History

The history of Draka in Finland spans over 90 years of never-ending development of products and services, from a small industrial enterprise to today's high-tech cable supplier and part of world's largest cable corporations.
 

1835	The US painter Samuel Morse builds the first telegraph.
1857	The first telegraph cable is laid on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
1876	Bell builds the first telephone. The development of telephone wires starts.
1912	The company agreement concerning "Suomen Punomotehdas Osakeyhtiö" is signed. The company is the first Finnish industrial company specializing in electricity conducting materials.
1916	The company is bought by Oy Gottfried Strömberg Ab.
1917	The Finnish Cable Works is founded. The biggest shareholder is Oy Gottfried Strömberg Ab.
		During the 1920's rubber was the most common insulation material for installation cables and for many low voltage cables. In the rollers the natural rubber, vulcanizing material and soot are mixed. In 1922 the Finnish Rubber Works becomes the biggest shareholder in Nokia Cable Works.
1938	The first factory is built in Helsinki.
1941	The first plastic insulated cables on the market.
1942	The first part of the Salmisaari Works in Helsinki is completed and the production starts.
1948	Exports to the Soviet Union starts.
1956	Power capacitor and cable machinery production starts.
1957	The US scientists John Barden, Leon Cooper and John Schrieffer present complex calculations to explain the supra conducting phenomena.
1960	Nokia Electronics and the subsidiary, Pohjolan Kaapeli Oy, are founded.
1961	The first factory hall in Pikkala (Porkkala area) is completed. The production of aluminium conductor cables is transferred from Salmisaari to Pikkala.
1962	The Turkish subsidiary, Türkkablo A.O., is founded. The production program is expanded with the production of aluminium profiles. The production of flexible PVC plastic tubes begins.
1963	The development of mobile phones is initiated.
	In 1963 the Pikkala roller unit in Finland starts to handle also aluminium parallel to handling copper. Aluminium and copper are the most important conductor materials in energy cables.
1967	Finnish Rubber Works, Finnish Cable Works and Nokia Oy, a forest industry company, are incorporated.
1969	Pohjola Kaapeli starts production of cable harnesses.
1972	Cable production is started in the Rusko Works, Oulu, Finland.
1975	The production of aluminium rods is transferred to Pikkala.
1979	The production of optical cables begins.
1980	Kabmatik AB, a LM Ericsson owned company is bought. Kabmatik AB produces winding machines, optical cables and layer machines for telephone cables. At Vantaa, Finland, a 9 000 sq.m. large assembly factory is started.
1981	Pohjolan Kaapeli is merged into Nokia.
1983	Monette Kabel- und Elektrowerk GmbH, a German company concentrating on production of special cables, is bought by Nokia.
	Submarine cables are an essential part of Nokia Cables' production. In 1985 this plastic insulated cable was loaded on the ship for export. The heavy cable was over 50 km long.
1986	SLO Kaapeli is merged into Nokia.
1987	Nokia Cables is 75 years old. The company's product range then covers more than 8 000 cable products, about 4 000 installation accessories, over 11 000 aluminium profiles and processed aluminium products and some hundred power capacitor products. The company, with its subsidiaries, employs about 5 300 people. The development of optical fibres is started.
1988	The Elkat copper rod factory in Russia is founded.
1990	Nokia Aluminium, Nokia Cable Harnesses, Nokia Capacitors, Nokia Cables and Nokia-Maillefer are restructured into independent companies within Nokia Cables and Machinery. NKF Kabel is bought.
1993	Nokia Capacitors is sold. Neva Cables in St. Petersburg, Russia and Keila Cables in Keila, Estonia start production.
1994	Shanghai Nokia Optical Cables is founded in China. Nokia Cable Harnesses is sold.
1995	Nokia Aluminium is sold and Nokia Cables' shares are sold to NKF Holding N.V.
1996	Nokia sells all their NKF Holding shares.
1997	The name of Nokia Cables becomes NK Cables.
1998	NK Cables incorporated its profit centers: new companies NK Communications Ltd. and NK Energy Ltd. ALGAR-NK Integração Óptica was established.
1999	NKF Holding N.V. merges with Draka Holding N.V.
2000	Draka Holding N.V. sells power cable activities of NK Energy Ltd. to Pirelli Cables & Systems.
	NK Communication Ltd. and NK Energy Ltd. merge with NK Cables Ltd.
2001	The units of NK Cables Ltd. working in telecommunications sector together with four Draka Holding companies will adapt in all commercial activities the new marketinglabel Draka Comteq.
2002	The company celebrated 90 years anniversary.
2003	The new name Draka NK Cables Ltd. into effect beginning 2003.
2004	Draka's and Alcatel's telecommunication cable business merge into Draka Comteq. In Finland there's three limited companies: Draka Comteq Finland Ltd., Draka NK Cables Ltd. and Draka Fibre Finland Ltd.
2005	Draka Fibre Finland is closed down. More energy cable production to Oulu factory. Product range grows.
2006	Draka Comteq Finland cable production in Oulu closed down except for optical fibre accessories and optical field cables. Company continues to sell and supply all telecom cables to Finnish and neighboring countries.
2007	Draka Comteq Finland to start new distribution centre in Kouvola, Finland.

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