Material Expertise Gained at LAB Created a Competitive Advantage in Entrepreneurship
From Dreams of a Career in Construction to Studying Wood Technology
Jasmiina Kolehmainen’s interest in construction and architecture eventually led her to study wood technology engineering in Lahti. The decision proved to be the right one, and her studies opened the door to her current career.
During her studies, she became increasingly interested in wood as a material. In particular, the versatility of plywood and the many ways in which it can be processed offered new perspectives and sparked an enthusiasm that remains evident in her work today.
What Kolehmainen remembers most clearly about LAB is the practical nature of the studies. Factory visits, practical assignments, work placements and collaboration with companies created a strong connection between her studies and working life.
”During our studies, we worked on real projects in real environments. It wasn’t just theory in a classroom. We were able to see and experience how the industry operates in practice. That proved enormously valuable later in my career.”
The student community also gave her lasting friendships that have continued well beyond graduation.
Practical work with wood materials was an important part of the wood technology studies.
Turning Material Expertise into a Competitive Advantage
The story of Puine began during Kolehmainen’s studies, when a laser cutter was acquired for the former LAB campus on Ståhlberginkatu in Lahti. She began experimenting with the machine in her own projects and shared the results on her interior design blog.
At first, entrepreneurship didn’t seem like an appealing option. As a young student, she even had a rather negative perception of it. This changed when she decided to test her business idea through a Junior Achievement course offered by LAB. The course gave her an opportunity to evaluate the idea in practice before officially establishing a company.
The company grew quickly, and its first products soon found customers. At the same time, Kolehmainen began to see entrepreneurship as a potential long-term career. Ten years later, Kolehmainen considers the material expertise she gained at LAB to be her company’s greatest strength.
”Many people know how to manufacture products but understanding how materials behave is a different matter. We can help our customers choose the right materials, surface treatments and fastening solutions, as well as solve technical challenges during the design phase.”
Alongside technical expertise, she also considers a multidisciplinary approach important.
”An engineer doesn’t have to be only an engineer. Creativity, design thinking and technical expertise can complement one another extremely well. This has been a major strength throughout my career.”
Today, Puine produces a wide range of birch plywood products designed with an emphasis on timelessness, sustainability and Finnish materials. The company remains guided by the same values as in its early years: high-quality products, sustainable consumption and entrepreneurship built around its founder’s own vision.
Kolehmainen designed and produced the awards for the Salpausselkä Games.
Having the Courage to Experiment and Build Your Own Path
Kolehmainen’s message to current students is clear: entrepreneurship is worth exploring in practice.
”The best way to learn about entrepreneurship is by doing it. If an opportunity presents itself, you should have the courage to try it. This allows you to quickly discover whether entrepreneurship is the right way of working for you.”
According to Kolehmainen, entrepreneurship requires resilience under pressure, the ability to manage several things simultaneously and a willingness to keep learning. At the same time, it offers the opportunity to build a career that reflects who you are. She considers her greatest achievement to be the fact that entrepreneurship has enabled her to earn a living on her own terms while keeping her values at the heart of her work.
”For me, success doesn’t mean achieving the highest possible turnover or accumulating wealth. What matters most is meaningful work, having time to spend with my family and being able to do things in accordance with my values.”
As a LAB alumna, Kolehmainen particularly values the opportunity to share her experiences with future generations.
”It is wonderful to be able to share my story and show that there are many different paths to becoming an entrepreneur. Sometimes a small experiment can grow into something far greater than you could ever have imagined at the beginning.”
