About us
Transports across three centuries Kuljetusliike Honkanen & Co Oy | Turku
Our operations are based on experience, expertise, reliability, and punctuality. This has been the case since the 1800s, when Karl Mauritz Honkanen started a horse-drawn carriage service.
We got off to a dramatic start. The founder of our business died on a carriage trip to Perniö in 1895. His son Karl Walfrid took the reins under the name of Ajuriliike K.W. Honkanen. At best, he had six horses in his stable, which were the main driving force of the company until the year 1924. This was the year when the first automobile was acquired, with a whopping carrying capacity of 1000 kilos.
During the years preceding the war, the company was operating as many as three trucks. Two of these were pressed into military service by the state, meaning that the widow of Karl Walfrid, who had died in 1942, had to make do with just one car. But she maintained the professional transport service until the end of the war.
When peace was finally signed, the fleet was supplemented with two new cars. One of them was delivered across the sea from Sweden, and the other was acquired domestically after much red tape had been dealt with. The most important transport goods of the time were firewood, potatoes, and boats.
As the years rolled on, the customers changed and the driven distances increased. In the 1960s, the company was taken over by the youngest son in the family, Niilo, who actively sought out new means-tested traffic permits. The next decade was a time of strong growth, and commissions by Turku-based industries and transports from the port of Turku began to form the core of the operation.
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As international traffic increased, the fleet of differently sized lorries was gradually changed over to semi-trailer trucks. A new era began in 1982, when the company moved in to new premises close to the port of Turku. This made it possible to begin offering new services, such as material handling and storage.
The operations were boldly developed during the following decades too. For instance, the company is the first in Finland to commission a 5-axle vehicle and a specialised device used to unload powders from bulk box containers.
During the new millennium, we have continued along the path started by our founders. With our fleet, we are able to meet the challenges of even the most demanding transport commissions, serving both domestic and international customers.
