Fiskars

Many ironworks were established in Finland during the 17th century. The large and forested areas of the Pohja region were the ideal center for the Finnish metal industry due to the unrestricted use of water power and the favorable waterways. When the ironworks in Fiskars was founded in 1649, Finland was under Swedish rule. The iron ore used at Fiskars was mainly extracted from the Utö mine on the outer peninsula of Stockholm. In Fiskars itself, the iron was used for the production of nails, threads and knives, among other things.

In 1783, the ironworks was taken over by the Björkman family and the focus of production shifted to the processing of copper ore, which was extracted from the Orijärvi copper mine. However, when copper stocks ran out in the 19th century, the blast furnace was closed in 1802.

Only 20 years later, in 1822, the ironworks and the village of Fiskars were bought by the pharmacist Johan Jacob Julin. The ironworks were expanded on his instructions and the production of iron was resumed. In addition to cutlery, the company also produced machines for the engineering works in the village from 1837. During these years, Finland's first steam engine was also produced in the factory.

Fiskars grew steadily, only slowing down in 1929, the year of the great stock market crash. It was not until the end of the Second World War that the management was able to implement its plans to reform the company structure: The era of mass production would now begin.

1967 saw the label's next defining success: Fiskars produced the world's first scissors with a plastic handle. But how did the decision to produce an orange handle come about? The production designer had suggested the colors black, red or green, but when the prototype was to be produced, the machinist decided to use up the orange that was still in the machine first. As a result, the prototypes were produced in four colors, with orange and black proving to be the most popular. In 2003, the color Fiskars Orange® was officially registered as a trademark in Finland.