Företagets historia

the time before gränsfors bruks ab (1868 – 1902)

The first concrete evidence we have about an axe forge in Gränsfors dates from the mid-19th century. In 1868, scythe smith Johan Pettersson (JP), aged 33, moved with his family and his brother Anders Pettersson (AP), aged 18, from Älvdalen to Gränsfors and set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge. Johan Pettersson probably also made axes in his scythe forge, which he ran until 1900. In 1871, younger brother Anders Pettersson bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which in 1902 formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge. Anders also forged both scythes and axes.

The latter part of the 19th century marked the start of large-scale logging operations in northern Sweden and demand for forest tools, above all axes, exploded. Around 400,000 people worked full- or part-time in the forest at the peak of the logging.

By the end of the 19th century there were around ten axe factories in Sweden turning out large quantities of axes. The most well known axe forges, from the south of the country upwards, were in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle and Edsbyn. Although axe exports were high from an early stage, the biggest demand remained up north, which is how the idea came about to build a new axe forge north of the existing ones. The chosen location was of course Gränsfors.

formation of gränsfors bruks ab (1902)

1902 saw Anders Pettersson form the limited company Gränsfors Bruk, which took over the forge in Gränsfors.

The term ‘bruk’ (works) was used historically to describe large industrial companies, e.g. ‘bergsbruk’ (mining works) and ‘järnbruk’ (ironworks). Both these activities were governed by Royal privileges. Mining companies had the privilege and duty to mine iron ore and make pig iron, but only the ironworks had the right to turn the pig iron into bar iron – the base material for making iron products.

The word ‘bruk’ is also used for other factories, such as ‘glasbruk’ (glassworks) and ‘pappersbruk’ (papermill).

The works and mills were largely self-sufficient communities, with most of what was needed for production and survival produced locally. Farming and forestry were integrated into the operation, as were food and lodgings for employees. The location of many works and mills was largely determined by access to energy from nearby rivers.

All Royal privileges were abolished in 1859, opening up the industries to freer competition. The old industrial operations were often turned into limited companies. Some removed the word ‘bruk’ from their name, but retained their status as the dominant workplace and powerhouse in their area.

The work ‘Bruk’ in Gränsfors Bruk’s company name may have been a way to make the company seem bigger and more historic than it actually was. Gränsfors Bruk certainly did not emerge from the old industrial works with their Royal privileges, but this fact probably remained unknown to its customers, who were often based a long way down south in Sweden and had never set foot anywhere near Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson headed the new company from 1902-1908. Alfred Wennerström came to Gränsfors at that time, having worked at other axe forges in Sweden, as did smith Oskar Rising, who had worked at the forge in Pinjainen, Finland (now Fiskars). In 1907, there were 10 people working at Gränsfors Bruk. After Anders Pettersson, banker A. Lundberg was head of Gränsfors Bruk for a few years.

the eriksson family (1917 – 1982)

Olof Eriksson moved from Kall in Jämtland to Bergsjö aged 25 and set up a hardware store under the name O. Eriksson Järnaffär. In addition to his retail operation, he also traded in goods that he commissioned, mostly from local producers. These included scythes, axes, forestry tools and other items that generally went under the name of ironmongery. A highly enterprising man, Olof Eriksson was involved in starting up several companies in the area. In 1917, Eriksson took over Gränsfors Bruk and became its managing director. After 1917, axe production rose sharply with the purchase of a new ‘Arboga 35’ forging press, partially funded by Eriksson the ironmonger. The press cost SEK 17,000 back then, and is still used to this day at Gränsfors Bruk to forge the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe and the Gränsfors Mini Hatchet.

focus on exports (1920 – 1960)

