In pursuit of the title of the most desirable employer in the industrial sector

 “You can always learn more professional skills and improve yourself. For me, it’s more important than a CV that the new person fits in with the team by their nature.” With these words, Taavi Vesiaid, the CEO of Exmet Services OÜ introduces his views. The man who studied construction at Tallinn University of Technology has extensive experience in both project management and sales. It is the sales experience that he considers to be extremely important in managing the company. “I perceive the market better and because there are many sectors in which we operate, I consider it necessary to be aware of what is happening. There are companies that call me for advice. I can only advise them through my own experience. Plus, I believe that as a head of a company, I should be the one with the broad view,” Taavi explains the importance of in-depth knowledge.

The story of founding Exmet Services is primarily a story of two young men – the CEO Taavi Vesiaid and plant manager Ats Metusala – who were not willing to give up despite the difficulties. Taavi and Ats founded a company then called Tavepro OÜ in 2012. The first year of operation was full of trials and tribulations, and at the end of the year it was unclear as to whether they would continue operating. They started out with primitive products and at first also got their own hands dirty in carrying out the work in installing pens for both pigsties and cattle barns. “In retrospect, it would have been easier to just give up. I know now that we didn’t have the necessary knowledge and skills. They came in the process of working and learning from our mistakes. After the first year, we had nothing left but ourselves, which is why we started primarily project managing. We decided to start from scratch. We would not have been able to do this if he hadn’t had such a strong family support behind us. We knew that we had a safe fallback, which is why we dared to take more risks,” Taavi describes the difficulties they overcame. During the process, a vision emerged and it became clear that it was important to stand out from others in the market with a customer-oriented approach. Customers have given a lot of positive feedback about it. At this point, solution-orientation is also an important keyword. When problems arise, they are dealt with, not wasting time on looking for culprits. After the challenges of the first year, the company has continued upwards. It has not gone unnoticed by external observers either. One of the largest suppliers of materials, Exmet OÜ, proposed to purchase the majority holding of Tavepro. In 2020, the company merged with Exmet Group and the new name became Exmet Services OÜ.

As CEO, Taavi understands what is important to the company’s staff. Taavi’s door is always open to his people and he appreciates that people can confidently come to him. At the same time, Taavi beliefs that the company is definitely on its way to achieving the title of the most desirable company in the sector. Efforts for this are made every day. “The company should be the kind of place where people want to work for something other than just the salary number. Employee loyalty and seniority are also very important indicators. I believe that our current team is one where people stick together and definitely have a sense of humour. We get along well, even outside working hours. There are a lot of people together, but that’s what enriches us. The emphasis is definitely on “cooperation” because we are, after all, a service centre and we consider all companies in the sector to be our partners, not competitors. We want to be known among our customers as a provider of worry-free complete solutions,” Taavi shares his thoughts about a functioning team. Among others, the man also encourages the staff to express their wishes for training. Explaining that if people themselves feel that they want to improve and talk about it, there’s no reason to refuse.

Despite the fast pace of life, Taavi also understands the importance of balancing work and family life. “I’m not the kind of manager who is at work round the clock, and I don’t expect it from my employees either. I believe that while at work, focus should be on work, and at home focus should be on the family,” Taavi summarises what is important to him.