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Vanajan Autotehdas

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Vanajan Autotehdas Oy
Company typeosakeyhtiö
Industryautomotive
PredecessorYhteissisu Oy
FoundedMarch 20, 1943 (1943-03-20)[1]
DefunctDecember 31, 1968 (1968-12-31)[2]
Fatemerged with Oy Suomen Autoteollisuus Ab
SuccessorPatria Land and Armament;
Sisu Axles
Headquarters
Helsinki (→ 30. May 1964);
Hämeenlinna (1. June 1964 →)
,
Finland[3]
Productslorries, bus chassis, special vehicles
OwnerState of Finland
A. Ahlström Oy
Ata Oy
Oy Fiskars Ab
Kone Osakeyhtiö
Kymin Osakeyhtiö
Lokomo Oy
Oy Strömberg Ab
Oy Suomen Autoteollisuus Ab
Suomen Gummitehdas Oy
Suomen Kaapelitehdas Oy
Tampereen Pellava- ja Rautateollisuus Oy
W. Rosenlew & Co. Oy
Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat Oy[1]
Number of employees
400 (early 1968)

Vanajan Autotehdas Oy (VAT) is a defunct producer of heavy vehicles in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The company was started in 1943 as Yhteissisu Oy, by the Finnish government and some significant Finnish companies, to produce lorries and buses for the Finnish Defence Forces. The war was over before the company could set up serial production; it was renamed Vanajan Autotehdas and the make of the vehicles became Vanaja. It started to produce lorries and bus chassis, mostly for domestic market; only a few units were exported.

Many major components were imported. Vanajan vehicles became known for their robust structure and a high degree of customisation. VAT merged with Oy Suomen Autoteollisuus Ab in 1968 and the brand ceased to exist in 1971. VAT's most significant innovation was its full load lifting tandem axle mechanism, which is nowadays used in Sisu vehicles.

The former Vanaja factory in Hämeenlinna now belongs to Patria, which produces Patria AMV armoured personnel carriers, and heavy vehicle axle producer Sisu Axles.

Foundation

In winter 1942–1943, the Finnish Defence Forces estimated that the Continuation War would continue for a long time, and there was an immediate need for new vehicles. In the longer term the army was expected to need at least 7 000 lorries and buses. Neutral countries, such as Sweden and Switzerland, were ready to sell vehicles to Finland but would have wanted payment in advance in their own currencies. As Finland did not have such currency reserves at the time, the only solution was to develop domestic vehicle production.[4]

At that time, the only Finnish heavy vehicle producer Oy Suomen Autoteollisuus Ab (SAT) was building a new factory in Karis where the production was considered to be safer from the Soviet air raids, compared to Helsinki. The company general director Tor Nessling suggested that the factory should be built larger than originally planned. As another option Nessling, with extreme reservation, considered building a totally new factory somewhere else in Finland. SAT was experienced in heavy vehicle production, but economical and technical resources were limited. Heavy vehicle importers and some political cliques thought that SAT was trying to benefit from the war and gain a dominant position in the Finnish market.[4]

Sisu S-22.

Defence minister Rudolf Walden called up a meeting to find solutions to the acute shortage of vehicles. The meeting was held in 3 and 4 March in 1943 and the attendees were representatives of the government and military leadership and also the key persons of the most notable industrial companies of Finland. As a result was set up a committee to make a proposal for founding a company in which both SAT and the state were involved. The proposal was presented in a meeting on 20 March. The name of the company was Oy Yhteissisu Ab ("mutual Sisu"), which meant that that the intention was to build mutually Sisu vehicles. The private owners were A. Ahlström, Ata, Fiskars, Kone, Kymin Oy, Lokomo, W. Rosenlew & Co., Suomen Autoteollisuus, Suomen Gummitehdas, Suomen Kaapelitehdas, Tampereen Pellava- ja Rauta-Teollisuus, Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat and Strömberg. The headquarters was in Erottaja in Helsinki. The company chairman was Heikki H. Herlin and unwilling Tor Nessling was set to the position of general manager.[1]

The Defence Forces set strict requirements for the vehicles to be produced. There was not enough time to develop a new model. Although outdated, the best of the available options was the Sisu S-21. Yhteissisu and SAT agreed to transfer Sisu S-21 lorry production to Yhteissisu.[5] The Yhteissisu produced models were named S-22.[6]

Start of production

Production started immediately after the company was founded, in the SAT factory in Vallila in Helsinki. The Yhteissisu vehicles were built separately from SAT vehicles. Since the beginning it was clear that the vehicles should be produced away from Helsinki, and the company sought a suitable location close to good railway, road and waterway connections. Moreover, the original idea was to build the factory inside caves mined into bedrock and therefore the place must also have suitable geology.[6] A suitable area was finally found in Vanaja next to Hämeenlinna. Yhteissisu bought an area of 31.1 hectares in 14 March 1944.[7] A contract for factory construction was signed off with a contractor in 30 March. The Railway Administration accepted Yhteissisu's plan for building a railway connection to the area. The original plan was to build a machining workshop inside bedrock and the quarry work began in July 1944. The project was cancelled due to too high costs and lack of time, and therefore all the production area was built in normal buildings. The factory buildings were completed in the beginning of November 1944. Architectural office Alvar Aalto designed houses for the factory workers.[8]

Yhteissisu assembly line at an early stage of the production.