In 1920, axe production almost came to a standstill. For a brief time, only the brothers Birger and Axel Wennerström were working at Gränsfors Bruk. In the 1920s, Olof Eriksson contacted the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, prompting the launch of exports to Russia. The list of export markets later expanded hugely, key amongst them being South America and Canada. The export countries also included the USA, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Latvia. Production was low during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but soon took off again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Axel Bäckström was in charge, with Axel Wennerström heading up production. Despite Swedish being the only language that they and everyone else at Gränsfors Bruk spoke, during this period the company successfully exported primarily to the USA, Argentina and Colombia. During and after the Second World War, business remained good and Gränsfors Bruk celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1952 in fine form. That year the workforce of 40 men produced nearly 200,000 axe heads. Twelve of these men, who had worked at the forge for 25 years or more, were awarded medals for their long and faithful service.

However, later that same year the company suffered a serious financial crisis. This was caused by the loss of a major customer, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, after its owner fell ill. As a consequence, several employees had to be made redundant, although a few years later the American customer’s owner recovered and business was reinstated, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to start hiring again.

When Olof Eriksson died in 1956, the helm transferred from Axel Bäckström to Olof Eriksson’s son, Torgny Eriksson. Axel Bäckström and Axel Wennerström both left the company in around 1960. Torgny was managing director and later chairman of Gränsfors Bruk until his death. He left behind seven children, including son Lars Eriksson, who had to take on the difficult challenge of leading a small family company with eight owners (seven siblings + his mother). Lars’ brother-in-law Johan Skärgård was production manager, while the chief accountant was Lars’ brother Olle Eriksson, who also worked for the family’s company Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö at the same time. The fact that some members of the family worked in the company and others were only shareholders cannot have made it any easier to manage the company.

Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius who kept all the production equipment up to scratch, was an important figure at Gränsfors Bruk during the 50s, 60s and into the 70s.

During the 1960s, Gränsfors Bruk produced over 200,000 axe heads per year, with major exports to the USA, Finland, Canada, Argentina and Thailand. During this time, export correspondence was dealt with by Oliny, Torgny Eriksson’s sister. Exports to Finland went through the Finnish company Stridsberg & Björk, and some years numbered over 40,000 axe heads.

the chainsaw takes over (1960 – 1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, logging levels fell and chainsaws started being widely used for forestry work, first for felling and then also for limbing the felled tree. There were fewer forest workers and fewer people who used an axe. As a result, demand for axes in Sweden fell dramatically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The remaining axe forges were able to survive and temporarily even increase their production on the back of competing forges closing at a time when the export of axes showed potential for growth. In 1974, Gränsfors Bruk made 200,000 axe heads, 80 percent of which went for export.

The first oil crisis in the mid-1970s caused a sudden surge in demand for axes, whose selling price rose, not least in Sweden. Producing and selling axes was once again a highly profitable business, but all the axe manufacturers in Sweden made the same strategic mistake. They focused on the profitable Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian markets, where the easiest, quickest money was to be made. 100 percent of production capacity was used, but the axe manufacturers were still unable to deliver to all their customers, and export customers on the other side of the world had to wait. Operations were rationalised as much as possible and automated grinders were brought in, simplifying both the production and the axes – often to the detriment of the axes’ quality. Gränsfors Bruk invested heavily and in 1979 built a new building over the old forging machines, but this investment became a financial burden on the company.

Once the good times of the 1970s came to an end, the whole axe industry was left with a terrible headache as demand plummeted. The chainsaw had now completely taken over in forestry and the axe customers of the oil crisis had disappeared. The Swedish industry tried selling axes back to the export customers that had been neglected for several years, but with little success. The export customers had been unable to wait, instead sourcing new axe suppliers from countries such as China, Brazil and the USA. The new competitors often had much lower prices and poorer quality compared with the Swedish products, but high-quality axes were no longer as desirable as they once were. The professional forest workers who used to use axes in their work were by now using chainsaws.

Coupled with reduced demand for axes in export countries, this led to a drop in price levels. Fewer axes were being sold at lower prices, even as the cost of axe production was rising, making a serious dent in the profits of axe manufacturers.

