Lenkki

What Lenkki does

Lenkki Oy is a privately held Finnish industrial subcontractor and component manufacturer, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Kankaanpää, Finland. The company produces shoe soles and intermediate footwear components — including outsoles, insoles, counters, toe puffs, insocks, and reinforcement parts — using thermoplastic rubber (TR), polyurethane (PU), EVA, TPU, ABS, leather, felt, and nonwoven materials processed through injection molding, rubber/plastic molding, die cutting, and aluminum machining. In-house proprietary products include the patented torsionally rigid insole, the Fenomex multilayer insock, and the Solepex branded family of outsoles (Grip+ and Spike+ for winter/ice conditions, plus TR and PU base lines). The TYRE+ by Solepex line, launched in 2023, incorporates up to 30% recycled End of Life Tyre rubber sourced via a partnership with Suomen Rengaskierrätys Oy and Nokian Renkaat Oyj, achieving a SATRA-calculated 46% CO2 reduction versus ordinary TPE compound.

The company operates a B2B sales-led distribution model, reaching customers through direct contact (phone, email, website) rather than retail channels. Customers include all major Finnish footwear manufacturers (including Sievin Jalkine Oy and Sika Footwear A/S), the Finnish Defense Forces, and selected Nordic/Baltic export accounts that collectively represent approximately 20% of net sales. Beyond footwear, Lenkki serves adjacent verticals in construction (insulation, joint, and padding components), health and safety (ergonomics, mobility safety, orthopedic products), and pet supplies — verticals the company explicitly identifies as growth areas. Supporting services — pattern grading/digitizing, mold design and maintenance, aluminum machining, automatic and die cutting, die manufacturing, and heat-transfer logo printing — are sold alongside component manufacturing, creating a vertically integrated "link between idea and implementation" offering. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, is a member of SATRA (Shoe and Allied Trade Research Association), and reports Scope 1+2 GHG emissions annually (147 t CO2e in 2023, 159 t CO2e in 2024). Operational leadership consists of Managing Director Annamaija Mäkilouko (purchasing and sales), Product Developer Juha Alitalo, and Production Manager Jerry Kerola.

Name

Lenkki

Legal name

Lenkki Oy

Website

https://lenkki.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lenkki Oy is a privately held Finnish industrial subcontractor, founded in 1974 in Kankaanpää, that manufactures shoe soles and components via injection molding for Finnish footwear OEMs, the Finnish Defense Forces, and Nordic/Baltic export markets, with proprietary Solepex and TYRE+ product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Footwear Component Manufacturing

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (3162)

SIC

Rubber & Plastics Footwear (3021)

akta.pro primary industry

Footwear Components & Subassemblies Manufacturing (Soles/Heels/Insocks/Outsoles/Uppers) (IMAOAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Footwear Components & Materials (Uppers, Soles, Laces, Insoles) (CRAAACAK), Work, Safety & Protective Footwear Manufacturing (Steel-Toe/ESD/Slip-Resistant) (IMAOAIAD), Specialty & Orthopedic Footwear Manufacturing (Medical/Diabetic/Custom) (IMAOAIAI)

Keywords

• Shoe sole manufacturing
• Rubber component molding
• Industrial subcontracting
• Footwear components
• Polyurethane molding

Headquarters

HQ city

Kankaanpää

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Component Manufacturing: Manufacturing of rubber and plastic components for shoe industry, construction, safety+health, and pet supplies. Products include soles, insoles, counters, toe puffs, and other intermediate products. Export accounts for approximately 20% of net sales.
2. Support Services: Services including grading (digitizing footwear patterns), mold design and maintenance, aluminum machining, cutting service, die manufacturing, logo printing, and product development support.
3. Raw Materials and Intermediate Products: Supply of raw materials, accessories for shoe industry including adhesives, zippers, bobbins, steel and glass fiber shanks, toe cups, and linings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lenkki Oy manufactures shoe soles and intermediate footwear components for industrial customers using injection molding, rubber and plastic molding, die cutting, and aluminum machining processes. The company supplies raw materials, components and support services to the shoe industry, construction industry, safety+health industry, and pet supplies industry. Its proprietary Solepex branded product lines (TYRE+, GRIP+, SPIKE+, TR and PU soles) sit alongside a service portfolio covering grading, mold design and maintenance, aluminum machining, cutting, die manufacturing, and logo printing.

Product overview

Lenkki Oy is a diversified industrial component manufacturer offering a portfolio of shoe soles and components, primarily serving footwear, construction, safety+health, and pet supplies industries. The core product lines include four branded sole families: TYRE+ by Solepex (sustainable soles using recycled End of Life Tyre rubber), GRIP+ by Solepex (grip-optimized winter soles with dual-material technology), SPIKE+ by Solepex (flexible studded soles for ice), and standard TR (thermoplastic rubber) and PU (polyurethane) soles. Supporting products include insoles, counters, toe puffs, insocks, and intermediate components. The company also provides manufacturing services including component production, grading, mold design/maintenance, aluminum machining, cutting services, die manufacturing, and logo printing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solepex: Trademarked brand for shoe sole products including TYRE+, Grip+, and Spike+ product lines.

