Jukka – Strategic Buyer

Strategic Buyer Jukka Mykkänen has worked at Lapp and its predecessor companies since 2010. Job descriptions and titles have changed over the years, but the golden thread has always been tasks related to purchasing and procurement.

Jukka Mykkänen joined Lapp already during his BBA studies. Having lived in the Netherlands and Sweden when younger, Jukka studied in English starting from middle school.

During his studies, Jukka worked as a summer employee in the warehouse. Towards the end of his studies, an interesting position opened up in SKS Group’s export team, and Jukka decided to apply. Soon, work took over, and even his thesis was put on hold for a while.

“I came here and I’m still here. I’ve never found this burdensome, nor have I regretted being in the same company. I like routines and familiar things, but the tasks have also varied just enough,” Jukka sums up.

The final thesis was eventually completed conveniently as an assignment for Lapp.

Enjoyable Multitasking

Early in his career, Jukka assisted with marketing tasks such as preparing events and trainings, launching new products, and organizing trade fairs. Later, his desk saw more purchasing-related duties as well as handling sales orders and preparing quotations. In 2016, the company underwent a major system upgrade.

“We switched to using the SAP system, where I’ve been the main user. Regarding SAP, I’ve worked on a wide range of tasks related to our supply chain, excluding logistics and finance. Currently, we are transitioning to the group-wide SAP system, and I’m also involved in this project,” Jukka explains.

At present, Jukka works in the customer success team, where he is responsible for maintaining relationships with Lapp’s supplier partners and sourcing mobile segment products according to consumption.

“Together with our team, we assess what to stock and what campaigns we run. We manage products so that they circulate as efficiently as possible and the inventory stays under control. In addition, we optimize prices. In today’s global situation, we constantly check delivery times and update product information in SAP in real time.”

Language skills come in handy in Jukka’s work, as products are sourced almost exclusively from abroad. Furthermore, global group meetings may include participants from Germany, Sweden, and Italy. For those interested in international career paths, new opportunities are available.

Alongside everything else, Jukka also assists the sales team and enjoys the variety of his tasks.

“My work has always involved multitasking, and this partly stems from my own initiative. I believe it’s good to be flexible and adapt to different situations. Diverse tasks help keep things interesting.”

Balance Between Work and Leisure Is Important

According to Jukka, at Lapp it’s easy to separate work from free time. As a counterbalance to a social job, he values a relaxed and calm home life.

“The gym is a bit of a necessary evil, you could call it a hobby. Otherwise, I like to take it easy during the week,” Jukka says.

On weekends, Jukka switches to a more social mode and enjoys spending time with friends and his partner at restaurants, concerts, and sports events.

“In recent years, we’ve gotten excited about the museum card, so we’ve visited museums more than before. After the pandemic, we’ve also traveled more within Finland.”

Jukka advocates for a relaxed attitude.

“With a relaxed attitude and good humor, work is always much lighter and challenges are easier to overcome. When you chat with colleagues about things other than work, it’s easier to cope at work.”