The history of Mannerin Konepaja is a story worth telling; we are now in the middle of World War II. Peace follows the crisis, and Manner turns a new leaf in its history.
During the Winter War, Germany’s attitude towards Finland was indifferent but the relationship between the two countries grew closer during the Interim Peace. Mannerin Konepaja benefited from this as Germany supplied new machines to replace those that were returned to Hanko. The Interim Peace did not last long and, after the outbreak of the Continuation War in June 1941, Manner returned to the arms industry – now with brand new machinery.
The Soviet Union emptied its Hanko base, and Manner wanted to make a quick return to its hometown. The badly damaged premises were renovated in summer 1942, and the following year Mannerin Konepaja resumed its operations in Hanko. A large part of the production was still in Lahti, where the company operated as Man-Ko Oy.
After the end of the war in September 1944, the company’s work in the arms industry came to an end, but the reconstruction of Hanko brought in many orders, while Manner also kept developing its own products. These included field forges, eccentric presses, fire hydrants and machines for the bakery, soft drink and meat processing industries.