Finland's most reputable company has its roots in the forest

Forestry machinery company Ponsse is Finland’s most reputable company in 2018, according to the annual survey conducted by T-Media Reputation&Trustsurvey conducted by T-Media. Ponsse scored higher than any company has ever done before. Overall, Finns view companies in a more positive light than in previous years.

Ponsse was rated "excellent" in each of the eight categories of the reputation survey. The gaming company Supercell retained its second-place ranking in the overall results. The elevator manufacturer Kone came in third.

Marimekko and Elisa were the new entrants to the top ten list of companies with a good reputation. Attendo, Kärkkäinen, and Hennes & Mauritz were the new additions to the list of companies with a poor reputation. Of the companies surveyed, Nordea’s reputation took the biggest hit.

Reputation&Trust are challenging due to their breadth. Success in just one area is not enough to reach the top ranks. Our data analysis shows that, in addition to collecting productand service reviews, but also positive perceptions regarding, in particular, openness, transparency, being a good employer, and ethical conduct in business operations in general,” says Riku Ruokolahti, Development Director responsible for reputation research at T-Media.

“Ponsse is an example of a company that has succeeded in every area and remained at the forefront of developments in its field. The company is committed to promoting the well-being of its employees and the entire local community, but has also managed its engagement in a diverse and refreshing way—it’s not just about choosing successful sponsorship targets,”Ruokolahti continues.

OUR STRENGTHS: ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE ABILITY TO ADAPT

In addition to its overall score, Ponsse received record scores in this year’s survey for its sustainability and ability to innovate.

“Ponsse has come a long way since the recession of the early 1970s, when the first PONSSE forest machine was built in the village of Vieremä. Back then, we had no capital, no engineering expertise, no knowledge of machine manufacturing, and not even our own factory building. Our success today is based precisely on overcoming the challenges of those early days,” says Juha Vidgrén, Chairman of the Board at Ponsse.

“Our core values continue to be uncompromising customer service, tenacity, and the ability to cope with uncertainty, as well as a deep appreciation for hard work and the expertise of our staff, and a commitment to flexibility. Our ultimate goal has always been to manufacture the world’s best forest machines. In the words of the company’s founder, Einari Vidgrén, ‘the Mercedes of the forest.’”

CORPORATE REPUTATION AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH

Finns’ perceptions of companies have steadily improved over the past four years. In particular, the public’s view of companies as fair employers and responsible actors has strengthened. Companies’ financial performance is also seen to have improved significantly.

“We are constantly bombarded with news about mistakes made by individual companies, particularly regarding ethical issues. This creates the impression that companies aren’t doing their jobs properly. However, that is not the case,” says Harri Leinikka, CEO of T-Media.

“The increasingly tense climate is making companies more cautious. Many companies have begun to measure and manage their reputation. This partly explains the average growth in reputation, although the positive economic climate is also helping in this regard. It’s easier to be a fair employer when the economic situation doesn’t require layoffs,” Leinikka explains.

Additional information:

Riku Ruokolahti, Director of Development
riku.ruokolahti@reptrust-staging.fi-p.seravo.com, 0400 512 200

Harri Leinikka, CEO
harri.leinikka@reptrust-staging.fi-p.seravo.com, 040 505 5001

The results are based on Reputation&Trust conducted in June and July 2018, which aimed to assess the reputation of companies operating in Finland among the general public. A total of 6,612 Finns responded to the survey, providing a total of 17,004 company ratings.

The companies with the best and worst reputations were selected for the study based on a preliminary survey conducted in March 2018. In the preliminary study, 1,154 Finns spontaneously named two companies they considered to have a particularly good reputation and two companies they considered to have a particularly poor reputation. T-Media does not influence the selection of the companies to be included.

The thirty companies with the most mentions were analyzed in detail Reputation&Trust, in which a company’s reputation score is calculated as the average of eight different categories: corporate governance, finance, leadership, innovation, interaction, products & services, workplace, and corporate responsibility.

The study’s target group consisted of Finns aged 15–65 nationwide (excluding the Åland Islands). The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence. The statistical margin of error for the entire data set is at most approximately 1.2 percentage points in either direction.