Wihuri Group

Wihuri Group is a Finnish conglomerate whose operations have expanded to span the world. Wihuri has occupied a prominent position in Finnish business life for over 100 years. The Wihuri Group as we now know it has evolved from the lifelong work of two great Finnish men, Hjalmar Aarnio and Antti Wihuri. Mr Aarnio, a pioneer in the wholesale trade in Finland, began Wihuri tradition by establishing Aarnio Oy in Kaarina, near Turku, in 1901. Mr. Wihuri, Counselor of the Maritime Industry, and Mr. Aarnio merged their business operations in 1961. The uniting force in this evolution was a Counsellor of Trade Mrs. Rakel Wihuri, whose lifelong work helped to bring about the Wihuri Group. The Group then consisted of 8 business units: Aarnio Oy, Autola Oy, Metalliosa Oy, Porvoon Panimo Oy, Teijon Tehtaat Oy, Tukkukulma Oy, Sanduddin tehtaat Oy, and Oy Witraktor Ab. In 1975 this union took on the name "Wihuri Oy." In the course of the following years, the group structure has changed and grown. Wihuri Oy Aarnio, Wihuri Oy Autola, and Wihuri Oy Witraktor remain the senior members of the Group. Wihuri's other business units are the Wipak and Winpak packaging units, Wihuri Oy Machine Tools, Wihuri Oy Power Products, Vilakone Oy and Wihuri Aviation. Not only is the Group's place in Finnish business life as solid today as it was 100 years ago, it has become a strong international actor as well. Nowadays Wihuri does business around the globe. The Group's international focus notwithstanding, Wihuri still reveres its Finnish roots and heritage. At the same time, the Company's heritage, in the form of considerable donations and investments to promote science, the arts and humanitarian activities, gives it perspective far beyond the ordinary. In monetary terms, scholarships granted by the Wihuri Foundations are of the same magnitude as the Nobel Foundation's prize awards. The Wihuri Company and the Wihuri Foundations, both created by Mr. Antti Wihuri, operate independently, while being linked by a shareholding relationship.