Meet the Tampere City Region: Orivesi

– What’s Orivesi known for, Head of Economic Development Pirkko Lindström?

Many people know Orivesi because of our location at the junction of highway 9 and routes 58 and 66, and only 25 minutes from Tampere by train. Our beautiful nature, lakes and hiking trails are famous, and sports people cheer for OrPo the volleyball team. Leather and shoe industries are prominent in the industrial history of Orivesi. 

– How does Orivesi attract business?

There are affordable business lots available along the highway 9. When a company is interested in them, our administration responds swiftly to allow the company to start developing its business as soon as possible. In a small town like Orivesi local entrepreneurs tend to know each other and there is a real sense of community.

Public transport services are often important for employees, and Orivesi is easily accessible by both train and Tampere Region buses. Orivesi town centre is compact and provides a large variety of services, and we can offer excellent opportunities for anyone who wishes to live in Orivesi.

– What makes Orivesi internationally interesting?

Nature, wilderness and culture provide our main attractions. Tourists may initially come to Tampere, and we can offer unique day trip destinations for them. Tampere Region is applying for the European Capital of Culture title for the year 2026, and for Orivesi that is a fine framework to gain visibility together with the collaborating municipalities.

Saunatalo is the biggest sauna manufacturer in Finland. It has made over 100 000 saunas, mainly for construction companies. Most Finns have at least once taken a bath in a sauna manufactured by Saunatalo.

– Why is Saunatalo located in Orivesi, CEO Juha Kananen?

The founder of the company started the business 30 years ago in Orivesi where he lived. When Saunatalo needed bigger premises, it was an obvious choice to expand here. Orivesi has always been a good location for Saunatalo.

There is always skilled and motivated workforce available, that’s the best asset here. We need people who are familiar with handcraft and woodworking, and highly skilled employees are essential for customer satisfaction. We manufacture sauna components that are ready to be easily assembled at the construction site.

The Tampere Region and Helsinki metropolitan area are our main market areas, and logistically Orivesi fits very well with that. Highway 9 is of major importance for us. For example, at least a couple of trucks head from our factory towards Tampere every day.

– How does the local cooperation work?

Our value chain starts with the local forest owners, because locally grown wood and processed timber are our raw materials. There is a network of local cooperation for all needs: from welding to transports and banking services, from earthmoving to snow ploughing.

The City of Orivesi is also an important partner, interested in the local entrepreneurs and helpful towards us. If there is anything to ask, the administrators are easy to approach.

Orneule is the largest manufacturer of metric knit goods in Finland, maintaining high Finnish quality and taking customer needs carefully into account.

– Why is Orneule located in Orivesi, Managing Director Jyrki Uotila?

The choice was clear at the time, because the founders are from Orivesi, and the location has served the company well. The main traffic routes are near and networks of supply and distribution within reasonable distances. This is crucial for our business, especially when it comes to export. 

All the services a company requires are available in Orivesi, should one need for example an electrician, a plumber or ICT-services. I also think Orivesi is  conveniently sized. It is possible to run your errands at the town centre on a way home from work – and it won’t take but a half an hour altogether.

– What does the future look like?

Orneule is carefully observing the trends and transformations in the market and customers’ demands. As a result, the use of merino wool, eco-cotton and recycled fibres has increased in our knits.  Ecological responsibility is an important value for us and, further to that, the legislation in Finland and in the EU ensure it is applied in everything we do.

 Another interesting trend is safety: we’ve been involved in the development of cut-proof material Cutlon.