Thomas Pettersson, CEO of OSTP Finland, and Anders Brännbacka, responsible for business development, saw a challenge. The company’s vision to be the most efficient and sustainable supplier in the industry was clear and the Pietarsaari production plant had exciting ideas for development in these areas which would bring improvements and a competitive edge. However this involved some more advanced development work and to do this fully, the company looked to seek additional funding from Business Finland. The company knew from before that Business Finland has a great way of supporting Finnish companies wanting to develop and grow, but seeking funding even with good ideas is not easily done. Therefore, the company needed help with showing the true advantages of the innovations and structuring such an application.
Eventually, the company received a recommendation of a company that might be able to help. Pro Growth Consulting and OSTP organized a meeting and a common tone was quickly found on how to apply for funding. It was decided to start planning a research project for which funding would be sought from Business Finland.
The Goal of The BEAST Project is to Grow by 100 Million Euros
The project was described in a completely new way. It was named BEAST, Best Efficiency and Sustainability. It aims for ambitious changes in the entire company’s and even the entire group’s operations. The goal is to be the best in the world in certain areas in the industry and achieve 100 million euros of growth and a 50% improvement in efficiency in the target year.
Complete Project Approved with Pro Growth’s Support
The planning and negotiation work took months, but in the end the goals were achieved and the 3.6 million euro project was approved. “We would not have been able to do this without Pro Growth,” said Anders Brännbacka immediately after hearing the positive decision.
“Pro Growth helped us to concretize innovation and in the preparation and documentation of the project plan. Resources were used efficiently, there was nothing unnecessary in the application process – Pro Growth’s experience in applying for funding was evident. Communication and cooperation with Business Finland was facilitated by Pro Growth acting as an intermediary between the financier and OSTP. If the application process had been done without Pro Growth, the workload would probably have been even tenfold,” Brännbacka sums up.
“When we developed OSTP’s innovation together with Pro Growth, the whole process helped us to understand and utilize the data that exists in the company and to understand the possibilities of the Systems Thinking operating model”
The goal of the BEAST project is to utilize data for the entire operation. “By increasing the availability of information and supporting integrated processes, the project has the potential to improve efficiency and sustainability in our business model and operations,” Brännbacka describes.
From Vision to Practice
The cooperation between OSTP Finland and Pro Growth continues also during the project. Together, they ensure project management and reporting, and develop the business together with the company’s management and sales organization. OSTP uses Pro Growth’s developed Growth Plan operating model and software to develop the business.
“By creating a Growth Plan and tracking the implementation of the defined activities, we create the best possible playing situation for ourselves in terms of sales.”
“The preparation of a Growth Plan ensures that visions do not remain only in the drawer. By creating a Growth Plan and tracking the implementation of the defined activities, we create the best possible playing situation for ourselves in terms of sales. The company’s new operating possibilities are relatively radical changes compared to previous operations. The game has completely changed for the better,” Brännbacka states.
OSTP’s competitiveness is rising rapidly, as efficiency has been improved by tens of percent. This can also be utilized in sales. To ensure growth opportunities for the coming years, the company has acquired additional production facilities, in which the results of the BEAST project will be fully utilized.
OSTP Finland is part of OSTP Group producing process pipes, specialty tubes and butt weld fittings from an extensive range of products and stainless steel grades, as well as specialized equipment for pressure corrosion applications.
Our hallmark is Nordic quality, with sustainability in focus. Read more: Specialist in welded stainless steel tubular products | OSTP
