Tatu Piilola is the Founder and CEO of Milectria Middle East Cables LLC (MMEC). A subsidiary of Finland-based Milectria, MMEC manufactures cutting-edge products through its Abu Dhabi headquarters and delivers them to partners in the GCC countries.
Milectria’s operations in the UAE and Abu Dhabi have been made possible by Tawazun Economic Council’s Offset project. That’s what led MMEC to become a leading business in their field in UAE. MMEC is also present on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Tatu Piilola has an excellent and talented team at MMEC. He is a customer-oriented and determined person who influences his entire team to be dedicated.
Furthermore, Tatu Piilola equally believes in his employees and aims to build trust with both his employees and customers.
Tatu Piilola tells us more about his company and experiences in this interview article.
Tatu Piilola, please explain your and your company’s background in detail.
MMEC belongs to a family of Milectria Group companies. Besides the UAE, we have manufacturing locations in Finland and Estonia. Our UAE Abu Dhabi unit is our latest established location. We have this great possibility because of Tawazun’s Offset project, approved by the Tawazun Economic Council in 2018. With the great help of our customers and Tawazun, we were able to start our business in Abu Dhabi
We assemble and deliver military-grade electronic solutions to our customers here in Abu Dhabi. These include military cable and wire harnesses, assemblies, and electrical panels. We offer full service consisting of repair services, product assembly, sourcing of military electrical materials, and warehousing services.
What are your goals?
Thanks to UAE and Tawazun, we’ve got an excellent start for our company. We are currently working with world-class customers, many of whom work in international markets. We aim to grow our Abu Dhabi headquartered unit to offer these services to all companies in the UAE operating in this very niche business. We see a great advantage to be able to build parts of high-tech systems locally here in the UAE. We aim to create independent security of supply to UAE military electronics.
Our company will grow to take part in more complex projects and be a trustful partner to international OEMs. We are working with them to build their products locally in the UAE.
We are strongly taking part also in the possibilities of neighboring countries. Success there would enhance our UAE unit export and make us a much stronger company.
What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?
We have an excellent group of professional, customer-oriented employees. We listen to what our customers want. We suggest different solutions and give more value than only a desired product. We want our relationship with customers to be more collaborative than just supplying products.
What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?
Follow your customers and offer them services in all possible territories. Our customers are worldwide well-known companies, and many of those are really big. We’ve been ready to start localization and technology transfer for the wanted areas.
Customer satisfaction is the key to our success. By providing excellent products and services to our customers, we have gained a reputation as reliable partners among highly regarded companies.
Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?
Milectria did not have any activities in the Middle East. Tawazun’s Offset project gave us this possibility, and it was immediately clear that we would take it. UAE is a very business-friendly country, and the location is also perfect for us.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To become a well-known company in the UAE. Even though we have a solid history and know-how of military electronics, we were not known in the UAE. With hard marketing and help from associations, we could find our place in the local markets.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Determined. There is a way to go to reach your goals. It might not always be simple and easy, but you will find your way with hard work.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
I really like my work, and I do it with people who I respect. Monday starts the new exciting workweek.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
We appreciate our personnel and treat people equally and fairly. We want our company to be trustworthy for our employees and customers.
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
In our working environment, big ramp-ups and ramp-downs are common. Projects will start, and projects will end. When variations are high, you have to be innovative and creative every time. There is no one model that would fit in all cases.
What are your company’s strategies, and how do they stand unique from your competitors?
We value a high-quality customer experience. We will go there where our services are needed. We are ready to expand our portfolio to the wanted area and location. We really are customer-oriented and collaboration partners.
What key values helped you overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?
You have to trust your team with what you have chosen. Teamwork is the key to success. Every person has their own strengths. Focus and lead those and don’t search for weaknesses. Lead a determined way.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
We will have a bigger facility, a lot of investments, and more automation. Our responsibility in the security of supply will rise.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
Our clients will get their products produced with world high-class know-how and quality. Products are made locally with the fastest possible lead time and competitive pricing.
What services/solutions or products are offered by your company at par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services?
- Assembly of military cables and electro-mechanical assemblies.
- Repair and testing services.
- All electro-mechanical integration work and Onsite technical support.
- Besides electrical assemblies, we can deliver the following systems and offer local MRO capabilities for them:
– Fire Protection System
– Intercom system
– Hybrid APU’s and A/C
– CBRN systems
– Complete camera- and display systems
Coming products and services are already under discussion with our collaboration partners. Information regarding these services/products will be released later.
Next Article Smartbox Media Web Design and App Development Company in UAE