producer heavy vehicles based finland company founded finnish government number major finnish companies aim producing buses world war company start series production renamed subsequently production consisted outdated models partly built military surplus materials overcoming initial difficulties company products profitable grew mid 1950s major components including engines imported diesel engines widely available introduced significant innovation load lifting tandem axle mechanism improved road capability significantly system vehicles company started producing bus chassis built number finnish coach builders models appreciated number bus operators missed production stopped bus chassis fitted air brakes failure hydraulic brakes bus led worst traffic accidents happened finland fell financial difficulties end 1960s led merger finnish heavy vehicle producer end brand ceased exist factory produced terminal bus chassis military vehicles mobile crane chassis factory belongs produces armoured personnel carriers heavy vehicle axle producer small company employing people 1960s market share barely finland sold domestic market units exported vehicles known robust construction high degree number bus chassis totalled units consists bus chassis models models units produced good reputation valued vintage vehicle enthusiasts foundation winter estimated immediate prospect quick end continuation war immediate need new vehicles longer term army expected need buses neutral countries sweden switzerland willing sell vehicles finland demanded payment advance finland sufficient currency reserves option develop domestic vehicle production time finnish heavy vehicle producer sat building new factory location considered likely come attack soviet air raids company general director suggested factory larger originally planned option extreme reservation considered building new factory finland sat experienced heavy vehicle production economic technical resources limited heavy vehicle political thought sat trying benefit war gain dominant position finnish market defence minister called meeting held march explore solutions acute shortage vehicles meeting attended representatives government military leadership key personnel leading finnish industrial companies committee formed propose founding company sat state involved proposal presented meeting march company mutual meant intention joint production vehicles private owners headquarters company chairman reluctant appointed general manager set strict requirements vehicles produced time develop new model outdated best available options sat agreed transfer production produced models named start production immediately company founded production started sat factory vehicles built separately sat vehicles clear start vehicles produced away company sought suitable location close good rail road connections original idea build factory inside caves mined bedrock place required suitable geology suitable area finally found bought hectares acres land march contract factory construction signed contractor march accepted plan build railway connection area work underground workshop began july expense shortage time meant plan amended entire production area built ground factory buildings completed early november architectural office designed houses factory workers prototype rolled factory door august short intensive testing period serial production began october shortage materials component quality problems vehicles ready early capabilities domestic suppliers proved limited company dependent imported steering components drive shafts electrical systems domestic companies set production finnish suppliers unable meet requirements available materials experienced severe quality problems total production vehicles far target vehicles original calculated price vehicle marks eventual cost marks war ended series production started need new vehicles contrary army reduce number vehicles according frustrated component suppliers left business terminated vehicle supply contract end early agreed vehicles bought state sold civilian market available sale sat locations finland company presented lighter lower cost model resigned february talk closing company sold produced previous year built company company share capital reduced million marks million increased million state main owner having share company owners september new general manager company company lost million marks rights use brand summer general meeting held board decided company brand vehicles factory area moved municipality beginning year production licence use brand expired june production continued production continued white half track conversions general manager travelled france west_germany early buy military surplus materials bought half track vehicles engines engines diesel engines engines wheels capacity trailer trading organised delivery arrived march white half track vehicles armour idea equip field forest clearing convert wheel drive replacing tracks conventional rear axle total sold units half tracks converted vehicles sold half track vehicles scrapped parts sold growth recession 1950s original contract state terminated new agreement production vehicles delivered reached state helped production significant million marks according contract vehicles scheduled built company reached target vehicles private use sold half tracks sold loss marks vehicles state vehicles private operators produced company sold half tracks allowing declare profit million marks helped finnish mark positioning heavy vehicle market strengthened company started producing bus chassis year introduced new product family series production disrupted month strike result completion state ordered vehicles scheduled delivery year delayed following year despite difficulties posted profit million marks company employed workers sales profits grew year year early 1950s government short time imported marketed clearing produced italian firm demand type vehicle sold poorly price considered inconsistent technical quality units delivered development sales sold march volume year estimated reach units employed workers time changed day working week company blamed government