Salora Oy

Salora Oy was a Finnish electronics manufacturer based in Salo. The company began in 1928 as Nordell & Koskinen, founded by F. A. Nordell and Lauri Koskinen. It adopted the Salora brand in 1937, a name formed from Salo and “radio,” and formally changed its corporate name to Salora Oy in 1945. The company developed from a radio maker into one of Finland’s important home-electronics producers. It introduced FM radios in 1953 and began manufacturing black-and-white televisions in 1957. During the 1960s, Salora expanded into colour television development, hi-fi systems and international sales. Its first colour television, the Salora Finlandia, appeared in 1968 and received a gold medal at the Nuremberg International Inventors’ Fair in 1969. The model became a major commercial success, with approximately 150,000 units sold by 1974. At the beginning of the 1970s, Salora was producing roughly 1,000 television sets per day across different models and employed about 2,000 people. Salora’s export business grew significantly after the company began selling televisions in Sweden in 1966. By the end of the 1970s, approximately 60 percent of its production was destined for export markets. The company also entered the hi-fi market in 1967, beginning with products such as the Salora Metropol 5. These activities positioned Salora as a broad consumer-electronics manufacturer rather than a specialist radio producer. Alongside consumer products, Salora developed communications equipment. From the early 1960s it manufactured radiotelephones for military, police and emergency-service users. It later produced car phones compatible with Finland’s ARP network, which began operating in 1971. This communications expertise led to a strategic relationship with Nokia. In 1979, Salora and Nokia established Mobira Oy, a joint venture named from “mobile radio.” Mobira produced mobile phones for the emerging Nordic Mobile Telephone network. Nokia acquired Mobira in 1982, after which the business became Nokia-Mobira Oy. Nokia acquired Salora itself in 1989, and Salora’s business was absorbed into Nokia-Mobira Oy. The original Finnish manufacturing company therefore ceased to operate as an independent corporate entity. The Salora name nevertheless continued as a brand: according to the cited reference material, the trademark or brand is now owned by the Dutch company Salora International BV. Later use of the name should therefore be distinguished from the historical Finnish manufacturer, whose main legacy lies in Finnish radio and television production, export-oriented consumer electronics, and early Nordic mobile-communications development.

Salora Oy originated in Salo, Finland, where F. A. Nordell and Lauri Koskinen established Nordell & Koskinen in 1928. The enterprise adopted the Salora product name in 1937. The name combined the town of Salo with the company’s radio activities, and it became the corporate name when the business was renamed Salora Oy in 1945. Radio remained central to the company’s early identity. Salora introduced FM radios in 1953, reflecting the expansion of frequency-modulation broadcasting and the company’s effort to move beyond conventional radio receivers. It entered television manufacturing in 1957 with black-and-white sets. In 1966, Salora began developing colour televisions and also entered export sales by supplying televisions to Sweden. The company diversified into hi-fi equipment in 1967; the Salora Metropol 5 was identified as its first hi-fi system. Salora’s first colour television, the Salora Finlandia, was released in 1968. The product received a gold medal at the Nuremberg International Inventors’ Fair in 1969 and became one of the company’s best-known products. Approximately 150,000 units had reportedly been sold by 1974. The scale of production grew rapidly: in the early 1970s Salora produced around 1,000 televisions per day in various models and employed about 2,000 people. Export sales became an increasingly important part of the business, accounting for about 60 percent of production by the end of the 1970s. The company also pursued communications technology. From the early 1960s it produced radiotelephones for military, police and emergency-service applications. This line was later extended to car phones designed for Finland’s ARP mobile-radio network, launched in 1971. These activities gave Salora experience in mobile communications at a time when Nordic countries were developing coordinated cellular and mobile-telephone standards. In 1979, Salora and Nokia created Mobira Oy, a joint venture whose name referred to mobile radio. Mobira manufactured mobile telephones compatible with the Nordic Mobile Telephone network. Nokia acquired Mobira in 1982, and the operation was renamed Nokia-Mobira Oy. Nokia later acquired Salora in 1989, bringing the Finnish electronics manufacturer and its business under the Nokia-Mobira organization. The acquisition ended Salora’s existence as an independent manufacturer. The Salora name continued separately as a brand and is now reported to be owned by Salora International BV in the Netherlands. The historical Salora Oy is therefore best understood as a defunct Finnish electronics company whose activities ranged from domestic radios and televisions to hi-fi systems and early mobile-communications equipment.

1. 1989Salora acquired by Nokia

   Nokia acquired Salora, ending its independent corporate operation.

