A family-owned and operated Finnish company is significantly upsizing its production capacities – and they’ve put their trust in Krones. One line each for cans and PET bottles is going to Finn Spring.
Finn Spring has deep roots in its home region of Central Ostrobothnia in western Finland.
Image credits:
Finn Spring
Beverage producer Finn Spring is installing two new lines: one for PET bottles and one for cans. And because the family-owned and operated firm places great value on cooperation and trust, Krones not only gains a new customer but also a sort of family connection.
For the water and soft drink producer Finn Spring, this marks a substantial investment and a major milestone: The family-owned and operated company has grown gradually over the more than 30 years since its founding. And now, having reached a production volume to match Krones’ powerful equipment, they’ve decided to invest in not just one but two new filling lines, which run at twice the speed of the existing equipment.
Finn Spring was established in 1991 by Hannu Ali-Haapala and his wife as a second source of revenue to the family farm. Today, it is far more than a “side gig”, turning out more than 100 million liters of beverages each year. Finn Spring’s portfolio includes still and sparkling water, flavored water, vitamin water, energy drinks and other soft drinks, which are produced both on a contract basis and for the company’s own brands. “Energy drinks are big right now. We are currently launching our own energy drink, Thunder Energy, and it is getting quite big,” says Aleksi Ali-Haapala, Finn Spring’s Production Director and the son of the company’s founders.
For its new energy drink, among other things, Finn Spring now has more production capacity.
Image credits: Finn Spring
More capacity, more automation
The new lines add considerably to the beverage maker’s filling capacity, allowing Finn Spring to expand its own portfolio as well as its customer base for contract filling. Installation of the new PET line has been underway at the main plant since late March 2025, and it was successfully accepted in June 2025. The canning line will be delivered to its nearby second plant in early 2026. The process technology equipment – that is, the mixer, flash pasteurizer and CIP cleaning system – for the canning line will also come from Krones.
One reason for this choice was that we could get everything from a single source and thus simplify automation. Until now, the production lines at Finn Spring have been a collection of equipment from different manufacturers. The machines in the new line are all from Krones – and production is fully automated. “We run a lot of different products on the line in small batches, so we need to be able to change-over quickly. And a high degree of automation is very helpful there. We also have a logistics company that builds automated warehouses. So, with the Krones line and our warehouse, there’s only one interface. That makes us faster and more efficient,” explains Juha-Jaako Niemelä, Technical Development Director at Finn Spring.
One packer for almost everything
Scandinavia is known for its wide variety of packing cases. And Finn Spring is no different, delivering its products in myriad pack types. Cans are sold in shrink-wrapped bundles, trays with and without film wrap and wrap-around cartons – all of which are produced on a single machine – a Variopac Pro WT-FS including UnitXpress for fast changeovers. “That’s unusual because switching from wrap-around cartons or trays to shrink packs would normally take quite a lot of time,” explains Jan Hoven of Krones Nordic Aps in Denmark, whose sales team is also responsible for Finland. “But Krones has automated the change-over process, and Finn Spring is getting one of the first machines equipped with this feature.”
Production on the new PET line started, in stages, in May 2025.
Image credits:
Finn Spring
Good chemistry
Jan Hoven has known Finn Spring for well over 20 years now. “Jan has visited us many times and we have had many discussions. And now our volumes are big enough for a Krones line,” says Hannu Ali-Haapala, Finn Spring’s founder. He goes on to explain that the company looked around widely when it came to deciding on the new lines. “Of course, we knew Krones is a strong supplier. Plus, the line we’re running in Sweden is from Kosme. We were also looking for a company that we could work well with – a new ‘family member, a strong one’.” Krones was a good fit, not only from a business and technology perspective. All three of the people we interviewed agreed: the chemistry was right.
Finn Spring has had a good feeling about Krones right from the start. And that is reflected in the fact that the company ordered the canning line before installation of the PET line had even begun. “The way Jan and later the entire project team went deep into the details really gave us confidence that we can trust Krones to do this properly,” says Juha-Jaako Niemelä. Now, with Krones on site, that impression has been confirmed, says Hannu Ali-Haapala: “I get a good feeling from the team’s professionalism and how seamlessly they are working with our team.” Juha-Jaako Niemelä agrees: “The Krones team has good spirit. Of course, there are a lot of situations where we need to find a compromise, but that works. They communicate like we do: honest and straightforward.”
