Wille is the most popular machine on the market for the environmental management and maintenance of urban areas. It is designed to operate through all four seasons, especially winter, when maintenance operations are the most demanding and expensive. The articulated steering and location of the cabin in the front frame provide the operator with excellent working conditions.
More than 7,000 Wille machines for environmental management have been sold since 1983, and the main markets are currently in Europe, Russia, and North America. Aside the modern high-quality production facility, also the own R & D department of the company is playing a crucial role.
Vilakone Oy also manufactures more than 20 different work attachments that are individually optimised for each machine model enabling working during all the four seasons. The strong expertise of the market leader shows in the competitive, high-quality products.
Vilakone Oy is part of the international Wihuri multi-industry conglomerate, which has a turnover of EUR 1.9 billion and it employs over 5,000 people worldwide.
Vilakone Oy's production facilities in Loimaa are modern and cover an area of about 15 000 square meters. Our key production processes make use of the latest efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. For example, for welding of the steel structures the company uses its robot welding stations and efficient automated machine tools that guarantee precise and consistent weldment quality. Correspondingly, for surface coating we use environmentally friendly primer and powder coating, which do not cause harmful emissions of solvents to the surrounding environment.
The high quality and prompt deliveries are the key factors guiding our production control. Each Wille machine is test run in accordance with the product-specific test plan that is an integral part of the manufacturing process. The finishing stage incorporated in the production process, ensures that all the settings and adjustments are correct before the product is delivered to the customer.
History of the company
The story Vilakone from Lankisen Konepaja machinery workshop to a manufacturer of Wille multi-function machines and a part of the international Wihuri Group has been an eventful one.
In 1950 Vilho Lankinen, a young man with entrepreneurial spirit founded a machinery workshop, 'Lankisen Konepaja' near Loimaa, in the village of Hintsala. In the early days, roof tile machines and passenger car exhaust systems were manufactured among other usual workshop works.
Attachments and Loaders
Manufacturing of work attachments for tractors at the workshop was begun in the mid 50's. At the end of the decade, the workshop also started to manufacture front loaders for tractors, which were sold over the following decades in large quantities under the name of the ‘Vila’, which also lasted for a long time in the name of the company’s own work attachment product line.
In the 60s, as front loaders and work attachments formed the majority of the production, the company also started manufacturing special use machines built on tractor bodies, first under brand Vilske, then Valtra VL. With the focus on the environment and property maintenance tasks new machines were developed, including from ground up designed street sweeping machine, VL 45.
The Birth of Wille
Understanding the versatile needs of customers Vilho Lankinen set up in 1978 a completely new, multifunctional and articulated machine under project name ‘Linkku’. The multi-functional base machine concept for environmental and property maintenance tasks complemented well the long-standing work attachment production.
The multi-functional base machine concept for environmental and property maintenance tasks complemented well the long-standing work attachment production.
As the project progressed, the project name was switched for Vilho's nickname Wille, and the first prototype of the machine saw daylight in 1980. The first production machine, model Wille 645, was delivered to the first customer three years later. The exports of Wille machines began in the late 1980s and were initially directed to neighboring countries in Sweden and Norway.
Joining Wihuri Group
In 2003, a property maintenance equipment focused company and manufacturer of Wille machines became a part of the Wihuri Group, which had already been the official sales organisation of Wille machines in Finland, as Wihuri acquired a majority holding in Vilakone Oy. In the following year, 3,000. Wille was delivered to a customer. Since then the total number of Wille machines sold has already well over doubled, with hundreds of machines being sold annually, while over 10,000 of Wille compatible work attachments have been manufactured over the years.
Continuous product development and expanding to new market areas have always been the key factors for company’s success. With strong export growth, Wille has plowed its way to several European countries as well as North America, Russia and even near North Pole located Svalbard.
As a company manufacturing machines that are meant for taking care of our surroundings, it is important for us to minimize the environmental impacts of our operations and our machines. In the case of motorized work machines, the environmental impacts during use and decommissioning are mainly due to chemicals and materials used in the machine as well as exhaust gases produced while operating the machine. In addition, the immediate effects to the surroundings of the machine such as noise pollution, can also be regarded as an environmental impact.
Observe the following environmental considerations when operating and doing maintenance to your machines:
Do not release oil into the nature
Lubricants used in the machine, hydraulic oil and fuel can be harmful to the environment. In the event of liquid discharges, the oil must be collected with absorbents.
Used oils are hazardous waste
Used oils, including bio oils, are hazardous waste and should not be released to the environment or to the sewer. Waste oil and oily waste (e.g. filters) must be disposed of properly.
Do not disturb the environment
Day and night limit values are defined for environmental noise in residential areas. Avoid loud and long-lasting work in residential areas especially during night time.
Deliver recyclable, decommissioned materials (tires, cabin plastic, mudguards, metal and glass parts) for further processing. For more information on recyclability, more information is available from the manufacturer.
The emission level of older machines can also be affected by ensuring that the fuel system, engine and exhaust gas purifiers are working properly. The amount of exhaust gas is directly proportional to the amount of fuel burned. Emissions from new machinery and engines have been reduced significantly due to the requirements of the Directive 97/68 / EC on work machinery. The emission level of older machines can also be affected by ensuring that the fuel system, engine and exhaust gas purifiers are working properly.
You can also reduce fuel consumption and emissions by means of economical operating the machine:
- Avoid unnecessary idle
- Keep driving speed steady and drive with lower RPM
- Avoid overloading the machine and starting the engine cold
- Take care of the condition of the tires and the tire pressure
- Always use fuel for road use or road traffic that meets the requirements of EN 590
Vilakone Oy follows the quality policy of Wihuri Technical Trade. The goal of Wihuri Technical Trade is to collaborate with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders in such a manner that the cooperation is mutually beneficial. The cornerstones of our activities are the values of the Wihuri company: Transparency, Reliability, Innovation and Profitability.
The key feature is the continuous development of our activities based on the internal and external feedback, as well as the changes in the operating environment. By means of transparency of operations we ensure that everyone is aware how his or her work is reflected to the overall objectives. The management of Wihuri Technical Trade is committed to creating adequate conditions for realisation of the targeted quality.
The management of Wihuri Technical Trade is committed to comply with this quality policy and expect the same from the staff. Each employee is responsible for the quality of his or her own work and the service that he or she renders. We expect the same also from our suppliers.
For more information on Wille Urban Machines, call Bob at (204) 222-5222.