These were financially tough times for Gränsfors Bruk and new solutions were sought. One of these was an agreement with Finnish axe maker Fiskars, where Gränsfors Bruk would forge Fiskars-branded axe heads, which Fiskars would then sell in Finland. This brought to an end the long-standing partnership with Stridsberg & Björk in Finland. However, the new arrangement proved a mistake for Gränsfors Bruk, which lost all its sales to Finland in just a few years.

Gränsfors Bruk bankrupt (1982– 1985)

In 1982, the Eriksson family decided to sell Gränsfors Bruks AB. The new owners and the new management team unfortunately had no interest in axe production, focusing entirely on investing in and manufacturing chain links with the help of state aid. The plan was then to sell these links to the listed company Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn, whose customers included the offshore industry. However, things did not go quite to plan. The big new forging machine never worked properly and production never got started. In 1985, Ljusne Kätting went bankrupt, dragging Gränsfors Bruk down with it.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

No history of Gränsfors Bruk is complete without tracing the roots of Svedbro Smide as well. The story of Gränsfors Bruk actually has two branches.

Svedbro Smide’s story starts in the late 19th century with a smith called Gustav Tiderman. In 1878, he established a water-powered forge in Svedbro, on the Annån river that crosses the road between Gnarp and Bergsjö, about 10 km from Gränsfors. However, the business went bankrupt after just one year and the Svedbro forge was taken over by Johan Sjölander, who ran it for about 12 years. On Johan’s death in around 1890, the forge was sold by his widow, Kajsa-Stina, to Anders Erik Bergqvist, who in turn handed the forge on to his son Erik Bergqvist in 1924. Erik was a trained smith and farrier, with a wife called Britta. Erik died in 1941 and Britta was suddenly responsible for the forge. In contrast to that other forge widow Kajsa-Stina half a century before, Britta decided to hold on to the Svedbro forge.

Britta ran the forge for six years under the name ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ with the help of smiths John Enander and Rudolf Larsson. Their products included welded high-pressure boilers and water heaters. However, a shortage of materials during the Second World War brought such production to an end. Instead, they continued to manufacture grub hoes, lifting tongs and lifting hooks.

partnership with gränsfors bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 saw John Enander’s nephew Per Enander, aged 22, start an apprenticeship at the Svedbro forge, which now produced a large number of contract pieces for ironmonger O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö. After a few years, Per married Britta’s only daughter and in 1947 took over the Svedbro forge, which also changed its name to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per continued to supply the ironmonger in Bergsjö and in 1948 also started making an older version of a wrecking bar that was sold to Gränsfors Bruk.

1951 marked the start of another partnership between Svedbro Smidesfabrik and the Stockholm-based company Skogsdon AB, with Svebro producing a number of different forestry tools for them.

In 1952, Gränsfors Bruk’s owner Torgny Eriksson, office manager Axel Bäckström and salesman Tore Vestin contacted Svedbro Smidesfabrik about them making a new wrecking bar, for which Gränsfors Bruk would provide the steel. The wrecking bars were branded TOVE after salesman Tore Vestin, and were based on an original design that Smedbro Smide had been making since 1942. However, the partnership between the two companies was not a great success, with the steel often running out and Gränsfors Bruk frequently dragging out payments to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1960, Per Enander was offered the option of taking over from Axel Wennerström as forge manager at Gränsfors Bruk and at the same time selling Svedbro Smidesfabrik to Gränsfors Bruk. Per declined the offer. Instead, Per built a new forge in Gnarp with the help of Gnarp Municipality. Per and his wife Elsie worked here until their retirement in 1985.

the swedish government buys and sells (1960 – 1985)

