Kaukoikito Lahti's business story

The Kukonkoivu terminal is the hub for Kaukoikido transportation

About 1000 cars, 2000 employees and 3,5 million shipments per year. The trucks and lorries of Kaukokiido, the leading transport company in Finland, are a familiar sight in Hollola's Kukonkoivu, where the terminal is one of the busiest in southern Finland.

The Kaukokiido Hollola terminal, located just a stone's throw from the exit of the southern VT12 ring road in Lahti, was built on the current site in Kukonkoivuu in 2003.

- We mapped out business areas from the Lahti-Hollola axis, which would have good access to all air directions, a plot of land suitable and large enough for our needs, and soil on which it would be easy and good to build. The Kukonkoivu tree on top of Salpauselkä's gravel ridges met all the requirements, Kaukokiido's marketing director Jarmo Lilja says.

Kaukoikido's Hollola terminal has already been expanded once after construction. Currently, there is 3000 square meters of warm storage space and 1500 square meters of cold storage space. There is still plenty of building right left on the five-hectare plot.

- If Kukonkoivu's operations grow and develop to the current model, we are ready to make additional investments there, CEO Petri Angervuo plans.

Efficient logistics

Mainly serving grocery and wholesale shops and local industrial companies, Kaukokiido has about 100 employees in Hollola. The Hollola Kukonkoivu terminal for the transport of the company founded in 1963 is the hub of southern Finland.

- If, for example, a car arrives from northern or western Finland that is only half full, it drives to Kukonkoivu, where loads and transports coming from different directions are combined. From Lahti onwards, we continue with one car and a full load, which saves both costs and the environment, Angervuo continues.

The service radius of the Hollola terminal is comparatively narrow. The geographical boundaries of transports departing from Kukonkoivu are Vantaa in the south, Hämeenlinna in the west, Jyväskylä in the north, Mikkeli in the east and Kouvola in the northwest.

- We have a total of 29 terminals around Finland. There must be enough of them, because the time span from order to delivery for transport serving local customers is short, at best only a few hours, Jarmo Lilja states.

Excellent transport connections

The new Lahti southern ring road, which will be completed at the turn of the year, is a small-scale lottery win for Kaukokiido.

- After all, it's a huge deal now that there are no fewer than 24 traffic light intersections on the way of transport coming from the north, east and west. In addition to time, the environment is also saved, because every braking and acceleration of a heavy vehicle means emissions into the sky, says Jarmo Lilja.

In addition to smooth transport connections and a great location, Lilja and Angervuo are satisfied with the flexible cooperation with the municipality of Hollola.

- We are currently working on Kaukokiido's strategy for the next five-year period. Our goal is to grow and be an even stronger pioneer in our field. We strongly believe in ecosystem thinking, where employees, customers and partners strongly work together. In Hollola, this ecosystem is already working well, and in the future we will also invest in its development with the help of investments, concludes Petri Angervuo.

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