Electronic industry

The electronics and electrotechnics industry is Finland's fastest growing industrial sector, with production quadrupling in the 1990s. Growth has been powered by the telecommunications equipment industry. Telecommunications and information technology, fields demanding exacting skills and elegant solutions, are the areas of greatest expertise in the whole of Finnish industry.

The electronics and electrotechnics industry exports 80% of its total production. Foremost among the exports are cellular phones, computers, electric motors and transformers. The success of the electronics and electrotechnics industry is based on research, product development and the readiness of Finnish companies to exploit new technologies. The Research and Development input is particularly high - even higher than its fixed investments.(Federation of Finnish Metal, Engineering and Electrotechnical Industries, 2001)

Nokia, which transformed itself from a conglomerate to a high-tech group to be recognized with, can be considered a model for the new technology's rise to prominence. In a short period of time, the company went from paper all the way to mobile phones and telecommunications systems via televisions and computer terminals. On the next page you can read the Nokia history.