Epira Oy
The story of Epira
Epira Oy
Epira Oy is a Finnish family-owned business that specialises in animal bedding. Epira's entirely domestic Ruti products are manufactured in Karstula from clean side-products of the wood-processing industry.
Epira stands out from other bedding manufacturers with its versatility and active product development. For example, Ruti-Rex kennel bedding for outdoor dogs, Ruti-Mix peat-shavings blend and Ruti-Raikas horse bedding are products developed by Epira. The company has modernised its production by automating production lines, investing in machinery and production facilities, and focusing on product development.
Epira produces and supplies bedding for both professional and hobby use under its Key Flag symbol branded Ruti product range. Animal welfare is an important matter for both animal owners and Epira.
The product range has expanded beyond animal bedding to include products whose user groups include plant nurseries, manufacturing industry and the mechanical transport sector, among others.
Our values
- Environmental friendliness: sustainable development and naturalness
- Flexible deliveries and reliability
- Domestic labour and raw material
- Animal welfare
History
The journey of bedding manufacturer Epira Oy began in 1987 as a company named Honkatuote, bagging band saw sawdust. Arvo Saarelainen, one of the founding brothers of Honkarakenne Oyj, wanted upon his retirement to process new products from Honkarakenne's by-products, as he did not want the raw material to go to waste. The company's business concept was to utilise by-products generated in the wood-processing industry, and its values from the very beginning have been ecology, sustainable development and naturalness.
Honkatuote was merged into Honkarakenne in 1993, and at the same time Epira Oy was established as a limited company. Kari Saarelainen, the son of Arvo Saarelainen, started work as the new company's first managing director. The company's field of business was the marketing and product development of wood-processing industry by-products, ecological products and other wood products. Epira Oy also managed Honkarakenne Oyj's corporate gifts and promotional products until the end of 2006.
In spring 2004, a partial generational shift took place at Epira when Arvo’s daughters took over the responsibility for the company. Pirjo Ruuska was appointed as Managing Director and Anita Saarelainen as Chair of the Board. Following the generational shift, Epira Oy’s operations have been approached with a renewed vigour and product development has been active. For example, the RUTI-Rex kennel pad for outdoor dogs, RUTI-Mix peat-shavings mixture and RUTI-Raikas horse bedding are products developed by Epira. In 2010, Epira merged Puulaakson Puru Oy into itself and now manages its own bedding production.
In 2011, Epira purchased the freight drying plant buildings and land areas from the municipality of Karstula and built a new office and staff amenities in these premises. In the same year, Epira was awarded Karstula Company of the Year.
In 2013, JCI Tuhannet Järvet recognised Epira with the "Maaseudun tulevaisuuden tekijät" honorary mention.
Epira celebrated its 30th anniversary with an open day held at its Karstula factory on 28 October 2016. A large number of visitors attended to learn about the company's operations, and coffee was served in Paalilinna (Bale Castle), which was built from bedding bales in the courtyard. In his congratulatory speech, the Mayor of Karstula presented Epira with the municipal pennant as a gift.
In the autumn of 2020, CEO and majority shareholder Pirjo Ruuska retired, and Petri Mustamäki started as her successor as CEO. Pirjo Ruuska will continue on the company's board of directors.
In recent years, Epira Oy has modernised its production by automating production lines, investing in machinery and production facilities, and focusing on product development. Epira’s most recent projects include supplying sawdust and wood flour for composite production and using coarser granules for seedling protection.
Epira uses only domestic raw materials, and the Ruti products have the Key Flag Symbol.
Product development
Wood is a raw material that can be processed into many things. The quality and usability of Epira's current products are excellent for their intended purpose, and through product development, it is possible to further develop new wood-based products for e.g. animals, as a raw material for composites, for insulation and packaging. Clean side streams from the mechanical forestry industry are used as raw materials for Epira's products.
As a result of its own product development, for instance, the RUTI-Mix peat bedding hit the market in 2006, having been developed in cooperation with the Tarvaalan agricultural college. The peat bedding was already tested on farms during its development stage, allowing future users to provide feedback on the product. Epira Oy is the first company in the sector to start baling peat bedding industrially. The RUTI-Rex dog kennel bedding is also the company's own development work.
On the other hand, some product development ideas have come directly from customers. For example, the idea for RUTI-Raikas horse bedding came from Tapani Raunio, whose expertise and contacts were utilised in developing the bedding. Karstula Tervet Veterinary Clinic was also closely involved in testing RUTI-Raikas horse bedding, which aimed to ensure the product suited the needs of users sensitive to dust. Good stable air is of paramount importance when considering the respiratory health and performance of a horse. As a result of prolonged irritation and sensitisation, a horse can develop chronic bronchitis, which clearly reduces performance, and/or permanent lung damage.
In addition to its own product development, Epira has been involved in, among other things, VTT's Testaa project and its follow-up project NoMa, which lasted until the end of 2017. The projects aimed to improve material properties, and they have developed and researched new biodegradable wood products, such as wood molding suitable as a substitute for polystyrene as a packaging material. The replacement of plastics with wood-based natural materials has also been studied in the Piloting Alternatives for Plastics project.
With Epira, it is possible to manufacture pellets of different sizes and made from various wood species, from which new composite products can be developed. Please get in touch if you are interested in our pellets suitable for composite products or if you have a product development idea. Let's solve it together!