During the 1960s, Svedbro Smidesfabrik expanded beyond wrecking bars and forestry tools to include forestry machines. In 1961, Skogsdon AB, a company whose business concept was to “develop and sell everything as a lumberjack needs”, become the minority shareholder in Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1971, the Swedish National Forest Enterprise, Domänverket (today Sveaskog) bought Skogsdon AB, making the Swedish state a joint owner of Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1978, Skogsdon bought all the shares in Svedbro Smidesfabrik and changed its name to Svedbro Smide AB. That same year, Skogsdon bought and merged with its rival Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB which had offices and warehouses in the Swedish town Säter. In connection with this, Skogsdon moved its headquarters from Stockholm and its warehouse, which since the 1960s has been located near Svedbro, also to Säter which in the eyes of the forest industry in Sweden, were more centrally located.

During the 1970 – and 1980’s, Svedbro Smide manufactured 50 or so different forestry tools alongside the wrecking bars. Sales of forestry tools, sold by Skogsdon, later Nordforest Skogsdon, however decreased as the number of active forest workers dropped due to increased mechanisation of forestry. Major products were during this time for example the tree felling tool, Stalpen and planting equipments, including a new planting tube.

In 1982, Domänverket sold Svedbro Smide to Gabriel Brånby who had previously been the CEO of Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. In 1985, Svedbro Smide bought Gränsfors Bruks AB that had just gone bankrupt, and this was the beginning of a new journey.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

In 1985, Svedbro Smide purchased the company Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide forged wrecking bars and forestry tools in Gnarp using technology that was similar to what Gränsfors had. The two businesses were merged into a single unit under the name of Gränsfors Bruks AB, but in 2005, the business was once again split into Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruk’s Wrecking Bar Forge in Gnarp.

In 1988, Gränsfors Bruk sold off its forestry tools business to Sandvik’s subsidiary Eia and concentrated more on making axes, splitting mauls, tree felling jacks, planting tubes and wrecking bars.

Some time later, the planting tube business was also sold off to Finnish company Lännen.

more paintaking and quality-driven production (1988 – )

Until now Gränsfors Bruk had, like other manufacturers, focused on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, often at the cost of both function and quality. The working environment was poor, the smiths were doing piecework and faults in the forging were concealed through rough grinding, rubbing, polishing and finally painting. A great deal of effort went into the post-production work and profit margins were low.

In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago. Knowledge about axes, their function and environmental issues became the guiding light for axe production. The restructuring was based on the insight that when you strip out everything that is unnecessary, you often get a more honest, eco-friendly and even attractive product.

The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time. The most important factor became quality, not quantity. The focus was placed on ensuring that the job of forging was done well, which removed much of the need for subsequent grinding. Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles. One by-product of this major change in production was that in 1990 Gränsfors Bruk won a prize in the Ecological Design competition organised by Svensk Form and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Despite competition among axe manufacturers remaining extremely tough in the 1980s and 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk became an increasingly sizeable player in the axe market. The company improved production and started selling in a growing number of countries. The idea of taking a step back to more painstaking and quality-driven production gradually started yielding results. Several other axe manufacturers also followed the ‘Gränsfors method’ and began producing axes in a similar vein – a clear indication that the changes were right, although the copies were sometimes ridiculously similar to the originals from Gränsfors.

focus on product development (1990 –)

One major reason why Gränsfors Bruk has survived in the face of tough competition from chainsaws and copies is its crystal clear strategy, with a focus on product development.

Gränsfors Bruk has always kept a step ahead of its copiers and driven the development of new models. Almost all the information available on axes and axe design was studied. Old axes with different appearances and functions were analysed, practical tests were carried out with a wide range of axes and many old axe forgers and axe users were interviewed – always with a view to staying a step ahead of competitors and leading the way in axe knowledge and product development. Without the many thousands of hours spent amassing knowledge in our professional field, it would have been difficult to make the decisions on change and investment that followed.

