Palosaaren Metalli Oy (below Palmet) was founded on 1 December 1970 by Pentti Syrjälä. In the beginning the company only had two employees in the part of the city called “Palosaari”, from which the company got its name.

Palmet’s first major contract was making the passenger gangway for the ferries in the port of Vaskiluoto, Vaasa in 1972.

In 1973, Palmet started cooperating with Wärtsilä on developing and manufacturing intake air and exhaust silencers for large diesel engines. At most, Palmet manufactured 500 silencers a year for Wärtsilä. The manufacturing of silencers for Wärtsilä continued until 2000. Since then Palmet has manufactured exhaust silencers mainly for shipyards and shipowners.

In 1981, Palmet moved to the neighbouring municipality of Vähäkyrö. During this period Palmet manufactured the Vaasan Majakka lighthouse, which is 16.3 metres tall. Palmet also transported and erected the lighthouse, which is still in use and forms a landmark in the outer archipelago of Vaasa.

In 1993, a part of the operations was moved to Kvevlax in the municipality of Korsholm, where the company is now located. The operations in Vähäkyrö ceased in 2002. The company has its own premises in Kvevlax which have been expanded as the company has grown.

In 2002, Palmet started to manufacture components for Normet in Iisalmi. Normet manufactures different vehicles for the mining industry and tunnel construction. The manufacturing includes welding, machining, surface treatment and assembly. The cooperation has continued and Normet makes up around a third of Palmet’s turnover.

From 2004 and for a few years onward, Palmet manufactured generator components used in the then world’s largest directly driven wind power plant of nearly 4 MW. The generators were manufactured by The Switch, which in turn delivered the generators to the wind turbine manufacturer ScanWind in Norway. Over a few years these components were manufactured for ScanWind, which was later acquired by GE Energy in the USA.

In 2007, Palmet started delivering components for the forwarders and harvesters of the neighbour company Logset. Palmet manufactures the frames and cargo spaces of the vehicles used in the forest industry. The manufacturing includes welding, machining, surface treatment and transport to Logset’s storage. The deliveries to Logset make up around a third of Palmet’s turnover.

In 2014, Palmet manufactured a selection of scrubbers for LangTech. The largest scrubber was also the single largest order Palmet has ever had so far.

Due to the financial crisis starting in 2008, the Finnish workshop industry has been lying low. Finnish industry showed no signs of growth until 2016.

 

In the beginning of 2017, Palmet replaced its operative management and initiated a programme called Change 2017. The programme included many changes in all sectors of the business operations, which would enable the company to grow and increase its profitability. At the same time, the market situation in Finland changed completely, starting a period of rapid growth on a Finnish scale.

Palmet is growing and modernising. The operations and new business ideas are being developed. The long history of Palmet, spanning nearly fifty years, is a stabile foundation for the operations; just like the Vaasan Majakka lighthouse withstands the autumn storms and the drift ice in winter.
Put the genuine, comprehensive experience in product development and workshop manufacturing competence of Palmet to good use to improve your own products and solutions.