Vision Finland met with CSA’s Managing Director Jari Rantala. For him, the future looks bright.
VF: How did you end up in Thailand?
It happened so fast. In 1994, I was still working for Kore Cranes in Finland. Next year, I started working with Konecranes Service, and in the middle of July I was already here in Thailand.
Basically, I just took my ice hockey bag, grabbed some other stuff, got on a plane – and that was it. I was suddenly in Bangkok.
I arrived when I was 23, so I’ve stayed most of my life here. There’s no going back. My life is here.
VF: What’s the story behind CSA Crane Service Asia?
I was working for Konecranes between 1995-2008. Because of family and other reasons traveling became too burdensome for me. So, I needed some time off.
In 2009, we started a small company called KLX Services. A few years later, we decided to create CSA Crane Service Asia as a joint-venture.
VF: What are your main markets?
We are working mainly in Thailand, and Laos. But we are also operating as sub-contractors all over the world.
Various projects have taken me to many markets. For the last 10 years, I have been working in 25 countries.
VF: How has the business been growing?
I was the one who started creating the service business in Thailand. There was demand, we just caught the wave. The business has been just going up and up and up since then.
At first, the service business was about 10 million baht, and it went up to 50 million, and then some. Businesses suddenly started realizing that they needed servicing for the business to keep going.
VF: What are the challenges caused by the pandemic?
Because of the pandemic, all the big companies have been going down. But we are small and resilient, focusing on our core business. That’s why we have been growing even this year.
Big corporations are not focusing on customer needs. They may have thousands of customers that they can’t take care of. Especially this year, it has become evident that if you have a small customer base, you can take good care of it. On the other hand, all the big ones keep losing their focus.
There are also less and less containers coming in, creating extra needs for servicing.
Somehow the situation is very sad, but it has clearly benefited us.
VF: How do you see the future?
If Thailand doesn’t open up, many local companies will start rethinking their future. The equipment is getting old, and it has to get repaired once in a while. So, for us the future looks pretty good. But it’s not the same for all.
You can already see some big companies packing their bags. For example, General Motors and Panasonic have just closed down their operations here. So, it all comes down to the government policies. The future is still full of uncertainty.
VF: Any advice for Finnish companies interested in the region?
Learn the market, and find a good partner who knows the market. This is sometimes difficult. But if you have an excellent product, and good connections, you can do a lot here.
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