Koskisen Group celebrates its 100th year

Koskisen Group, a family business operating in the wood products industry and employing about a thousand people, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Over the decades the company has evolved into an expert that is dedicated to wood. The company is a global operator, and its products are exported to over 30 countries. Family-ownership is still manifest in the name Koskisen.

The story of Koskisen is a great Finnish success story. Kalle Koskinen, the founder of the family business, started in the sawmilling industry a hundred years ago, on 1 May 1909. His path took him from being a member of a small co-operative to being a majority partner in his own company and a major employer in his home town.

Kalle's son Kalevi Koskinen followed in his father's footsteps and expanded the company's operations to include the plywood, chipboard and construction industries in addition to sawmilling. Through his perseverance and personal sacrifices, he turned decades of struggle and challenging economic circumstances in the company's favour while at the same time creating a solid foundation for future growth.

Koskisen stands for quality
The third generation of Koskinens started to get involved in the operations in 1985, when Kari Koskinen was assigned director of the plywood mill. Markku Koskinen joined the company in 1988 and started as director of the sawmilling operations two years later. Eva Paksuniemi, in turn, set up a Scandinavian sales office in Gothenburg in 1994. The three siblings are still strongly involved in the company's day-to-day operations.

After the major depression in the early 90s, Koskisen entered a period of rapid development, which has continued to this day. Koskisen's services and customer orientation have been further developed and the coverage of the foreign sales network has been considerably improved. The third generation of Koskinens emphasises the importance of having the right attitude: Koskisen stands for quality, Koskisen comes up with the right solutions, Koskisen wants to exceed the customer's expectations.

The family business draws its strength from continuity, and fights for it through thick and thin. Despite the global economic crisis, Koskisen firmly believes in the future.

We think more in terms of a quarter of a century than a quarter of a year, underlines Eva Paksuniemi, looking back on three generations of the family business's history.

The most interesting milestones in Koskisen's history are being gathered into a facinating show which can be explored on koskisen.com.

Koskisen Group 100 years