Promeco’s start to 2026: strong growth, new openings, and determined execution of the strategy

The first half of 2026 has been stronger than expected for Promeco. Business has developed positively across all main industries, new customer relationships have been opened, and the execution of the 2026–2028 strategy period is proceeding as planned. CEO Ville Ritakorpi and Sales Director Hanna Pahkala explain what the early-year successes were built on and how Promeco is heading toward the end of the year.

The start of 2026 exceeded expectations

The year began with positive expectations, but development has been even better than anticipated. 

“When we prepared the 2026 budget last autumn, the outlook was still moderate. The first half of the year, however, has been very strong overall, and the outlook of several customers has risen significantly during the first six months. It has kept us busy, in a very positive sense,” Ritakorpi says 

Alongside the growth of existing customer accounts, Promeco has succeeded in opening several new customer relationships, including in new market areas. 

“Our customers’ volumes have grown, and at the same time, we have gained good new openings, including international deals in new market areas. In recent months, several interesting projects have been settled, creating good conditions for our growth in the future as well,” Pahkala says 

Ritakorpi emphasizes that the new openings are exactly the kind Promeco is aiming for: 

“What is significant is that these are not one-off deliveries, but long-term projects from which continuity can be gained. Our goal is to build repeatability and to develop the work together with the customer.” 

Maritime and energy on a strong upswing 

In Promeco’s main industries, the market situation looks good, and two sectors in particular stand out. 

“Maritime and energy are on the rise, and the market outlook is strong. Just a year ago, the AI data center sector was thin, but now we are seeing very strong growth among some of our customers,” Ritakorpi notes. 

Growing demand supports Promeco’s position as a full-scope supplier of electrical and mechanical solutions, with a business built on long customer relationships. At the longest, cooperation with the same customers has continued for as long as 40 years. 

The strategy is progressing as planned

The 2026–2028 strategy period began at the turn of the year, and during the first six months, the focus has been on rolling out the strategy and advancing concrete development areas. 

“The strategy is being reviewed in teams across the organization, and the defined matters have progressed well. From the sales perspective, expansion into new market areas is proceeding according to the strategy, and we continuously work to identify new opportunities. At the same time, we have invested in even more systematic customer work, as strong and continuous customer relationships are extremely important to us,” Pahkala says 

The strategy is refined annually, and this year the work emphasized scenarios and monitoring of market signals. 

“There are geopolitics and other phenomena in the market that we cannot influence. That is why we identified which signals we need to follow so that we stay up to date and can make the right decisions at the right time. We also reviewed the development of competence and how our facilities, expanded in recent years, meet future needs,” Ritakorpi describes. 

Year-end focus on the ERP project and monitoring the operating environment

In the latter half of the year, Promeco’s most significant internal project is the new ERP system, whose deployment is proceeding in phases across all units. 

“The project directly affects more than a hundred salaried employees and indirectly all of us. When the company is operating at record capacity and at the same time carrying out a large system project, it demands a great deal from people. The goal is to bring the project to a successful conclusion and to measure its benefits,” Ritakorpi says 

At the same time, the operating environment calls for vigilance: the availability and costs of materials are fluctuating considerably. 

“We are monitoring the situation closely so that we can communicate with our customers in a timely manner and anticipate and manage the situation should material challenges arise during the rest of the year,” Ritakorpi continues.

Recognition for the recruitment and training of talent

Growth is also visible in personnel. Promeco is recruiting new talent, and in the autumn, the team will be reinforced by around 30 new professionals. In addition, the company is training a couple of dozen people for production work with the support of its own experts. 

“We have found people well, and it is great that we are also able to train new staff ourselves in our operating models and the content of the work. The summer also brought a record number of summer employees, 50 in total, and all of them were genuinely needed. Among them are also future talents, some of whom will stay with us for longer,” Ritakorpi says 

Earlier this year, Promeco received recognition in the Satakunta region of Finland for its long-term work in promoting international recruitment and in supporting the well-being of immigrants and multicultural work communities. About 30 percent of Promeco’s personnel in Finland have an international background. 

“International labor has been a good recipe for us in the long run. It has enabled growth even at times when local recruitment has not been sufficient,” Ritakorpi notes.

Confident heading into the rest of the year 

Toward the end of the year, Promeco will also be more visible than before at trade fairs and in the industry’s ecosystems. One of the highlights is an international maritime industry trade fair, where Promeco will present itself at its own stand. You can read more about it here.

The company heads toward the autumn with confidence. 

“We just reviewed our forecast going forward, and development continues to be good. The priorities defined in the strategy give confidence that we are doing the right things. We will not, however, rest on a good momentum, but will monitor the situation actively and react to changes,” Pahkala sums up. 

Ritakorpi reminds us that strategy is also about making choices: 

“A strategy is a plan and a decision to do certain things, but above all, it is a decision not to do something. We keep the focus on what has been agreed, and we proceed determinedly with the chosen markets and projects. The situation is very good.”