Virpi's whole family is made up of locals, as her husband works at AGCO Reman, a remanufactured parts company also owned by AGCO, where her son has also done summer work and her daughter, who is studying, has even helped her mother during the summer. Virpi’s daughter is also planning to write her final thesis for Valtra.

Virpi says the best things about Valtra are the people she works with and the variety of work

Valtra's Aftersales Parts  centre works in two shifts. In the morning, they stock incoming parts, collect truck and express orders, and in the afternoon, they send spare parts around the world and collect orders for the next day's outbound deliveries. There are around 45 000 different types of parts in stock. There are 13 people on duty every two weeks in the morning and every two weeks in the evening. Within the shift, tasks vary from receiving goods to picking and packing, for example.

Virpi Vuorenmaa is the team leader for the second shift.

"As a team leader, I'm always there where help is most needed. I take care of the training of new employees and any arising problems, so if, for example, a forklift breaks down, I inform the repairmen. I also do inventories, balance checks and repairs and keep in touch with the Säynätsalo warehouse. I receive 70-80 e-mails a day," Virpi says.

Virpi is the foreperson, but not the actual supervisor, as employment matters are decided by Virpi's supervisor.

"I came to Valtra in 2007 after a metalworking course, when my previous job in Saarijärvi had ended. Initially I was at the transmission factory. My husband and I came here at the same time and worked in different shifts, so the children didn't have to be looked after much. Both of us had temporary jobs at first, but permanent positions were quickly found."

Flexibility in working hours at Valtra helps with studying and childcare

Virpi recalls that Valtra was flexible about finishing her studies and childcare. My shifts could always be arranged so that studying and childcare could be managed as well as possible.

"All the work has been very independent. I like the fact that the employee is trusted and gets to do challenging and meaningful work. When you do your own thing, you get freedom. The people you work with are nice and the days go by in a flash."

Virpi believes Valtra is a secure employer with good prospects for the future. During the difficult times of the past few years, she has also experienced the redundancy negotiations and a few lay-offs that followed, but nothing worse.

Carpooling to work and home is common at Valtra

Virpi lives in Saarijärvi and works in Suolahti. The commute takes half an hour and is covered by carpooling with a colleague working the same shift.

"My son worked at the Reman workshop before going to the Finish Defence Forces and may return after finishing his time with the army. My daughter is studying business in Lahti and has been working in the Aftersales Parts warehouse since she was 15. Last summer she was my assistant. She also did some coursework for a staff survey here in the Aftersales Parts department."

Virpi is grateful for the benefits of working in a large company, such as discounts at the gym and swimming pool, but they are not crucial to her job satisfaction. The staff restaurant Kapusta also gets praise for delivering freshly baked pastries and rolls to the reserve centre's coffee room in the mornings. At lunchtime, you can pop into the restaurant for an affordable and varied meal. The staff restaurant is self-catering and Valtra pays the fixed costs, making dining out a real bargain.