In 1908 the engineering works Lahden Rauta- ja Metalliteollisuustehdas Oy was founded and the company began building inland waterway vessels and manufacturing steam boilers and machines. Frame saws marked the start of the company’s venture into the production of wood processing machinery. Independence, the building of a nation, wars and war reparations, changes and peaks in economic cycles are also reflected in Raute’s history.
Raute also has its own story to tell. It begins with a small engineering works in Lahti that got its start fixing machines and making iron beds. The works became a limited company in 1908 and began manufacturing inland waterway vessels, as well as its first frame saws. This marked the beginning of Raute’s journey to becoming an expert in wood products technology. The first complete wood products factory was delivered to the Pellos plywood mill in Ristiina in 1968. By the end of 2009, Raute had already delivered more than 60 mills around the world.