import licence bureaucracy problem difficult diesel engines abroad following month ready awaiting diesel engines economy improved criticism finnish government criticised ignoring options buying said state ordered vehicles spread years tied state hands equipment buying long period sat criticised heavy vehicle companies access large share limited foreign currency reserves component supply representatives said domestic products vehicles represented actually domestic assembly work finland according domestic vehicles cost compared imported ones following year government started investigate possibilities heavy vehicles kit form reduce foreign currency expenditure sat expressed doubts viability production government ended restrictions import heavy vehicle chassis eventually prices imported vehicles approached vehicles entering diesel era petrol engines sat outdated american engines built licence customers wanted diesel engines powerful diesel models powered engines tested stroke diesel engines vehicle built import diesel engines difficult obtain constrained vehicle sales cases customers provided engines example mounted ordered vehicles assembly line bought cylinder diesel engines proved inefficient following year company ordered batch stronger netherlands representative offered engines intended marine industrial applications products delivered cylinder offered option lifting tandem system best known load lifting tandem axle introduced january invention enabled additional load tonnes carried entire load tandem moved fore axle electro hydraulic system system improved traction offering significant advantage slippery surfaces innovative lifting tandem developed leadership company chief engineer leader finnish logging vehicle market maintained position production ceased forestry work layout driven axle tandem axle driven fore axle called famous finland seldom seen outside countries vehicles carried winter test potential military vehicles march candidate vehicles domestic producers driven finland sent vehicles test ordinary rear wheel driven vehicle days testing period vehicles continuously fully loaded journey vehicles tow ton field cannon vehicles tested road capabilities snow destroyed accident domestic vehicles performed test cases rear wheel driven driven foreign competitors vehicles clearly better result convinced capabilities domestic vehicles led deals sat delivered intended general use garrisons later versions called units produced finnish road designed primarily military use dozen vehicles ordered hauling cannons heavy artillery efforts september finnish companies participated vehicles shown mid engined bus chassis engines raise interest potential greek customers relations greece bad time finally sold greece bus chassis returned finland sold bus operator built tourist bus body signed contract sell turkey vehicles shipped finland contract terminated embarrassing way refused turkish payment end 1950s early 1960s french plans joint production jointly produced prototype chassis engine cabin forward control type cabin partly glass shown barcelona international fair june vehicles taken fair driving europe fair considered successful vehicle sales resulted 1960s general manager resigned position previously worked factory superintendent appointed new head company led took post focused increasingly custom building vehicles according customer request typically potential customer walked main office factory described kind vehicle wanted enthusiastic engineers listened carefully individual customer wishes designed vehicles accordingly desired layout conventional forward control cabin vehicle types produced units volume model variant series good example custom built vehicles series forward control vehicles developed company company needed short vehicles good grade ability high vehicles metres total weight tonnes use vehicles public roads required special permit typical feature engineered structures robust main components sourced established suppliers showed progressive thinking driver comfortably sprung driver seat positioned close door ease reversing seat ways adjusted hanging set level standard early stage interior produced possibly efficient available 1960s drivers valued particularly soft suspension vehicles axle available axle models produced celebrated 20th anniversary press releases publications ignored fact key competitor sat significant role foundation mentioned context got notable order infrastructure april order vehicles funded loan development road network vehicles equipped driven axle order completed company faced difficult situation total number vehicles produced units beginning fired employees staunch customer base vehicles generally regarded overall market share remained low newly registered heavy finland highly production led excessive diversity models spare supply difficult presumably took resources away technical development work change better company introduced modern forward control model expected volume model factory production original factory building officially warehouse assembly hall volume facilities developed time end floor area warehouse assembly hall renamed main hall long wide bus chassis production located southern hall built northern set changed depending product mix production volume end building crane handling frames taken fitted suspension turned right way parts engine transmission components final pre assembled cabin conventional bus chassis delivered wings forward control types left factory body parts painted vehicles left assembly hall finally vehicle tested test run different roads loads bus chassis tested similar way body drivers warm clothes driving protect weather conditions vehicles handed customers final adjustments construction work new shop began building ready new facilities heat treatment sheet metal works end building service workshop new service workshop vehicle places built suppliers engines offer petrol engines common ones hercules engines domestically licence sat sat engine called engine second common engine white bought petrol engines 1960s ford engines fire engines diesel powered engines vast majority diesel engines supplied equipped