Tikkurila, a paint manufacturer with operations across Europe, implemented a Cisco TelePresence video conferencing solution to improve collaboration across its dispersed offices. The solution allowed employees to join meetings remotely, resulting in a 50% reduction in travel. Virtual meetings improved communications and allowed employees to work more closely as a unified organization. The successful implementation also provided cost savings and environmental benefits.

1. Paint Manufacturer Unifies Organisation
Cisco TelePresence solution helps Tikkurila staff collaborate more closely
across country borders.
Customer Name: Tikkurila Business Impact
Industry: Manufacturing • Employees can join video meetings remotely, enabling more flexible working
Country: Finland • Virtual meetings have resulted in 50 percent reduction in staff travel
Number of employees: 3468 • Improved communications allow employees to work as unified organisation
Case Study
Business Challenge Solution and Results
Tikkurila is the leading paint and coatings company in Eager to improve internal communications and reduce travel
Finland, Sweden and Russia, and one of the leaders in its requirements, Tikkurila hired a systems integration specialist
field in the Baltic states. The company provides consumers, to investigate video conferencing solutions. Impressed by
professional painters and industrial customers with branded high-quality products, best-practice global processes and
products and expert services in approximately 40 countries. compatibility with Microsoft Office Communications Server
Over the past decade, rapid expansion has resulted in new (Microsoft OCS), the specialist recommended equipment
operations being established across Central and Eastern from TANDBERG (now part of Cisco).
Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and
China.
“Our expansion has required us to
The vendor worked closely with both Microsoft and Tikkurila
to design a Cisco TelePresence® system that would fit introduce groupwide processes. In turn,
Representing a significant achievement for the company, Tikkurila’s precise requirements. It then leveraged the
this development has nevertheless brought new challenges. enthusiasm of a select group of Tikkurila employees, or
this has generated a need for closer
“Our expansion has required us to introduce groupwide “super-users” to drive the implementation.
, cross-border collaboration between our
processes,” says Jarkko Marjasalo, chief information officer
at Tikkurila. “In turn, this has generated a need for closer factories, business units, and research
cross-border collaboration between our factories, business and development operations.”
“We had an open day with Microsoft and the super-users to
units, and research and development operations. Without
show how well the solution worked in practice,” says Owe
this, we cannot maximise our return on the investments we Jarkko Marjasalo
Ekman, Cisco collaboration group country manager at Cisco. Chief Information Officer, Tikkurila
have already made.”
“This was really useful, because when we rolled the system
out, you could see the other employees thinking, ‘OK, I know
that guy, he’s using video conferencing; maybe I should too’”
.

2. Paint Manufacturer Unifies Organisation
Continued
Case Study
Once the integrated solution was installed, the benefits can call and discuss a matter face-to-face right at the point
soon became clear. “Now we can be in a conference room they need to. They don’t have to block out one or more days
and have, for example, sales teams from all the different from their diaries for meetings anymore.”
countries joining us through Microsoft OCS,” says Marjasalo.
“That’s very important, because it makes our international
teams so much more effective. People definitely work
Justifiably proud of Tikkurila’s green credentials, Marjasalo
together more closely now, so they can feed back on
has welcomed the environmental benefits brought by
important projects far more quickly than before. This means
reduced travel. He is also pleased with the cost savings that
the company as a whole can make decisions based on far
the company has achieved, which have seen the system
wider input, and implement those decisions much faster.”
easily pay for itself. “By avoiding just two international
trips, we cover the cost of the solution for a month,” says
Marjasalo. “We’re more efficient, more cost-effective
The Cisco® TelePresence solution also integrates and greener. With Cisco TelePresence, there really is no
personal mobile devices, instant messaging and presence downside for us.”
information. This integration allows Tikkurila’s highly mobile
employees to see at once which colleagues are available
online and then exchange information, data and files with
Tikkurila’s system works so well that its parent company,
them instantaneously.
Kemira, is now working on a similar solution. Meanwhile,
within Tikkurila, managers are considering extending video “We can now truly work as one company
conferencing to suppliers and customers. “Tikkurila now has
As well as cutting staff travel by 50 percent, the Cisco a very good, strategic business tool, an infrastructure that it and one group. Implementing this
TelePresence solution enables employees to be more can build on in the future,” says Ekman. solution has definitely been a valuable
flexible and spontaneous in arranging meetings. “Ad hoc
meetings are very easy now,” says Marjasalo. “Colleagues use of time and money.”
“We can now truly work as one company and one group,” Jarkko Marjasalo
says Marjasalo. “Implementing this solution has definitely Chief Information Officer, Tikkurila
been a valuable use of time and money.”
To find out more about Cisco TelePresence, go to
www.cisco.com/go/telepresence
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