Marioff’s HI-FOG® fire suppression systems protect everything from demanding building applications to the world’s largest cruise ships. Marioff and Insta share a long-standing manufacturing partnership built on flexibility, a service-oriented approach and continuous development together. The collaboration began in 1999 with Pantek Automaatio Oy, a Finnish industrial automation company specializing in custom-built automation cabinets as well as the design and turnkey delivery of automation projects. Insta’s then parent company, Instrumentointi Oy, acquired Pantek the following year. The partnership has since evolved into a broader and more structured operating model.
Open and solution-oriented collaboration built on trust
At Marioff, Electrical Engineering Manager Juha Koivisto and Global Sourcing Director Tuomo Tiainen are among those who have helped build the collaboration with Insta. According to them, continuity is one of the key strengths of the long-term partnership. When both parties are familiar with each other’s ways of working and requirements, day-to-day collaboration runs smoothly and matters can be moved forward efficiently.
“Marioff doesn’t just receive cabinets from Insta. We receive a service where operations are developed and solutions are sought together to create better and more cost-effective operating models and end products,” Koivisto summarizes.
Tiainen recalls an early visit to Insta in Muurame, where automation cabinets were manufactured in much more limited facilities than today. Understandably, this raised questions about how future growth could be accommodated in practice. Over the past two decades, operating methods and solutions have been developed, and the facilities have also been replaced by larger, more modern ones.
Marioff continuously develops new solutions to meet its customers’ evolving needs, and its collaboration with Insta has deepened further over the years. Together, the companies have explored solutions that enable more efficient and fit-for-purpose systems. Koivisto particularly appreciates Insta’s customer service and willingness to engage in open discussion.
“The assemblers were willing to give direct and honest feedback on the design solutions. There is no need to hold back. We can discuss things openly and suggest better ways of implementing them, which helps move solutions forward quickly,” he says.
Tiainen and Koivisto also highlight principles that have been developed together over the years, including open-book pricing and a transparent way of working together.
“What has consistently stood out is the positive spirit of the collaboration and the mutual trust. And the solution-oriented approach,” Tiainen summarizes.
“The promise ‘You have permission to trust’ is reflected in the way Insta operates. Trust really is Insta’s greatest strength.”
Finnish expertise in some of the world’s most iconic locations
Marioff’s growth has been driven by the innovative HI-FOG® fire suppression system, whose effectiveness is based on its specialized components. Each HI-FOG® solution is tailored using a unique combination of components optimized to meet customers’ demanding fire protection needs on land and at sea.
One of the best-known examples of the collaboration between Marioff and Insta is Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following the devastating fire in 2019, the cathedral was restored and reopened in 2024. It was equipped with a HI-FOG® fire suppression system that included Insta electrical and control cabinets manufactured in Muurame.
Another impressive example of the scale of Marioff’s operations is that the company protects a significant share of the world’s cruise ships. The HI-FOG® system on board the luxury cruise ship Oasis of the Seas is the most extensive marine fire protection system ever implemented, covering the entire vessel, including accommodation areas, public and service areas, engine rooms and other technical spaces.
Heritage sites and large cruise ships demonstrate the demanding requirements that can be met with the manufacturing expertise developed over the course of this long-term partnership.
Collaboration evolves as needs change
A long-term partnership and continuous development together make it possible to move operations forward as market conditions and requirements evolve. Competition continues to intensify, requiring suppliers to be able to adapt, innovate and continuously improve their operations.
“Responsiveness is more important today than it was 10–15 years ago, but being proactive is just as important. Based on the information we share, Insta can do a great deal behind the scenes and proactively move things forward. We are continuously developing solutions together that improve our competitiveness, and that is important to us,” Tiainen says.
When a partnership spans decades, both the operating environment and the companies themselves change along the way. One thing, however, can remain: the trust that your partner understands your needs and is able to evolve with them.
