About the background of Pelco Nordic...

On Flores day  - 13th May 1936  - a family enterprise A/B Electrosignal - Sähkömerkki O/Y was founded in Helsinki Finland. In the very beginning the company announced it would practice manufacturing and business with electrical products and machines and related articles.  According to its name, the company designed and manufactured products that gave electrical signals.

From components to systems and services

In the beginning there were push buttons and electrical clocks. In the 50s, production was extended to automatic fire alarms and ESM- branded paging systems.  In the 60s burglar and HVAC alarms and emergency lighting were developed, and nurse-call was launched on the market. In the 70s, the ESMI 10A relay was introduced. By the end of the decade, the demand for telecommunications engineering products was so keen that daily produced branch boxes amounted to 1,000 pieces.  
 
We have proceeded towards real time. The scarlet thread in our business idea, despite everything, is still to give electrical signals.  The original combination of push button and electrical clock has since been developed to multiple telecommunications technology and electronic systems. Today, Esmi's line of business is electrical security and building automation systems and related applications and services.

From production unit to specialist and developer

When Esmi was founded the company had a factory of 35 square meters in Helsinki city centre - today the most expensive location. In the years that followed, company moved a couple of times in the city. The activity focused on assembling semi-manufactured products. The biggest customers at the time were Helsinki Telephone Association and electrical wholesalers.

While Finland, after the Second World War, rebuilt and paid war reparations, Esmi grew fast both in the domestic and export market. The share of manual operations in production was big at the time. Automation started in the 60s, which later in the 70s led to improved production methods and modern products.

Electronics and a very own plant started a new epoch in Esmi's history in the 70s. The key ratios were: staff 300 and 1,000 product titles.  In the 80s, the number of research & development and electronics specialists grew. The following decades had to give space to security and safety systems development at the cost of device manufacture.

This epoch ended when Esmi, once again, moved to a new plant in Olarinluoma, which, at the time, was called Helsinki's  "Silicon Valley".


From family enterprise to part of an international business group
The family enterprise A/B Electrosignal - Sähkömerkki O/Y was fast to find a marketplace in Finland and also in the export market.  In the second year of activity, the company closed an export deal with the Swedish A/B Electroskandia.  On top of this,  the company was engaged in import. The Company's name was changed to Oy Esmi Ab in the 60s. The companies engaged in access control, time recording and semi-manufactured metal products were merged to Esmi in the 80s. The Norwegian subsidiary was founded and Esmi itself became a subsidiary of Oy Hedengren Ab.

In the 90s, Esmi became a subsidiary of A. Ahlström Corporation.At the same time, electronics production was transferred from Esmi to Elari Oy.  Before the end of the decade Esmi AB was founded in Sweden. In connection with our owners’ company arrangements, the Nordic Lexel Group was born, which became Esmi's parent company.

In the 21st century, Esmi expanded further.  Multi Signal AB, our long-time partner in Sweden was merged with Esmi AB. The Danish development company, Dalcotech A.S,  was acquired and its name was changed to Esmi A.S. In Norway, Industrisikring A.S was merged with Esmi A.S. Our parent company, Lexel Group became a part of the French Schneider Electric SA. The Nordic Esmi companies were formed into Esmi Group - the Nordic specialist in building technology.

In 2008 ESMI changed the name to Pelco and joined the worldwide Pelco group within Schneider Electric.