History of Vallox

The development of modern residence-specific ventilation units started with fans manufactured as war reparations.

The aircraft factory of Valtion metallitehtaat (State Metal Works) or Valmet in Tampere started to make fans for the drying of sawn timber in the 1940s. In 1964, the lack of space in Tampere led the company to move the manufacturing of ventilation units that were still mainly manufactured for industrial use to the Pansio factory of Valmet where shipbuilding decreased. In the following year, Valmet launched a roof ventilator series, including a product for residential use as well.

Because of the rapid urbanisation in the 1960s, more and more blocks of flats were built with a central extract air blowing system, and cooker hoods were developed to be connected to the system. Consequently, Valmet started to manufacture cooker hoods in 1970 at first on a subcontracting basis.

Valmet Loimaa factory was establised

In 1971, when there was no more room at Pansio, Valmet founded a factory in Loimaa and moved the assembly of roof ventilators there. With the energy crisis of the early 1970s, ventilation for residential use was developed, and in 1976 Valmet launched an energy-saving air heating system called Kotilämpö. During the next decade 15,000 Kotilämpö systems were sold. Other well-known products included Saituri, an extract air pump, and Valmet Vesitakka, a water jacket for a fireplace. The Loimaa factory was expanded again. The Loimaa factory of Valmet was very innovative. When the solar heating system intended for one-family houses was launched in 1980, it had an advanced microprocessor control. In the middle of the 1980s, the legendary MUH Ilmava, a supply and extract air exchanging unit equipped with heat recovery, was launched. It is still the most sold ventilation unit model ever in Finland.

In 1985, the ship ventilation department of the Pansio factory of Valmet was merged to the Loimaa factory, which then also started to manufacture ventilation units for ships.

Valmet becomes Vallox Oy

In the early 1980s, Valmet and Wärtsilä rearranged the manufacturing of paper machines and ships. Wanting to focus on the paper industry, Valmet in 1987 sold the Loimaa factory specialising in ventilation units to the existing management as an MBO deal. Vallox Oy was born.

A few years later, Vallox focused on residential ventilation and sold the ship ventilation department to Novenco As from Denmark. In 2002, a German family business TOP AIR AG bought the majority of shares at Vallox.

Vallox continued to work, principally, with the ventilation of residential buildings throughout the 2000s. In 2011, the fourth extension of the Loimaa factory was completed, following which the capacity of the factory multiplied.

Investments in product development

In the 2000s, Vallox continued to develop energy-efficient ventilation units. MyVallox ventilation units were launched in 2015. The units can be controlled remotely through a cloud service and include integrated humidity and carbon dioxide sensors. These enable the unit to regulate the efficiency of the ventilation automatically, based on the need. An acoustics laboratory was completed in connection to the factory in 2018, in which the company tests and develops the acoustics properties of its products.

In the 2020s, Vallox launched, as new apartment ventilation products, e.g., the Vallox Delico hood series and Vallox 99 MV, the quietest ventilation unit on the market. In addition, the company extended its product selection with the Vallox Pureo air handling units, which are suited for use in operating and business premises and public buildings.

In 2022, the latest extension of the factory, which includes roughly 2,000 square metres of dispatch and storage space, was completed. The current annual capacity of the factory is around 50,000 ventilation units.