80 years of the aroma of sawdust

Through goal-oriented work, the story that started from a small village sawmill has grown into Finland’s largest private wood processing group that combines the expertise of the traditional sawmill industry, modern technology and appreciation for sustainable forest use.

This year, Versowood celebrates its 80th anniversary. The Group’s foundations were laid in 1946, when a sawmill was established in the village of Härkälä in Vierumäki with the strong support of the villagers. In the early 1950s, the sawmill was owned by the Kolli family, who started developing the company, opened up exports and increased production. The years passed, and salt impregnation and later glulam production began alongside sawmilling. In 1990, the company’s owner changed after the Kolli family sold the company known as the Vierumäen Teollisuus to the Kopra sawmilling family. Over the past 36 years, the company has been developed in a goal-oriented manner. The company’s growth from one industrial plant to the largest private wood processing group in the country has been unparalleled and nothing short of exceptional.

At the beginning of September, a party will be organised in Vierumäki for invited guests and Versowood’s own personnel. At the end of the month, the Korkeakoski sawmill, which was recently added to the Versowood family, will organise an open house day. The day is a mix of an open house day, a housewarming party and an 80th anniversary celebration, and everyone is welcome to join in!

We live off of the forest. That is why we are humble about our duty to maintain continuity. We ensure that felling is carried out with preservation of natural values and that valuable raw material is utilised to the last chip.

Even though development is driving our industry forward, machines can never replace a handshake or genuine human interaction. We strive for open cooperation with both large and small operators, and we know that it is also possible to achieve.

For us, the customer is more than just a customer. Our success depends on the customer’s success, which is why we make an effort every day to rise up to the challenges we face. We want to genuinely understand our customers’ needs and business. That is why we strive for long-term partnerships – a fruitful dialogue that allows both parties to thrive.

We are sincerely on the side of our employees and look after their well-being. We encourage and train Versowood employees to move forward in their careers because we understand that the company’s employees have great potential that will allow us to flourish in the future.

Today, the forest industry is a global business that lives under market pressure, in cycle fluctuations. Nevertheless – and perhaps precisely for this reason – we want to carry our own history with us. As pressure increases in everyday life, we remember that even though the world is changing, we have been here for nearly a century.

We truly believe that we will be part of the success story of the Finnish wood processing industry for generations to come.

Text: Johanna Autio
The article was originally published in Version magazine 1/2026