A 120 year-old handcrafted pendulum wall clock is ticking right on time. Old handcrafted pendulum wall clock, made by Edvin Kytölä in 1902, is still operating and ticking precisely at Kytola Instruments’ headquarter in Muurame. This wall clock is defining a soul of the Kytola group at its finest: the love for measuring, precision mechanics and preciseness. Edvin’s son Olli Kytölä, also known as radio amateur, was interested in measuring just like his father. Later on, Olli’s passion for electronics took him to the journey that is now written in the history of Kytola Instruments. In the 1950s, the 18-year-old Olli was starting his career as an entrepreneur. In the daytime, he worked with customers at his fathers store and in the night time he developed, drew and designed new products.
In the 1950s, Finland was rapidly industrializing and saw the need of Olli’s innovations. The paper industry and production efficiency needed to be supported by accurate measurement. The meters developed for the paper industry, designed by Olli and his brother Jaakko, reaped fame. The meters were made to measure water flow and paper thickness. Accuracy and reliability of those meters created a foundation for efficient production and new applications. Special orders required new innovations but among with it evolved small series-production which was ahead of its time at that point.
In 1960s, Kytola meters that were known as accurate, long-lasing and reliable gathered huge demand. Serving customers in the best possible way was the core of Kytola’s business. Customers’ changing needs were responded with active design and product development. From 1970s to the 1980s, the growth and internationalization was fast. Expanding the business, manpower and the premesis, production and quality were maintained within the company. While streamlining its production, Kytola also focused on creativity and product development. Open communication between the R&D and production enabled fast reactions to customer needs, a highly valued feature even among today’s Kytola customers.