The Nordic Way: How ROXON builds lasting partnerships in material handling
Why trust, transparency, and true partnership define ROXON’s approach to conveyor system projects
“You at ROXON are really nice people. Completely different.” This feedback from a major Nordic mining customer capture something fundamental about how ROXON operates – but it’s not just about being pleasant to work with. It reflects a distinct approach to engineering partnerships that many customers tell us they value.
Mikko Järvinen, Head of Projects at ROXON, who has worked with Nordic projects for 18 years, explains what sets ROXON apart: “We genuinely try to reach the best possible outcome together with the customer. That’s ultimately the best outcome for us too – at least in the long term.”
What is the Nordic Way?
The Nordic Way isn’t just about being nice – it’s about being honest, collaborative, and genuinely invested in finding the best solution for the customer
In the Nordics, there’s a word that captures the essence of project collaboration: “diskutera” – to discuss, debate, and think through solutions together. This isn’t superficial consultation; it’s active, daily dialogue throughout the project’s lifecycle.
“The Nordic Way is really about that continuous communication with the customer,” Järvinen explains. “It’s probably what differentiates us most. Here in the Nordics, it’s about daily discussion and joint problem-solving.”
This approach stems from a cultural expectation of transparency and mutual respect. Nordic customers don’t want suppliers who simply present finished solutions – they want partners who involve them in the thinking process.
Customer partnership in practice
Most ROXON projects – approximately 95% – involve intensive collaboration with customers throughout the design phase. “We go through reviews together with the customer and consider: is this good? Should we change something? Can we find an even better solution?” Järvinen describes.
This extends to encouraging customers to bring their own experts into the process. “We’re genuinely happy when a customer includes their maintenance personnel in meetings. They bring crucial perspective that makes the final solution better.”
The difference from traditional supplier relationships is striking – ROXON actively breaks barriers. “We don’t have silos or walls that restrict how ‘this department does this.’ We work across the entire company to deliver these projects, collaborating closely with our own maintenance department and components department.”
Honesty over short-term profit
True customer-centricity sometimes means recommending solutions that bring less immediate revenue. “We focus on what is genuinely optimal for the customer’s operation,” Järvinen explains. “Sometimes that means suggesting a simpler, more cost-effective approach than initially planned.”
This honesty builds something more valuable than individual project margins: trust. “When we’re honest and do things right, it will serve us in the future. Customers trust us in other matters. Trust is really a big thing between us and our customers.”
Promises you can count on
Delivery reliability doesn’t happen by accident at ROXON. “It starts from the process itself. We have strict scheduling and certain milestones that must be completed at specific stages. We monitor progress continuously. If something looks like it might slip, we react immediately – we don’t wait eight months and then announce a five-month delay.”
Järvinen uses a vivid metaphor that his predecessor once taught him: “I sometimes show an image of telephone poles stretching to the horizon. When you shake the first pole, that last one on the horizon shakes too. That’s how we think – you anticipate and forecast the situation well in advance. I’ve used this image myself to illustrate the situation.”
When challenges arise, ROXON takes a collaborative approach. “We focus on finding solutions together with our customers,” Järvinen explains. “Sometimes that means going the extra mile to maintain our commitments. “Strong communication throughout the project is key – it allows us to anticipate and address issues before they impact delivery. We believe it’s always better to communicate too much than too little.”
The power of proximity
ROXON’s business unit in Gällivare, located in Sweden’s largest ore concentration area, provides more than just convenient service access. “When you’re close to the customer, situations arise where together with the customer we discover improvement opportunities,” Järvinen explains.
“Our experts are on-site, so someone might literally pull them aside and say, ‘come look at this.’ These spontaneous interactions lead to solutions we’d never discover from a distance.”
The local presence also ensures deep expertise. “I believe we have truly high-caliber people there as experts on the ground. Our customers value their insight and competence highly. Being at that interface generates much larger opportunities for us as a company, but most importantly, it means we can respond incredibly quickly when needed.”
Decades of specialized expertise
ROXON’s approach is built on a solid technical foundation. The company has developed competencies in demanding material handling solutions over decades, with references for overland conveyors stretching back to the 1980s.
“Technically demanding conveyors customized for our customers are at the core of our operations. We prefer to say, ‘material handling equipment’ rather than just conveyors, because we do feeders and our mobile equipment includes various types of handling,” Järvinen clarifies.
This breadth of experience, combined with in-house maintenance and service capabilities, allows ROXON to consider problems from multiple angles.
“Our decades of experience shows up in daily work across every area. It’s not just technical competence – project management and project process expertise play huge roles,” he emphasizes.
Building continuity that matters
In a recent customer satisfaction survey, Nordic customers identified what they value most: expertise, quality, and continuity. ROXON scored highly on all fronts.
“We aim to maintain a core team working on Nordic projects, so there are familiar faces throughout. Of course you need to bring in new people sometimes, scale up and down, but there’s a core group who’ve done this work and whom customers have learned to know. It’s really about something bigger than just a supplier-customer relationship.”
This continuity transforms project work. “The actual work becomes genuinely enjoyable,” Järvinen reflects.
Beyond supplier and customer
The Nordic Way represents more than a business strategy – it’s a cultural approach that recognizes shared success requires shared effort, honest communication, and genuine partnership.
“The Nordic Way is about reaching the best outcome together, so the project is good for everyone involved,” Järvinen summarizes. “It’s an open culture where you can discuss even difficult issues openly with each other.”
For customers working in the demanding conditions of Nordic mining and processing, this approach delivers what technical specifications alone cannot: reliability, adaptability, and a partner invested in their long-term success.
For more information about ROXON’s approach to material handling projects and partnerships, contact ROXON’s team. With decades of experience and a commitment to the Nordic Way of collaboration, ROXON provides the partnership and expertise needed for demanding material handling solutions.