The first lorry made in Vanaja was a Sisu S-22 prototype which rolled out from the factory door in 1 August 1945. After a short and intensive testing period the serial production began 29 October 1945, but due to shortage of materials and component quality problems, the first vehicles were ready in early 1946. The capability of the domestic suppliers turned out to be very limited and the company was dependent on imported gearboxes, steering components, drive shafts and electrical systems, until domestic companies could set up their own production. But the Finnish suppliers, unable to reach the requirements with the available materials, had severe quality problems.[9] The total production in 1946 was only 147 Sisu S-22 vehicles which was far below the target of 2 000 vehicles. The original, calculated price per vehicle had been 765 000 marks but it was finally 800 000 marks.[10]

The war had ended before the serial production was started, and the Defence Forces did not need new vehicles – on the contrary, the army had to reduce the number of vehicles according to the armistice. The frustrated component suppliers left the business one after another. Ministry of Trade and Industry terminated the contract from the end of 1946.[10]

Yhteissisu had agreed with the Ministry of Trade and Industry in spring 1946 that vehicles not bought by the state could be sold on the civil market. Sisu S-22's became available in 12 SAT's locations in Finland and the company presented a lighter and cheaper model, S-22K, at the Helsinki Domestic Industry Fair in May 1946.[10]

From Yhteissisu to Vanajan Autotehdas

The second last Sisu S-22 being built in the Yhteissisu plant.

Tor Nessling resigned from Yhteissisu in February 1947. There was talk of ending the company. Yhteissisu sold only 103 S-22's in 1947, but some of these were produced already in the previous year, so the production was just 55 lorries in the whole year. The share capital was reduced from 75 million marks to 7.5 million, then increased to 50 million; the state became the main owner with a 44% share of the company.[11] The other owners were Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat, A. Ahlström, Strömberg and Tampereen Pellava- ja Rauta-Teollisuus.[12] The new General Manager of the company became Eero Kytölä starting from September. The company lost two million marks in 1947.[11]

Yhteissisu had rights to use the Sisu brand until summer 1948. In a general meeting held in 1948, the board decided to rename the company Vanajan Autotehdas and the brand of the vehicles became Vanaja.[13] The factory area was, however, joined from municipality of Vanaja to town of Hämeenlinna at the beginning of the same year.[14]

First Vanaja production

Vanaja V-48, Sisu S-22 with a new badge.
Vanaja VaWh, based on White M2 Half Track vehicle.

Vanaja V-48

When the licence of using Sisu brand ended in June 1948, the Sisu S-22 production was continued under Vanaja brand. The model name became V-48[13] and it was produced until 1955.[15]

White M2 Half-Track conversions

General Manager Kytölä travelled to France and Germany in 1947 and early 1948 for buying surplus material of the Western Allies. He bought 425 White M2 Half-Track vehicles, 186 White lorry engines, 304 Cadillac V8 engines, 4 Mack ED diesel engines, 2 Hercules Diesel DFXE engines, 11 000 GMC wheels and one trailer of 45 tonnes capacity. The trading was organised via the Ministry of Supply and the first delivery arrived in March 1948. The White Half-Track vehicles were without armour and Kytölä's idea was to convert them into field or forest clearing vehicles, or 4×4 lorries by replacing the tracks by a conventional rear axle.[16] Finally VAT sold 359 pieces as half-tracks and 60 were converted 4×4 or 4×2 vehicles. These lorries were sold as Vanaja VaWh. Some of the half-track vehicles were scrapped for parts. The last Half-track vehicle was sold in 1952.[17]

Growth and recession in 1950s

After termination of the original contract with the state, a substitutive contract had been signed for total 650 vehicles which had to be delivered during 1948–1952.[13] The state helped the production with a significant prepayment of 132 million marks.[17] According the contract, 150 vehicles were scheduled for 1948. The company reached the target and made also 11 vehicles for private use. 92 vehicles of these were sold under name Sisu S-22 or S-22K and 69 were badged as Vanaja V-48. M2 Half-Tracks were sold 101 pieces.[13] In 1948 VAT made 746 000 marks' losses.[18]

In 1949 VAT made another 150 vehicles for the state and also 37 vehicles for private operators. This consisted of 163 V-48's and 24 VaWh's. In addition, the company sold 211 M2 Half-Tracks. In this year VAT made first time profit when the balance was 1 208 000 marks. This was aided by devaluation of Finnish mark which took place in the same year.[18]

Vanaja VAL from 1950, the very first Vanaja bus.
Vanaja VK-5 lorries.

