About
Vaisala was founded in 1936 by Finnish Professor Dr Vilho Vaisala. Dr. Vaisala had been experimenting with radiosondes, small transmitters which are launched into the atmosphere to measure meteorological conditions. In 1931 he launched the first Finnish radiosonde. He even developed some of the essential operating principles for these instruments. This niche that Dr. Vaisala occupied in the growing industry gave him the opportunity to found the company Vaisala. The company remained heavily focused on radiosonde production until the 1970s.
Today Vaisala continues to manufacture radiosondes, although the company has shifted its focus to the manufacture of advanced thin-film sensor technology for environmental variables. Vaisala HUMICAP relative humidity sensors as well as Vaisala BAROCAP barometric pressure sensors were first developed in the 1970s and through consistent updates, still find widespread use today. Both of these sensors were recently used on the NASA Mars Curiosity rover which performed surface measurements around the Gale crater near the Martian equator for the last two years. These Vaisala sensors were chosen because of their long-term stability and accuracy, as well as their ability to tolerate dust, chemicals, and harsh environmental conditions.
Today Vaisala manufactures a wide range of products for measuring environmental variables. Products are available for numerous applications including airport weather, defense weather, hydrology, lightning detection, maritime weather, meteorology, rail weather, road weather, and weather solutions for energy. Currently, about 98% of this business is exported from Finland to more than 150 countries across the globe.
Current Statistics:
- Revenue (2014): $339 million USD
- Net Income (2014): $26.5 million USD
- Employees: 1,600