Creating a more sustainable legacy
Sinituote is a Finnish family business with important values such as sustainable development and carbon-neutral production. The company manufactures cleaning equipment for private and business use, and 80% of all products are manufactured in Finland at the Kokemäki and Akaa factories.
The values of Sinituuto and SmartAir align well, as SmartAir aims to reduce companies' carbon dioxide emissions through condition monitoring and leak detection of compressed air systems. Many companies unnecessarily consume excess compressed air, and the resulting energy and cost impacts are harmful to both companies and the climate.
“The key to more sustainable consumption is a carbon-neutral circular economy.”
– Johanna Hamro-Drotz, CEO of Sinituote
Kokemäki factory expands – the first steps of cooperation
The expansion of Sinituote's Kokemäki factory was reported in Aamulehti in November 2024. We contacted Sinituote regarding the energy and cost savings of the factory's compressed air system. Their reception was very positive and we were able to arrange a remote meeting quickly.
The scope of the assignment included an “energy audit” of the compressed air systems of both the Akaa and Kokemäki factories and leak detection. At the Akaa factory, which has approximately 2,500 square meters of production space, we conducted a half-day leak detection. At the larger Kokemäki factory (4,200m2) we conducted a full-day leak investigation.
In practice, leak detection means that we cycle and photograph the entire compressed air system with an ultrasonic camera. The camera makes it easy and quick to locate compressed air leaks.
Jussi Mattila, foreman at the Akaa factory
This is how much sauna use is done
Before the filming, we were able to estimate, based on the research data, that about 10% of the factory's electricity consumption would go to running the compressed air system. When we were able to do the real calculations, the actual figure was about 9%, so our estimate was very close. We also calculated that 1.1% of all the electricity used was spent on compressed air leaks alone – otherwise
saying money and energy wasted.
We calculated that the larger of the factories, the Kokemäki factory, consumes
183 MWh/a of electrical energy, of which 8.8% is consumed in producing and processing compressed air.
Compressed air loss was approximately 22,000 kWh/a, which, according to the calculation below, corresponds to approximately 14 years of sauna use.
This is how we calculated it
- An electrically heated 11 kW heater is in use.
- Sauna sessions twice a week, every week of the year
- Sauna time 2 hours/sauna day, of which one hour is for heating
- A two-hour sauna session consumes 14.7 kW.
- Electricity consumption from sauna use 1530 kWh per year
- 22,000 kWh/a : 1530 kWh/a ≈ 14.4
Carbon-neutral production and employee well-being are at the heart of Sinituote
Sinituote's values are not just words, but we believe that the desire to commit to the company's goals is evident in every employee who works at Sinituote's factories. No waste is sent to landfill from the factories, but all waste is sorted at recycling points, where it is recycled and reused**. Such commitment to the circular economy and sustainable development is unfortunately rare, but at Sinituote it is part of daily operations.
Both factories are also clean and bright, which increases both the safety and comfort of the working environment. When conducting the leak investigation, we witnessed how at a certain time all the equipment was briefly turned off and the staff had a joint break exercise – employee well-being is clearly important to the company.
Men clean too
This collaboration was particularly valuable to us because our companies' values aligned well, especially when it comes to reducing emissions and eliminating waste.
Our family uses Sinituote products, which we have been using for years.
The durability and good design of the products are evident, as we used the same mop for five years and throughout that time it also withstood more “manly” use.
Cleaning, for some the least enjoyable household chore, is much more enjoyable when you use durable, high-quality products. At least that's how I feel, which is why getting a closer look at how the products are made and getting to know Sinituote's factories was a really rewarding experience.
It's great to collaborate with a company whose operations you can fully support.
Sami Uusi-Erkkilä is preparing to mop
*Title taken from Sinituote's sustainability report
**According to Sinituuto's sustainability report.