Peikko Group Corporation is a leading global supplier of concrete connections and composite structures. Peikko’s innovative solutions make customers’ building processes faster, easier, and more reliable. Peikko has subsidiaries in 30 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America, with manufacturing operations in 9 countries. Peikko’s turnover in 2016 was EUR 173 million. Peikko is a family-owned and run company that employs over 1,500 professionals. Peikko was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Lahti, Finland.
In the Middle East Peikko has been represented since 2008 by two companies, Al Rashed Peikko LLC and Peikko Gulf LLC. Al Rashed Peikko LLC is a sales office and a joint venture formed by Peikko Group and Rashed Abdul Rahman Al Rashed & Sons Group, and located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Peikko Gulf LLC is a sales and production unit located in Ras al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates.
Radovan Endel, General Manager of Peikko Gulf LLC, and Antti Rousku, General Manager of Al Rashed Peikko LLC, tell about Peikko’s solutions and scope in the Middle East.
What can Peikko bring to the Middle East market?
Radovan Endel: “Peikko can offer a different construction method that leads to safer, faster and more efficient way of building. This, ultimately, brings both time- and cost-savings to the customer. Our solutions and technical support also bring more freedom to designers and architects.”
Antti Rousku: “Peikko’s products and solutions are pre-engineered and tested, and the design is made locally and adapted to the Middle East market.”
What are the most important products in this market? Why?
RE: “I would rather speak about solutions than products – we are helping the customer solve his construction-related problems; not just selling items. Our pre-engineered precast solutions, such as column shoes and DELTABEAM® Composite Beams answer to the requirements created by the pressure to save time. For cast-in-situ construction we offer our punching reinforcement solutions; a technology and way of building not yet well-known in the Middle East. All our solutions are manufactured in-house.”
AR: “For precast construction our bolted connections play an important role; both column-to-column and beam-to-column. The use of precast construction is increasing, and our solutions are further improving it, especially in terms of speed and safety. Our punching reinforcement solution is new in the Middle East, and intended for cast-in-situ construction. Designers have been needing an application of this kind in the market.”
How can a construction company benefit from Peikko?
RE: “We can offer full support for a complete project from start to finish. We are also able to grow within the company and project, and work in a partnership. We can stay within the project’s budget limits without sacrificing the quality of our products.”
AR: “On-site work becomes faster because of easy installation combined with fast connections. This makes the on-site work safer and also requires less labour. Our solutions are also predesigned and tested.”
How do Peikko’s solutions ease the work of architects and structural designers?
RE: “Predesigned items do not require “re-inventing the wheel”, so the design phase is faster. Peikko’s own software Peikko Designer® makes the entire process even easier.”
AR: “Our solutions offer more possibilities to design flexible buildings – in terms of usage and also architectural shapes.”
What can Peikko offer for investors?
RE: “We offer flexible solutions – the use of a building during its lifecycle can be changed without remarkable effort.”
AR: “We can help investors by reducing the cost of the project and bringing more revenue out of it. The faster the project is finished, the sooner it starts to bring profit. In addition to time-savings during the construction stage, our solutions are also able to reduce the total cost of the project.”
Where is Peikko’s focus in the Middle East in the coming 5 or 10 years?
RE: “Peikko’s target is not the size of the company, but instead being a reliable and flexible partner in the market, always listening to the market and customer needs. Product development is an ongoing process. Peikko is – and will be – a group of successful people working for successful customers.”
AR: “The market in the Middle East is growing and continuously adopting new ways of building. Peikko will be – and already is – a forerunner in bringing in new solutions and applications used in the future way of building.”
In Peikko we often speak about Peikko Spirit, which is something that all Peikko’s units worldwide share. How would you define Peikko Spirit?
RE: “Peikko Spirit is in my opinion a specific atmosphere of personal engagement – it is a good team spirit that brings added value to the company and our customers.”
AR: “Peikko Spirit is a cross-border team spirit that includes everybody supporting each other, regardless of their position in the company. It is also about having the best possible knowledge where it is needed – this requires collaboration, teamwork and low hierarchical structure.” Further information: www.peikko.ae
Radovan Endel is responsible for Peikko’s operations in the United Arab Emirates. He has been working with Peikko since 2009. At Peikko, Radovan has held various manufacturing-related positions (Production Manager, Operations Manager) in Slovakia and United Arab Emirates. Prior to joining Peikko, Radovan has held a variety of technical and leadership roles in manufacturing field and electromechanical business. He has studied Engineering and Technology and graduated with dual degree in Business Administration.
Antti Rousku is responsible for Peikko’s operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He joined Peikko in 2012, and has held various sales-related positions (Sales Manager, Business Manager, Sales Director) in Finland and Saudi Arabia. Before his career at Peikko, Antti had several years of experience in sales of construction materials in various companies. He has successfully been operating on project sales, consumer and business-to-business sales.
