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Innovation Drives Savon Diesel Forward from Decade to Decade

17.10.2025

Kuopio-based Savon Diesel has, over six decades, evolved from a service-station repair shop into a modern multi-sector company that constantly seeks new operating models and cornerstones to support its business.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, Savon Diesel Oy began when Kyösti Nikkanen, who had been running a travelling cinema together with his brother, settled in Kuopio. As televisions overtook cinemas in the 1960s, he had to come up with something new.

– That’s when the idea of car repairs and spare parts sales was born, says Savon Diesel’s current Managing Director, Mikko Nikkanen, recounting the early days of his father’s business ventures.

At that time, Savon Diesel operated on Suokatu Street alongside a Shell service station. As the repair operations expanded, the City of Kuopio provided Savon Diesel with a plot in Särkiniemi, on which the company still operates today. The operations have expanded once more since then as well, and a new extension to the premises is due for completion this autumn.

In addition to marking a milestone anniversary this year, Savon Diesel also celebrated being named Entrepreneur of the Year. Nikkanen sees the award as recognition and appreciation of long-standing work.

– I guess we must have managed to do something right to receive such recognition, Nikkanen reflects.

 

Repair operations have evolved over the years

The company’s activities originally focused on repair work, but today half of the business consists of spare parts sales. Savon Diesel sells car accessories and spare parts mainly to other repair shops, transport operators, and the public sector in the North Savo region.

Repair operations have changed greatly over the course of Savon Diesel’s history. Nikkanen laughs that 20 years ago, you could hear what was wrong with a car from a hundred metres away. Nowadays, the cars themselves announce when they need servicing, and that’s where the process begins.

– These days we also carry out a lot of diagnostics with measuring devices, for example, if a car won’t start or if it’s emitting smoke. Based on the fault codes, we’re able to identify the problem, says Nikkanen.

Savon Diesel’s own workshop is part of the global Bosch Car Service network. According to Nikkanen, the workshop receives highly detailed diagnostic data and repair instructions from Robert Bosch, one of the world’s largest car component manufacturers.

Innovative approach has driven success

In Nikkanen’s estimation, the company’s success has been fuelled by its innovative way of working. The company is constantly looking for new operating models and product areas. For instance, automotive paints became a strong part of Savon Diesel’s business around 3–4 years ago, and they now account for a significant share of the turnover.

Last spring, the company joined the First Stop tyre chain, which is expected to become another cornerstone of the business.

– We’re always looking for new dimensions. In this field, you can’t be locked into a single framework. We circle around the car and think about everything that can be done with it, Nikkanen explains.

A few recessions have also marked Savon Diesel’s long history. Nikkanen says that the company has learned from the difficult periods, and further recessions and downturns have been managed with better routines. It has been necessary to respond to changing times. This has made further changes easier.

Nikkanen believes that a company aiming for success should remain open-minded, have an ambitious vision for its field, and explore new directions for its business. There’s no point in resting on one’s laurels or banging one’s head against a wall. If something isn’t moving forward, it’s worth having daily or weekly discussions with the staff to see whether a new variation in operations could be found and tried out.

– In business development, it pays to stay active, Nikkanen sums up.

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Savon Diesel collaborates with various companies in Kuopio. For example, it provides subcontracted component adjustments, wheel alignments, and calibrations for other workshops.

– The atmosphere is open and supportive; you can call any fellow entrepreneur in the field and ask for advice if needed, says Savon Diesel’s Managing Director, Mikko Nikkanen, appreciatively.

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Text: Minna Akiola
Photos: Savon Diesel