As well as providing a solid foundation for the company, the accrued knowledge also resulted in The Axe Book, which now accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors, and the Axe Museum, which has proved a goldmine for product development ideas. In the 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk started working with independent experts and many of the heavily copied models were quickly replaced with new models offering better design and function. None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990. The Swedish Carving Axe was produced in collaboration with craftsman Wille Sundqvist and others in 1994. In 1995, Gränsfors Bruk developed and launched the Hunter’s Axe, which was consciously made so different from other axes that the design was able to be protected under intellectual property law. The Hunter’s Axe was named an ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ in 1995. That same year is when Gränsfors Bruk started selling its axes with a 20 Year Product Guarantee. In 1996, Gränsfors Bruk launched a new range of broad axes and other tools for log-building. 1997 saw the arrival of a new, smaller Carpenter’s Axe and the earlier version, which had been copied, went out of production. By this time, eight new models had been introduced since 1990.

The whole range of axes for splitting wood was replaced in 1997-1998 and a brand new type of splitting axe and maul was launched, with a steel collar to protect the handle. The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute declared Gränsfors Bruk’s new Large Splitting Axe ‘Best in Test’. 1998 also marked the appearance of the American Felling Axe, developed jointly with US canoe builder and woodsman Geoffrey Burke. The Gränsfors Mini Hatchet came out in 2000 and was an instant success. A range of sharpening tools was launched in 2003, as well as the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe. Over the period 2000-2006, various replicas of historic axes from the Iron Age and Viking Age were also developed, under the title of Ancient Northern European Axes. Now they are simply called Gränsfors Bruk’s Ancient Axes. In 2008 came the Outdoor Axe in partnership with survival expert Lars Fält. The Outdoor Axe is now protected by a patent.

* Lars Fält established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years.

Over the past 25 years of Gränsfors Bruk’s history, product development has been critical to the company’s survival, an ongoing process that must never stop.

a new generation takes over (2010 –)

Over the years, many axe forges in Sweden and around the world have closed down. As of 2013, the only forges left in Sweden were Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik and Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. Finland has Fiskars, whose range includes axes. In Norway and Denmark there are no big axeproducers left.

Gränsfors Bruk is doing well, despite two deep financial crises over the past decade. The company has in fact strengthened its position in the axe market and gradually increased its revenues. Gränsfors Bruk’s axes are now sold in 30 countries, making it one of the leading axe producers in the world, with an extremely strong brand in its industry. Recent years have seen a gradual generational shift within the company, where two of Gabriels sons, Adam and Daniel are now leading the company.

the time before gränsfors bruks ab (1868 – 1902)

The first concrete evidence we have about an axe forge in Gränsfors dates from the mid-19th century. In 1868, scythe smith Johan Pettersson (JP), aged 33, moved with his family and his brother Anders Pettersson (AP), aged 18, from Älvdalen to Gränsfors and set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge. Johan Pettersson probably also made axes in his scythe forge, which he ran until 1900. In 1871, younger brother Anders Pettersson bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which in 1902 formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge. Anders also forged both scythes and axes.

The latter part of the 19th century marked the start of large-scale logging operations in northern Sweden and demand for forest tools, above all axes, exploded. Around 400,000 people worked full- or part-time in the forest at the peak of the logging.

By the end of the 19th century there were around ten axe factories in Sweden turning out large quantities of axes. The most well known axe forges, from the south of the country upwards, were in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle and Edsbyn. Although axe exports were high from an early stage, the biggest demand remained up north, which is how the idea came about to build a new axe forge north of the existing ones. The chosen location was of course Gränsfors.

formation of gränsfors bruks ab (1902)

1902 saw Anders Pettersson form the limited company Gränsfors Bruk, which took over the forge in Gränsfors.

The term ‘bruk’ (works) was used historically to describe large industrial companies, e.g. ‘bergsbruk’ (mining works) and ‘järnbruk’ (ironworks). Both these activities were governed by Royal privileges. Mining companies had the privilege and duty to mine iron ore and make pig iron, but only the ironworks had the right to turn the pig iron into bar iron – the base material for making iron products.

