The Design from Finland mark’s Design Deed of the Year 2020 title was awarded to family-owned Piiroinen Oy, which manufactures furniture for public spaces. The criteria for the award are originality, responsibility and design as part of everyday life.
The Design Deed of the Year title is awarded annually to a Finnish enterprise where design plays a significant role. This year, the award was given to the family owned company Piiroinen Oy, which has been in the manufacturing industry since 1949. Today, there are more than one hundred Piiroinens, and the company headquarters are located in Salo, Finland, along with the factory, where all of the company’s production takes place.
With their Piiroinen brand furniture, the company is involved in Finnish and international projects, furnishing everything from large sports and cultural arenas to auditoriums while also providing loose furniture for various sites. Direct cooperation with designers, architects, interior designers and end users offers Piiroinen a wealth of up-to-date market information and an understanding of what is required from a partner.
In addition to manufacturing furniture for public spaces, Piiroinen is also a versatile contract manufacturer specialising in the surface treatment of metals and manufacturing metal components. As contract manufacturer, the company also has Finnish and international OEM clients for which it manufactures fully finished products in the Salo factory. Piiroinen Yhtiöt is made up of two judicial companies, Arvo Piiroinen Oy and Metalli-Piiroinen Oy.
“The Design Deed of the Year award is a great recognition for the long-term work we do. I would like to thank all of our partners and clients, who have worked with us over the decades for enabling this. Design has become an inseparable part of our operations during the years. On a day to day basis, I see design know-how foremost as the ability to cooperate fruitfully with experts of various fields. Only true cooperation can solve client needs that are becoming increasingly complex. Especially the development of environmentally friendly solutions requires new partner networks. As manufacturer, we invest, along with product development projects, in new manufacturing technologies and material know-how, and it is our goal to participate in even more demanding projects in Finland and abroad in the future,” says CEO of Piiroinen Oy, Risto Piiroinen.
The recently finished major renovation of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium is one of the most important projects in Piiroinen’s history.
“The architectural firm K2S Oy, with Kimmo Lintula as Head Designer, defined the look of the seat. It was the job of our designer Pasi Paakki to then design the product in such a way that the seat was functional and fulfilled the requirements of the client. The demands for the material were high and we developed a new wood composite especially for this site to fulfil the requirements,” says Piiroinen.
Piiroinen Oy was awarded the Design from Finland mark and the Key Flag symbol in recognition of products made in Finland in 2012. Now the company receives the prestigious Design Deed of the Year award. The jury praises Piiroinen Oy for the fact that the company takes the value added by good design into consideration in their business and it includes responsibility as part of the principles of good design without losing any of its ambition.
“Piiroinen has invested in cooperation with both Finnish and international designers for decades. High quality is visible in both the products and in the whole operation of the company. Piiroinen has remained attuned to the times and has, in addition to good design, invested in responsibility and communication about it. “With the long renovation work of the Olympic Stadium finishing, it was time to highlight the company’s comprehensive and long-term work,” states member of the jury Jarkko Kallio.
“It is simply great that a Finnish company is successful in the highly competitive field of furniture acquisition for public spaces and is at the same time able to invest in new ecological opportunities. Hopefully the Design Deed of the Year award will encourage other companies to utilize the value added by high-quality design and the responsibility connected to it in their business,” Says jury member Tuire Ranta-Meyer.
The Design Deed of the Year prize has now been awarded nine times. In previous years, this recognition has been received by Beibamboo Oy (2012), which designs and produces bamboo-fibre baby clothing; VM-Carpet (2013), which produces high-quality, inventive rugs; Droplet Hitech Design Oy (2014), which makes wooden “Lastu” protective holders for mobile devices; Useful Stuff Oy (2015), which manufactures “Drop” outdoor pools; Hakola Huonekalu Oy (2016), which makes furniture and interior design products; FRENN Company Oy (2017), which produces men’s wear; Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth (2018); and Woodio Oy, which designs and manufactures wood composite bathroom furniture (2019).
The jury consists of Industrial Counsellor Kari Kallonen, Frenn Company Oy’s CEO Jarkko Kallio, Director of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Tuire Ranta-Meyer and Association for Finnish Work Managing Director Tero Lausala.
Further information:
Johanna Lahti, Brand Manager, Design from Finland, Association for Finnish Work, johanna.lahti@suomalainentyo.fi, +358 (0)40 5916143
Risto Piiroinen, CEO, Piiroinen Oy, risto.piiroinen@piiroinen.com, +358 (0)44 517 2392
The Association for Finnish Work endeavours to increase the appreciation of Finnish work and to further the success of Finnish work. The association governs the symbols acting for Finnish work, influences buying decisions and challenges working life to reform. The association, founded in 1912, has 4,500 corporate or community members. www.suomalainentyo.fi/en/
The Design from Finland mark speaks on behalf of unique Finnish design origins, emphasising the significance of immaterial Finnish work from the perspective of Finnish success and employment. Over 580 marks have been issued so far. www.suomalainentyo.fi/en/services/design-from-finland/
Read news Design Deed 2020 awarded to Piiroinen Oy here
Image: The benches of the Olympic Stadium: Wellu Hämäläinen, https://www.welluhamalainen.com/