Purso-Tools Oy, located in Pori on the west coast of Finland, is a manufacturer of heavy-duty camshafts and connecting rods for customers that include manufacturers of engines for ships and power plants. Indeed, the company is the world’s largest producer of camshafts for heavy industry and, in its sector, one of the few of its kind — especially in Europe — manufacturing camshafts for nearly all major large engine manufacturers. Its well-known customers include Wärtsilä, MAN, Bergen Engines (Rolls-Royce), Bosch, and Caterpillar.
The company’s success in global competition — even against in-house production by engine manufacturers — is built on strong specialisation, cost efficiency, and the ability to manage large and complex product portfolios — plus uncompromising quality management. This year its revenue is projected to reach 19.5 million euros. Moreover, Purso-Tools is expanding its operations by acquiring new machining technologies and increasing its production space with the addition of a new production hall — a development that is anticipated to see the number of employees rise from around 65 to almost 100.
Mika Aerikkala, Purso-Tools’s production manager, said: “Quality management is at the very core of our operations. In the production of connecting rods and camshafts, we deal with tolerances measured in microns. Not a single defective part can be sent to a customer, and our commitment to quality is demonstrated by ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certifications. We also hold customer approvals for supplying components to nuclear power plants.”
Purso-Tools’ long-standing technology and service partner in the field of measurement has been
Mitutoyo, with a collaboration that began in the early 2010s when the company was looking for a new coordinate measuring machine and found the optimum solution in Mitutoyo, which had recently invested in its Finnish operations. Harri Salmi, Mitutoyo’s country manager, said: “Purso-Tools was one of the very first customers of our Finnish office, and the purchase was immediately a major one, and for a long time the Mitutoyo Crysta Apex 163012 the company bought was the largest coordinate measuring machine (CMM) we had delivered to Finland.”
Mr Aerikkala added: “This purchase marked the beginning of a partnership that has developed over the years. Previously, we used technology from several suppliers, but now we have practically focused on Mitutoyo. Today, we currently operate three large Mitutoyo CMMs: a Crysta Apex 163012, a Crysta Apex 122010, and a Crysta Apex 574 — the latest addition; and because they all use the same measurement head and probe options, they are easily interchangeable in our operations.
“Furthermore, the larger machines are equipped with the motorised indexing probe head, which adds dynamic capability and speed to the measurement process. Compared to fixed straight probe heads, the difference in performance is significant, and this capability was a key factor in our investment decision.”
In addition to its three CMMs, Purso-Tools uses a wide range of other Mitutoyo equipment, including surface roughness testers and handheld measuring instruments. More demanding surface roughness measurements, such as waviness analysis, are carried out in the metrology room using a software-driven Mitutoyo Surftest SJ-500P. Data management, collection, and analysis are handled with Mitutoyo’s MeasurLink software.
Mr Aerikkala concluded: “While we appreciate the Mitutoyo machines’ software and practical usability, the company’s professional full-service support is also essential, with fast response times and service speed especially important. We also have calibration agreements with the company to ensure we always have calibrated machines in use.”