Sign painter Wigell is asked to paint the company’s name on the store window. He displays initiative by shortening the name to John Nurminen to save space.

The company’s first head office, Aaltola, was the biggest building in Rauma at that time.

Beginning of the Shipping Business

The company’s first own ship, the three-masted schooner ship Uljas, is built in Rauma in 1891. Shipping operations expand rapidly, and by 1910 no fewer than 22 vessels sail under the JN flag, carrying their cargoes to the four corners of the world.

Starting the Forwarding Department

In 1913 Johan hands over the company to his son John. John founds a forwarding department as part of his trading house, and during the First World War it grows into Finland’s biggest forwarding company.

The schooner ship Uljas,
painting by Adolf Bock, 1954

John Nurminen adds tourism to its operations by becoming a shareholder in Travel Agency Kaleva Limited, founded in 1935. Kaleva becomes a subsidiary of John Nurminen in 1954.

The company enters the steamship era, and its shipping operations reach their height at the end of the 1950s: eight vessels, or a total of 40,000 DWT, are sailing at full steam under the JN flag.

S/S Laila Nurminen carrying timber in the Mediterranean in 1952. Painting by Adolf Bock, 1952.

Winding Down Shipping Operations

After the Suez Crisis, John Nurminen’s Board decides to give up shipping operations. The last vessels are sold in 1967.

Starting International Forwarding and Air-Freight Operations

The company’s focus shifts to international forwarding and transport. John Nurminen’s first warehouse building is built at Helsinki’s West Harbour, and in 1964 Nurminen Air begins business at Helsinki Airport, becoming Finland's first air-freight forwarder. The 1960s also see the beginning of road transports to the Soviet Union and the first transoceanic liner agency operations.

The company expands strongly. The building of a customs terminal network is sped up by the new liner agencies and the breakthrough in road transport. Several new regional offices are also opened inland.

The National Board of Customs grants terminal rights to Nurminen’s new building, warehouse II in Hernesaari, in 1972. At this time Nurminen has 15,000 m2 of storage space in Helsinki.

John Nurminen widens its operations in international trade. Its lines of business include export and import forwarding, international transport, Soviet road transport, terminal and warehouse services, ground handling services for airlines, liner agency, port agency, forwarding for fairs and exhibitions and project transports.

The company’s new logo is published on 18 April 1986, which is the 100th anniversary of the Nurminen trading house. The triangles in the logo symbolise motion and its direction: the red triangles point westwards and the white triangles in between them point eastwards – these are the main directions of our international trade. The red colour of the triangles is the same as on the hull of the sailing vessel depicted on the old logo. The idea of the new logo came from Juha Nurminen.

John Nurminen sells its traditional forwarding and transport operations to ASG in 1995.

It concentrates on special logistics, ground handling services for airlines, business travel and shipping operation.

John Nurminen divests its ground handling services in 2000, and at the end of 2001 the Group sells the operations of Kaleva Travel to Kohdematkat Oy. In 2001 the company acquires the business operations of Oy Huolintakeskus Ab, and in 2002 it purchases Atlans Oy.

John Nurminen aims to double its turnover in the coming years, and this ambitious target sets new requirements for the Group’s structure and business model.

At the beginning of 2003, the business operations of the entire Group are placed under the parent company when the operations of Oy Huolintakeskus Ab, Nurminen Cargo Handling Oy, Nurminen Heavy Oy, Nurminen Maritime Oy, Nurminen Prima Oy and Nurminen TransMec Oy are integrated in a single company, John Nurminen Oy.

John Nurminen continues to concentrate on logistics by giving up operations that do not belong to its core business: it sells its removal and exhibition services and trailer repair business in 2003 and 2004.

John Nurminen’s strategy is to grow organically and through acquisitions in the Baltic region. The company’s foreign investments and development efforts are directed at its Baltic and Russian operations and companies, while in Finland the company seeks to strengthen the operations of its business units by acquisitions and investments.

In 2005 we continue to focus increasingly on our principal logistics operations by selling Fashion Logistics and starting to divest our liner agency operations.

The company acquires a 49 per cent share of St. Petersburg based railway operator ZAO Irtrans, purchasing at the same time the company’s entire rolling stock.

Fine Art Logistics is established as a separate company and Vehicle Logistics is transferred to Nurminen Autologistics Oy.

In 2006 John Nurminen acquires SkandiaTransport, the leading Swedish vehicle logistics company, and becomes the most important player in vehicle logistics in the Baltic Sea region.

Nurminen expands its business to an entirely new field, medical transport, by acquiring majority shareholding in three private medical transport companies.

In 2007 fine art logistics company Nurminen Prima is sold and Nurminen Ship Agency is established as a separate company. Vehicle Logistics is sold to a company established by funds managed by Capman Oyj. John Nurminen acquires a 25 per cent holding in the new company.

Investments in care logistics continue, and John Nurminen grows into Finland's biggest provider of medical transport.

The company buys the entire share capital of ZAO Irtrans and continues to invest in railway wagons.

In January 2007 a contract is signed with the City of Helsinki to lease a parcel of land located in the logistics area of Vuosaari Harbour. Construction of the Vuosaari logistics centre starts in summer 2007, and the foundation stone is laid in September 2007.

On 7 September 2007, John Nurminen Oy announces that it will demerge and list its logistics operations – Rail Services, Customs Clearance Services, Cargo Handling and Value-Added Services, Special and Heavy Transports and care logistics operations –on the Helsinki Stock Exchange under the name Nurminen Logistics on 1 January 2008.