Made in China: Suunto reportedly plans to lay off over 70% of Finland staff

Outdoor equipment manufacturer Suunto was founded in Finland in 1936 and has developed and manufactured products in Finland ever since. That has gradually changed since its acquisition by Chinese wearable manufacturer Liesheng in 2022, as an increasing share of development and production has been moved to China to cut costs.

Now, Finnish magazine Helsinigin Sanomat reports that Suunto has sent a notice to its remaining roughly 160 employees in Finland announcing large-scale layoffs. Around 118 employees, or 74 percent of positions, are to be cut, primarily affecting staff in research, development and production, but not management. Suunto Finland is reportedly still negotiating with Liesheng over exactly which positions will ultimately be cut.

This announcement is not entirely unexpected, as Suunto's Chinese owner had already announced plans in 2024 to move production entirely to China. With this move, Liesheng is likely primarily seeking to reduce costs to better compete with Chinese brands such as Amazfit in the future. However, this could also make it harder for the manufacturer to justify premium prices for products such as the Suunto Ocean. Keeping a few positions in Finland is likely to be useful, not least because it allows the company to continue promoting the brand's Finnish roots.