Impressive expertise for 65 years.

Impressive expertise for 65 years.

Impressive expertise for 65 years.

Our story

The founder of our company, Hannes Sunila, moved from Rauma to Pello in 1952. Hannes Sunila described his decision to move to Pello in an interview. After the Second World War, rebuilding and the demand for construction supplies were on the increase “I was asked to deliver roof tiles. I got them two wagons of tiles. The quality of the goods was so great that they asked for more-”

From tile deliveries to manufacturing

Hannes Sunila founded a one-man business that manufactured concrete products in Pello in 1954. His wife, Eine, took care of the company’s accounting while also taking care of the children.  In the beginning, the business consisted of producing well rings, as well as selling gravel, in Kylävaara, Pello. Later, a concrete prefabrication factory was founded in Kylävaara, where various types of concrete products were made. Supplies such as well rings, culvert pipes, roof tiles and concrete blocks were needed for the rebuilding efforts in Lapland. The operations of the company slowly grew as the family grew, as well.

The family had a total of four daughters who travelled to the south of Finland to study. They found spouses and settled in the Oulu and Helsinki regions. The only son, Lasse, often accompanied his father to work.  Lasse received an education in construction as his father had wished.

From Kylävaara to Orajärvi

Kylävaara did not have sufficient space for the constantly expanding production. That is why, in the late 1970s, the operations were relocated from Kylävaara, Pello to Orajärvi (20 km north of Pello) where new production facilities and a concreting plant were constructed and a crushing plant as purchased. Hannes Sunila started the production of crushed gravel first in Pello. Slowly, the company started hiring more employees. In 1984, Hannes and Eini Sunila received the Entrepreneur of the Year award.

From father to son

Hannes Sunila retired in 1989. Lasse gave up his position as the fire inspector in the municipality of Pello, moved on to become an entrepreneur, and took over in Pellon Betoni. Lasse is a qualified construction supervisor. He has continued his studies and achieved the qualifications of a class I concrete construction supervisors and a class I precast concrete supervisor in 2012, among other qualifications. The company operated as a limited partnership until 2005, after which it has been a limited liability company, with Lasse Sunila as the owner and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience.

Hannes and Lasse Sunila.

Focus on elements

Precast concrete was produced and supplied until 1999, after which we moved on to fully focus on manufacturing concrete elements. We expanded the element production hall in 2006. The hall has 2,500  of heated facilities and additional cold facilities. When the production facilities were upgraded, the entire element production operations were reformed – as well as the equipment, including element worktables and hoisting machines. Ascending element worktables and turning cast moulds increased the production capacity. We produced its first elements for housing buildings in the early 1990s. In addition to Finnish clients, elements have also been ordered to Sweden and Norway for housing and tourism buildings. Graphic concrete entered our product selection in 2013.

The depression and the fluctuating economic trends in the 1990s also affected the operations of Pellon Betoni. In the economic turmoil, our excellent location in the Arctic region of the Nordic countries and the orders placed from Sweden and Norway allowed us to keep operating. The construction industry’s recession in 2014–2015 was also challenging in terms of order volumes. Regardless, the future looks bright these days, and one of the upcoming investments is the construction of new office and social facilities (286 ) in Orajärvi. The local entrepreneur’s association granted Pellon Betoni and Lasse Sunila the Sisupisara award in 2018.

Today, Pellon Betoni is one of Northern Finland’s most notable operators in its field and a competent partner for large international and Nordic construction companies. We primarily operate in the Arctic region. In addition to Finland, concrete elements are delivered to sites in Sweden and Norway. We focus on high quality and being a reliable and noteworthy operator on the market. We are building our future together with our skilled and professional staff, for the good of our clients. In 2019, we are celebrating our 65th anniversary.

Impressive expertise

Pellon Betoni employs 20 people. The company and the processes are developed determinedly. Employees have been trained through apprenticeship contracts and additional education, among other means. We have three administrative employees and one person working in supervision. Most of our employees are professionals who have been working for us for a long time.

CEO Lasse Sunila is responsible for providing quotes, funding and financial monitoring. Sales are handled by Lasse, Jaakko Pakisjärvi and Erkki Bergman. Jaakko Pakisjärvi and Maija Aska are in charge of the production, supervision and deliveries at the plant. Jaakko Pakisjärvi is a qualified construction supervisor. He has also completed the qualification of a concrete facade supervisor in 2016. Currently, he is working on the qualification of a concreting supervisor at a concrete element plant.

Gravel and transport

Pellon Betoni possesses 500,000 of gravel areas and a rock area to produce crushed stone. Our own, high-quality sources of raw material are one of our competitive advantages. Kuljetus Sunila Oy transports the elements and gravel of Pellon Betoni, as well as special deliveries when needed. The company also has wheel loaders, an excavation machine and three lorries. We make the concrete used in element production ourselves with an automated, computer-controlled concreting plant.