It was 1976, and the summer holiday from school had just begun. Fifteen-year-old Juha Honkanen had managed to enjoy exactly one full day at home when his father returned from work and said simply:
Now you’re going to work.
And Juha went. First day of summer vacation, straight to the factory. The beginning was not polished or gentle, but the kind that later turns into a good story at the coffee table.
I was supposed to work two weeks that summer. I worked one. I got my final paycheck during the first week, Juha laughs.
He still remembers the reason.
I was hanging from a forklift fork. Had to prove I was strong enough.
That early dismissal did not end his career, quite the opposite. The following summer he was invited back, and this time he stayed longer. That was the beginning of a journey that would last nearly half a century.
From ashtrays to stainless steel tubes
During vocational school, Juha studied during the week and worked on Saturdays. At the time, Stala manufactured a wide range of products, including stainless steel ashtrays that required several production stages. Juha graduated as a sheet metal welder, but in working life he went where the need was greatest. In 1979, he started as a sheet cutter.
It was quite boring.
When cutting work slowed down, Juha was transferred to the tube side of the factory. He began as a tube grinder and gradually progressed to more demanding roles, from round grinding machines to square tubes and eventually to welding operator.
Everything happened through doing. When the work varied, it never got boring.
As a young man, Juha had planned to change jobs after military service. He even went to ask for work elsewhere once, but the decision came down to a small detail.
It came down to five Finnish marks.
From one hall to six
When Juha started on the tube side, production operated in a single hall. Today there are multiple halls standing side by side, and several additional production lines have been added over the years.
One hall and deer outside the windows. That’s how it started.
(The factory was still open to the surrounding nature at the time, with no fences or access control.)
From that single hall grew an international stainless steel tube manufacturer, and Juha was part of nearly every stage of the journey. He has operated multiple production lines, handled machine setups, and worked in supervisory roles.
There isn’t a job here that I haven’t done.
His expertise has accompanied almost every development step in production. One clear turning point in his career came when shift work began to feel heavy. Juha addressed it directly, and a new opportunity emerged.
Shift work started to wear on me. I said that if I couldn’t move to day shifts, I would leave.
At the same time, a new cutting department was being planned. Juha was involved from the very beginning, helping to build it and later leading its operations.
One of the highlights of my career was the opening of the cutting department, and especially when we got it fully up and running.
Craftsmanship is learned by doing
Juha emphasizes practical learning, repetition, and improvement through mistakes. Tube manufacturing, in his view, is learned by doing. His hands-on experience is complemented by a Green Belt qualification, which has deepened his understanding of process control and continuous improvement.
You don’t learn tube manufacturing from books. You learn it by doing.
Understanding the entire process is essential. The visible problem is not always where the real cause lies.
A defect often shows up later. The reason can be somewhere completely different from where you’re trying to fix it.
A good professional completes the job in a way that does not require immediate correction. In earlier years, reducing scrap, increasing output meters, and improving efficiency were rewarded, which encouraged everyone to push just a little further.
When you got a little extra for the small things, it made you try that little bit harder.
What keeps someone for five decades?
When asked what kept him at Stala and later Stalatube for so long, Juha sees it as a combination of factors. The work community, steady income, and everyday stability all mattered.
I’ve always left for work in the morning willingly.
Over five decades, the world, production methods, and working life have changed. But the core attitude toward work has remained the same.
If you only do what is required, you’re a slave. But if you do a little more, you’re free.
– Reino Rajamäki (The founder of Stalatube)
The thought reflects Juha’s mindset. He has never been satisfied with doing only the minimum, but has aimed to go a little further, always with the mentality that no one else should have to fix his work.
Passing the baton
Now Juha is retiring, and the baton passes to the next generation. He views it realistically and with confidence.
There will always be someone to step in. Sooner or later.
If he could give one piece of advice to a young employee, it would be simple and clear.
Whatever you do, do it as well as you can.
Another piece of advice relates to asking for help. Years ago, a machine operator’s manual was written, and its final sentence has endured.
Call if you don’t know.
Reflecting on the meaning of his career, Juha puts it plainly.
What I’ve achieved professionally and built financially has largely come from here.
Work has provided the foundation for life, financial stability, and friendships that have lasted for decades. Retirement feels good, especially because it comes at the right time and in good health.
It’s great that I get to retire. Hopefully in fairly good health. Still able to walk.
And how does it feel to leave a company where he has spent nearly his entire adult life?
At least my handprint remains. And at least it didn’t fall apart because of me.
Half a century is a long time. It is knowledge passed forward. It is work completed, not left unfinished. And above all, it is one principle that will continue to guide future generations:
Do your job as well as you can. And if you don’t know, ask.