The heavy vehicle market position of VAT became stronger in 1950 and the company started bus chassis production. VAT also presented a new product family, the VK series. The production was disturbed by a three months' strike. Therefore, some of the state-ordered 150 vehicles scheduled for this year were postponed to the following year. Despite of the difficulties VAT made profit by nearly two million marks.[18]

The sales and profit grew year by year during the early 1950s. The prepayment from the government was paid back in 1952. For a short time VAT was representing Italian Ansaldo-Fossati clearing tractors. Although there was need for this kind of vehicles, they did not sell well because their price was not seen being in a good relation with their technical quality. Only few units were delivered in 1953.[17]

The number of personnel reached 106 in 1950.[14]

The development of sales was overestimated. The sales of 1956 totalled 525 Vanaja's and in March 1957 the total volume for the whole year was estimated to reach only about 400 units. VAT employed about 200 workers at the time and changed to a four-day working week. The company claimed the government's import licence bureaucracy for the problem – it was difficult to get diesel engines from abroad. In the following month over 30 Vanaja's, which were otherwise ready, were waiting for diesel engines.[19]

The business cycle turned better in 1959.[20]

Vanaja VK-series fire engine from 1952.

Criticism

In 1950 the Finnish government was criticised for only buying Vanaja's, which were claimed to be overpriced, and ignoring the other options. The state had, however, made an order for 650 vehicles which was divided for many years and this tied the hands of the state in purchasing of equipment for a long period.[18]

Both VAT and SAT were criticised in 1954 by heavy vehicle importers because both companies got in their use a big share of the limited foreign currency reserves for component supply. The importers' representatives claimed that neither Sisu nor Vanaja were very domestic products and that the vehicles they represented were actually more domestic because some assembly work was done in Finland.[14] According the Association of Vehicle Importers the domestic vehicles cost 30–80% more compared to imported ones. In the following year the government started to investigate possibilities for importing heavy vehicles in CKD's in order to reduce spend of foreign currencies. Naturally, VAT and SAT expressed doubts on viability of such production. Finally, the solution came in 1957 when the government ended restrictions for heavy vehicle chassis importing. However, eventually the prices of imported vehicles got close to Sisu and Vanaja prices.[21]

Entering the diesel era

The Vanaja petrol engines made by SAT and Tampella were licence-built, utterly outdated American engines. The clientele demanded diesel engines, which were more powerful.[19]

The first Vanaja diesel models were powered by Kämper and Saurer diesels. VAT also tested Südwerke's two-stroke diesel engines but only one such vehicle was built. It was difficult to get import licences for diesel engines and this formed a constrain in the vehicle sales. In some cases the customers provided their own engines, for example Volvo or Mercedes-Benz, which were mounted to their ordered vehicles on the assembly line.[17] In 1955 VAT bought two batches of 6-cylinder 90-hp Leyland 0.350 diesel engines. They turned out to be too inefficient, and in the following year the company ordered a 300-piece-batch of stronger Leylands which were made in Netherlands by van Doorne's Automobilfabriek N.V.[21]

VAT became representative for Ansaldo S.A. and Kämper-Motoren GmbH in 1956. The range of Ansaldo engines was 100–8 000 hp and they were meant for marine and industrial applications. Kämper products were in between of 14–150 hp. A 6-cylinder, 130-hp Kämper was offered as one powering option for Vanaja's as well.[19]

The Vanaja lifting tandem system is operated by two powerful hydraulic cylinders mounted on both sides of the frame.

Vanaja lifting tandem system

The best-known hallmark of Vanaja, the full load lifting tandem axle, was introduced in January 1957. This solution enabled an additional load of 2.5 tonnes and the entire load on the tandem could be moved entirely on the fore axle by using of an electro-hydraulic system. The system improved the traction offering a significant advantage on a slippery surface.[22] The innovative lifting tandem was developed under leadership of the company's chief engineer Veikko Muronen. Vanaja became the leader in the Finnish logging vehicle market and could maintain its position until the production ceased.[23] In forestry work a layout with a driven front axle and a tandem axle with a driven fore axle, called 4×4+2, became famous in Finland, but is seldom seen outside of Northern Europe.[22]

Vehicles for the Finnish Defence Forces

Vanaja VKN3600, a prototype of a light 4×4-lorry for Finnish Defence Forces.

The Finnish Defence Forces made a winter test for potential military vehicles in March 1958. Total 35 candidates from the both domestic producers and various importers were driven around Finland. VAT sent four vehicles to the test; three of them were 4×4's and one was an ordinary rear wheel driven vehicle. During the five days' testing period all vehicles were continuously full loaded and a part of the journey they had to tow an eight-ton field cannon. The vehicles were tested for off-road capabilities in even 50–70 cm deep snow. One of the Vanaja's was destroyed in an accident. The domestic vehicles performed well in the test – in some cases the rear wheel driven Sisu's and Vanaja's did better than the 4×4-driven foreign competitors. None of the vehicles was clearly better than the others, but the result convinced the Defence Forces about the capabilities of the domestic vehicles, which led to several bargains for both SAT and VAT.[19]

VAT delivered the first Vanaja VAKS lorries, which were intended for general use in garrisons, to the Defence Forces in 1960. The later versions were called AS-33. The total number reached 155 units.[24]

Vanaja NS-47 was the first Finnish 4×4 off-road lorry that was planned primarily for military use. They were ordered few dozen pieces in 1962–1964 and used for hauling of 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons and heavy artillery.[25]

Exporting efforts

The very first Vanaja to be exported being lifted onto a ship in Turku Harbour in 1958.

