Nokia, the pioneer mobile phone manufacturer is easily among the most internationally recognized electric equipment manufacturers in the world.
While many may know the company for mobile phones, it was not the pioneer product. Nokia was founded in 1865 in Finland. It was established as a paper miller by Finnish mining engineer Fredrik Idestam.
He would later establish another paper milling company on the banks of Finland’s Nokianvirta River in a town called Nokia – hence the company name, Nokia Ab.
Nokia Ab would later diversify into electricity generation. It was acquired by a cable company in 1922. The merger birthed Nokia Corporation.
The company manufactured toilet paper, automobile tyres, bicycles, computers and rubber shoes.
Mobile Phone business
In 1979 Nokia established a subsidiary Mobira Oy – in collaboration with a Finnish TV manufacturer called Solora and built the first car telephone. The car telephone, however, did not work for long because of its weight – 10Kg.
Nokia acquired Solara in 1984 and produced the first-ever mobile phone – the Mobira Cityman 900. Through the 1990s to date, the company focused on the manufacture of mobile phones which are among the best in the market.
Nokia toilet paper business
The company’s toilet paper business was also successful, allowing Nokia to open retail stores across Finland. Entering the 2000s, the company’s toilet paper became the number 1 brand in the country.
On that side, Nokia was successful because of its product’s quality and packaging convenience. The company emphasized the brand benefits in numerous advertisements.
Unfortunately, the toilet paper business’s success did not last. The mobile phone market became increasingly competitive, and the toilet paper business suffered a decline in sales.
The company closed in the early 2000s.
Nokia’s phone business also declined and the company eventually sold to Microsoft.
From manufacturing toilet paper and other products, Nokia had transformed into a leading mobile phone manufacturer, globally.