CAREER STORY – Iida Kossila

Choices as well as coincidences have led Iida Kossila to her current position as a production planner at Crimppi. Her career started off with a summer job as an assembler and even though there have been changes along the journey, such as completing studies at a university of applied sciences, the job at Crimppi has been a stable in her life continuing to offer new challenges.

It all started with a summer job

The first time Iida heard about Crimppi was in 2016, when several people from her upper secondary school had been working as assemblers for Crimppi’s production during the summer.

– That’s when I decided to apply and was employed as a assembler. The work was different from what I had been previously used to, but the introduction was great, and I could always ask for advice. This led me to work for Crimppi in the following summer as well. During that second summer I was already given more responsibility and new tasks: I got new clients whose orders I had to learn, and I helped with material preparation.

That was the summer after graduation. When summer turned into fall, Iida was offered an opportunity to continue working full-time for Crimppi as an assembler. She decided to accept the offer.

New tasks as a production planner

Two gap years passed working at Crimppi until, in the autumn of 2019, Iida started her Bachelor of Business Administration degree studies at the Vaasa University of Applied Sciences.

– I took a little break from work at the time, but already next spring the phone rang, and they offered me an office job as a production planner. That was one of the moments that have really stayed with me. Wow, I am being offered a job by the manager of the factory!

Production planner’s job is to direct the production and to communicate with the production’s group leaders. Working at an office environment was a whole new world to Iida.

– In the beginning, it felt crazy to be now directing the production tasks I had been doing not too long ago. It made me a bit nervous, but it was great to see that people really trusted me and my expertise. That is what I really like about Crimppi: employees get training to handle new tasks and after that their competence is fully trusted.

“One of the greatest things is the amount of trust placed in the competency of the employees.”

Career progressing naturally

After the summer of 2021, Iida decided to continue working part-time while continuing her studies. Balancing work and studies felt effortless because Crimppi offered flexibility when needed.

– I was continuously given new, interesting challenges, and I ended up writing my thesis for my Bachelor of Business Administration degree for Crimppi. The idea came originally from Crimppi, and I ended up doing research on the office’s labour input and its costs.

Iida graduated as a Bachelor of Business Administration in December 2022, and started working full-time as a production planner after that.

– It all happened very naturally. In a way, my career started when I was asked to work as a production planner. I had no dream career when I was younger, but life led me here. I really like the hectic nature of working as a production planner. The days are so much more than just typing on a computer, and I enjoy organizing the incoming orders and tasks just right. I am a very organized person and that’s why I think this job suits me well.

“The systematic and fast-paced nature as well as co-workers are the three best things about this job.”

Hectic work in an easygoing group

The work community at Crimppi is easygoing and encouraging with a sense of humor, Iida describes. Even if the work gets hectic at times, colleagues are always helped and supported.

– Sometimes us co-workers chat with each other on our time off as well. When it gets hectic at work, they make sure that we do only the amount of work that we have the time for.

In addition to work, a 1-year-old puppy keeps Iida busy.

– I take the puppy with me on walks and to trainings, and sometimes to competitions on weekends. What’s challenging is that my daily life is pretty hectic. Weekends when I can just relax are sometimes much needed.

What the next steps in her career will be like, Iida is not yet sure about. – Crimppi has already given me such a variety of possibilities. I want to develop and improve, and here people are offered chances to do so. The job descriptions of many of my coworkers have been altered to match their aspirations, and that makes me believe that I have a chance to advance in my career. I am not yet sure what that will mean in practice, but at the moment, I am happy with the way things are.

Photos: Sami Pulkkinen