Stala is celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2022 by launching functional, high-quality solutions to cement their position as the leading design company in their field.
The year is 1972. US President Richard Nixon makes a state visit to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing. David Bowie releases the landmark album Ziggy Stardust. In Finland, Urho Kekkonen is president. In the city of Lahti, just north of Helsinki, Reino Rajamäki acquires Upo’s kitchen worktop manufacturing operations. This is the birth of Stala, whose name comes from the words Stainless and Lahti.
“For fifty years Stala has been an innovative and functional design company,” says CEO Pasi Härkönen. “Our success is down to our guiding principles of excellent Finnish workmanship, functional design and high-quality products. Everything we do is aimed at giving the best experience for our customers.”
For decades Stala has specialised in designing stainless steel worktops, kitchen sinks and mailboxes. Nordic design in industrial and household products is justifiably famous throughout the world, and Stala has contributed to its evolution. Beautiful and functional design will continue to be one of the most important differentiators of Stala’s solutions.
A major evolution occurred in 2020, when Stala was purchased by Kovinoplastika Lož Group, the owner of the Alveus brand. Both Stala and Alveus provide top-quality kitchen sinks and equipment, but they also have different, complementary strengths. While Stala is an expert in stainless steel, Alveus is a leader in multiple materials such as composites and tempered glass.
Stala stress the importance of sustainability. Improving sustainability is one of the megatrends of modern society, and it continues to grow in importance. Stala is committed to promoting wellbeing among their personnel, using resources efficiently, decreasing their carbon footprint and operating their business ethically and responsibly.
“I am proud of Stala’s history and I am excited for our future,” says Härkönen. “As we enter our next half-century of bringing the best solutions to our customers we will continue to stress all of the things that made us great: quality workmanship, design and technology. We will also bring innovative sustainability solutions to our offering. I look forward to sharing many exciting things this year with our existing and new partners.”
To learn more about how Stala has been improving kitchen experiences for fifty years – and how they will bring even better experiences in the future – please visit www.stala.com.
1972 – Stala’s journey begins in Lahti, Finland
1974 – Large kitchen furniture and stainless steel tubes manufacturing starts.
1980 – EkoLine waste sorting systems are created to improve households’ waste management.
1983 – Surplus steel left over from kitchen worktops is used to create stainless steel mailboxes.
1986 – Lean philosophy implemented to eliminate waste within processes.
1990 – Finnish quality association’s quality award.
1992 – Worktop export sales starts.
1994 – An environmental system is implemented.
2000 – Worktop and stainless steel tube businesses separates into two companies
2016 – Skanska rewards Stala for their more sustainable kitchen sink packaging.
2019 – Stala uses chemical-free and low-energy production for StalaTex patterned surfaces.
2020 – Stala’s ambitious responsibility objectives are launched to manifest the company’s commitment.