Pioneering the brush industry for 80 years
Sajas was founded in 1945 by two brothers, Paulus and Pentti Sajakorpi, who returned from the war looking for a way to support their families and help rebuild Finnish society. They started by producing everyday essentials that a growing nation needed, including paint brushes, door mats, and ski poles. Over time, they built a business that could provide for their expanding families.
A turning point came when a shipment of brush fibres arrived from Africa. Instead of the soft fibres they had ordered for paint brushes, the container was filled with piassava – too stiff for painting but maybe useful elsewhere.
At the time, Finnish streets were still cleaned manually with birch twig brooms. Paulus saw an opportunity: why not use the piassava fibre to make more durable street brooms? In 1955, the first piassava hand broom was produced, quickly becoming a staple in cities and households across Finland.
From that unexpected beginning, Sajas expanded its expertise in brush manufacturing. Today, our technical brushes are found across countless industries, from oil recovery and industrial production to fish farming, agriculture, peat extraction, and water treatment. We also continue to provide high-quality solutions for cleaning streets and highways, railways, airport runways, parks, and green spaces.
Innovation remains at the heart of everything we do. For 80 years, our focus has been on delivering expertise and high-quality products tailored to customer needs. That commitment continues today as we develop new solutions for evolving industries worldwide..
For 80 years, we have built deep expertise in brush manufacturing, always working closely with our customers to understand your needs. That dedication continues today as we apply our knowledge to create reliable, high-performance solutions for a wide range of industries.
Advancing brush technology
Product development has been at the core of our work throughout our history. Developing new, specialised brushes has also led to advancements in our manufacturing processes, setting new standards for the industry. Our innovations have helped drive progress in municipal and airfield sweeping and oil spill response, to name a few, clearing the path for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
Our commitment to continuous development is reflected in our portfolio of national and international patents, design protections, and registered trademarks. We have a dedicated IPR strategy to safeguard our intellectual property, which includes monitoring our rights and addressing any misuse through our global network of experts.
Environmental responsibility is an integral part of our product development. Over the years, we have actively participated in research projects focused on sustainability. As a specialist in technical brushes and fibre manufacturing, we contribute our expertise to advancing environmentally friendly materials and developing brush solutions that support sustainability. Our research partners include the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki, the Department of Materials Engineering at the Tampere University of Technology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, SYKE Finnish Environment Institute, and WWF Finland. Read more about our environmental policy.
Innovations throughout the years
World’s first manual oil recovery set
Recognising the challenges faced by responders cleaning oil-stained shorelines after spills, we developed the world’s first complete system for manual oil recovery in 2015 (patent pending).
World’s first fully plastic Brush Rings
In 1996, we introduced the first fully plastic brush rings made from 100% polypropylene. More environmentally friendly, recyclable, and cost-effective than traditional metal-framed brush rings, our Beeline®, Sunline™, and Starline™ models were quickly adopted by sweeping machine manufacturers across Finland, Sweden, and Germany. Today, we produce over one million brush rings annually.
Plastic element for ski jumping hills
At the request of the Finnish Ski Association in 1975, we developed a plastic coating for ski jumping hills, later refining it into the patented Saja Safety™ element. This innovation captured 60% of the global market, with installations in Olympic venues such as Calgary, Salt Lake City, and Lake Placid.
Filament melting for brush rings
Sajas was the first to discover the technique of melting polypropylene filaments together for street sweeping brooms. This method, patented in 1981, remains a global industry standard in brush ring manufacturing.
Piassava hand broom – A game changer in sweeping
In 1955, Paulus Sajakorpi developed a piassava hand broom that quickly replaced traditional birch twig brooms across Finland due to its superior durability. Sajakorpi dominated the market for 15 years before ceasing production in 1975. Even today, the same broom design remains in use, manufactured by other companies.