In September 1958 VAT together with other Finnish companies participated in Thessaloniki International Trade Fair. The vehicles demonstrated were one Vanaja VAK lorry and a middle engined VLK550 bus chassis. Due to the AEC engines the Vanaja's did not raise interest among the potential Greek customers, as the mutual relationships between UK and Greece were bad at the time. The lorry was finally sold in Greece but the bus chassis returned to Finland and was sold to a bus operator which built a tourist bus coach on it.[19]

VAT signed a contract about selling 200 lorries to Turkey in 1959. The first two vehicles were shipped from Finland in 1959 but the contract was terminated in an embarrassing way because the Bank of Finland refused taking Turkish liras as payment.[20]

At the end of the 1950's and early 1960's VAT had co-operation with the French Camions Willème SA. Only one prototype was made with Vanaja chassis, AEC. engine and a partly glass fibre made Willème forward control type cabin.[20]

Four Vanaja's were shown in Barcelona international fair in June 1961. The vehicles were taken to the fair by driving them through Europe. The fair was considered successful, but a single vehicle was not sold.[26]

Specialising in 1960s

A tailored Vanaja VKB earthmover.

General Manager Eero Kytölä resigned from his position in 1962.[27] DI Ilmari Karttunen, who had previously worked as factory superintendent, was appointed the new head of the company. He led VAT until 1967,[28] when MBA Jaakko Jarimo took the post.[29]

Vanaja NT-69/4000 4×4+2 from 1962 with the patented lifting tandem system.

During 1958–1960 VAT focused increasingly on custom-building vehicles according to customer request. Typically a potential customer just walked into the main office in Helsinki or factory in Hämeenlinna and described what kind of vehicle he wanted.[19] The enthusiastic engineers listened carefully every individual customer's wishes and designed vehicles accordingly with two or three axles, desired layout, wheelbase and with conventional or forward control cabin. Many vehicle types were only produced for one or two units.[30] The volume model, however, was VAK series with about nine tonnes payload.[19]

A good example of custom-built vehicles are the VKB series forward control vehicles which were developed for an earthmoving company in Helsinki. The company needed short vehicles with a good grade ability and high payload. The wheelbase of these vehicles was 3.8 metres and the total weight was 10.6 tonnes with a special permit.[19]

A typical feature in Vanaja's were overmeasured structures which were rather robust than optimised.[19] The main components were sourced from well-established suppliers.[31] VAT also showed progressive thinking in driver's ergonomy; the comfortably sprung and hydraulically damped driver's seat was positioned close to the door in order to ease reversing.[32] The seat had comprehensive adjustment possibilities. Hanging pedals, which were set to the same level, became standard at an early stage.[33] Vanaja's interior heater, that produced 9 000 kcal/h, was possibly the most efficient one available in lorries by the 1960s. Many Vanaja drivers valued the particularly soft suspension of the vehicles.[32]

Two-axle lorries were available in 4×2 and 4×4 layouts; the three-axle models were produced as 6×2, 6×4, 4×4+2 and 6×6.[34]

VAT celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1963. All press releases and publications ignored the fact that its key competitor, SAT, had had a significant role in its foundation. Yhteissisu was not mentioned in any context.[35]

VAT got a notable order from the Infrastructure and Hydro Engineering Administration in April 1965. The order of 250 vehicles was funded by a loan given by IBRD for developing of the road network. 40 vehicles were equipped with a driven front axle. The order was completed in 1966.[36]

The company faced a difficult situation again in 1967 when the total number of produced vehicles was just 381 units. At the beginning of 1968 VAT fired 40 of the 400 employees.[37] Vanaja had its staunch customer base and the vehicles were generally regarded good but the overall market share remained low; in 1963 just 4–5% of the newly registered heavy lorries in Finland were Vanaja's. The highly customised production had led to an excessive model diversity of which spare part supply was difficult to arrange. Moreover, the customising presumably consumed the resources from technical development work.[38] There was not any turn to better although the company introduced its modern forward control model B6-76 which was expected to become the next volume model.[37]

Factory and production

Vanaja production line in 1952; due to busy times, there are exceptionally three assembly lines instead of the normal two. The left line is for bus chassis production.

The original factory building, officially warehouse- and assembly hall, was 25 000 m³ of volume.[8] The facilities were developed by time and at the end of 1953 the floor area was 35 000 m². The warehouse- and assembly hall was renamed main hall and it was now 120 metres long and 30 wide. The general arrangement was such that the bus chassis production was at the southern side of the hall and the lorries were built at the northern side; however, this set-up was changed often according the product mix and production volume.[39]

At the end of the building was a crane for ironware handling. When the frames were taken in, at very first they were equipped with suspension and axles, after which they were turned the right side up. The following parts were the engine and transmission components. The final part for lorries was a pre-assembled cabin. The conventional type bus chassis were delivered just with bonnet and wings, but the forward control types left the factory without any body parts. The next stage was painting, after which the vehicles came out from the assembly hall.[39]

Finally, every vehicle was tested with a 100–200 km long test run which was performed on different roads at various loads. The bus chassis were tested similar way and as there was no body around, the drivers only had warm clothes and driving goggles against the weather conditions. The vehicles were handed over to the customers after final adjustments.[39]

