Trailmaker has been involved in Koiviston Auto’s strategy execution since the CapMan Infra acquisition and further progress has been made since new CEO Jyrki Vainionpää joined the company 6 months ago.
According to Vainionpää, Trailmaker made a big contribution after CapMan Infra’s initial purchase of Koiviston Auto, which was important for the long-term development of the company’s strategy. “It made the strategy execution process following my arrival faster,” says Vainionpää, explaining that he was able to hit the ground running.
Koiviston Auto, says Vainionpää, has faced big changes this year, switching from a family-owned company to an infrastructure fund owner. But, he says, having the backing of CapMan Infra leaves Koiviston Auto exceptionally well placed to tackle the biggest challenges head on. Challenges, he explains, include electrification of the fleet and improving efficiency and consistency across the group that includes nine operating companies such as Helsingin Bussiliikenne, OnniBus.com, Kuopion Liikenne and Koskilinjat.
In 2022, Koiviston Auto invested 30 million euros in electric buses and charging infrastructure. The electrification of buses is one of the company’s biggest priorities, Vainionpää explains. But “the investment needed to achieve the transformation is very large and few companies are big enough to do this. We are well placed with such an owner, a clear strategy and a good team.”
According to Vainionpää, the asset that Trailmaker brought to the table was the focus required to drive the change. “We were forced to go through things in a structured way. In some ways it’s a highly inflexible process but it worked well for our purposes.”
When you’re the new CEO of a company, says Vainionpää, it’s important to learn, build trust and jointly with the management team create a common vision and goal. “Only after that groundwork, can more detailed execution milestones be defined and consistent execution with real impact be expected. The Trailmaker process helped in building that foundation as well as defining the actual execution milestones.”
Looking to the future, Vainionpää says that one of Koiviston Auto’s focal points will be retaining and attracting employees while strengthening the shift to renewable. “During the Trailmaker process we set a goal to be the best employer in the transport sector and proactively drive towards renewables to cut our CO2 emissions. These are interesting times and it’s a good place to be.
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TRAILMAKER is a concept for faster strategy execution:
• Concrete common view and commitment
• Identified capability needs
• Visibility
