Mirka

A modern sander can communicate

Solita redesigned the online services of Mirka, a leading surface finishing technology company, and built the MyMirka application for connecting to sanders via Bluetooth. Its data can provide reliable information to the user on, for example, how much they have been exposed to vibration. Solita and Mirka wanted to create as reliable and fast an application as possible. This target was reached. “Both Mirka.com and the MyMirka app are significant strides in our operation that provide an effortless customer experience to our customers. But the innovations won’t end here. Continuous new development is our way,” says Mirka’s CX Program Manager, Matias Sandås.

Results:

  • Mirka has built a modern application for end users in a traditional industry, with which end users can prevent occupational health risks and increase their safety at work
  • A clear and mobile-friendly website with a centralised content distribution service that will make it easy to integrate new kinds of services through APIs in the future
  • Harmonisation and improvement of the user experience through a shared design system in various Mirka services
  • Instead of offering only products, it is easier for Mirka to offer its customers solutions to a variety of problems
  • Stronger customer focus and loyalty

Mirka, a manufacturer of sanding and polishing equipment, is one of the best-hidden secrets of Finnish industry: the products of this family-owned Finnish company are sold in more than a hundred countries and 97 per cent of its production is exported.

Traditional industries need to keep up with the changing world. To stay competitive, innovation and development are absolutely necessary. Mirka is a family business with 80 years of history that has always strived to think innovatively and find new perspectives on its business.

“Constant change is a fact that challenges Mirka’s employees to innovate and continuously develop further. How do we ensure that our operations keep up with change and remain relevant? How do we strengthen our focus on the customer and ensure that they stay in the heart of our operations at all times? These are the great underlying questions that we are constantly trying to answer,” says Mirka’s Program Manager, Matias Sandås.

According to him, Mirka is currently undergoing a transformation in both its physical and online businesses. “We have noticed that customer behaviour has become more mobile. We want to offer our customers a state-of-the-art experience across all channels.”

“After the release, we will listen to the customers’ feedback and use it to develop further functionalities. Based on customer feedback, the website, content and functionalities, for example, will be developed further. The website is built and maintained with modern, iterative methods that enable continuous renewal and make sure that the ability to create value for all our customers is always at the heart of our operations,” adds Sandås.

"We want to offer our customers a state-of-the-art experience across all channels.”

Matias Sandås, Program Manager, Mirka

World-class application prevents work-related diseases

While its business model is to sell products through wholesalers around the world, Mirka wanted to work with Solita to provide modern services directly to the end user to minimise health exposures, among other things.

In order to find out what the customers need and want, 11 customer interviews were held in five different countries and stakeholder interviews were conducted in three countries during the project design phase.

“It’s a big step for a company in a traditional industry to start offering modern end user services that improve the user experience,” says Solita’s Business Lead Joonas Juujärvi.

MyMirka is a world-class, reliable application that communicates with sanders using Bluetooth. The application makes it possible to prevent work-related illnesses while promoting job satisfaction in many different industries.

It can also be used to determine, in addition to the duration of the operation, things like the rpm of a machine.

“For example, if you are doing sanding work on a luxury Swan sailboat, the application allows you to make various fine adjustments and increments, as well as adjust the average speed. MyMirka therefore influences both the outcome of the work and the employee’s well-being,” says Solita’s Technical Project Manager Eeva Riistama.

“It's a big step for a company in a traditional industry to start offering modern end user services that improve the user experience."
Joonas Juujärvi, Business Lead, Solita

A clear website enables new functionalities

In addition, Solita redesigned the former, obscure Mirka.com website into a structured, clear experience. Now, all the channels and services provide a consistent user experience. Above all, a modern platform makes it possible to integrate new services.

“We don’t use our website to only showcase our products, but also to offer solutions to various problems for our customers. We also wanted to create a website that would enable new functionalities in the future,” says Mirka’s Sandås.

“The purpose of the design work was to harmonise the design of the user experience in all services. Mirka had many active projects at the same time, and we wanted to make sure that the user experience remained consistent – now and in the future,” says Riistama.

“The purpose of the design work was to harmonise the design of the user experience in all services."

Eeva Riistama, Technical Project Manager, Solita

Good match of Solita and Mirka cultures

The MyMirka app enables Mirka to provide end users with healthier and safer user experiences. By making the proper adjustments in the application, the operator is not exposed to excessive vibration during a workday.

The new website has also received praise. “The site is now better optimised, and according to feedback, it is also clearly more mobile friendly,” says Sandås.

According to him, cooperation with Solita has been what he expected.

“Solita has the set of features that we wanted and that we think are important. Culture was also of great importance to us in choosing a partner – our cultures are a good match! Our cooperation has been seamless, fluid and very unbureaucratic. Together, we wanted to create additional value for our customers,” says Sandås.

According to Sandås, Mirka’s goal is to help companies and people to succeed and operate in a safer and more environmentally friendly way. “We start with the core questions – what do our customers need to build the perfect foundation for their operations? What are the challenges that our customers face? From this foundation, we try to help and find solutions to their business needs and problems in a simple, fast and efficient way,” says Sandås.

“There will be more solutions to make the process easier,” he adds.