When the well -known Finnish plastic contract manufacturer Okartek Oy began to build a new, modern factory for Kaarina's jury, it was decided to take the electric cars into the project already at the design stage. The company saw that the electrification of the fleet is a clear trend that was to be taken into account in time.

"The vehicle fleet is being electrified, so we made it clear that the new building would have a proper and sufficiently large electric vehicle charging infrastructure right from the start," says the company's CEO Jari Mäenranta . In the end, 30 electric vehicle charging points were built in connection with the factory, which exceeds current needs but also offers expansion opportunities with an eye on the future, as hoped. "It's good that there is capacity in reserve - the electrification of the vehicle fleet is progressing, after all," Mäenranta reflects.

Okartek Oy's factory building, with UTUMaX electric car charging devices on the wall. — Okartek Oy's factory building with new charging equipment in Raadelma, Kaarina

Use limited to staff and visitors

Charging solutions were part of the factory design from the very beginning of the project. “Once we had found a suitable location for the charging devices, we decided on their number and selected the device base that best suited our needs,” says Mäenranta. The location was easy to decide on, as the devices were installed directly on the wall of the building.

The brand new charging points at the Okartek factory are intended exclusively for the company's own personnel and guests, and are not planned to be opened to the public at any point. "We don't want any additional traffic in the factory yard," says Mäenranta.

A domestic device with the company's own handprint included

Okartek chose UTUMaX chargers with 11 kW Type 2 plugs manufactured by UTU Oy as the charging devices. For the company, these completely domestic devices, designed and tested to withstand northern weather conditions, were not only technically suitable, but also a natural choice in terms of cooperation: the company manufactures the plastic housings for the charging devices for UTU.

"The device's features were all right for us, and since we manufacture the covers for it, our own hand was also involved in the selection. The design of UTUMaX is smart, so its appearance is also pleasing," says Mäenranta. The supply chain for the devices was clear: "We manufactured the covers and delivered them to UTU's factory in Ulvila, from where they returned to us as ready-to-use devices."

The design and implementation of the new building has been a two-year process, with the introduction of charging solutions scheduled to coincide with the completion of the building. According to Mäenranta, the most important thing was that the charging devices would be ready for use when operations in the new premises begin: "The main thing is that the devices are on the wall when people return to work."

The requirement is ease and ease

It was important to the company that the system did not add any extra work to everyday life. The aim was to make charging management as easy as possible. "We wanted a system that did not require us to work at all. We offer charging, but we do not want to use working time resources for it."

The solution chosen was eParking's app-based system, where users pay for charging themselves and the company only sets the price. "We set the price of charging electricity in the app, and each employee handles the charging themselves. We don't have to participate in any way, eParking, as the charging operator, takes care of everything," Mäenranta says.

Project completed with good service and cooperation

According to Mäenranta, the collaboration with eParking went smoothly. In the initial stages, the solution was planned together, and later eParking took care of the system's implementation. "We mapped out with eParking's charging services business director Antti Hiekkanen what would be the best solution for us. We made an agreement, and when the ready-to-use devices were installed on the wall at the end of the project, someone from eParking came on site to implement and guide us in using the system."

Okartek has been pleased with the progress of the entire project. "Everything has gone as expected and the service has been good," Mäenranta sums up. According to him, the use of the charging points during the summer has been relatively low, but actual use will begin when the factory starts operations in August. "When a hundred people return to work and customers and suppliers also join in, use will increase significantly."

For reference, we interviewed Jari Mäenranta, CEO of Okartek Oy.