Customer CasePolaria
Polaria is a Finnish company that designs, manufactures, and markets bathroom furniture made from powder-coated steel – a material particularly well suited for wet environments thanks to its exceptional moisture resistance and long service life. Founded in 1970 in Mäntyharju, Finland, the company has spent more than 50 years building a strong position as one of Finland's leading manufacturers of bathroom furniture.
When Polaria decided to establish its operations in Sweden, the company needed to recruit its first employee for the new market. With limited knowledge of the Swedish labour market, Polaria partnered with Rubino, a collaboration that has since contributed to the company’s continued growth in Sweden.
We saw the Swedish market as being very similar to the Finnish market. At the same time, our business operates in a fairly niche segment, which made export markets a natural part of our growth strategy. For our Swedish customers, we wanted to be a local partner,
Timo Karhula, CEO of Polaria Oy and Polaria AB
Entering a New Market Brings New Challenges
Expanding into a new market involves many strategic decisions. For Polaria, recruiting its first employee in Sweden was a significant milestone. This person would not only represent the company in a new market but also lay the foundation for its long-term growth in Sweden.
Our first recruitment in Sweden was a significant investment and naturally involved a certain level of risk. We simply didn’t have enough knowledge of the Swedish market to manage the recruitment process on our own.
It quickly became clear that local expertise would be essential for finding the right candidate and reaching professionals who were not actively looking for a new job.
Our knowledge of the Swedish market was limited, which made a local recruitment partner absolutely essential. Their understanding of the local market was invaluable.
A Recruitment Process That Inspired Confidence
The collaboration began with an initial meeting where Polaria’s business, objectives, and recruitment needs were carefully mapped out. For Timo, what made the biggest difference was the clear communication and the confidence the process provided from start to finish.
The process was very well structured, and the communication was clear and consistent throughout the recruitment. For us, it’s important that a partner delivers on its promises, even when challenges arise. Rubino has done exactly that.
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Continued Growth Despite Challenging Market Conditions
Since entering the Swedish market, Polaria has continued to grow its business despite several years of difficult conditions within the construction industry.
Our presence in Sweden has grown significantly since then. The construction market has been challenging for quite some time, but despite that, Polaria has continued to successfully develop its business in Sweden.
As the company expanded, so did its partnership with Rubino. When it was time to recruit again, the process became even smoother.
Rubino consistently delivers on its promises and has developed a genuine understanding of our business and our needs. Our second recruitment was actually even easier.
What Does It Take to Successfully Recruit Salespeople for a New Market?
Because the recruitment was part of Polaria’s market entry into Sweden, the candidate profile needed to reflect the challenges of establishing a business in a new country. For Timo, the most important qualities were clear from the outset.
Strong market knowledge and an established professional network are essential. In addition, the person needs to understand both the product being sold and the customers it is intended for.
”I Definitely Recommend Rubino”
After two successful recruitments and continued business growth in Sweden, Timo has no hesitation in recommending the partnership.
I definitely recommend Rubino. Our collaboration has been seamless. Even when we’ve encountered challenges, Rubino has delivered exactly what was promised. Their communication has been professional and clear throughout the process, giving us confidence that everything was under control and moving forward. They also quickly gained a solid understanding of our business and the type of expertise we were looking for in each recruitment.