At a factory in a quiet Finnish industrial zone set amid a patchwork of lakes and forests close to the border with Russia, workers are taking part in a nationwide experiment that could soon be mirrored in ageing societies around the worldwide.

In just four years, the Abloy lock-making factory in the town of Joensuu has raised its average retirement age from 59 to 63. Abloy – part of the Swedish Assa Abloy group, the world’s biggest lock manufacturer, which countswhose brands include Yale, Chubb and Sargent among its brands – has offered older workers incentives to stay longer, adjusted jobs to accommodate their changing physical needs and educated managers in the benefits and challenges of a mature workforce.