ford trader cases engine provided customer powered diesel engine transmission copied american company fuller late 1940s early 1950s components easily available started use genuine transfer cases supplied built rear gears company started buying company suppliers produced beginning later main supplier special products late 1960s equipped british forward control bought bus chassis production bus chassis production began prototypes rear engined buses company prototype chassis designated model coach builders solution caused technical problems including proper cooling transfer heating end body cooling problem finally solved large air located roof regarded aesthetically pleasing arrangement solution found produced rear engined chassis called type bus chassis equipped air brakes later fitted decision influenced worst road traffic accidents happen finland people drowned fairly new bus drove boom barrier ferry slip sinking metres water driver survived said bus brakes failed confirmed following investigation found sealing hydraulic lockheed brakes failed delivered mid engined bus chassis coach works april powered horizontally mounted diesel engine end customer bus operator participated development work introduced chassis air suspension dual circuit air brakes returned building rear engined buses sales reach level mid- engined models company conducted number experiments construction example bus structure beams replaced lighter solution model nomenclature model nomenclature early 1950s follows auto auto bus letter end example model meant forward control cabin came extra long springs model names changed auto conventional cabin auto bulldog forward control auto wheel drive auto tandem tandem axle driven tandem driven tandem tandem driven wheel drive tandem driven axle tandem axle driven auto driven driven axle driven tandem bus model names changed accordingly auto bus auto bulldog bus forward control engine placed auto bus mid placed engine auto bus rear placed engine addition model rear engined bus models units produced units produced change came engine manufacturer code included model example powered diesel stood heavy meaning stronger axle bus model names changed manner example forward control bus engine called new model numbering changed increased axle loads letter code indicated higher axle capacity later models means axle capacity tonnes types meant soldier intended military use bus model numbering changed time engined mid engined changed rear engined digit numbers sides indicate engine displacement cubic inches model numbers incorrectly referred end started seek stronger partner negotiated companies planned use engines vehicles plan proved expensive led major owners start discussions merging sat chairman held regular meetings sat manager expressed interest german company interested operation acquisition rumoured interested evidence concrete negotiations small producer problems unreliable deliveries quality problems caused component suppliers semi finished waited outside factory engines key components british diesel engines suffered quality problems compared swedish german competitors company owners increasingly reluctant fund business speculation merger sat began swedish newspapers soon picked finnish media major owner state finland share suggested merger december financial situation year turnover million new finnish marks company debts million old finnish marks new mark contract merger signed formally discontinued end merger state owned new sat largest company customers reactions merger varied public understood need merger small companies operating limited market trying challenge mass producers loyal customers decision customers upset long equipped said buy moved imported vehicles proven technical solutions soon implemented drop truck market short lived sales soon returned levels experienced combined mid-1960s vehicles mobile cranes produced end subsequently vehicles sat works combining strengths companies successful bus chassis production strategic mistakes sat series large centrally mounted engine discontinued led loss main customer sat offered chassis replace models number bus operators including rejected production figures number bus chassis produced totalled units addition dozens trailers semi trailers produced sold brand connection rail buses collaboration firm sold finnish state railways models produced fitted types engine different types cabin models produced small numbers types represented units differences came special needed approval authorities cases impossible experts identify different models years production types bus chassis produced number different body types built coach builders operators unknown present merger led clash cultures flat organisation open communication workforce spirit sat organisation strictly division changed merger production gradually concentrated focused producing mobile cranes bus chassis terminal military vehicles personnel increase production new portfolio simultaneously adopt new processes years factory deliver results line capacity factory licence city bus chassis production officially discontinued small batch later fitted coach bodies delivery customer soviet_union sat planned terminal tractor 1960s production development continued terminal famous worldwide innovative design production moved sat military vehicle production moved vehicle later followed introduction heavier versions production armoured personnel carrier started early 1980s vehicles sold armies united_nations missions military products produced clearance vehicle produced company moved axle production new factory axle production separated independent unit called sold investors main factory builds military vehicles state separated parent company renamed vehicles main products armoured personnel carriers legacy characterised world best company ability engineer vehicle ideal application accordance customer wishes merger sat inspired number imaginative conspiracy theories reality acquisition followed normal process initiated owners experts field unanimously agree merger ensured finnish vehicle industry continue future valued vintage vehicle enthusiasts
Vanajan Autotehdas