We've already been in 2017 for a couple of weeks. It's been a good start, let's hope the rest of it goes well! THANK YOU to our customers, suppliers and partners for 2016 and have a great start to 2017.
A year ago, when we started the year, the outlook was unclear. Tough goals had been set for 2016. The economic situation in Finland was confusing. As an optimist, I predicted and hoped at the time that the Finnish economy would also turn to growth at some point. The economic situation in Finland improved slightly during 2016. It did indeed turn positive, not much, we are happy with even a small positive. This led to a slight improvement in the market situation.
The year 2016 was good for us. Our well-being at work was still at a good level. Dimex employees were in a good mood. According to the customer satisfaction survey, satisfaction with us is at a really good level. Our turnover grew by almost 2.0 million euros, exceeding 13 million euros. Our results remained competitive. We certainly received help from a slightly improved market situation, perhaps even “from heaven”. I see that the choices we made and the work we did are paying off. We clearly gained market share in Finland. Our exports also grew to almost a million euros.
Was there a single ray of sunshine at Dimex last year? Well, there wasn't. Sometimes it was cloudy, rainy, and even stormy. There were big projects and things that were very challenging, even problematic and difficult. Do things always go as they do in Strömsö? I used to read fairy tales to my children and at the end they said: "They lived happily ever after". I thought that you can't always be happy. As a parent, I have learned that life also includes times and moments when you are not happy. Still, you can look at the course of life and see that there has been an incredible amount of happiness. That was also the case in 2016. As you can see from my text, in my opinion, the same things apply to both work and private life. It is not necessary to put them in completely different baskets. Good feelings are needed in both.
It has felt strange stepping into 2017. The outlook for Finland’s economy is slightly positive. It is even expected that the market situation will improve a little this year. It feels odd. In itself, this doesn’t affect what we do. We still have to focus on the things we’ve chosen. We have to focus on our own work and our own thing. These are what we can influence. Our competitors, of whom there are many, are also doing a great job. It’s good to remember this so we don’t get our heads in the clouds. We must continue with good self-confidence and a humble mindset. We also have the opportunity in 2017 to grow and strengthen in line with our goals. The main pillar of this goal is that we will continue to have a good vibe at the workplace. Our own word for it is HYVÄ PÖSSIS – good buzz. Through this we can continue on a customer-focused and solution-oriented path.
Let’s take good care of ourselves. This year too, we need to show ourselves some compassion. I hope, act and believe that 2017 will be a good year. There may be some bumps in the road, but that’s part of a good year too.
Have a really good rest of the year!
Yucca
P.S. A year ago in a similar message I wrote that I’m the best at playing with my grandchildren out of all the adults. I’ve still kept the top spot in their opinion. Although now I’ve been told: not in games. So now I’m under heavy pressure to get into gaming.