This year turned out completely different than we anticipated a year ago. The early part of the year was promising in terms of sales, and the pace only picked up over the autumn season. Our customers have been doing well, which has naturally benefited us, too. We reached our targeted turnover estimate of €20 million last week. We expect to get as high as €20.4 million this year, which will be a record for Relicomp.
In terms of investments, we will soon be successfully wrapping up this year’s projects. The new plans for the coming year include installing a second FMS cell in our production, robotising our paint shop and improving the IT infrastructure. We also set out to hire 20 new employees this year and succeeded very well. I am extremely pleased about our effectiveness with drawing in top professionals. In this regard, the entire company owes a debt of gratitude to our employees who have worked hard and participated in marketing work. The recruitment efforts will continue next year, as we will be hiring about 10 new employees for production and office positions.
Despite our successes, the coronavirus pandemic continues to overshadow our operations. In the metal industry, its impacts manifest themselves as global component shortages, which cause extra modifications, programming and scheduling in our production. That said, the entire field now stands at an interesting crossroads since the large component manufacturers are currently located in Asia. The conditions in Europe are more stable, which is why companies have begun to reassess the opportunities in the region.
Despite all this, we have managed to maintain our delivery reliability at almost 100%. Our investments in staff and equipment have ensured controlled growth, and we will be staying the course in the new year. We are extremely pleased to be able to pay the largest amount of bonuses in our history to staff members right before Christmas, as thanks for their excellent work. We have achieved extraordinary results together!
We would like to thank all of our customers, partners and staff members for this amazing year. The outlook for the coming year is promising. Soon it will be Christmas and we will all get to wind down for the holidays. See you at work at the beginning of next year!
Best regards,
Marko Jyllilä
CEO