WELCOME TO OUR WEAVING MILL IN FINLAND !

We can show you around our factory because we ourselves are responsible for the entire manufacturing process, partially from the fibres and at the very least from yarn to fabric, all the way to the finished product. We aim for complete transparency and are happy to take groups on tour.

93%

of products are woven in own weaving mill in Lapua, Finland

6%

of products are woven in a weaving mill we co-own
in Kaunas, Lithuania .
(mohair blankets and some of the pocket shawls)

<1%

of products bought from European partners
(the hot water bottles inside the covers are made in Germany,
the dyed linen sheets in Lithuania.

Most of our products are manufactured in Lapua, in western Finland. It has been so for the last four generations. In 2021, we started investing millions in the production of Finnish sheep wool, development of finishing processes and weaving machinery. In recent years we have invested around 5 million euros in the development of our manufacturing processes in Finland.

The part of the production not done in our factories in Lapua takes place in our own subsidiary in Kaunas, where all the same operating methods and responsibility principles apply. Subcontractors manufacture less than 10% of our products. We operate according to Finnish and EU legislation. This means that Lapuan Kankurit adheres to rules and regulation and is, as a manufacturer, responsible for environmental management plans, the wellbeing and healthcare of the personnel, safety of equipment and buildings as well as reports pertaining to these matters.

MULTIFACETED EQUIPMENT

• We use the best technology available ensuring our products are durable and of the highest quality. This is also important for health and safety reasons.
  
• We are introducing new, cutting-edge sewing and cutting machinery in our sewing department in Lapua.
  
• We use top of the line technology in our fabric production: Karl Mayer warping machine, Dornier weaving looms and electronic Staübli jacquard machines. These are all safe, long-lasting, easy for our staff to use and represent the best in the business in energy efficiency. With weaving technology, too, we find it important to support European production.
  
• In the new finishing facility, the washing and wadding equipment and drying frame represent the latest technology. In addition, we have invested in heat recovery and geothermal heating.
  
• In building projects and equipment maintenance, whenever possible, we choose to work with local operators.

WE MANUFACTURE ONLY WHAT IS ORDERED

For us it is the volume of orders that guides the entire production. We do not manufacture products to end up as surplus. For this to happen, we use MES and ERP systems to improve both quality control and traceability of operations as well as to minimise surplus of products.

WE MAKE OUR PRODUCTS – NOT SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE

Our employees are like family to us. We want to know everyone in our production chain and we want to treat them fairly.
People enjoy it here: longest careers are around 40 years, and ther are several employees at the moment with a career spanning over 10–20 years with us at Lapuan Kankurit.

Our beliefs

Everyone needs to receive fair pay for their work.

Everyone needs to be able to have a say in developing their work and to thrive at work. To guarantee quality, you need to listen to your employees.

Diversity is an asset: our employees come from different countries and cultures.

Did you know?

42

The average age of our employees is 42 years. 51% of our employees are under the age of 40.

85%

percent of our employees are women. As a female-dominated place of work, we take on social responsibility and support the opportunity for women to balance work and family.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We want to take on social responsibility in the textile industry and employ people in accordance with EU legislation. Our own subsidiary in Kaunas shares the same goals and objectives as we do at our weaving mill in Finland.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING

The employees are trained in the Tampere University of Applied Sciences and within the company as well as in courses organised by equipment manufacturers, Finnish Textile and Fashion and Finland Chamber of Commerce.

We also encourage everyone to join us in creating an atmosphere at work where everyone actively promotes openness and equality to achieve these goals. In the past couple of years, we have developed our plant’s MES system together with our employees. We have also put effort in developing our working environment and improving safety at work.
We have a personnel of 15 employees in Lithuania and 35 in Finland.

TRAILBLAZER IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

The longer textile products are used, the better it is for nature. This is why we aim to design and manufacture products that are durable, have great longevity and versatile, multifunctional purposes. We cooperate with talented top designers in developing our products. The following principles of sustainable design are always taken into consideration when we begin designing our products:

1. Longevity We prefer to design our colour palette according to the interior decor of our clients instead of going along with fast fashion.
2. Multifunctionality Our aim is to create products and patterns as versatile and multifunctional as possible. A small towel can be used in the kitchen or bathroom, as a small table cloth or as a cover for the computer screen. A large table cloth can be used as a bedspread or as a curtain. A table runner is functional also in the sauna. A large linen towel can act as a blanket during the summer. The only limit is your imagination. material weaving according to exact measurements finishing.
3. Material The longevity and durability of a product begin with choosing a fibre. This is why we purchase yarn only from the best spinning mills in Europe. Linen and wool – the products we use most – are eco-friendly choices in use also. You can remove stains from linen by washing it at low temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. For wool, airing it outdoors is often enough.
4. Weaving according to exact measurement The most important thing in product design is utilising the entire width of the fabric. Most of our products are woven using exact measurements in order to avoid producing cutting waste. For example, many of our bathrobes have been designed in a manner where even the fabric edges from the loom are utilised. Those details are actually an essential part of the product’s design.
5. Finishing Careful finishing treatment affects the durability of the fabric. Almost all of our linen fabrics undergo a finishing treatment. This ensures that the high quality product maintains its shape also after it’s been washed at home. Whenever possible, in terms of structure and composition of fabric, we use water and heat to finish our products. The most important things are quality and a long product lifespan.

Towards Zero Waste

We design most of our products to be made from fabric woven according to exact measurements. This leaves almost no waste.

Some of the products result in leftover fabric which is utilised in making our so called zero waste products, such as bread bags, laundry bags and wash mittens made from linen terry.

If there is leftover fabric still left, it will be sold at our sales events and our factory outlet. We also donate leftover fabric to schools to be used for teaching purposes.

A part of the yarn is dyed near our weaving mill in Lappajärvi. This ensures that there are no large amounts of yarn left in storage. If a dye batch is no longer available, the rest of the yarn in that colour is woven and the fabric is sold at our sales events and our factory outlet.

Did you know?

You too can make a difference. In terms of product lifespan as well as from the environmental point of view, it is crucial that a textile is in use for as long as possible. Products made from natural materials should be taken care of in a correct manner:

Wash according to instructions or air them, remove the pilling from wool and mend the holes in the fabric. When the product has reached the end of its use, recycle it.

You can also return an old product to our store in exchange for a discount voucher. We will recycle the product for you.