About us

XO Metal in a nutshell

  • 9 000 m2 of modern premises
  • +50 employees
  • Digitalized production management (Leanware)
  • 30 000 products
  • SO 9001 Certificate
  • EN 1090-1 Certificate for load-bearing steel structures
  • ISO 3834-2 Welding process certificate
  • ISO 14001 Environmental certification, due in 2024

Lippis XO-metal logolla kiiltävällä pöydällä

XO Metal – the will and skill to build quality

Parkano, a small town in Western Finland, has always been a metal and engineering industry hub. In 2008, Petri Niinimäki, a young local lad, decided to leave his day job in a machine shop and try his hand at entrepreneurship.

The business started out with small-scale sheet metal and iron structure work. Through new partnerships, XO Metal Oy was born in 2011.

Fast decisions, fast working

The new company needed to invest in equipment. In Heinola, they found a crane at a bankruptcy estate at a reasonable price. In the same workshop, Petri saw a little-used Finn-Power laser cutter lying around the corner. He immediately realised it could have great potential for boosting XO Metal’s efficiency. The ingredients for XO Metal’s success were taking shape.

Initially, XO Metal’s orders were small-scale deliveries of parts. A reputation as a high-quality and agile machine shop began to spread. In 2012–2013, a new metro line construction site in Helsinki needed support beams of varying lengths at short notice. XO Metal didn’t hesitate to take on the challenge. In just over six months, a dozen employees would measure, cut and weld together 800 tonnes of steel beams, working day and night.

A shift towards bigger customers

Part deliveries began to be replaced by larger units and system deliveries. Local customers were giving way to national and international ones; in 2015, the customer base included Sandvik and Agco Power. The growth was only possible with a skilled workforce, and plenty has been in the Parkano region. Over the years, XO Metal’s own staff has grown to more than 40 skilled workers.

Another key pillar of XO Metal’s growth is its extensive subcontracting network. XO Metal employs several smaller metal shops in the Parkano region. Close cooperation with vocational students also brings new young talent into the industry every year.

Ready for future challenges

XO Metal’s turnover grew tenfold in ten years, and the solid upward trend continues in the 2020s. The driver behind the success remains the same: the skill and the will to build quality. To live up to this promise, XO Metal is continuously investing in technology, production methods, and working conditions. It’s easier to do quality work in a quality environment.