Construction work for a new subassembly shop began in 1955 and the building was ready in 1957. The new facilities were for machine-, machining-, heat treatment and sheet metal works. Another end of the building was for a service workshop.[40] A new service workshop with 17 vehicle places was built in 1966.[41]

Suppliers

Engines

VAT could offer only petrol engines until 1953. The most common ones were the Hercules engines made domestically under licence by SAT and Tampella. The SAT made was called Sisu AMG or SA5 and the one made by Tampella was Tampella 6000. The second most common one was Cadillac V8 1G and the third one was White 160 AX, which the General Manager Kytölä had bought from Central Europe. Some Bedford petrol engines were used in Defence Forces' lorries in the 1960s and Ford V8 engines were mounted to fire engines.[42]

The first diesel Vanaja's were powered by Saurer and Kämper. The vast majority of diesel engines were supplied by Leyland and AEC. Few Vanaja's were equipped with Perkins R6 or Ford Trader 510E. In some cases the engine was provided by the customer, and therefore also one Vanaja was powered by Mercedes-Benz diesel.[43]

Transmission

VAT used Valmet gearboxes which were copied from Fuller at the end of the 1940s and beginning of the 1950s. When components became more easily available, VAT started to use genuine Fullers and ZF-made gearboxes. The transfer cases were supplied by Timken and ZF.[31]

VAT built the rear axles from gears made by ATA, until the company started to purchase axles from Timken.[31]

Cabins

For lorry cabins the company had several suppliers; they were produced at the beginning by Tampella, Valmet, Messukylän Autokoritehdas, Auto-Heinonen, Kiitokori and later, as a main supplier, Lahden Autokori. VAT made itself cabins for some special one-off products.[39] In the late 1960s some Vanaja's were equipped with British[44] Ergomatic forward control cabins[45] made by Motor Panels Ltd. The cabins were bought via A.E.C.[44]

Bus chassis production

Vanaja VAT-4800 rear engined bus chassis.
Vanaja VAT-4800 with Nummela coachwork from 1956. Note the engine air intake scoop on the roof.

Bus chassis production began in 1950. VAT made the first prototypes of rear engined buses in 1956. The company made two chassis model VAT-4800 and the superstructures were made by coach builders Ajokki Oy and Nummela Oy. The solution caused a number of technical challenges, including proper cooling and transferring heating to the front end of the body. The cooling problem could be finally solved by a large air scoop located to the rear end of the roof which was not regarded very aesthetic arrangement. As the solution was found, VAT produced ten more rear engined chassis which were called type VAT-5200.[19]

All bus chassises were equipped by air brakes by 1958, lorries followed after. The decision was affected by a traffic accident that is one of the worst ever happened in Finland; 15 people drowned in Konnevesi when a fairly new Vanaja bus drove through boom barrier of a ferry slip sinking in four metres deep. The survived driver told that brakes had failed and this was confirmed in the following investigation when it turned out that sealing of one of the hydraulic Lockheed brakes had failed.[21]

VAT delivered the first middle engined bus chassis to Ajokki Oy coach works in April 1958. It was powered by a horizontally mounted 164-hp AEC diesel. The end customer was bus operator Väinö Paunu Oy,[19] which also participated actively in the development work.[46]

In 1960 VAT introduced VLK500 chassis with air suspension and dual circuit air brakes.[47]

VAT returned to rear engined buses in 1966–1967 but their sales did not reach the level of the middle and front engined models.[48] The company made some experiments about the structure; one example is a bus with frameless structure in which the beams were substituted by a lighter structure.[37]

Model nomenclature

The model nomenclature of the early 1950s was as follows:

  • VK: Vanaja kuorma-auto; "Vanaja lorry"
  • VL: Vanaja linja-auto; "Vanaja bus"

Letter B at the end, for example in model VK-6B, meant forward control cabin and L came from extra long springs.[49]

The lorry model names were changed in 1956.

  • VAK: Vanaja kuorma-auto; "Vanaja lorry"; lorry with a conventional cabin
  • VKB: Vanaja kuorma-auto bulldog; "Vanaja lorry forward control"
  • VKN: Vanaja kuorma-auto neliveto; "Vanaja lorry four-wheel drive"
  • VKT: Vanaja kuorma-auto telillä; "Vanaja lorry with a tandem"; lorry with a tandem of which one axle is driven (6×2)
  • VTT: Vanaja tandem-telillä; "Vanaja driven tandem"; lorry with a tandem of which both axles are driven (6×4)
  • VNT: Vanaja neliveto telillä; "Vanaja four-wheel-drive with a tandem"; lorry with a driven front axle and tandem of which one axle is driven (4×4+2)
  • VKK: Vanaja kuorma-auto kaikki akselit vetävät; "Vanaja lorry all axles driven"; lorry with a driven front axle and driven tandem (6×6)[49]

The bus model names changed respectively.

