Jukka Junninen: Master of the mixer Jukka Junninen has seen first-hand how Etteplan has grown from the original four “ETTE” companies into what we see today. You can read more about the origin and history of Etteplan here. Jukka’s journey started from one of the four ETTE companies in 1984 as the companies merged. “When I started at Etteplan it was a small company that only operated in Finland, and now we are a multinational company that works on global projects. We only did mechanical engineering, and now we have multiple service areas and solutions.” As a Senior Engineer based in Turku, Finland, Jukka has had the opportunity to work on a number of interesting projects. Even though there is a team network, Jukka often works independently on his client projects. Having worked with one of the same clients since near the beginning of his career, Jukka understands his client better than anyone and is continuously able to develop and deliver. This has also helped in developing a unique expertise in the full lifecycle of products, applicable to all kinds of customer projects. What Jukka takes pride in is his know-how. From the mechanical and application design of products, planning the bid for their customers, to the manufacturing execution system – Jukka’s experience has built an impressive and invaluable skill set. Being able to see the products of his labor in action on a global scale is a remarkable reality for Jukka - from projects in Finland, the UAE, to South America, and beyond. “Application design of industrial mixers is the official name, but in practice this can be seen on so many different scales.” Although Jukka has been able to work on several projects and with more than a few clients over his last 38 years with Etteplan, here are some of the highlights: “There are always projects that follow a systematic procedure, but the projects that have stayed in my mind are the challenging ones – the most mechanically unique so to say.” “Working with explosion-proof materials was one of the most memorable projects.” “Some projects have specific requirements that require inventing new parts to complete them. We often build bespoke one-of-a-kind industrial mixers from start to finish.” As for what Jukka thinks of the day-to-day at Etteplan? He values the relationship with his clients, consistency together with unique projects, and the balance of independent work and getting to work with a small team. There is always support when it is needed. At 68 years old Jukka is officially retired, however, he still chooses Etteplan: “it’s great when you're retired, you can work as much as you want, and it doesn't affect your pension.” “Yes, I guess I’ve learned all kinds of things. Cooperation, for one. But quite a bit. Unfortunately, my language skills have remained quite weak,” Jukka says with a laugh. Even though all the designs are created and labelled in English (his second language), Jukka claims that a fluency in Google Translate helps with the language barriers – a true representation of his modesty.
