From the tree to the far and the sea

In the summer of 2023, the company acquired the marine furniture business of its competitor Rauma Interior Oy. As a result of the acquisition, Pori Woodworking now also operates in Rauma. The number of employees and production increased significantly.

"Of course, we thought carefully at the time. Especially whether this was really the best and right time for such a large move. But the leap was successful," says CEO Tomi Vikström.

However, the deal did not involve a leap into the unknown, as the target was already familiar. Rauma Interior's predecessor was Rauma-Kaluste – whose founders in the early 1990s also included Antti Hacklin, the current main owner of Pori Puukaluste.

"I have previously worked at Rauma Interior myself. I have now been at Pori Puukaluste for over twenty years, the last 2,5 years as CEO."

Sudden stop at the wall

The time for major investments was not the best in 2023, as the general economic downturn clouded the outlook. The coronavirus in particular had a significant impact on the company's business. And the offensive war that Russia launched in 2022 did not make business easier either.

"War brings uncertainty about whether work will stop again. However, Corona was much worse. We also had a fairly large cruise ship repair and refitting project on board just before that. It was such a significant job that we didn't dare to allocate much more for it. With Corona, everything came to a standstill. People didn't cruise and the shipping companies

"The money ran out. And we immediately lost the ship's work. It was a big mess. Still, we didn't lay off any workers."

The company now has two solid foundations. In addition to the strengthened maritime industry, the company manufactures fixed furniture for the public sector, such as hospitals, schools and daycare centers. Recent major projects include Vaasa Central Hospital and Laakso Hospital in Helsinki.

"The market is waking up anyway. We are receiving a lot of advance inquiries about furniture deliveries from construction companies that are competing for public sector contracts."

The sea weather also looks good. The third Icon class cruiser will be completed soon. Icon 4 and Icon 5 are also being built in Turku. Options for cruisers 6 and 7 also exist.

“Royal Caribbean has a reservation at the Turku shipyard until 2036. We just have to take care of our quality and delivery reliability.”

Wood Industry Company of the Year

Porin Puukaluste Oy was selected as the wood industry company of the year in the spring of 2025. The selection criteria were the company's good reputation, recognition in the market, and financially profitable business.

"It was great and quite flattering, because the choice was made by member companies of the Finnish Wood Industries Association. There are slightly different areas of emphasis there every year. Sometimes it's log construction, sometimes it's window manufacturing. It was nice to see that what we do as a furniture manufacturer has also been noticed in the industry," says Vikström.