A partnership that can take the heat! - Brand ID

Brand ID and Valtra are like an old but still virile couple. The decades-long cooperation has drawn clear guidelines for the partnership.

“If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Or when the going gets tough, the tough get going. For Brand ID, it is nothing new, even though we’re not talking about cooking now.

The thing is, heat and temperature variations are critical when Valtra’s brand is shown on a tractor. For instance, a warning label stuck on a heating part next to the radiator must be able to take temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Celsius. To put it in context, water boils at 100 degrees, while baked salmon likes a temperature of 140 to 150 degrees.

Dozens of tractors a day and orders delivered to the minute.

A better word to describe the cooperation between Valtra and Brand ID instead of hot would probably be warm, if not even glowing. The partnership has been going on for such a long time that no one seems to know exactly. In any case, we’re talking about a relationship going back decades. Brand ID makes and supplies Valtra with high-tech products for demanding conditions: 3D marks, logos, aluminium type plates, various labels and control unit panels.

“At the moment, we produce dozens of tractors per day. These days, our cooperation is focused on new products in addition to the current serial production parts. The supplier must commit 110% to our security of supply because sometimes orders must be delivered almost to the minute,” says Supplier Quality Engineer Päivi Häyrinen from Valtra’s assembly plant in Suolahti.

Small inventories raise the standards.

Brand ID must use the electronic APEX system to document its QA processes and have them approved for each item green lighted for serial delivery. In other words, to all intents and purposes to meet Valtra’s quality requirements.

The documents reveal where the part is produced, the location, type and conditions of the tests performed on the part, the tools required as well as the method and frequency used to assure the quality of the part during serial production. There are more than 10 documents for each part. Potentially, the supplier may share the journey with Valtra from the first prototype onwards.

“Orders are placed faster than ever, and for smaller batches. The inventories match the order book, and the turnaround times can be very tight. Brand ID must know what we expect and what the process requires of them. So, for example, the fault risk analysis included in the PPAP documents helps the supplier predict possible faults during the process and draw up a suitable advance plan to prevent them by scoring the faults.”

The product sizes, inventory management, storage times as well as the packaging types and forms must also be known exactly. After the PPAP or Production Part Approval Process, serial production begins. If everything has been done by the book, following the documented reports, everything will go smoothly. There is no need to get in touch unless there are issues.

Weekly monitoring optimises the production.

For its part, Brand ID optimises Valtra’s production using a warehousing service. It is facilitated by access to the customer’s systems to monitor forecasts on a weekly basis and draw up operating plans on the basis thereof. Sometimes there is call for daily solutions but, in a normal situation, the own production plan can be changed every two to three weeks. Deliveries are made on a weekly basis.

The same quality and security-of-supply standards apply to the labels and logos made for Valtra’s subcontractor, MSK Cabins. MSK Cabins supplies safety cabs for Valtra’s tractors.

A broth made by over 50 cooks.

Päivi Häyrinen, who has overseen Valtra’s cooperation with Brand ID for the last 25 years, praises Brand ID’s quick response times and flexible approach with regard to queries and wishes. The cooperation has also been made easier by the fact that Brand ID’s contact person, Key Account Manager Marko Silmu, has managed the account for close to 30 years and knows Valtra through and through. Mutual flexibility and professionalism support a deep partnership.

“A partnership like this is priceless, considering that we have more than 50 different suppliers in Finland and abroad. Transparency and reliability are incredibly important. We have been working together for such a long time that each party knows what to do, and any issues are solved quickly and smoothly. It is a sign of good and productive cooperation. I like the Brand ID brand,” says Häyrinen.

At its best, cooperation is like good food. Perfectly cooked and seasoned.