From a travelling stonemason to an industrial success
The story of Palin Granit Oy started in 1921. The company, founded by a travelling stonemason named Antti Palin, has grown into an international supplier and one of the largest granite quarrying operations within the Nordic countries.
Our story begins in Loimaa, where travelling stonemason Antti Palin settled with his family. In 1921, Antti Palin founded the Loimaan Kiviveistämö stoneworks, which was located exceptionally far from the stone reserves, but right at the heart of the markets.
At first, the unhewn stone was transported to Loimaa by railway and then driven by horse-drawn carriages to the stoneworks. There was no hoisting apparatus or lifter, so the stones had to be loaded and unloaded by hand. Antti Palin’s skilled hands crafted the stones into gravestones and majestic stone designs for family graves.
Martti and Reino Palin
The second generation initiated quarry operations.
Antti Palin’s sons, Martti and Reino, were very much involved in the family business. When it came time for Antti to step aside, the brothers stepped in to assume responsibility for the company. The year was 1958 and the stone industry was facing great changes – handiwork was no longer lucrative and the time had come to invest in machinery.
Under Martti and Reino’s energetic initiative, the production of the stoneworks expanded from gravestones and building stones to decorative stones and sculptures. In the mid-1970s, the brothers made an historical decision and began to quarry for stone in Taivassalo. The move into this new industry brought with it many surprises. Nevertheless, the company managed to extract red granite, which was exported primarily to France and Italy.
The rapid development of the quarry began in the early 1980s, when Reino’s son Heikki undertook responsibility for granite block exportation. Erkka Lehto joined the company as Technical Director in 1986, bringing with him a level of quarry expertise and competence that was rarely found in Finland at that time. The quarry operations were heavily expanded to Eastern Finland. The company’s development focuses, both in terms of quality and quantity, lay in stone exportation, the discovery of new stone qualities, as well as marketing and mechanization.
Global suppliers by the third generation
Loimaan Kiviveistämö evolved to become Palin Granit, the company currently headed by Heikki Palin. Under his leadership, the quarry operations have further expanded and production has increased manifold. The fourth generation of the family business is also already strongly committed to the development of the company.
Palin Granit’s specialised expertise and wealth of experience, combined with Finnish stone and work ethics are all internationally valued aspects of the company. Palin Granit stones are sold to all corners of the world. Our own quarries produce approximately 40,000 cubic metres of dimension stone each year. Altogether, 80 per cent of this stone is exported.
Of similar companies located within the Nordic countries, Palin Granit Oy has the widest range of stones available for a variety of different uses. We are continuously searching for new materials, and have focused our production development on quality, machinery and quarrying techniques. We endeavour to improve our operational systems across the board.
The outlook for Finnish granite as a desired building material is quite good on the international level. As a direct result of Finland’s politically stable conditions, plans can be made far into the future, and the availability of stone is guaranteed. The use of stone as an ecological and durable material is continuously growing in popularity.
