Swedish Algots and Eiser in Finland: Cross-Border Processes in the Garment Industry During the 1960s and 1970s

This chapter discusses the cross-border activities of two Swedish garment manufacturers, Eiser and Algots, in Finland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Sweden was losing its garment industry, while Finland was experiencing, albeit only for a short time, a rapid growth in garment exports. How has research done in both countries looked at the processes? In Finland, the operations of both companies have been analysed in the context of direct investments and global sourcing. In Sweden, the focus has been more on public-private relations and local subsidies in the midst of a structural crisis, while the cross-border subsidiaries of the two companies have been almost forgotten. This chapter highlights the role of regional policies targeting the garment industry. It also recalls that for about five years, from 1977 to 1983, the Swedish state was a garment manufacturer in Finland, and the companies also participated in the Soviet trade. The chapter highlights the empirical and analytical challenge of focusing on companies operating across national borders, even if in neighbouring countries. The Swedish sources may occasionally mention the subsidiaries operating in Finland or Portugal, yet generally the Swedish literature only concerns operations in Sweden. Since they were Swedish firms, archives and museums in Finland mostly disregard them.