page_title: Vanajan Autotehdas
section_title: From Sisu-Hämeenlinna to the present
hierarchical_section_title: Vanajan Autotehdas / From Sisu-Hämeenlinna to the present
caption_attribution_description: English: Croatian Patria AMV, Karlovac, 2009 Hrvatski: Borbeno oklopno vozilo Patria Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske, Karlovac, 2009.
context_page_description: Vanajan Autotehdas Oy was a producer of heavy vehicles based in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The company was founded as Yhteissisu Oy in 1943 by the Finnish government and a number of major Finnish companies with the aim of producing lorries and buses for the Finnish Defence Forces. World War II was over before the company could start series production; it was renamed Vanajan Autotehdas and the marque became Vanaja. Subsequently, the production consisted of outdated lorry models, partly built from military surplus materials. After overcoming initial difficulties, the company modernised its products, became profitable and grew until the mid-1950s. Many major components, including engines, were imported. Diesel engines became widely available in 1955, and in 1959 VAT introduced its most significant innovation, the full load lifting tandem axle mechanism, which improved off-road capability significantly; the system is now used in Sisu vehicles.
  The company started producing bus chassis in 1950, and the superstructures were built by a number of Finnish coach builders. The last models were appreciated by a number of bus operators, and missed after production was stopped.
context_section_description: The merger led to a clash of two organisational cultures. While VAT had a flat organisation, open communication among its workforce and a spirit of togetherness, SAT's organisation was strictly hierarchical. The division of portfolios between Karis and Hämeenlinna was changed after the merger. Lorry production was gradually concentrated at Karis and Sisu-Hämeenlinna focused on producing mobile cranes, bus chassis, terminal tractors and military vehicles. Former VAT personnel had to increase production of the new portfolio and simultaneously adopt new processes, so it was three to four years before the Hämeenlinna factory could deliver results in line with its capacity.
  In 1971 and 1981 the factory made tram bogies under licence from DÜWAG. The trams were made by Valmet for the city of Helsinki. Bus chassis production was officially discontinued in 1986, although in 1989 a small batch was made and later fitted with Ajokki coach bodies for delivery to a customer in the Soviet Union.
  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 for their innovative design. Production was moved to Tampere in 1996.
  SAT's military vehicle production was moved from the Karis Works to Hämeenlinna in 1970. The Sisu A-45 vehicle was later followed by the introduction of two heavier versions; the Sisu SA-150 and the Sisu SA-240. Production of the armoured personnel carrier Sisu XA-180 "Pasi" started in the early 1980s. Several vehicles were sold to the Finnish Defence Forces and other armies; it was also used in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Other military products were the Sisu NA-140 "Nasu", which was produced from 1985 to 2002, and the mine-clearance vehicle Sisu RA-140 DS "Raisu", 41 of which were produced between 1994 and 2001.
  In 1985, the company moved its axle production from Helsinki to a new factory at Hämeenlinna. In 1995, axle production was separated into an independent unit called Sisu Axles; this was sold to investors in 1999. The main factory builds military vehicles; the state separated it from the parent company in 1996 and renamed it Patria Vehicles Oy. Its main products are Patria AMV armoured personnel carriers.
caption: A Patria AMV in use in Croatia
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