Energetic electrician from Pyhäjoki

Examples of sites at which the electricians of Sähköpalvelu Anttila, located in Yppäri, work every week include cowhouses, sports halls, street lighting, schools, and summer homes. The electricians also include the owner of the company, Hannu Anttila, who started his career in the early 1980s.

“In fact, cowhouses are extremely demanding sites. They include plenty of automation and control systems of different types that need to work together,” he explains.

In the past few years, the company has done a great deal of electrical installation projects at farms, cowhouses in particular, and sometimes the work takes Anttila and his team to other parts of Finland. At the time of this interview, one of the company’s sites was in Kristiinankaupunki, which is in Ostrobothnia. The work is varied: the jobs range from replacing a light bulb to demanding automation installation work.

Sähköpalvelu Anttila employs four electricians. Anttila’s own son used to be part of the crew, but after having learned the trade, he followed in the footsteps of his father and started a company of his own.

“We’re no mortal enemies, though,” Anttila says, laughing.

Learning new things due to digitalization

Electrical engineering caught Hannu Anttila’s interest during his studies.

“I started in the electrician study line at the vocational school mainly because some of my friends were there. I have not regretted my decision once; I have always had enough work. I believe that the company will achieve its best sales volume yet this year,” the entrepreneur says.

He worked alone for the first few years of his entrepreneurship, mainly on detached houses. His reputation as a diligent electrician spread quickly, however, and he started to get many calls.

“The Hanhikivi 1 construction site has already provided Pyhäjoki and its neighboring municipalities faith in the future.”

Anttila still has some old customers who always place an order saying “please come see this when you have time, or send one of the guys”.

The increased number of digital devices and IT hardware has had a major impact on the job description of an electrician.

“You need to learn something new all the time to keep up with the development,” Anttila says.

Hanhikivi 1 provides energy for all

At the Hanhikivi 1 construction site, Sähköpalvelu Anttila has installed street lighting, for example. Work at the construction site will continue also in the future: the company’s expertise will be utilized in electrical installation jobs connected to the radiological environment baseline study in the Hanhikivi peninsula.

Anttila is of the opinion that the decision to build a nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki and the ensuing infrastructure construction at the Hanhikivi peninsula have had a positive impact on the entire region. At present, Fennovoima’s Administration building is being constructed in the site area.

“The construction site has already provided Pyhäjoki and its neighboring municipalities with employment and faith in the future.”

The Hanhikivi 1 project will also create growth for the electrical engineering company outside the construction site: the project will bring new residents to Pyhäjoki and its neighboring municipalities, and they will need homes with electricity.

Another source of energy are grandchildren – these grandparents already have eight of them! But what will be the final job and a local landmark for the retirement of this seasoned veteran?

“We recently did the electrical work on new speed cameras along highway 8. I don’t think that people are willing to praise us for that, though.”