With responsibility and brand color leading the way, Medanta is clothing the rapidly internationalising Mehiläinen.

Mehiläinen Group is a well-known and respected private provider of social and healthcare services, offering high-quality, comprehensive services in Finland and internationally. The 114-year-old Mehiläinen is a rapidly developing and growing trend setter in its field. The company invests in the opportunities of digitalisation and the effectiveness and quality of care in all its business areas.

Mehiläinen serves 2.1 million customers annually and employs over 37,000 employees and professionals in its 840 locations. Internationally, Mehiläinen offers healthcare services in Sweden, Germany and Estonia, as well as digital healthcare software solutions through its subsidiary BeeHealthy.

Meliva's background

Mehiläinen has had “Life as a Mission” in Finland since 1909. In 2021, Mehiläinen expanded its healthcare services to three new countries of operation: Estonia, Sweden and Germany, where Mehiläinen operates under the Meliva brand. Meliva’s logo and color scheme are consistent with the Mehiläinen brand.

Sustainability and user experience were the most important selection criteria

Mehiläinen's Purchasing Director Satu Suominen has several years of experience in working with Medanta: "It was natural to start developing Meliva's collection with Medanta. Of course, we explored other options, for example, in Sweden there were several different competing clothes in the fitting. We wanted to choose clothes that pleased the users of the clothes. End users preferred Medanta's materials."

Medanta's supply chain has been assessed by a comprehensive audit by Mehiläinen. The responsible supply chain is monitored continuously, and the factories that manufacture materials and clothing are regularly audited by independent parties. "A consistent and centralised collection - the same fabrics and colors - for all countries is already a responsible choice in itself. This allows us to utilize long production runs and not produce small separate runs for the needs of different countries," says Satu Suominen.

Compact, consistent collection for different countries

Mehiläinen and Medanta's common goal is end-user satisfaction with workwear. "We wanted the same collection for all Meliva employees, and therefore, country-specific wishes and equality due to the diversity of backgrounds were taken into account. The wishes of all countries influenced the final collection, which included products developed for Meliva, such as a longer tunic, a new dress and trousers, and a polo shirt," says Satu Suominen.

A prerequisite for a successful collection was country-specific adjustments. The purpose of these adjustments was to ensure that everyone could find the desired and functional outfits in the right size. However, the scope of the collection remained compact. The set includes two to six tops and two to five bottoms per country.

In the future, user satisfaction will be ensured through regular online surveys. By measuring staff satisfaction, we can ensure the functionality of the workwear and further develop the collection. According to the first online surveys, user satisfaction with the quality and comfort of the clothing was at a high level: 75% of respondents say they are very satisfied or satisfied with the comfort of the clothing. According to the survey, not a single user was dissatisfied with the quality or comfort.

New material Medanta Biopique

The country companies expressed completely new wishes for the workwear collection, and they wanted to take them into account and at the same time test the users' experiences with new materials and models, says Satu Suominen. "Since a polo shirt was wanted in the collection, we set out to develop a completely new material for it, and the sturdy knitted material Medanta Biopique was born. It renews the traditional polo shirt and brings the shirt to a new level," says Taina Steiner , who is responsible for planning and design at Medanta.

The material contains bio-based sorona fibre made from corn. With the help of Sorona fibre developed by DuPont, the elastane that provides elasticity has been replaced with Sorona. It brings a pleasant softness to the garment, is breathable and keeps the skin cool. The material can withstand industrial washing and its color fastness is top-notch.

The sustainable Medanta Biopiqee material is also a more responsible choice, with a smaller carbon footprint. Sorona fibre’s 37% renewable plant-based composition requires less energy and releases fewer greenhouse gases.

Developing Meliva's brand color for workwear

“We knew that we would succeed in developing a unique Meliva brand color, because Finland had already had its own color that was only used by Mehiläinen,” says Satu Suominen. “So we were able to go into traffic with both responsibility and color first,” she laughs.

"For Medanta, Meliva's clear brand color was an easy starting point. The Pantone color system was used to help dye the raw fabrics in the collection with Meliva's brand colors. For all materials used, the factory sent so-called lab dips for selection, so that the dyed fabric could be the right shade," says Taina Steiner.

Meliva in numbers
Meliva Estonia, 650 professionals, 22 units
Meliva Sweden, 700 professionals, 27 health centers
Meliva Germany, 300 professionals, 10 medical centers