  • VAL: Vanaja linja-auto; "Vanaja bus"
  • VLB: Vanaja linja-auto bulldog; "Vanaja bus forward control"; the engine was placed in the front
  • VLK: Vanaja linja-auto keskimoottorilla; "Vanaja bus with middle placed engine"
  • VLT: Vanaja linja-auto takamoottorilla; "Vanaja bus with rear placed engine"[50]

In addition, model name VAT exists in two rear engined bus models: VAT-4800, which were produced two pieces in 1956, and VAT-5200BD, which were made ten units in 1957.[51]

The next change came in 1961 when engine manufacturer's code was partly included in the model name. For example VAK lorry powered by AEC AVU 470 became A-47. Correspondingly, the same lorry with Leyland O.600 diesel became A-60R; the R stood for raskas, "heavy" and it meant a stronger front axle.[49] The bus model names changed again in the same manner. For example forward control bus with the Leyland O.600 engine was called VLB-60.[50]

The new model numbering was changed a bit already in 1963 due to increased front axle loads; after the letter code there came number 2 to indicate the higher axle capacity.[38] Number 6 in the later models means that the front axle capacity is 6 tonnes.[45]

Letter S in types VAKS, AS and NS meant sotilas, "soldier", and they were intended for military use.[24]

Layout Cabin type 1956 – June 1961 July 1961 – October 1963 November 1963 – 1971
4×2 Conventional VAK A A2; A6[52]
4×2 Forward control VKB B B2; B6[52]
4×4 Conventional VKN N N2; N3;[38] N6[52]
4×4 Forward control VKNB NB NB
4×4+2 Conventional VNT NT NT2; NT3;[38] NT6[52]
4×4+2 Forward control VNTB NTB NTB
6×2 Conventional VKT T T2; T6[52]
6×2 Forward control VKTB TB TB; TB6[52]
6×4 Conventional VTT TT TT2; TT7[52]
6×6 Conventional VKK KK KK2; KK7[38]
6×6 Forward control VKKB KKB KKB

[49]

The bus model numbering changed for the last time in 1966; the front engined VLB became LE6, the middle engined VLK was changed LK6 and the rear engined VLT was now LT6.[50]

The three-digit numbers on the bonnet sides of the last Vanaja lorries were not model numbers, although they are often incorrectly referred as such. Instead, they indicate the engine displacement in cubic inches.[45]

End of Vanaja

Vanaja A-69R from the 1960s.

VAT had already started to seek a stronger partner in 1964 when the company negotiated with AB Scania-Vabis. The companies had plans about using of Scania engines in Vanajas but the price level was finally too high for VAT. It is speculated that soon after this the major owners of VAT started discussions about merging of VAT and SAT. What is known is that the VAT chairman started to be increasingly in connection with the SAT manager Tor Nessling. Still in 1967, AB Scania-Vabis expressed its interest in VAT. In addition, German company Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG was interested in co-operation or buying of VAT. Also Valmet is rumoured to have been interested in VAT but there is no evidence about concrete negotiations.[53]

Besides of being a small producer, VAT's problem were unreliable deliveries and quality problems of the component suppliers. Semi-finished lorries often stayed waiting outside of the factory for the engine or some other key component. Additionally, the British diesel engines suffered from more quality problems compared to the Swedish and German competitors. The owners became increasingly reluctant to fund the unprofitable business.[54]

The speculations about an SAT and VAT merger began in Swedish newspapers in 1967 and spread soon to the Finnish media.[44] The major owner, the state of Finland with its 45% share, proposed Nessling about merger in December 1967. The situation was indefensible for VAT; the whole year's turnover was 19.5 million new Finnish marks when the company had debt of total 14.5 million (100 old Finnish marks became 1 new mark in 1963).[55] The contract about merger of Suomen Autoteollisuus and Vanajan Autotehdas was signed on 30 May 1968. VAT was formally discontinued at the end of 1968.[2] After the merger, the state owned 17.2% of the new SAT, becoming the third-biggest owner of the company.[56]

The customers' reactions to the merger varied. Most of the public understood the need of the merger of two small companies which were both operating in a very limited market and trying to challenge the mass producers. On the other hand, some loyal Vanaja customers were astounded from the decision of discontinuing of the make.[57] Some customers were appalled because the last long-nosed Vanajas were equipped with cabin of Jyry-Sisu and told that they will never buy Sisu and moved to imported makes.[45] Many well proven technical solutions used in Vanajas soon found their way to Sisus. The drop in the truck market turned out to be short and soon the sales reached the level in which the total volumes of Vanaja and Sisu altogether had been in the mid-1960s. The very last Vanajas were mobile cranes which were produced at the end of 1971; after that, all vehicles made in SAT Hämeenlinna works were with Sisu badge.[57]

However, combining the strengths of the both companies did not manage in bus chassis production due to strategic missteps of SAT. The Vanaja LK-series with a large middle-placed engine was discontinued, which led to loss of the main customer, Väinö Paunu Oy. Also, a number of other bus operators, such as TKL, rejected the Sisu options which were offered instead of Vanaja models of the same market segment.[58]

The number of produced Vanaja lorries and bus chassis totalled 7,140 pieces. In addition, some dozens of trailers and semi-trailers were produced and sold under the Vanaja brand together with lorries and in 1955 four Vanaja rail buses were made together with Kiitokori and sold to the Finnish State Railways.[57]

About 260 different lorry types were produced, in which were 35 engine types, 20 gearbox and 15–20 cabin types.[59] 116 of the types were only produced as one or two pieces.The majority of the differences came from special wheelbases which always needed an official approval from the authorities.[60] In many cases it is impossible for even experts to identify different models and years of production.[59]

Bus chassis types numbered 66 and no one knows the number of different body types built on them by various coach builders and operators.[59]

From Sisu-Hämeenlinna until present

Sisu SA-150.
Sisu terminal tractor.
Patria AMV.

