"The assumption is that there will be surprises. The hope is that there will be more pluses than minuses," says Jyrki Taiminen, who heads the US operations of Premix, specializing in electrically conductive plastics.
Taiminen officially started in this position as of 1st of April. The following day, US President Donald Trump announced a massive import tariff. The tariff day was followed by market jitters and rapid changes in trade policy.
“In the big picture, the turbulence has been more of a plus than a minus for us,” says Taiminen.
The opening of the company's brand new manufacturing facility in North Carolina was celebrated in June. The raw materials used in the production come from the United States. This is an advantage when customers are looking for ways to avoid import duties.
For example, the Finnish company has found it easier to discuss Premix as a potential material supplier with potential customers. Taiminen says that “Made in USA” has already been a kind of hygiene factor.
Premix is a family-owned company that develops and manufactures electrically conductive plastic materials, with a production plant in Rajamäki, Finland. In 2022, the company received financing of around USD 80 million, or approximately EUR 70 million, to build a production plant in the United States. The funding was provided by the US Department of Defense in cooperation with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The North Carolina plant is expected to start full production in July after the final test runs have been completed.
"We have had to demonstrate to the Ministry of Health that we can produce a certain volume in certain time frame and this is now done," says Taiminen.
The full annual capacity is about 20 000 tonnes of electrically conductive polyethylene and polypropylene-based materials, but there is room for more production and expansion of the factory. Production is also tailored to customer needs.
The launch of Premix production in North Carolina comes at an opportune time. One of Trump's key policy goals is to increase production in the US, whether it's cars or other commodities. Ensuring domestic production was also the reason Premix received tens of millions in funding in the first place. At the time, it was triggered by the pandemic, which exposed shortcomings in security of supply.
As a result of the pandemic, global demand for electrically conductive plastics grew rapidly. Premix's compounds are used, for example, in the automated pipette tips for laboratory diagnostics.
The tip about the open funding application came from a US customer of Premix, who was pleased with the company's ability to meet the supply needs close to 100%, despite the pandemic's disruption to production and supply chains.
"The US administration wants to build its own value chains and be less dependent on outside suppliers. There are a lot of value chains that are being invested in and they are potential customers for us," says Taiminen, describing the situation now.
Jyrki Taiminen, Head of Premix USA Operations, says the new plant is highly automated and designed to produce large volumes. "The American market is an attractive one, as companies can have several plants across the US. The volumes are quite different," says Taiminen.
The pandemic brought a spike in demand for materials for automated testing, but the need for testing has not disappeared even after the pandemic has been overcome.
In addition to healthcare, potential industries that require electrically conductive plastics, are such as automotive, mining and defense. Demand will be driven by the megatrend of electrification.
In addition to existing partners, Taiminen says the company has a promising queue of potential new customers with whom materials are being tested and discussed.
The turnover of Premix was around €42 million last year, and the aim is to grow the North Carolina plant’s turnover by €30 million in three years. Taiminen says some might think the target is overambitious. But Premix has good reason to set its sights high: 45 years of expertise and experience combined with funding from the US administration.
“If you can't get growth like this, then how can you get it?”
The team in the US currently consists of 14 people. By the first quarter of 2026, this number will grow to 30-35 employees.
Taiminen describes the plant's location in North Carolina as a good one. Ports are close by, and Charlotte International Airport, the state's most populous city, is less than an hour's drive away.
The three university towns, Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, form a biotechnology-focused research hub, which is a three-hour drive away.
According to Taimi, finding employees has been easy. “The people who come to work for us want to be part of building something unique,” he says.
Original article in Kauppalehti Suomalainen perheyhtiö sai jättirahoituksen Yhdysvalloista – Nyt yhtiö hyötyy Trumpin politiikasta | Kauppalehti