40 years, 40 facts
Throughout our anniversary year, we have shared 40 different facts about Raumaster’s history and present-day operations on our social media channels. We will publish all 40 facts in this article across four different parts.
How did the company get its start? How has the logo evolved over the years? How many projects have been delivered globally, and to which continents, over the past 40 years? And what about the number of travel days logged each year or the growth in personnel numbers?
These facts provide answers to the above questions and many more!
Raumaster was founded on April 29, 1984 by Juhani Rasilainen, Kauko Einälä, Jukka Ruohola, Jouko Mäkilä and Esko Saarela. The five founders also formed the company board, with Kauko Einälä elected as Chair. Juhani Rasilainen was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer.
Now, more than 40 years later, Jouko Mäkilä still serves as Group President. Jukka Ruohola’s son, Jarkko, begun his tenure as Chair of the Board in the summer of 2022.
Founded at the end of April 1984, the company initially used the working title “Convera”. Another suggestion was “Convecto”. However, neither name met the requirements of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office at the time. The founders were informed of this over the phone, and during that same call, they decided on “Raumaster”, which was also approved by the PRO.
None of the founding members remember for certain whose idea the name was initially, but they were pleased with it: « It simply means the masters from Rauma. »
Throughout its 40-year history, Raumaster Oy has had five different Managing Directors. Among the founders, Juhani Rasilainen and later Jouko Mäkilä served as Managing Directors for the first 30 years.
RAUMASTER OY MANAGING DIRECTORS
Juhani Rasilainen 1984-2005
Jouko Mäkilä 2005-2014
John Bergman 2015-2019
Kari Pasanen 2020-2024
Pasi Vuorinen 2024 -
In February 2024, Raumaster announced it had officially begun the search to replace its then-CEO Kari Pasanen, who was planning to retire once a suitable successor was found. The goal was both to find the best possible person for the job, and to ensure a smooth transition between Kari and the new CEO. His successor, Pasi Vuorinen, was announced in June of the same year and officially started in his new position in December 2024.
In 1984, the founders of Raumaster Oy were granted a loan by a bank to cover various initial acquisitions and wages. As was common at the time, the owners pledged their own homes as collateral for the loan. Two different budgets were drawn up for the bank: one based on the company functioning as a five-man engineering office, and the other of the company as an employer of around 15 professionals.
The first employee outside of the board was hired in September 1984. Now, more than 40 years later, Raumaster Group employs more than 400 professionals. Throughout the four decades, around 1,000 individual employment contracts have been made. The Group recruits new talent to join their ranks every year.
The first Raumaster office was located at Rautatienkatu 3 in Rauma, Finland. The founders renovated the space, formerly owned by a plastics plant, themselves during evenings and weekends, as their period of notice still kept them at work with their previous employer.
Since 1987, the Group Head Office has been located on Nortamonkatu in Rauma. The parent company also has branches in Sampaanala in Rauma, Ylöjärvi in central Finland and Tallinn in Estonia.
Raumaster Paper Oy has offices both in Rauma and Pori in Western Finland. The subsidiary company Raumaster AB operates in Hallstahammar, Sweden.
Raumaster received its very first order in July 1984, when the company delivered a grain dust screw reclaimer for the Suomen Sokeri Oy Salo mill. After engineering and component acquisition, the reclaimer was manufactured by subcontractor Kollan Teräsrakenne.
Over its four decades, Raumaster has delivered more than 3,500 projects globally. The first-ever delivery, the screw reclaimer, was sourced back by the company in 2006 and placed by the main entrance of the Group Head Office on Nortamonkatu.
The turnover for Raumaster Oy’s first financial period was 4 million Finnish marks, with a result of 80,000 Finnish marks. The accumulated turnover reached half a billion euros in October 2007, one billion euros in the fiscal year 2013, and two billion euros in the fiscal year 2021.
Throughout its 40 years, Raumaster has achieved 2.3 billion euros in accumulated turnover, with results amounting to 173 million euros. All figures are presented without considering the time value of money.
Raumaster acquired its first mobile phone, The Mobira Talkman, and a phone subscription in 1985. The phone operated on the Nordic Mobile Telephone network, which was the first fully automated mobile phone network in the world. The phone was a source of wonder at the Nurrsundets Bruk erection site in Sweden, where it was marvelled at by the customer’s representatives.
In 2024, Raumaster employees use nearly 500 company phones and phone subscriptions. The first Mobira Talkman still remains safe in Jouko Mäkilä’s collection.
Raumaster Oy’s first ever client was the sugar company Suomen Sokeri Oy. During the first year, the company established cooperation with companies such as Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat Oy, Veitsiluoto Oy, Rauma-Repola Oy and A. Ahlström Oy. All of these companies, in their modern forms, remain Raumaster customers.
Throughout its four decades, Raumaster has worked with a total of around 1500 customers on six continents – Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia.
The first company computers were acquired by Raumaster in the spring of 1986. The PC and AT desktop computers bought at the time were practically functional only for calculation and writing up documents and fax. Engineering work was still done on drawing boards.
Currently, the group uses nearly 500 computers for engineering, documentation, sales and various phases of project management and acquisition, information and financial management, general administration, human resources and payroll.