The merger led to a collision of two different organisation cultures. When VAT had a flat organisation, open speaking terms among the personnel and spirit of togetherness, SAT organisation was built in strictly hierarchical manner.[61]

The division of portfolio between Karis and Hämeenlinna was rearranged after merger. Lorry production was gradually concentrated in the Karis, whereas Sisu-Hämeenlinna focussed on mobile crane and bus chassis, terminal tractor and military vehicles.[62] The former VAT personnel had to run up production of new portfolio and simultaneously adopt new processes and therefore it took 3–4 years before the Hämeenlinna factory could deliver results which corresponded its capacity.[57]

The bus chassis production was officially discontinued in 1986,[62] although a small batch was made in 1989, later equipped with Ajokki coaches and sent to a Soviet customer.[45]

In 1971 and 1981 the factory made tram bogies under licence of DÜWAG. The trams were made by Valmet and the end customer was city of Helsinki.[62]

SAT had planned its first terminal tractor in Helsinki in the 1960s and the production and development was continued in Hämeenlinna in 1969. The Sisu terminal tractors became famous worldwide due to their innovative solutions. The production was moved to Tampere in 1996.[63]

SAT's military vehicle production was moved from Karis Works to Hämeenlinna in 1970. The vehicle, Sisu A-45, was later followed by a heavier Sisu SA-150[64] and Sisu SA-240.[65] In early 1980s production of armoured personnel carrier Sisu XA-180 "Pasi" started. Several vehicles were sold to Finnish Defence Forces and other armies and it was also used in UN missions.[64] Other military products were Sisu NA-140 "Nasu" which was produced in 1985–2002 and demining vehicle Sisu RA-140 DS "Raisu" which were produced 41 pieces in 1994–2001.[65]

In 1985 the company moved its axle production from Helsinki into a new factory building in Hämeenlinna.[66]

The axle production was separated to an independent unit, Sisu Axles, in 1995 and it was sold to investors in 1999.[67] The main factory focused on military vehicles and the state separated it from the parent company in 1996. It was renamed Patria Vehicles Oy[68] and its main products are Patria AMV armoured personnel carriers.[69]

Legacy

Vanaja was sometimes characterised as "one of the world's best lorries", which came from the company's ability to engineer an ideal vehicle to each application following the customer's desire.[70]

Over the past decades, the merger of SAT and VAT has been an inspiration to number of imaginative conspiracy theories.[53] In fact, the acquisition followed a completely normal process, that was initiated by the owners.[2] The experts in the field, close to unanimously, say that the merger ensured the operational basis of the Finnish vehicle industry well into the future.[57]

Nowadays Vanaja's are valued among vintage vehicle enthusiasts.[71]

Sources

  • Blomberg, Olli (2003). Yhteissisusta Vanajan ja Sisun kautta Patriaan (in Finnish). Hämeenlinna: Patria Vehicles Oy. ISBN 952-91-5613-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Mäkipirtti, Markku (2008). Vanaja. Ajoneuvot Suomessa (in Finnish). Vol. 1 (1. ed.). Tampere: Apali Oy. ISBN 978-952-5026-72-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |trans_title= and |month= (help)
  • Juurikkala, Jussi; Lehtonen, Timo; Ojanen, Olli J.; Palo-oja, Ritva; Piltz, Martti; Siukosaari, Anssi; Taivainen, Miia (2002). Levä, Kimmo (ed.). Mobilia-02 – Made in Finland (in Finnish). Kangasala: Mobilia säätiö. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |trans_title= and |month= (help)

