Industrialisation of Espoo was influenced by traffic routes and the proximity of Helsinki
Espoo's earliest industry was a part of the operations of manors until the 18th century.
The yield of manors was mainly intended for the manors themselves, until the construction of Vyborg increased the demand for bricks from 1748 onwards. However, actual industrialisation did not begin until about a century later when the intense construction of Helsinki at the end of the 19th century created a significant brick industry on the shore of Espoonlahti. The railway was completed in 1903 and production plants were established along it. With the improvement of the road network and the development of car traffic that began after the First World War, industry spread increasingly along the main roads.
Helsinki was the most important market for Espoo's early industrial production. In the 19th century, the most significant industrial plants in Espoo were the brickworks of Stensvik, Kallvik and Åminne in Espoonlahti. At the beginning of the 20th century, the most significant operators in the area included the Kauklahti glassworks (1923–1952) and the ceramics works of Kera Oy that operated under several different names (1920–1958).
The telecommunications company Valtion Sähköpaja started its operations in Mäkkylä in 1945. It changed its name to Televa in 1962 and became the property of Oy Nokia Ab in 1981. This means that the roots of Finnish information and communications technology are in Espoo. In addition to Mäkkylä, industrial production and technological development and design operations have been carried out in Finnoo, Kilo, Karamalmi, Nihtisilta, Niittykumpu and Olarinluoma.
Industrial production’s share of the lines of business in Espoo has decreased after the Second World War when the importance of construction and service industries became enhanced. However, the headquarters of numerous industrial companies have remained in Espoo or moved to Espoo. The Keilaniemi area in particular has become perhaps Finland's best-known and, in terms of the cityscape, most significant concentration of office buildings.
