YIT CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012

YIT CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012

YIT Group will be 100 years old in 2012. YIT has grown together with its customers and developed its services in line with the changes taking place in society. Thousands of YIT employees have contributed to the company’s development and turned it into a successful service company. Our aim is to continue on that track. YIT’s vision is to lead the way in creating and maintaining good living environments.

From a Finnish construction company to an international service company

YIT’s history has been a colourful and eventful one. YIT’s story begins in 1912, when the Swedish company Ab Allmänna Ingeniörsbyrån opened up a branch office in the Grand Duchy of Finland. The company’s goal was to enter the Russian market through Finland. YIT and its predecessors were an important part of Finnish society. At different phases of their history, the companies operated in all sectors of construction, from clearing land for agricultural use and forest management to the construction of hydroelectric power plants, factories, nuclear power plants and residential buildings.  

The companies also took their business beyond the Finnish borders. The first project in Russia (then the Soviet Union), a road-construction contract near Murmansk, was completed over 50 years ago in 1961. YIT was the pioneer in the export business of the Finnish construction industry. In addition to Soviet Union, the company had construction projects in the Middle East, in Iraq, Jordan, Saudi-Arabia, Libya and Abu Dhabi. The most important targets of development cooperation projects were Tanzania and Kenya.

In the 2000s, YIT grew into an international corporation, both in the fields of building system services and housing construction. Local operations in Russia have grown stronger. Building system services are now also provided in Nordic countries and Central Europe. Today, YIT has operations in 14 countries in Nordic countries, Central Europe, Russia and the Baltic countries.

Anniversary events

A website showing the company’s history and current palette of services was launched today. In February, YIT will publish its 100-year jubilee history that tells the stories of both the now international YIT and its predecessors. The story of the Group will also be told in a documentary movie. During the year, the company will extend its thanks to its customers and personnel in the form of various parties and events. The special jubilee year logo is used to mark the company’s 100-year experience and its agile capability to develop.

More information:
The YIT – History and Today website is at www.yitgroup.com/yit100

YIT CORPORATION

Virva Salmivaara
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

YIT is a leading European service company in building systems, construction services and services for industry. We build, develop and maintain quality living environments in the Nordic countries, Central Europe, Russia and the Baltic countries. In 2010, YIT's revenue was approximately EUR 3.8 billion. The Group has about 26,000 employees. YIT's shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. www.yitgroup.com