Valmet, originally established as a state-owned munitions factory during World War II in Finland, transitioned into manufacturing agricultural machinery. In 1949, engineers created a prototype of a 12-horsepower tractor, which was later launched into production in 1951 as the Valmet 15. In 1979, the company formed a partnership with Volvo, leading to the production of tractors under the Volvo BM Valmet brand. Valmet acquired Volvo's interests in 1985 and subsequently entered into a collaboration with Massey-Ferguson to manufacture tractors at their facility in France. Until 1993, Valmet remained a government-owned entity before merging with Sisu and adopting the name Valtra.