COMPANYHISTORIES

Finland

Companies based in Finland, and the events that shaped them.

23companies1649–2001founding years18still active2no longer operating
§ 01

Finland companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFiskars Corporation
1649
1839
TechnologyGoodyear discovers how to vulcanize rubber.
FoundedAhlstrom Corporation
1851
TechnologySinger's sewing machine mechanizes garment-making.
1856
TechnologyBessemer's process makes cheap steel possible.
1857
EconomyThe Panic of 1857 spreads through banks and railroads.
1859
TechnologyDrake's well at Titusville launches the oil industry.
FoundedNokia Corporation
1865
1867
TechnologyNobel patents dynamite.
1869
EconomyThe transcontinental railroad links the American coasts.
EconomyThe Suez Canal opens, reshaping global shipping.
FoundedUPM-Kymmene Corporation
1872
1873
EconomyLevi Strauss patents riveted denim work pants.
EconomyThe Panic of 1873 triggers a global depression.
1876
TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
1879
TechnologyEdison demonstrates a practical incandescent lamp.
1882
TechnologyEdison's Pearl Street Station opens the electric-utility era.
1886
EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.
TechnologyThe Hall-Heroult process makes aluminum cheap to produce.
1888
TechnologyKodak's roll-film camera brings photography to everyone.
FoundedKANSALLIS-OSAKE-PANKKI
1889
1893
EconomyThe Panic of 1893 pulls down banks and overbuilt railroads.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyFord's Model T puts the automobile within reach of the middle class.
FoundedKone Corporation
1910
1913
TechnologyFord's moving assembly line transforms factory production.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1916
EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.
FoundedOrion Oyj
1917
FoundedHuhtamäki OyjFoundedKemira Oyj
1920
1925
EconomyThe Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting from Nashville.
1927
TechnologyThe Jazz Singer ushers in the era of sound films.
TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.
1928
TechnologyPenicillin is discovered, opening the age of antibiotics.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1931
EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.
FoundedOutokumpu Oyj
1932
1933
EconomyThe first drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey.
1937
EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedKesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy)
1940
FoundedTamfelt Oyj Abp
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1946
TechnologyENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedAmer Group plc
1950
1955
EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.
EconomyDisneyland opens and invents the modern theme park.
1956
TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
FoundedSanitec Corporation
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
TechnologyThe first US in-vitro fertilization baby is born.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedImatra Steel Oy Ab
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedFortum Corporation
1998
FoundedMetso CorporationFoundedSanomaWSOY Corporation
1999
TechnologyNapster ignites the digital disruption of recorded music.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.
2002
EconomyThe euro enters circulation across the eurozone.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

POSTI- JA TELELAITOS →
Active · Finland
Posti- ja Telelaitos (Post-Telecom Finland), a state-owned enterprise, is granted by law complete control of postal…
Fiskars Corporation →
Active · founded 1649 · Finland
Fiskars Corporation, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is one of the oldest companies in the western world, having…
Ahlstrom Corporation →
Renamed · founded 1851 · Finland
Ahlstrom Corporation celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001 by breaking up.
Nokia Corporation →
Active · founded 1865 · Finland
Nokia Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, with a worldwide market share of about 27…
UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
KANSALLIS-OSAKE-PANKKI →
Active · founded 1889 · Finland
Stock Index: Helsinki Luxembourg Long known as Finland's largest commercial bank, Kansallis-Osake-Pankki has developed…
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
Kone Corporation →
Active · founded 1910 · Finland
Kone Corporation is a world-leading designer and manufacturer of elevators, escalators, and "autowalks." Based in…
Orion Oyj →
Active · founded 1917 · Finland
Orion Oyj is one Finland's leading pharmaceutical companies, marketing some 250 products in Finland and claiming about…
Huhtamäki Oyj →
Active · founded 1920 · Finland
Finland's Huhtamäki Oyj is the world's leading producer of molded fiber-based and rigid packaging products for the…
Kemira Oyj →
Active · founded 1920 · Finland
Finland's Kemira Oyj is a leading industrial chemicals manufacturer focused on four primary areas: Paints and Coatings;…
Finnair Oyj →
Active · founded 1923 · Finland
Based in Helsinki, Finnair Oyj is the national airline of Finland and the fifth oldest airline in the world.
Outokumpu Oyj →
Active · founded 1932 · Finland
Late 1940s:Flash Smelting is developed.
Kesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy) →
Active · founded 1940 · Finland
The largest trading company in Finland, Kesko Ltd.
Tamfelt Oyj Abp →
Active · founded 1942 · Finland
One of Finland's oldest companies, Tamfelt Oyj Abp is also a major European producer of technical and industrial…
Amer Group plc →
Renamed · founded 1950 · Finland
Finland's Amer Group plc is building a world-leading portfolio of sporting goods companies.
Sanitec Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1969 · Finland
Sanitec Corporation is Europe's leading manufacturer of bathroom ceramics and bath and shower fittings and products.
M-real Oyj →
Active · founded 1986 · Finland
M-real Oyj--known as Metsä-Serla Oy until 2001--operates as a leading supplier of paper and paperboard and is Europe's…
Imatra Steel Oy Ab →
Active · founded 1991 · Finland
Imatra Steel Oy Ab is a specialist manufacturer of steel and steel components for the automotive and mechanical…
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
Metso Corporation →
Active · founded 1999 · Finland
Metso Corporation, a leading worldwide manufacturer of forestry, pulping, and paper machinery, is the product of the…
SanomaWSOY Corporation →
Renamed · founded 1999 · Finland
Finland's SanomaWSOY Corporation leapt onto the broader European media scene with the 2001 acquisition of VNU's…
Dynea →
Defunct · founded 2001 · Finland
Dynea is a world-leading producer of industrial adhesives and adhesive resins.
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