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This year, the family-owned company Tammer OÜ celebrates its 30th anniversary—an enterprise well known in the construction and marine industries. From the very beginning, the company’s growth has been driven by strategic investments in innovation, product development, and its people, enabling Tammer to evolve alongside changing markets and technologies. But how did a local small business become the largest project-based metal door manufacturer in the Nordics, exporting 90% of its production?
The roots of Tammer can be traced back to a late-evening ferry ride to Finland in 1995. Founder Raigo Tammo was traveling to meet a client of Estonia Tanc (now Estanc), a company he had established a few years earlier. On the passenger ferry Georg Ots, he found himself sharing a dinner table with a metals supplier.
“During our conversation, he offered me the opportunity to expand from steel profiles into finished products and invited me to join his group for a week-long training at a steel profile factory in Switzerland,” recalls Raigo Tammo.
This introduction to steel profiles sparked the idea of founding Tammer OÜ. “When I returned from Switzerland, my understanding of what could be done with profiles had grown immensely, and we began seriously developing door and window solutions. You must be able to recognize the moments when new opportunities appear—and decide whether you’re ready to open a new door in your life.”
The first contract was signed with an acquaintance who was building a new business center in Nõmme, Tallinn, and needed windows and doors. At that time, Tammer didn’t yet have a single employee, and negotiations with subcontractors were still ongoing. But the successful completion of that first major project provided a powerful push forward.
According to Raigo Tammo, the early 1990s were defined by uncertainty. “Estanc was registered on 14 January 1992 and Tammer in 1995. In the 1990s, uncertainty existed on every level. Even the bureaucracy involved in registering a company was unfamiliar. There were no digital systems, no mobile phones, and entrepreneurship was uncharted territory both for beginners and those already attempting it.”
Raigo’s son, Anti Tammo—now Chairman of the Board—remembers that one of his earliest memories of the company is installing doors during his 1998 summer internship at the Keila post office project.
“As the market had only just opened, competition was nearly nonexistent. Whatever you started doing in the 1990s—everything felt like a positive opportunity. If you had even a spark of entrepreneurial spirit, your chances of launching a business were huge.”
Tammer began by producing steel-profile doors, which remained the company’s main focus for 15 years. The strategy was to specialize deeply and excel in a single product line. “Over time, through strategic work, we developed an ambitious business plan—we had this idea of smooth metal doors in our drawer, and it required courage to bring it to life,” explains Anti Tammo.
After the 2010 economic crisis, the timing finally aligned. The labor market offered skilled specialists, and it was possible to purchase equipment from companies that had ceased operations. This provided the momentum needed to introduce smooth metal doors, which have since become Tammer’s largest product category by volume.
During its first decade, the company focused primarily on Estonia. Gradually, exports grew to Finland and Sweden, with the first shipment to Sweden in 1999. Today, exports—mostly to Scandinavia—account for nearly 90% of Tammer’s revenue.
In 2013, a completely new market segment was added: marine doors. This required solutions with entirely different properties and compliance with new standards. Development began quietly, through prototyping and testing. In 2018, Tammer participated in the major SMM maritime fair in Hamburg, after which the marine business line began to expand rapidly.
“It’s fair to say that Tammer’s fastest growth sprint has taken place from 2010 to today,” says Anti Tammo. “In 2010, we moved to our current address at Väike-Paala 4. At that time, our turnover was around €5 million, the team had 50 people, and production space totaled 1,300 m². In 30 years, we have grown to €37 million in annual revenue, with 295 employees and 15,000 m² of production area. Each year, around 8,000 projects (which is about 40,000 products) leave our factory.”
He adds that Tammer is proud to invest significantly more than average in product and process development. “We employ 16 full-time specialists in product, process, and IT development. Today, we invest nearly 3.5% of our sales revenue into R&D and innovation. Improving products and processes and developing new solutions has been our focus since the early 2000s, and thinking several steps ahead has given us a substantial competitive edge.”
The economic environment of recent years has been as unpredictable as the wind: the world is changing rapidly, and to survive, Tammer must adapt quickly. “We see the biggest upcoming changes in process improvement—embedding automation and robotics as efficiently as possible,” notes Anti Tammo.
Business development is also essential—both in terms of large-scale products and entry into new markets. In autumn 2025, during the company’s 30th anniversary year, Tammer expanded its production area by an additional 1,500 m², signaling clear intentions to continue growing, developing, and broadening both its product range and markets.
“And of course, we cannot ignore global trends that also define the core values of our products: safety and sustainability,” he adds. “These principles guide both our development of new solutions and our daily operations.
Tammer’s management philosophy is simple: take care of people, and they will take care of your company.
“We’ve always tried to do more than average for our employees, clients, and partners. We lead with values, and place great emphasis on family-friendliness and flexibility,” says Anti Tammo. “We believe good relationships grow from shared quality time, so we strengthen team spirit with monthly activities—from board game nights and volleyball tournaments to bog hikes and participating in Estonia’s national online dictation event.”
Tammer practices inclusive leadership and builds a work culture where every person matters and shared moments are meaningful. Right at the start of cooperation, clients are often told that while Tammer cannot promise challenges will never arise, they can guarantee that every challenge will be solved. Experience has shown that clients appreciate this honesty.
Among the company’s most meaningful projects, Anti Tammo highlights the North Estonia Medical Centre (PERH). “The project required long preparation with architects: in collaboration with Stålprofil, we developed a dedicated profile system, conducted fire tests according to architectural and safety requirements, and over the years we have produced and installed countless hospital-grade products for PERH. The story culminated during the COVID-19 pandemic—our products appeared in nearly every frame of the special broadcast filmed at the hospital. It was a powerful reminder that our doors perform reliably even in crisis environments and that our work contributes to a safer everyday world.”
Pamela Põld, Tammer’s Marketing Project Manager, adds that the company’s commitment to safety has inspired a cherished tradition. Together with the Estonian Rescue Board, Tammer has organized the charitable project “Safe Christmas” for eight years, donating fire-resistant doors to one Estonian educational institution each year. The project aims to reach every county and make schools and childcare institutions safer—both in cities and smaller communities.
“We’ve actually been celebrating our anniversary throughout the entire year 2025. In the first half of the year, we took a big step outside our comfort zone and completely renewed Tammer’s visual identity,” says Pamela Põld. “Reflecting on 30 years of experience and wisdom, we decided to combine what we’ve learned with a forward-looking mindset and take a bold step that will carry us through the next 30 years and beyond.”
At the end of September, a grand anniversary celebration took place, attended by employees, clients, and partners. The afternoon began with a bus tour tracing Tammer’s history, visiting buildings equipped with Tammer doors and participating in engaging workshops hosted by TalTech.
The evening continued at the Cruise Terminal with a creative dance and acrobatic performance depicting Tammer’s story, an acoustic concert by Tanja and Mikk Saar, a delicious dinner, and an impressive dessert show.
