In 1970, the Marin brothers, Mauri, Markku and Hannu, set up a company in Sonkajärvi in Eastern Finland. The brothers may well have picked up the entrepreneurial spirit from their father, Otto Marin, who worked with machine contracting in addition to running a farm. Otto Marin purchased a lorry in 1949 and a tractor a year later. He took on contracts for wood transports and field work. The brothers named their new company Veljekset Marin, focusing on earthmoving contracts in the early years.
Transition to forest machine contracting
In 1981, the business focus shifted to forest machine contracting. At first, the brothers carried out soil preparation with an excavator and transported wood with a forest machine. The two younger brothers, Esko and Mika, also joined the operations, while Mauri moved to a company of his own.
In 1986, the brothers purchased their first harvester, and the second came four years later. In 2007, the company had three machine chains; in 2011, five; and at the beginning of the 2020s, six. In 1995, the company form was changed to a limited liability company, with Markku, Hannu and Esko Marin as the shareholders. In 2019, Hannu’s son, Marko Marin, came on board as the fourth.
34 years with Metsä Group
Veljekset Marin operates as a regional contractor for Metsä Group in North Savo. Its region of operations covers Sonkajärvi, Lapinlahti and Rautavaara. “Our father and uncles began harvesting wood for Metsä Group in 1988, and the work has continued non-stop ever since – for 34 years. We’ve been very pleased with the company, and our cooperation has been outstanding,” says Marko Marin.
The Marin brothers provide Metsä Group with approximately 160,000 cubic metres of wood annually, most of it from thinning sites. Softwood logs are transported as third-party deliveries to Anaika Wood Ltd Oy’s sawmill in Soinlahti, and birch logs to Metsä Wood’s plywood mill in Suolahti. The destination of pulpwood is either the Äänekoski bioproduct mill or the Joutseno pulp mill.
No need to announce jobs
Veljekset Marin has 14 employees. Marko Marin speaks warmly about the entire staff. “I’m proud of all our employees. They handle their job accurately and precisely.”
There has been public discussion of a labour shortage threatening the forest machine sector, but such problems have yet to be felt in Sonkajärvi. “We’ve had no shortage of workers, and a few young people have stayed on after their traineeship.”
Marin is particularly impressed with young people’s IT skills. “They really know their computers. The lack of experience may show in repairs, but that’s something you learn by doing.”
A harvester operator makes thousands of decisions during a single working day. According to Marko Marin, the analogy with fighter pilots is apt. “Your fingers are constantly tapping away, and when one tree comes down, you already need plans for the three following ones.”
Investments in the fleet
In response to the increased felling volumes, Veljekset Marin has updated its fleet of machines. Most of the harvesters are made by Ponsse. “Ponsse’s maintenance and spare parts are close by, and everything we need is available within a radius of 25 kilometres. It’s a definite advantage,” says Marko Marin.
Ergonomics is considered in modern harvesters. Marko Marin is especially satisfied with the Ponsse Scorpion’s cabin, which features a one-piece window extending all the way to the cabin roof. “The window affords good visibility of the harvester head, which is especially important for thinning operations. The better the visibility, the less burdensome the work is for the operator.”
In addition to its fleet, the company has invested in track solutions. All the machines are now equipped with forest machine tracks designed for work on soft ground and during frost heave.
“Although the machines have got bigger over the years, the high-flotation tracks minimise the load on the terrain. In dry summers, we’ve been able to work on felling sites that are normally handled in the winter. While high-flotation tracks give us more leeway for summer work, we should have more frost heave sites in reserve.”
New generation takes the helm
Marko Marin confidently faces the future. He is still interested in developing and expanding the company’s operations. “Including our partners, we now have eight machine chains. This gives us a reserve for higher harvesting volumes if we need them.”
In the near term, Veljekset Marin plans to hand over the reins to the younger generation, when Marko’s brother, Eetu Marin, completes his training as a harvester operator at Riveria, a vocational school in North Karelia.
This article was originally published in issue 3/2022 of Metsä Group’s Viesti magazine.
Text Maria Latokartano
Photos Matias Honkamaa