Who is Toomas?

Toomas Orutar, CEO of Logistika Pluss OÜ, is a man who is constantly on the move. He is ignited by action and lifelong development. Honesty, trustworthiness and openness are the values ​​he embodies and values ​​in working life.

Logistika Pluss is not just a logistics company. Among other things, production support services are also offered, which is why accuracy and quality are very important, and this is also valued by the team. “We always tell the truth, hide nothing and trust each other. This is the only way to move forward as a team, ”Toomas describes his hard-working team.

Introducing values ​​into the company’s daily life has been Toomas’ mission for 25 years. “It is important that the team understands what is behind these values. “Today’s team has common understandings and they are acting in the same tact,” he adds.

Among other things, Toomas is the chairman of the council of the Estonian Logistics and Forwarding Association. This year, he was also nominated for the TOP40 “Best Leader 2022” competition.

Toomas’ previous career

Toomas’ career began at the end of his service in the Defense Forces, when he went to work in Moscow. Being away from home, there was plenty of time to reflect on various vital issues, such as what really matters in life and what family means. From there, Toomas found himself deeply thinking about the importance of values, not only in his private life but also in his working life. Shortly afterwards, the hard-working man was offered the opportunity to run for work at Elcoteq, a state-of-the-art electronics company.

Toomas returned to Estonia as a young and ambitious man to talk to the then CEO of Elcoteq. In half an hour, the suitability was clear and Toomas was asked when he could start. As Toomas did not yet have any management experience, he was immediately faced with a decent challenge at Elcoteq. He managed a 60-member production unit. Toomas remembers that at first the discipline was not in place and this in turn caused problems. Within a month, however, he was able to reverse the situation so that the goals were met and production worked smoothly. It was the first major success and also boosted self-confidence as a leader.

Toomas was soon offered the position of production manager, and instead of 60 people, an 800-member team had to be led. The management training offered by Elcoteq added a whole new dimension to management, and Toomas still values ​​this investment by the company. Having worked for the company for 5 years, Toomas already became Production Director and was a member of the management of Elcoteq Tallinn. The unit he headed employed 2,400 people. This product line was the largest in the global company.

The journey to Logistika Pluss

Coincidentally, at the annual conference of business leaders, Toomas ended up talking to a person who asked if he would like to come and build up a small logistics company. At first he thought he was not interested in the offer, but his curiosity still prevailed.

The opportunity to lay hands on building the company seemed like an exciting challenge, despite the fact that the field of logistics was unfamiliar to him. During the candidacy, Toomas had to present his vision of the Logistika Pluss construction plan and defend it in front of the owner. Only one day was left to draw up the plan.

After the defense, it was not long before the owner called Toomas on board. “I came to run a small business that needed to be built now. When he got to work in 2006, the company employed 13 people. Today, Logistika Pluss OÜ is one of the largest warehousing service providers in Estonia. We are always trying to do something different in the company, because otherwise it is easy to get into a routine.

Both the present and the future are important. We work every day to create value for our customers. We will also change the content of the service as needed. Future plans remain high. So far, this journey has been really exciting, ”Toomas describes his previous experience in Logistika Pluss.

What does Toomas value in his team?

As CEO, Toomas favors the development and ambitions of all the company’s employees. Adding that he especially appreciates people who are ready to act in addition to talking. Consistency and discipline are also driving forces in his experience. It has also become a habit that when a manager goes on holiday, he is not replaced by another manager, but rather by the people working under him. The company is constantly evolving, and people could and should develop along with it. According to Toomas, the relations between the team members must also be good. The best indicator here is the desire of colleagues to spend time together outside working hours. However, for new team members, the HR department has also developed processes and programs to simplify onboarding. Toomas is very proud of all this.

Toomas is an active man by nature. Due to official duties and other responsibilities, there is not much free time. If so, he goes for a hike with friends or just to spend time together. Spending time with friends always gives Toomas a lot of strength, endurance and energy.

Toomas’ wife must also occasionally remind him that he needs to sit, breathe and rest for a while. “In fact, we have to make time for important things and people,” Toomas concludes.