LINK – Success with a combination of design, usability and technology
At LINK, we have been the drivers and catalysts of change in the Finnish business world for more than ten years. From the very beginning, our mission has been to create new business and success for our customers through integrated development – by combining design, technology and usability into unique solutions.
We founded LINK Design and Development Oy in 2009 with four people by purchasing our former workplace along with the personnel from Sweco. We have grown from an enthusiastic group of approximately 20 people at the beginning into the current tight-knit group of approximately 50 professionals who master design and product development.
In cooperation with our customers, we create new business and successful solutions for them. We make unique implementations that stand out from those of our competitors.
Approximately half of our company’s business operations consist of product development. The development of services and working on technology projects both account for approximately a quarter of our sales. An essential part of the way we operate is working with an extensive network of partners. We are in charge of a project and acquire the best cooperation partners to participate in each case.
LINK is known for the best ideas and innovations, and that's just how we want it to stay. We offer a boost for generating new solutions. We are bold enough to invent new things and go against the mainstream. On the other hand, we do take care of finances as well; we do not take too many risks.
A bold creator of change
We develop new and bold solutions for our customers, but we also accept challenges to renew ourselves.
We practise what we preach! Because all our employees are inspired by development, we also boldly ideate and implement our own projects.
Not all ideas take you to the finish line, but it’s still worth trying to implement them. For example, we tried to go global by directly entering the German market. The work did not pay off immediately, but it did help us later in acquiring international customers.
Our next step is to make strong use of digitalisation – LINK goes digital! We are already digitising customer projects as a purchased service. Soon we will also have new digital solutions coming to the market.
LINK history 2009–2020
- In 2009, LINK Design and Development Oy was founded when the deepest banking crisis in history was unleashed. The founders were Jaakko Anttila, Lauri Hintikka, Jari Lehikoinen and Piritta Winqvist, all of whom are still involved in the company. Jaakko Anttila has served as CEO from the very beginning and the other three form the Board of Directors. Jari and Piritta are also members of the company's corporate management committee.
- 2010 LINK celebrates its first year of operation and admires its first positive operating result. The linking with cooperation partners, in line with the name of the company, begins and cooperation agreements are concluded with four Finnish consultancy firms. The first “Interesting Seminar” is organised and it turns out to be a huge success.
- 2011 LINK moves into new premises on Myyrmäentie in Vantaa. Internationalisation begins in Sweden, where we travel for an excursion and join the Finnish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce. We continue the series of “Interesting Seminars” which is now being called the “Humane Seminar” and it also turns out to be a success.
- 2012 LINK participates in the Helsinki World Design Capital HI Design 2012 exhibition throughout its duration. An HI5 seminar is held in the exhibition rooms. Ponsse and Espotel achieve success in the Fennia Prize design competition. LINK participates in the Redbull Mäkiauto GP soapbox car competition in Helsinki's Observatory Hill and performs well, even though there is no driving off the road or other wild tricks.
- 2013 Internationalisation is under planning and visits made to trade fairs in Germany. New experts are hired in the organisation and the management is fortified with new professionals. LINK participates in the Firma Rock competition and reaches the semi-finals with the help of the Anundi rock music family.
- 2014 LINK gathers up its belongings once again and moves to Otaniemi in the City of Espoo. International overtures continue and LINK participates in the Hanover Industrial Trade Fair in Germany in Finland’s joint department. Fiskars, Ponsse, Kemppi, VR and Transtech products are now a success in the Fennia Prize competition.
- 2015 LINK wins the Elisa IoT Challenge competition in Slush with the idea of the “Foller food waste” concept. LINK designs the Finland Pavilion in Hanover and also participates in the trade fair. LINK establishes the Semic Group export ring with Comatec, Creanex and Wapice. The joint export manager works from Cologne and manages Semic's sales. Ponsse goes to Essen to accept the Red Dot Best Of The Best prize.
- 2016 LINK is victorious again in Slush in the Elisa IoT Challenge. Now the competition is won by Emergence Taival, with a positioning solution and service developed by LINK. LINK establishes Foller Oy to develop a food waste application. Now Chiller Oy accepts the Red Dot Best Of The Best prize for its product VariPro, and Toijala Works Oy is awarded a prize for its Kuro log stacker.
- 2017 LINK acquires Skunk Developments Oy. Its software and electronics designers form the LINK technology unit. LINK excels in the Fennia Prize competition with the Foller concept, and Fiskars is awarded for its irrigation hose solution. LINK moves to new, larger premises in Otaniemi. The investment made to become a provider of public services produced results – the City of Espoo selects LINK as one of its service design partners.
- 2018 Skunk Developments Oy is merged into LINK. Foller Oy receives its first commercial customers and signs a cooperation agreement with an international operator. The operations of the prototype workshop are expanded, and the Salo office is established at the IoT Campus. Success as a developer of public services is continued as now the cities of Helsinki and Turku choose LINK as one of their expert partners in service design.
- 2019 The company’s 10th anniversary is celebrated at the Helsinki Design Museum with customers, staff, stakeholders and partners. The house is packed and the atmosphere is through the roof. LINK starts development work on the first serially manufactured Finnish electric motorcycle and presents it at the Eicma -19 trade fair in Milan. The bike receives widespread international attention. Towards the end of the year, Foller is put on hold as it has not become a commercial success – at least not yet. That is why the company will be waiting for a new use for the time being.
- 2020 The coronavirus starts causing trouble for the business, but our strong customer relationships and excellent personnel enable profitable business operations. Now LINK employs approximately 50 design professionals from various fields of engineering, art and design. LINK continues on the path guided by its mission. Technological know-how, investment in internationality and recruiting new experts from different fields are all part of our everyday work.