   Source
2. 1982Mobira acquired by Nokia

   Nokia acquired Mobira and later renamed the company Nokia-Mobira Oy.

   Source
3. 1979Mobira Oy joint venture formed

   Salora and Nokia established Mobira Oy to develop and manufacture mobile telephones.

   Source
4. 1971ARP-compatible car phones

   Salora produced car phones compatible with Finland’s ARP mobile-radio network.

   Source
5. 1969Salora Finlandia receives Nuremberg award

   The Salora Finlandia received a gold medal at the Nuremberg International Inventors’ Fair.

   Source
6. 1968Salora Finlandia colour television released

   Salora launched its first colour television model, the Salora Finlandia.

   Source
7. 1967Entry into hi-fi systems

   Salora entered the hi-fi market with the Metropol 5 system.

   Source
8. 1966Colour television development and Swedish exports

   The company began developing colour televisions and started selling televisions in Sweden.

   Source
9. 1957Black-and-white television production begins

   Salora expanded from radio into black-and-white television manufacturing.

   Source
10. 1953First FM radios

    Salora released its first FM radio products.

    Source
11. 1945Corporate name changed to Salora Oy

    Nordell & Koskinen adopted Salora Oy as its corporate name.

    Source
12. 1937Salora brand introduced

    The company introduced products under the Salora name, derived from Salo and radio.

    Source
13. 1928Company founded as Nordell & Koskinen

    F. A. Nordell and Lauri Koskinen established the Finnish electronics business in Salo under the name Nordell & Koskinen.

    Source

A Finnish engineering-led electronics manufacturer combining mass-market radios and televisions with hi-fi equipment and specialist radiotelephone technology.

• RadiosRadio receivers1937

  Radio receivers formed the foundation of Salora’s business. The company introduced its first products under the Salora name in 1937 and later expanded into FM radio equipment, establishing a durable association between the brand and Finnish radio engineering.

• TelevisionsConsumer electronics1957

  Salora began producing black-and-white televisions in 1957 and later developed colour sets. Television became the company’s principal large-scale product line, supporting substantial domestic production and exports, particularly to Sweden and other markets.

• Salora FinlandiaColour television1968

  The Salora Finlandia was Salora’s first colour television, released in 1968. It received a gold medal at the 1969 Nuremberg International Inventors’ Fair and reportedly reached approximately 150,000 sales by 1974, making it a signature product in the company’s history.

• Salora Metropol 5Hi-fi system1967

  The Metropol 5 was identified as Salora’s first hi-fi system. Its introduction in 1967 extended the company’s consumer-electronics range beyond radio and television into higher-fidelity home audio.

• Radiotelephones and car phonesMobile communications equipment1960

  Salora manufactured radiotelephones for military, police and emergency-service users from the early 1960s. It later produced car phones compatible with Finland’s ARP network, linking the company’s communications work to the development of Nordic mobile telephony.

• 1989Nokia acquisition of SaloraM&A

  After the earlier Mobira relationship and Nokia’s acquisition of that joint venture, Salora was incorporated more fully into Nokia’s mobile and electronics organization.

  What changed. Nokia acquired Salora, and Salora’s business was taken over by Nokia-Mobira Oy.

  Aftermath. Salora ceased to operate as an independent Finnish electronics manufacturer, although the brand name continued under later ownership by Salora International BV.

  Source
• 1979Form Mobira Oy with NokiaM&A

  Salora’s radiotelephone and car-phone activities coincided with the emergence of Nordic mobile-telephone networks. Nokia and Salora chose to combine capabilities in a dedicated mobile-radio venture.

  What changed. The companies established Mobira Oy to produce mobile phones compatible with the Nordic Mobile Telephone network.

  Aftermath. Nokia acquired Mobira in 1982 and renamed the operation Nokia-Mobira Oy, creating the organizational path through which Salora’s communications activities were later absorbed.

  Source

• 1989Nokia acquires Salora Oy

  Nokia acquired Salora, with the Finnish manufacturer’s business subsequently taken over by Nokia-Mobira Oy.

  M&A
  Source
• 1982Nokia acquires Mobira

  Nokia acquired Mobira, the joint venture previously established with Salora, and subsequently renamed the business Nokia-Mobira Oy.

  M&A
  Source
• 1979Salora and Nokia establish Mobira Oy

  Salora and Nokia formed Mobira Oy, a joint venture focused on mobile-radio and mobile-telephone products for the developing Nordic telecommunications market.

  M&AProduct launch
  Source

1. Salora Oy
2. Elias – Electronics from Salo