Sisu Auto turns to partners as growth accelerates

Sisu Auto, the Finnish armoured vehicle manufacturer, has begun seeking additional partners and subcontractors.

The company finds itself in a period of substantial growth, explains chief executive Tomi Gardemeister, who joined in early 2024 with a mandate to scale the business.

We aim to outsource more to capable subcontractors

Tomi Gardemeister, CEO, Sisu Auto

- We aim to outsource more to capable subcontractors, while retaining responsibility for design, development, final assembly and quality control, Gardemeister says.

In 2023, Sisu Auto’s turnover amounted to just over 20 million euro.

This rose to 50 million euro in 2024 and 90 million euro in 2025. Gardemeister expects turnover to reach almost 200 million euro this year.

- There is a great deal for us to do at the moment, he adds.

The FISE agreement

There are several drivers behind this growth. 

Chief among them is a strong order book, including more than 500 GTP 4x4 tactical vehicles for the Finnish and Swedish armed forces.

These orders fall under the Finnish-Swedish defence cooperation framework (FISE), a joint arrangement between the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command covering procurement, operation and maintenance of military equipment.

- This is a very important long-term contract that ensures volume for us. We will soon reach a production run of 300 vehicles, says Gardemeister, who hopes other NATO countries will join the framework and procure the GTP.

- This is also an important element of our growth strategy.

Expanding the portfolio

Sisu Auto is also expanding its product portfolio.

Alongside the GTP, the company produces the GTT, a tracked articulated vehicle comprising two linked units, each with its own continuous track.

The Sisu variants are derived from the Bronco vehicle produced by Singapore’s ST Engineering, adapted for Arctic conditions. In February, Sisu Auto and ST Engineering signed an expression of interest to deepen technology cooperation.

A third platform, the GTL, is in development for domestic and export markets. It represents a modernised successor to legacy logistics vehicles such as the Sisu 240.

- This will be the next generation of logistics vehicles for the Finnish land forces, among others. There is significant development activity under way, says Gardemeister:

- We aim to deliver three versions into production by the end of 2026, with volume production following around a year later and are in discussions with potential customers in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Scaling towards the 2030s

Looking to the early 2030s, Sisu Auto is targeting annual turnover of more than half a billion euro.

- This is our long-term goal, says Gardemeister.

To reach it, the company plans to expand production and its supply chain through a more concentrated but more capable supplier base.

- We plan to outsource more and focus on final assembly. If we win contracts further from our production base, we may need to establish local production and supplier networks. This is under consideration, he says.

- This also applies to new products. We are looking to involve more subcontractors. Not everything can be done in Karjaa in the future, says Gardemeister who stresses that the entire supply chain will need to increase capacity.

Subcontractors and partners

Sisu Auto operates broadly on an 80-20 model, where around 20 suppliers account for 80 percent of delivered components.

The company expects to maintain a strategic supplier base of between 20 and 30 companies, depending on technology areas.

It also works with technology partners. Daimler Truck, for example, supplies powertrains for its vehicles.

- This approach is how we scale the business, Gardemeister says.

He adds that growth is not solely dependent on partners.

It is a favourable environment in which to operate

Tomi Gardemeister, CEO, Sisu Auto

Despite its size, Sisu Auto has retained an entrepreneurial culture, he argues, enabling it to deliver high-quality products while responding quickly to customer requirements.

- The market is growing. Those with the right products and sufficient capacity will succeed. It is a favourable environment in which to operate, says Tomi Gardemeister.