COMPANY·HISTORIES

Finland

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

23companies1851–2001founding years23still active0no longer operating
§ 01

Finland companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAhlstrom Corporation
1851
FoundedNokia Corporation
1865
FoundedUPM-Kymmene Corporation
1872
FoundedKANSALLIS-OSAKE-PANKKI
1889
FoundedStora Enso Oyj
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedKone Corporation
1910
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHuhtamäki OyjFoundedKemira Oyj
1920
FoundedFinnair Oyj
1923
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedOutokumpu Oyj
1932
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.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSanitec Corporation
1969
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.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedM-real Oyj
1986
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
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
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

Fiskars Corporation →
Active · Finland
Founded: 1649 Employees: 5,600 Sales: EUR 665 million ($637.69 million) (1999) Stock Exchanges: Helsinki Ticker Symbol:…
POSTI- JA TELELAITOS →
Active · Finland
Posti- ja Telelaitos (Post-Telecom Finland), a state-owned enterprise, is granted by law complete control of postal…
Ahlstrom Corporation →
Active · founded 1851 · Finland
1880s:Ahlstrom begins converting his ironworks into paper and pulp production.
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
Assets: FIM144.61 billion (US$34.7 billion) Stock Index: Helsinki Luxembourg Long known as Finland's largest commercial…
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 →
Active · founded 1950 · Finland
Finland's Amer Group plc is building a world-leading portfolio of sporting goods companies.
Sanitec Corporation →
Active · 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 →
Active · founded 1999 · Finland
Finland's SanomaWSOY Corporation leapt onto the broader European media scene with the 2001 acquisition of VNU's…
Dynea →
Active · founded 2001 · Finland
Dynea is a world-leading producer of industrial adhesives and adhesive resins.
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