Career story: “If you’re interested in health tech, this is probably the best workplace in the industry”
To celebrate Planmeca’s 50th anniversary, we are releasing a series of career stories from our incredible employees. These stories introduce some of the experts behind our pioneering dental innovations and show a glimpse behind the scenes at Planmeca headquarters in Helsinki. In our last article of the series, Product Development Director Sakari Kettunen describes his road from an eager MSc student in the mid-00s to the top of Planmeca’s imaging software development in 2022.
Who:
Sakari Kettunen, M.Sc. (Tech.), Automation Technology
Product Development Director, Software, X-ray Division
Planmeca Oy
Sakari Kettunen has developed health tech software at Planmeca for more than 15 years. Today, he is the company’s Product Development Director responsible for the development of Planmeca’s imaging software in the X-ray Division. In his free time, Kettunen enjoys wing surfing, fly fishing and spending time with his wife and three (soon-to-be four) children.
What brought you to Planmeca?
“When I was studying automation technology, my focus was primarily on robotics, machine vision, and medical technology, and so I was definitely interested in working with imaging and related equipment.
Planmeca’s imaging units are essentially a kind of ‘robot’ which moves the radiation source, sensor, and cameras around the patient, thus generating an image of the patient’s insides. What could be more interesting! I applied for an internship with an open application, and luckily, my interests were a good match with Planmeca’s. And here we are still today.”
What is the best part of your job?
“When I came to Planmeca, I was particularly interested in medical imaging, and Planmeca produces state-of-the-art imaging solutions for a variety of important applications and purposes. I also love that I get to genuinely impact the work – what we do, how we do it, and what tools and methods we use. A pleasant working environment and great colleagues also matter, and I get to work with really talented people. Planmeca has an expert for every problem, so I can be sure to always get support when I need it.
My current work involves problem-solving, planning, meetings, and other managerial work. I don’t do a lot of programming myself any longer. I collaborate with product development as well as production, marketing, export and many other departments. It’s a pretty versatile job description.”
How would you describe working at Planmeca?
“If you’re interested in health tech, this is probably the best workplace in the industry in Finland. We create state-of-the-art technology and keep up with the times. Continuous learning and development in terms of both technology and working methods are a crucial part of the work.”
Text: Sanna Tolmunen
Image: Dino Azinur
Planmeca Oy and Planmeca Group
Planmeca Oy is one of the world's leading dental equipment manufacturers with a product range covering digital dental units, CAD/CAM solutions, world-class 2D and 3D imaging devices and comprehensive software solutions. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Planmeca’s products are distributed in over 120 countries worldwide. With a strong commitment to pioneering innovations and design, it is the largest privately held company in its field. Planmeca Oy is part of the Finnish Planmeca Group, which operates in the field of healthcare technology. The Group's turnover in 2020 was MEUR 744, and it employs nearly 2,900 people worldwide.
www.planmeca.com
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