA,” Kari laughs. During his career, he has, among other things, introduced ATA’s current Production Director Marko Nummi to the secrets of gears – and obviously succeeded in his task very well.

And about those ‘stormy moments’: “I have to admit that this all-encompassing computerization and digitalization really bugs me. Over the years, I’ve become so used to doing things more straightforwardly,” Kari admits. “That ‘golden sky’ mentioned in the Liverpool song can be represented, for example, by the clearly increased and growing number of women in the workforce at ATA. I think that’s a really good development.”

The beginning of a long career

“I have my father to thank for the fact that I ended up at ATA in the first place. He knew someone from the Tampere Employment Office, who gave a tip that there were jobs available at ATA Gears. In the interview on Friday I was asked if I’d like to come to work on Monday. I said yes, and that continues to this day. And the employment contract has not yet been signed, it’s a verbal and binding agreement,” Kari says with a smile.

Four great loves

Wife Tarja, the band U2, Tappara ice hockey team and Liverpool Football Club: those are Kari’s four great loves. Kari has been visiting Liverpool’s home stadium Anfield for 20 years, at best 13–15 times a season. “I go about six times a season at the moment, as we exchange tickets with friends,” Kari says. And who is Liverpool’s best player of all time? “Yes, it’s Kenny Dalglish,” Kari answers without hesitation.