History of Tikka Spikes

1800s

1805: A mill by the Tikkakoski rapids grinds the village’s grain into flour.

At some point during the 19^th century, a sawmill is constructed next to the mill to saw logs into boards.

1893: Martin Stenij receives business permits for a new workshop with a filing mill and metal lathe on the bank of the river. The workshop employs 5 to 6 men and produces machine parts for sawmills and other mills.

1897: An ad in the local Keski-Suomi newspaper advertises that the workshop repairs dams, boilers, metal beds and other metal products. The workshop has several metal lathes, drills, planers and iron planes, as well as a small forge and brass foundry.

1900-1930

1909: The factory has been moved about 200 metres away from the rapids. Transmitting power with belts is difficult, so work begins on electrifying the factory. In the hydropower plant, the electricity produced by the turbines rotates the main shaft of the factory with the help of a large DC motor, from which the drive power is transferred to the machines.

1910: Four businessmen from Jyväskyä, Anton Fredrikson, Th. Lilius, A. Mitrofanoff and Hugo Parviainen, purchase the factory and all its equipment.

1912:

The factory’s expertise and selection of products grow rapidly. Tikkakoski now manufactures harrows, lathes, Tikka onland motors and Geo boat motors. The company name changes to Tikkakoski Rauta- ja Puuteollisuus Oy (Tikkakoski Metal and Wood Industry Ltd). The production of wooden boards is discontinued. A lot of metal products are exported to Russia. The founder of the factory, Martin Stenij, emigrates to America to become a car dealer. Already in Tikkakoski, he owned the first automobile in the area. A helper ran in front of the car to open all the gates.

1916: Tikkakoski becomes the first community in Central Finland to introduce electric street lights. During the day, the electricity is used by the factory, but in the evening there is enough for street lights and homes.

1918: As a result of the Russian Revolution, exports cease and, following independence, a need arises in Finland for its own defence industry. The first such product manufactured by Tikkakoski is locks for Maxim machine guns.

1910s-1930s: Several brick buildings are built on the site of the current plant, many of which are still in use. The building that houses the current Tikka Spikes R&D and tool departments was built in 1942.

1927–1928: Tikkakoski specialises increasingly in weapons production and begins manufacturing barrels. In the 1931 World Championships, Sven Oskar Lindgren wins the small-calibre rifle world championship with a world record score and Kullervo Leskinen wins the free rifle world championship, also with a world record score. Both use Tikka products, the quality of which gain a worldwide reputation.

1930: The company name changes to Oy Tikkakoski Ab.

1931: The company buys the drawings of the Suomi submachine gun from weapon designer Aimo Lahti’s company Konepistooli Oy and starts production. A total of around 80,000 pieces of the famous submachine gun are manufactured by 1944. Production continues under license until 1948, for example in Switzerland.

1939–1944

1939: A tunnel is excavated a few kilometres south of the current plant for ammunition production. Later, the production of tyre studs begins in the same tunnel. Operations in the tunnel are discontinued in 1978, as the interior has deteriorated to the point of being dangerous. The tunnel is finally closed by blowing it up in 1985.

1943: The designers at Tikkakoski recognise that the war will be ending soon and design a sewing machine to be manufactured after the war. The first series-produced Tikka sewing machine is manufactured in spring 1946.

1944: The factory is busy during the war years. At its peak in 1944, the factory employed 1050 workers – mainly women, because men were fighting at the front.

 

1950s-2000s

1950s: Tikka sewing machines prove to be a successful product and are exported to 21 countries, especially the Soviet Union, Argentina and Belgium. In the 1960s, the product selection also includes the Tikka-Tuula vacuum cleaner. Starting in 1966 and lasting just a few years, car products are also manufactured, such as roof racks, trailer lights and ice scrapers.

1957: Veikko Ryhönen, foreman of the rubber repair shop Arkela & Kumppanen, applies for a patent for studs that can be installed in car tyres. Today’s tyre studs are born. The studs are first used in car races, where they are found to provide superior grip.

1959: Oy Kovametalli Ab begins the industrial production of Kometa tyre studs in Espoo.

1963: Oy Tikkakoski Ab begins manufacturing Tikka studs, which achieve a reputation especially for their success in rallying.

1974: Nokia Oy becomes the majority shareholder in Oy Tikkakoski Ab.

1970s–1980s: During the 1970s and 1980s, Tikkakoski manufactures successful hunting and sports rifles, tyre studs, and precision mechanics, such as components for IBM computer printers and hard disk drives for Nokia computers.

1986: Nokia Oy sells Airam-Kometa Oy to its operative management. The production of Kometa and Tikka studs are combined at the Tikkakoski plant.

1990s: The severe economic recession in Finland in the early 1990s halts production, but it recovers rapidly afterwards.

1994: The company name changes to Tikka-Nastat Oy.

2000–

2008: Continental acquires the entire shareholding in Tikka Spikes Oy, beginning a strong period of investments and growth.

2015: The new type approval laboratory is inaugurated, enabling Tikka Spikes to take care of type approval for studded tyres on behalf of tyre manufacturers.

2010s: Production of studs increases ten-fold between 2003 and 2023.

2023: Tikka Spikes Oy is the oldest and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of tyre studs.

2024: Tikka Spikes is divested from Continental by Management Buy-Out. Supply, development and testing partnership with Continental continue, but as an independent company Tikka Spikes can serve much wider customer base.