References

  1. ^ a b c Blomberg: Valtiovalta ottaa johdon. p. 15–18.
  2. ^ a b c Blomberg: Fuusio toteutuu. p. 92–93; 96.
  3. ^ Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 76.
  4. ^ a b Blomberg: Ajatuksena autojen suurtuotanto. p. 14.
  5. ^ Blomberg: Tarvittiin johto ja piirustukset. p. 19–22.
  6. ^ a b Blomberg: Tositoimiin. p. 22–23.
  7. ^ Blomberg: Valittiin Vanajan kunta. p. 23–25.
  8. ^ a b Blomberg: Rakennustyöt uuden kauden alku. p. 26–32.
  9. ^ Blomberg: Valmista tuli. p. 32–34.
  10. ^ a b c Blomberg: Synkkiä pilviä taivaalla. p. 34–35.
  11. ^ a b Blomberg: Ollako vai eikö olla? p. 35–36.
  12. ^ Blomberg: Yhteissisu Oy tiensä päässä. p. 36.
  13. ^ a b c d Blomberg: Mallilainaajasta monipuoliseksi tuotekehittäjäksi. p. 44–46.
  14. ^ a b c Blomberg: Kuntalaisesta kaupunkilaiseksi. p. 51.
  15. ^ Mäkipirtti: Kuorma-autot 1948–1956. p. 33.
  16. ^ Blomberg: Teloilla tai pyörillä. p. 40–41.
  17. ^ a b c d Blomberg: Vihdoinkin kuivilla. p. 49–50.
  18. ^ a b c d Blomberg: Helpotuksia alkutaipaleella. p. 46–48.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Blomberg: Lamaa ja uusia tuotteita. p. 55–61.
  20. ^ a b c Blomberg: Elvytystoimia ja vientiponnisteluja. p. 62–65.
  21. ^ a b c Blomberg: Kiristyvää kilpailua. p. 53–54.
  22. ^ a b Mäkipirtti: Vanaja VKT 6×2. p. 65–67.
  23. ^ Blomberg: Monen Vanajan isä. p. 82.
  24. ^ a b Mäkipirtti: Vanaja VAKS ja AS-33, p. 80–83.
  25. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanaja NS-47, p. 86–89.
  26. ^ Mäkipirtti: Ulkomaanmyynti, p. 76.
  27. ^ Blomberg: Vanajan tehtaan ensimmäinen "patruuna". p. 36.
  28. ^ Blomberg: Mukana lähes alusta alkaen. p. 22.
  29. ^ Blomberg: Konttoriasiat ojennuksessa. p. 56.
  30. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanaja kuorma-auto 1957–1960. p. 44.
  31. ^ a b c Mäkipirtti: Vanajan voimansiirto. p. 24.
  32. ^ a b Mäkipirtti: Vanaja A2-47 4×2 "Kippi-Vanaja". p. 101–106.
  33. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanaja A6. p. 128–134.
  34. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanajan vetotavat. p. 25.
  35. ^ Blomberg: Kaksikymppiä täyteen. p. 69–73.
  36. ^ Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 78.
  37. ^ a b c Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 83.
  38. ^ a b c d e Mäkipirtti: Kuorma-auto 1961–1966, page 83–84.
  39. ^ a b c d Blomberg: Tehdas laajenee laajenemistaan. p. 51–52.
  40. ^ Blomberg: Mittavia laajennuksia. p. 54–55.
  41. ^ Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 85.
  42. ^ Mäkipirtti: Bensiinimoottorit 1948–1965. p. 22.
  43. ^ Mäkipirtti: Dieselmoottorit 1951–1971. p. 23.
  44. ^ a b c Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 89.
  45. ^ a b c d e Blomberg: Mies, joka tietää kaiken Vanajasta. p. 70–71.
  46. ^ Juurikkala etc.: Vanaja kulkee omia polkujaan. p. 35.
  47. ^ Blomberg: Liikkeellä uusin voimin. p. 66–69.
  48. ^ Blomberg: Viimeiset itsenäiset vuodet. p. 81.
  49. ^ a b c d Mäkipirtti: Alustan koodit. p. 17.
  50. ^ a b c Mäkipirtti: Vanajan linja-autojen valmistus 1950–1971. p. 20.
  51. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanaja linja-autot 1950–1957. p. 142–150.
  52. ^ a b c d e f g Mäkipirtti: Kuorma-autot 1967–1971. p. 126–127.
  53. ^ a b Blomberg: Yhteisistä kokemuksista eteenpäin ponnistaen. p. 92.
  54. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanajan loppu 1971. p. 166.
  55. ^ Blomberg: Jotain piti tehdä. p. 92.
  56. ^ Blomberg: Vaikutus alan teollisuuteen. p. 96–98.
  57. ^ a b c d e Blomberg: Rinnan kohti tulevaa. p. 98–100.
  58. ^ Juurikkala etc.: Kadotettu mahdollisuus. p. 41–42.
  59. ^ a b c Mäkipirtti: Mallivalmistus. p. 18.
  60. ^ Mäkipirtti: Vanajan 0,0 % valmistus. p. 19.
  61. ^ Blomberg: Asiakkaana ja toimihenkilönä neljällä vuosikymmenellä. p. 76–77.
  62. ^ a b c Blomberg: Erikoisalana erikoistuminen. p. 111–112.
  63. ^ Blomberg: Vetomestari – Hämeenlinnan maailmanmenestys. p. 117–121.
  64. ^ a b Blomberg: Uusille tuotelinjoille. p. 123–130.
  65. ^ a b Blomberg: Painopiste sotilasajoneuvoihin. p. 132–138.
  66. ^ Blomberg: Akseleita ja komponentteja. p. 130–132.
  67. ^ Blomberg: Hyvässä yhteistyössä erillään toisistaan. p. 140–141.
  68. ^ Blomberg: Markkinajohtajana kohti tulevaisuutta. p. 146–147.
  69. ^ Blomberg: Patria AMV – modulaarinen pyöräpanssariajoneuvo. p. 158–159.
  70. ^ Mäkipirtti: Back cover description.
  71. ^ Rauatmaa, Kimmo (2009-07-31). "Suomi on tuottanut raskaita ajoneuvoja". Kaleva.fi. Kaleva Oy. Retrieved 2013-07-20.

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