Blastman Robotics delivers automated robotic blast cleaning solutions and provides after-sales services to its customers globally. To the wonderment of many, it does so from a small municipality in the Northern Ostrobothnia region of Finland. But how has this come to be? How does Blastman succeed in this, and what does it take?

 

*A small town in Finland

 

Blasting robots built with proven excellence

Blastman Robotics delivers automated robotic blast cleaning solutions and provides after-sales services to its customers globally. To the wonderment of many, it does so from a small municipality in the Northern Ostrobothnia region of Finland. But how has this come to be? How does Blastman succeed in this, and what does it take?

 

To customers, Blastman’s business and long history are usually well-known. However, other similar-sized tech companies often express their amazement at how multi-billion-euro multinational corporations can trust a remote 10-million-euro company to handle their commitments.

 

“The main factor in our success is that we can offer something that our customers aren’t able to get from their home country or neighbouring markets, CEO of Blastman Robotics, Mika Rintala, points out.

 

This, on the other hand, doesn’t allow Blastman to produce just any outcome. On the contrary, a specialty business comes with elevated pressure for excellence. “Bad reputation spreads quickly, especially in a niche market like ours. If we couldn’t run projects with due diligence, handle our deliveries, or would need to strip down and redo our systems, we would already be out of business. It all comes down to excellent references that we have plenty to show for,” Rintala states.

 

 

World-class automated blast cleaning solutions with distinct local roots

Getting references hasn’t always been that easy, though. While competent from the get-go, as a small and newly founded company, Blastman faced the age-old challenge of attracting customers while just starting to establish its name. Luckily, it had famous parents.

 

 

“Blastman’s ability to produce solutions and services that do not have direct competition kicked in right from the start, but our roots in Tampella and especially the former R&D section of Rautaruukki helped a great deal,” Rintala admits. Being able to rely on the reputation of a prominent industrial corporation gained Blastman breathing room to earn its own merits. This has, of course, been achieved a long time ago.

 

“Nowadays, our best reference is to take the decision makers of our potential customers to the sites of our existing customers, where our solutions can be showcased and questions answered in a practical setting,” Rintala explains.

 

 

Location offering more than meets the eye

Truth be told, Blastman relocated its headquarters to Kempele only fairly recently. Originally, the company was based in Oulu—Finland’s northern tech hub. While Kempele is a smaller neighbouring town, it borders Oulu directly to the south, effectively keeping Blastman within the same metropolitan area.

 

For a company with a global customer base, even Oulu might seem like a surprising choice. The location does present some challenges, but also includes practical advantages—not merely historical tidings.

 

One of Blastman’s long-standing strengths has been access to a skilled and capable workforce. Just as important is the close collaboration with local institutions. “They could even be described as enablers,” says Rintala. “Blastman’s cooperation with the University of Oulu and the Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT) already existed in 1997 when I joined the company, and it has multiplied in size since then. To prove it, we have a big pile of these in our filing cabinet.” Rintala also sees Oulu’s scale as an advantage. He notes that such close institutional cooperation would be difficult to achieve in larger cities like Helsinki.

 

In addition to know-how, the Oulu region offers excellent transport connections. “Our equipment is mainly transported by trucks and ships,” Rintala explains. “For longer distances, we use the Port of Oulu or, depending on shipping schedules, one of Finland’s southern ports. If you think about a shipment to, for example, China, the distance difference between Oulu and the southern ports plays practically no role at all.”

 

_{Truck loading at the manufacturing center in Oulu.}

 

Finish first with Finnish blast cleaning solutions

What surprises fewer people than Blastman’s exact location is the fact that it hails from Finland. The country is well-known for its technological excellence, and according to CEO Mika Rintala, that reputation carries real weight in international business:

 

“Our country is renowned for its technological prowess, and products manufactured here are recognized for their exceptional quality. We even have customers who require that certain components be manufactured and tested specifically in Finland.”

 

Another advantage of operating from Finland, Rintala adds, is the strong institutional support available for this kind of specialized business. Instruments like Finnvera and close cooperation with banks allow Blastman to offer the flexible payment terms often required by multinational clients.

 

“When this is combined with market understanding and a commercial mindset—instead of just inward-focused engineering work driven by love for one’s own product—it creates a powerful combination.”

 

 

Remote but not unreachable—on the contrary

Rintala acknowledges that time zone differences can occasionally create challenges when serving a global customer base.

 

“We consider Europe our domestic market, where we operate with a significant share—likely over half of our total revenue. In many locations, the expectation is that once a fault is reported, a Blastman expert will be on-site within 24 hours. In Europe, this is generally achievable. But when it comes to regions like North America or Asia, that level of responsiveness is simply not possible.”

 

This concern arises frequently. If a customer relies on a single machine for surface treatment, the thought of it suddenly shutting down—and potentially bringing the entire production line to a halt—naturally raises the question: what then?

 

“We always aim to provide some form of backup,” Rintala explains. “But before anything else, we need to earn the customer’s trust—to assure them we’re reliable enough to prevent serious losses.”

 

Ideally, customers have immediate access to a basic stock of spare parts. In addition, remote support and system access need to be available nearly around the clock. This level of service is made possible by Blastman’s flexible staff, who are ready to assist even outside regular working hours.

 

 

People-powered excellence, from Kempele to the world

That same spirit of collaboration and trust extends beyond internal teamwork and into customer relationships. At Blastman, customer care doesn’t end with the final acceptance of a system delivery—it marks the beginning of a long-term partnership. Aftersales support plays a central role, encompassing everything from remote diagnostics to emergency parts shipments or onsite intervention, depending on the urgency and production situation.

 

At Blastman, warranty responsibilities and service commitments are taken seriously, not only to solve problems but to build lasting confidence. “As stated in our strategy, each customer should be willing to recommend us further,” Rintala emphasizes.

 

This service-oriented mindset becomes even more important when operating in distant markets. With reliable logistics and a global partner network—including sales collaboration with companies like Pemamek—Blastman has the capacity to deliver comprehensive solutions across continents, from Northern Finland all the way to Brazil.

 

As global demand for automated blasting systems continues to grow, Blastman remains firmly grounded in its values while keeping its sights set on new opportunities—wherever in the world they may appear.

 

 

Mika Rintala

Managing Director

Blastman Robotics Ltd

 

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_{We were honored to welcome our customer all the way from Brazil 🇧🇷 to our facility in Kempele. To celebrate a successful collaboration, we shared a toast, and they proudly marked their production site on our iconic world map. Moments like these highlight the strength of global partnerships and the value of face-to-face connection.}

_{From left is Sales & Marketing Director Sakari Veijola, Blastman Robotics Ltd, Ed Milson from WEG, Brazil, Teemu Runi, Sales Manager, Blastman Robotics Ltd, and Mr. Tapio Kaikkonen, Project Director, Blastman Robotics Ltd.}

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