page_title: Vanajan Autotehdas
section_title: Growth and recession in 1950s
hierarchical_section_title: Vanajan Autotehdas / Growth and recession in 1950s
caption_attribution_description: English: Vanaja VK-5 lorries from 1951, powered by Saurer F130 diesel engines.
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 Subsequently, the production consisted of outdated lorry models, partly built from military surplus materials.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: After the original contract with the state was terminated, a new agreement for the production of 650 vehicles to be delivered between 1948 and 1952 was reached. The state helped production with a significant prepayment of 132 million marks. According to the contract, 150 vehicles were scheduled to be built in 1948. The company reached this target and made a further 11 vehicles for private use. 92 were sold under the name of Sisu S-22 or S-22K and 69 were badged as Vanaja V-48. 101 M2 Half-Tracks were sold. In 1948, VAT made a loss of 746,000 marks. In 1949, VAT made another 150 vehicles for the state and 37 vehicles for private operators; it produced 163 V-48s and 24 VaWhs. The company also sold 211 M2 Half-Tracks, allowing it to declare its first profit of 1.208 million marks, which was helped by a devaluation of the Finnish mark.
  VAT's positioning in the heavy-vehicle market strengthened in 1950 and the company started producing bus chassis. The same year, VAT introduced a new product family—the VK series. Production was disrupted by a three-month strike, as a result of which completion of some of the 150 state-ordered vehicles scheduled for delivery that year was delayed until the following year. Despite its difficulties VAT posted a profit of almost two million marks. By now, the company employed 106 workers.
  Sales and profits grew year-on-year during the early 1950s. The prepayment from the government was repaid in 1952. For a short time, VAT imported and marketed clearing tractors produced by Italian firm Ansaldo-Fossati. Although there was demand for this type of vehicle, they sold poorly because their price was considered inconsistent with their technical quality; only a few units were delivered in 1953.
  The development of sales was overestimated; in 1956, 525 Vanajas were sold and in March 1957, the volume for the whole year was estimated to reach about 400 units. VAT employed about 200 workers at the time and changed to a four-day working week. The company blamed the government's import licence bureaucracy for the problem—it was difficult to get diesel engines from abroad. In the following month, over 30 Vanajas that were otherwise ready were awaiting diesel engines. The economy improved in 1959.
caption: Vanaja VK-5 lorries; the VK-series was the first lorry designed by VAT
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