Industry refines natural resources into different products. By doing so, industry develops the natural resources' degree of processing and constructs more complex products. For example, the food industry uses milk to produce ice cream, whereas the automobile industry uses metals and complex mechanical parts to construct cars.

The industrial revolution began in the British Isles in the 18th century. From there, industry spread into Europe and the rest of the world. The industrial revolution arrived in Finland during the 1860s, when various factories began to be built all over the nation. 

Industrial production takes place in factories. It requires specialized machinery and skilled workers that can use this machinery. Industrial production also consumes a lot of energy, especially electricity, and water. Industrial production is based on the natural sciences and requires people with all kinds of skills.

The industrial production on planet Earth continues to increase, which results in the formation of more industrial societies. In many developed nations, such as Finland, the society has reached a stage where various services have become more economically important than traditional forms of industry. However, industrial production continues to be an important part of the Finnish economy to this day

The forest industry focuses on refining wood into various products. The mechanical forest industry is focused in creating planks and boards and refining them into furniture, building materials and for other uses. The chemical forest industry makes paper and paper pulp, as well as special products such as soaps, turpentine and composite wood. The forest industry has traditionally been an important part of the Finnish economy, but its importance has decreased recently as factories have moved into other nations where the production costs are lower. 

The machine and metal industry employs approximately 125 000 people. Some of the most important products of the Finnish machine and metal industry include cruise ships, ship and power plant engines, paper machinery, elevators, industrial machinery and farm machinery. The metal industry consumes a lot of electricity. 


Finland has a long tradition in ship building. A cruise ship being built in Turku.

The chemical industry is a large field of the industrial sector. In Finland, it has recently surpassed the importance of the forest industry. 

Most of the products produced in the chemical industry are used in other forms of industry, forestry and agriculture. Such products include pesticides, fertilizers, soaps and cleaning products.

The largest Finnish chemical industry company is Neste Oil, which produces fuels. Another important and rapidly growing sector of the Finnish chemical industry is the pharmaceutical industry. Biotechnology is also a rising sector of the chemical industry. 

The food industry is based on agricultural products. It is the fourth largest sector of Finnish industry. It produces the majority of consumer goods we use in our everyday lives. The food sector employs over 33 000 people, but the whole food production chain from agricultural production to stores employs approximately 300 000 people, which is 12 % of the total Finnish workforce. Finns like to consume domestic, local food products, which is one of the reasons why local agriculture and food production are important to Finnish society.