Vesa – Business Line Manager

As Business Line Manager at LAPP Automation, Vesa Tepponen’s career spans nearly the entire modern development of the industry. In the early days of Vesa’s LAPP career in the mid-1980s, there wasn’t a single PC in the office.

Vesa originally joined the company as a maintenance technician after graduating as a telecommunications electronics installer in 1986. Over his nearly 40-year career, Vesa has worked with practically all of the company’s products. The pace of technological development has been rapid.

“In the 1980s, telex and later the widespread use of email sped up work tremendously, because before that we sent documents and drawings to customers by regular mail. Now files can be easily shared or shown, even in Teams,” Vesa illustrates.

40 years in the company – learning continues

After working as a maintenance technician for just over 10 years, Vesa moved into sales as a specialist in temperature measurements and calibrators, a role he held until the early 2000s. Since then, he has managed four different product groups. These new responsibilities have also offered opportunities for self-study on various products, principals, and customers.

His current role as Business Line Manager is already his seventh. He no longer works directly in sales, but both customers and colleagues value the expertise accumulated over decades. Some customer relationships date back to the very beginning of his career. Personal chemistry and trust have remained strong, and long-time customers still regularly reach out to Vesa.

“Customers trust us because no other company offers products on such a broad scale. Even though I don’t primarily work in sales anymore, familiar customers still ask me questions because they appreciate my technical knowledge. And I’ve had nearly forty years to practice,” Vesa laughs.

His current position is a return to his roots, as he develops and maintains LAPP Automation’s temperature sensor manufacturing and service operations.

“I originally joined the company because I wanted to work with my hands. Today, I’m a kind of jack-of-all-trades – for example, I maintain our sensor production machinery and its maintenance plans. I also enjoy working with people in teams, and that’s exactly what this job involves,” Vesa sums up.

An engineer-minded tech enthusiast who enjoys family time

Vesa describes himself as an engineer-minded tech enthusiast who has always been interested in technology, which has helped him stay up to date. New technology allows faster customer service, but the rapid pace of development in recent years also raises questions.

“I’ve learned every new system and technical setup throughout my career because I’ve always wanted to improve myself. Sometimes progress moves so fast that you have to be very careful with cybersecurity and viruses,” Vesa notes.

Vesa spends his free time with his family. In recent years, his grandchildren have brought joy to his leisure time, often spent at a second home in Kangasala.

“In the past, we toured Europe by motorcycle and traveled around Finland with a caravan. Now, the caravan life and motorcycling have been replaced by a kind of ‘cottage life’ at our second home. I make sure holidays and weekends are spent together. Time also goes into hiking in nature and skiing,” Vesa shares.

If you have any questions, Vesa will be happy to answer at vesa.tepponen(a)lapp.com