History

FinnSonic Oy’s story began in 1979

At that time, the Tolkki brothers in Lahti and Peter Wagner, German-born, founded Oy Ultrasonic Finland Ab. The company’s business idea was to manufacture and sell ultrasonic cleaners for the Finnish market and for export. The company initially operated in Lahti, on Vipusenkatu.

Small orange ultrasonic cleaner on the market with great hopes

Wagner had previously worked at KLN Ultraschall GmbH, Germany, where he had studied ultrasound technology. Using these lessons, the company’s first product was developed. It was a small orangeplastic covered ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning jewelry and felt and fountain pen nibs. There was a clear demand for the product, and sales started off quickly. In addition to the domestic market, trade was also made in Germany and even Australia. However, the quality of the product turned out to be disappointing. Washers could stop working after a month, week or even an hour of use. So, product development continued, and a new product range came to the market.

Clearing trade with the Soviet Union

Finland and the Soviet Union entered into a clearing trade deal in 1950. Due to the agreement, Finnish exports to the Soviet Union increased significantly. In the 1970s, Tamro Oy also became interested in clearing trade deals, but it did not have a selection of suitable products. The problem was solved when Tamro bought Ultrasonic Finland and ultrasonic cleaners began to be sold to the eastern neighbour. The deal was brisk and the idea was to sell the Soviet Union full of ultrasonic washing machines.

Strong product development

In the 1980s, there was strong investment in product development. During that time a new generator and a new M-series were launched on the markets for example. One of the first fully automated washing lines was delivered to Aspo Electronic for washing hybrid circuits. The company was renamed FinnSonic Oy in 1989. Operations grew rapidly and more space was needed. New production facilities were introduced at Parikankatu in early 1990.

In the early 1990’s half of the net sales came from Finland the other half from Sweden. Before the turn of the decade, the market area expanded to England, Benelux and Germany. The ownership changed again when the management acquired the company from Tamro.

Customized lines as a competitive advantage

In the 21st century, the focus has been on both modular and customertailored ultrasonic washing lines. Today, the company is developing not only ultrasonic cleaning solutions for the industry, but also fluorescent penetrant inspection lines mainly for the aviation industry. The reference list contains internationally significant top companies in their respective fields.

FinnSonic – cleaner, safer, smarter

In 2013, face-to-face ownership was restored when Vesa Nurminen acquired the company from Sentica Partners Oy, which owned the company for seven years. “I am proud of FinnSonic and its personnel. We have grown from a small workshop to a significant global player. About 80% of our net sales are exported. We have gained a solid position on both the industrial ultrasonic washing and FPI inspection sides”, says Nurminen, Chairman of the Board.