The story of Safetyset
Safetyset Oy originated from the forgotten ‘window plastics’ on the floor of Tuko warehouse.
In the 1990s during a great depression, Jorma Ikävalko walked around the warehouse of a coop called Tuko. At that time, he had his own locksmith and lock service company in Maunula in Helsinki, and he was at the warehouse as there was a huge sale of security products: goods were sold to installers in large batches.
“Among the products there were also boxes that, according to the seller, contained ‘plastic windows’. This did not immediately wake my interest. However, when coming back from the huge warehouse, I asked if there was any technical information about that plastic,” Ikävalko recalls. No information was found in the warehouse, but at the factory. There was also so much interest in the Finnish market so Ikävalko invited a factory representative to visit him when touring in the Nordic countries. “Now afterwards, I can tell you that the seller had no idea about the whole product,” he points out.
This ‘big American sales person’ responded positively to the invitation and came to Finland to talk about these window films. After clarifying the matter with the construction laboratory of the Helsinki University of Technology, Ikävalko was ready to enter into a representation agreement for GlassGard post-laminated products.
Safetyset was brought back to life
The aim was to concentrate the import of the films to a separate company. For this purpose, Marjo and Jorma Ikävalko brought Safetyset back to life. Two years later, in 1996, the company hired its first employee. At Safetyset, it was quickly realised that the films had to be sold pre-installed. We learned the thing ourselves first: we installed the films on as many different surfaces and locations as possible. Thanks to our own experience, we were able to train and advise dealers, and if necessary, tell them about the issues that might come up in projects.
Systematic training provided by the importer was a completely new concept; no one else offered that kind of a service. At the time it was a male-dominated field and it was revolutionary to have a female trainer, Ona Gardemeister (formerly Luomala). Ona worked for many years as a key person in the company and got a nickname from our customers, Mrs. Film.
The film trade was brisk. So brisk that a few years later the factory also offered Safetyset the representation of SunGard products in the Finnish market. The next significant step was taken in 2005 when Bioscrypt, a manufacturer of biometric products, became convinced of and began cooperating with Safetyset. In 2009 an agreement was put in place to represent key cabinets and security lockers. They are marketed in Finland under the CaseClosed brand name. In spring 2010, we entered into a representation agreement with Suprema INC for the representation of biometric products, which gradually replaced other access control products.
In 2013, it was time for the family business to think a little further to the future. This resulted in the integration of the second generation into the business. Jukka Ikävalko started working for the company initially as an expert in ITC-based product groups (smart key cabinets, access control).
At the beginning of 2015, the company was the only company in the Nordic countries to receive the Premier Partner status granted by our principal, Madico Ltd, as an implementer of blast protection glass solutions.
At the end of 2016, the CaseClosed product group was replenished when we started representing safes and fire security cabinets. These product groups complement each other perfectly.
In the first half of 2017, a share transaction related to a generational change was made. Jukka Ikävalko became the company's main owner.