Products and services

• TYRE+ by Solepex shoe soles Shoe soles made with End of Life Tyre (ELT) recycled rubber from discarded car tyres, with up to 30% of finished product material replaced with ELT rubber, reducing environmental footprint by 46% versus ordinary TPE-compound. Used for leisure and outdoor footwear by footwear OEMs.
• GRIP+ by Solepex grip soles Thermoplastic rubber grip soles combining two different material hardness levels for maximal grip and comfort, with patterns and lamellas that prevent slipping in all directions and open channels that direct liquid away from the sole surface. Grip+ TR 5976 won the 'Most Grip Winter Soles for Women' test in 2012.
• SPIKE+ by Solepex studded soles Studded soles with flexible spike technology that improves grip on ice; spikes flex inward when entering indoors, allowing surrounding TR rubber to contact hard floors safely. Outdoors, spikes tilt in controlled fashion and penetrate ice with sharp edges.
• TR (thermoplastic rubber) soles Wear-resistant thermoplastic rubber soles for outdoor and leisure footwear, with properties optimisable for longitudinal rotation, grip, weight, abrasion resistance and flexibility; retains flexibility at low temperatures and maintains grip on dry ice and snow.
• PU (polyurethane) soles Polyurethane soles with oil-resistant, anti-static and electrostatic discharge (ESD) properties for occupational footwear, also suitable for leisure, orthopedic and formal footwear due to lightness, flexibility and grindability; available in multiple model numbers including orthopedic shapes.
• Insoles and counters (Pinkopohjat) Insoles and reinforcement components for footwear manufacturing, including Lenkki's patented torsionally rigid insole and Fenomex multilayer insock developed by the company's own product development team.
• Counters and toe puffs (Kapit ja kärkikovikkeet) Reinforcement components for shoe heels (counters) and toe areas (toe puffs) used by work and safety footwear manufacturers.
• Intermediate products for the shoe industry Accessories and intermediate products for the shoe industry, including adhesives, zippers, bobbins, steel and glass fiber shanks, toe cups and linings.
• Custom component manufacturing service Contract manufacturing of components by combining parts through different methods and molding, working with rubber, polyurethane, EVA, thermoplastic polyurethane, ABS, leather, felt, lining materials, fiber and cellulosic nonwovens, plastic reinforced fiber nonwoven, and heat adhesive stiffening materials.
• Pattern grading and digitization service Digitizing of footwear patterns and grading them for production scale-up, supplied to footwear manufacturers.
• Mold design and maintenance service Digital format design with 3D printing where needed, plus procurement and maintenance of production molds for component manufacturing.
• Aluminum machining service Aluminum machining services for mold and tool production supporting the company's component manufacturing operations.
• Cutting and die manufacturing service Automatic and die cutting services across multiple material types, with in-house die manufacturing for cutting operations.
• Logo printing service Heat-transfer logo printing services, either from printed material or with a stamp, for branded shoe components.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions decrease 46% when using End of Life Tyre materials instead of ordinary TPE-compound (calculated by SATRA)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SATRA (Shoe and Allied Trade Research Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLenkki Oy is a member of SATRA, which provides industry research, testing services, and standards development for the shoe and allied trades. SATRA has calculated environmental benefits of Lenkki's TYRE+ product line, showing 46% CO2 emission reduction when using recycled materials.
• Suomen Rengaskierrätys Oy (Finnish Tyre Recycling Ltd)coreTechnology or IntegrationSuomen Rengaskierrätys Oy operates the circular economy facility in Loppi, Finland that processes End of Life Tyre rubber. Their recycled material is used in Lenkki's TYRE+ by Solepex product line, with up to 30% of finished product material replaced with ELT rubber.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg AB: Global engineered polymers group with a large rubber components footprint serving industrial, automotive and footwear-adjacent customers. Comparable as a far larger incumbent in molded rubber parts, though not specialized in footwear outsoles.
• Michelin: Through its Michelin Lifestyle licensing business, Michelin develops and licenses rubber outsole technology to footwear brands (e.g., Michelin sole platforms). Comparable as a technology- and IP-driven player in performance rubber outsoles, but operating at much larger scale and primarily via licensing.

Others

• Suomen Rengaskierrätys Oy: Finnish circular-economy operator that processes End-of-Life Tyre rubber used in Lenkki's TYRE+ line. Comparable as the critical recycling partner underpinning Lenkki's sustainability value proposition; a disruption here directly affects Lenkki's flagship eco-product.
• Dow Inc. Global materials supplier of polyurethanes, TPU and specialty elastomers used in footwear midsoles, outsoles and adhesives. Comparable as a key upstream input supplier whose material choices and sustainability roadmap directly shape what contract sole makers like Lenkki can formulate.
• Nokian Renkaat Oyj: Finnish winter tire manufacturer whose discarded tyres feed the ELT stream used by Lenkki's TYRE+ outsoles. Comparable as an industrial upstream supplier and co-branding partner in the circular-economy story, rather than a direct competitor.
• Sika Footwear A/S: Danish safety and work footwear brand with a ~15-year supply relationship with Lenkki. Comparable as a downstream Nordic footwear brand that buys soles/components from Lenkki and could in theory source from competing European sole manufacturers.
• BASF SE: Major supplier of polyurethane systems, TPU and performance additives for the footwear industry, including Elastopan and Elastollan ranges used in molded soles. Comparable as a materials/technology enabler whose product launches set the innovation envelope for sole component manufacturers.
• Sievin Jalkine Oy: Finland's largest footwear manufacturer (safety and work boots), and a long-standing Lenkki customer. Comparable as a vertically integrated OEM in the same Nordic safety-footwear ecosystem, indicating both customer and adjacent competitor dynamics.

Direct peers

• Vibram S.p.A. Italian maker of high-performance rubber outsoles (including ice-grip and eco lines such as Vibram Ecostep and Vibram Arctic Grip) sold B2B to footwear brands. Highly comparable to Lenkki's TR/Grip+/Spike+ outsole business, with a stronger global brand.
• Suolificio Adriatico: Italian contract manufacturer of rubber, TR, PU and EVA soles and heel components for European footwear brands. Closely comparable as a mid-sized B2B sole component subcontractor serving fashion, safety and orthopedic footwear.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lenkkioy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lenkki-oy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lenkki