Steel processing and sales company Tibnor moved from Kärsämäki to Teknologiakiinteistöt premises in Turku Science Park at the beginning of the year. The new space of nearly 200 square metres was found in DataCity. – You can leave your shoes here!
– You can leave your shoes here!
This is the cheerful greeting you hear the moment you step into the Tibnor office. The instructions are provided by Tibnor's sales negotiator Hannele Jokinen. Or, to be more precise, the office is not just for Tibnor; a total of 10 people work there from Tibnor, SSAB Europe, and Rautaruukki. The shared office is explained by the fact that all three companies are subsidiaries of the Nordic region's largest steel group, SSAB.
In addition to Jokinen, Rauno Lehtinen, who works as a Sales Manager at SSAB Europe, has promised to share his experiences of Turku Science Park with Teknologiakiinteistöt's communications team. What brought the company cluster specifically to Turku Science Park?
– Many of the people working in our office live in Kaarina or Piikkiö, and because of the good connections, we wanted our new premises specifically in the Science Park. The services, the large number of lunch options, and the proximity to Kupittaanpuisto park also attracted us to the Science Park, Lehtinen says.
“This is a very comfortable space, and everything is just right in the Science Park.”
The policy for SSAB's subsidiaries is that half of the working time is spent in the office, and the other half can be done remotely if desired. Community spirit and shared coffee breaks draw the team to the home-like office. The textile carpet covering the entire floor of the office makes the acoustics in the space soft and pleasant.
– Part of our office used to be an archive. Before our move, the space was renovated, but the room layout was kept as it was. We had rooms in our old office and wanted them here too, because we all do sales work, which makes having one's own room or a shared room with someone else easier for phone calls. However, we keep the doors to the rooms open, and if someone doesn't come for coffee, we call after them, Jokinen laughs.
The daily life of the company cluster's employees is made easier by the parking spaces found in the parking garage located opposite DataCity. Variety in the working day is offered by various lunch restaurants, and in the summer, the office employees have, among other things, played petanque in Kupittaanpuisto. The Science Park's training sessions are also known in the office, but it is the Vappu doughnuts and Shrove Tuesday fun of Teknologiakiinteistöt's events that have drawn them in.
– This is a very comfortable space, and everything is just right in the Science Park, concludes Jokinen, who once even held her wedding at Ravintola Alabama, which was located in DataCity.