The word ‘bruk’ is also used for other factories, such as ‘glasbruk’ (glassworks) and ‘pappersbruk’ (papermill).

The works and mills were largely self-sufficient communities, with most of what was needed for production and survival produced locally. Farming and forestry were integrated into the operation, as were food and lodgings for employees. The location of many works and mills was largely determined by access to energy from nearby rivers.

All Royal privileges were abolished in 1859, opening up the industries to freer competition. The old industrial operations were often turned into limited companies. Some removed the word ‘bruk’ from their name, but retained their status as the dominant workplace and powerhouse in their area.

The work ‘Bruk’ in Gränsfors Bruk’s company name may have been a way to make the company seem bigger and more historic than it actually was. Gränsfors Bruk certainly did not emerge from the old industrial works with their Royal privileges, but this fact probably remained unknown to its customers, who were often based a long way down south in Sweden and had never set foot anywhere near Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson headed the new company from 1902-1908. Alfred Wennerström came to Gränsfors at that time, having worked at other axe forges in Sweden, as did smith Oskar Rising, who had worked at the forge in Pinjainen, Finland (now Fiskars). In 1907, there were 10 people working at Gränsfors Bruk. After Anders Pettersson, banker A. Lundberg was head of Gränsfors Bruk for a few years.

the eriksson family (1917 – 1982)

Olof Eriksson moved from Kall in Jämtland to Bergsjö aged 25 and set up a hardware store under the name O. Eriksson Järnaffär. In addition to his retail operation, he also traded in goods that he commissioned, mostly from local producers. These included scythes, axes, forestry tools and other items that generally went under the name of ironmongery. A highly enterprising man, Olof Eriksson was involved in starting up several companies in the area. In 1917, Eriksson took over Gränsfors Bruk and became its managing director. After 1917, axe production rose sharply with the purchase of a new ‘Arboga 35’ forging press, partially funded by Eriksson the ironmonger. The press cost SEK 17,000 back then, and is still used to this day at Gränsfors Bruk to forge the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe and the Gränsfors Mini Hatchet.

focus on exports (1920 – 1960)

In 1920, axe production almost came to a standstill. For a brief time, only the brothers Birger and Axel Wennerström were working at Gränsfors Bruk. In the 1920s, Olof Eriksson contacted the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, prompting the launch of exports to Russia. The list of export markets later expanded hugely, key amongst them being South America and Canada. The export countries also included the USA, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Latvia. Production was low during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but soon took off again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Axel Bäckström was in charge, with Axel Wennerström heading up production. Despite Swedish being the only language that they and everyone else at Gränsfors Bruk spoke, during this period the company successfully exported primarily to the USA, Argentina and Colombia. During and after the Second World War, business remained good and Gränsfors Bruk celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1952 in fine form. That year the workforce of 40 men produced nearly 200,000 axe heads. Twelve of these men, who had worked at the forge for 25 years or more, were awarded medals for their long and faithful service.

However, later that same year the company suffered a serious financial crisis. This was caused by the loss of a major customer, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, after its owner fell ill. As a consequence, several employees had to be made redundant, although a few years later the American customer’s owner recovered and business was reinstated, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to start hiring again.

When Olof Eriksson died in 1956, the helm transferred from Axel Bäckström to Olof Eriksson’s son, Torgny Eriksson. Axel Bäckström and Axel Wennerström both left the company in around 1960. Torgny was managing director and later chairman of Gränsfors Bruk until his death. He left behind seven children, including son Lars Eriksson, who had to take on the difficult challenge of leading a small family company with eight owners (seven siblings + his mother). Lars’ brother-in-law Johan Skärgård was production manager, while the chief accountant was Lars’ brother Olle Eriksson, who also worked for the family’s company Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö at the same time. The fact that some members of the family worked in the company and others were only shareholders cannot have made it any easier to manage the company.

Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius who kept all the production equipment up to scratch, was an important figure at Gränsfors Bruk during the 50s, 60s and into the 70s.

During the 1960s, Gränsfors Bruk produced over 200,000 axe heads per year, with major exports to the USA, Finland, Canada, Argentina and Thailand. During this time, export correspondence was dealt with by Oliny, Torgny Eriksson’s sister. Exports to Finland went through the Finnish company Stridsberg & Björk, and some years numbered over 40,000 axe heads.

the chainsaw takes over (1960 – 1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, logging levels fell and chainsaws started being widely used for forestry work, first for felling and then also for limbing the felled tree. There were fewer forest workers and fewer people who used an axe. As a result, demand for axes in Sweden fell dramatically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The remaining axe forges were able to survive and temporarily even increase their production on the back of competing forges closing at a time when the export of axes showed potential for growth. In 1974, Gränsfors Bruk made 200,000 axe heads, 80 percent of which went for export.

The first oil crisis in the mid-1970s caused a sudden surge in demand for axes, whose selling price rose, not least in Sweden. Producing and selling axes was once again a highly profitable business, but all the axe manufacturers in Sweden made the same strategic mistake. They focused on the profitable Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian markets, where the easiest, quickest money was to be made. 100 percent of production capacity was used, but the axe manufacturers were still unable to deliver to all their customers, and export customers on the other side of the world had to wait. Operations were rationalised as much as possible and automated grinders were brought in, simplifying both the production and the axes – often to the detriment of the axes’ quality. Gränsfors Bruk invested heavily and in 1979 built a new building over the old forging machines, but this investment became a financial burden on the company.

Once the good times of the 1970s came to an end, the whole axe industry was left with a terrible headache as demand plummeted. The chainsaw had now completely taken over in forestry and the axe customers of the oil crisis had disappeared. The Swedish industry tried selling axes back to the export customers that had been neglected for several years, but with little success. The export customers had been unable to wait, instead sourcing new axe suppliers from countries such as China, Brazil and the USA. The new competitors often had much lower prices and poorer quality compared with the Swedish products, but high-quality axes were no longer as desirable as they once were. The professional forest workers who used to use axes in their work were by now using chainsaws.

Coupled with reduced demand for axes in export countries, this led to a drop in price levels. Fewer axes were being sold at lower prices, even as the cost of axe production was rising, making a serious dent in the profits of axe manufacturers.

These were financially tough times for Gränsfors Bruk and new solutions were sought. One of these was an agreement with Finnish axe maker Fiskars, where Gränsfors Bruk would forge Fiskars-branded axe heads, which Fiskars would then sell in Finland. This brought to an end the long-standing partnership with Stridsberg & Björk in Finland. However, the new arrangement proved a mistake for Gränsfors Bruk, which lost all its sales to Finland in just a few years.

Gränsfors Bruk bankrupt (1982– 1985)

In 1982, the Eriksson family decided to sell Gränsfors Bruks AB. The new owners and the new management team unfortunately had no interest in axe production, focusing entirely on investing in and manufacturing chain links with the help of state aid. The plan was then to sell these links to the listed company Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn, whose customers included the offshore industry. However, things did not go quite to plan. The big new forging machine never worked properly and production never got started. In 1985, Ljusne Kätting went bankrupt, dragging Gränsfors Bruk down with it.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

No history of Gränsfors Bruk is complete without tracing the roots of Svedbro Smide as well. The story of Gränsfors Bruk actually has two branches.

Svedbro Smide’s story starts in the late 19th century with a smith called Gustav Tiderman. In 1878, he established a water-powered forge in Svedbro, on the Annån river that crosses the road between Gnarp and Bergsjö, about 10 km from Gränsfors. However, the business went bankrupt after just one year and the Svedbro forge was taken over by Johan Sjölander, who ran it for about 12 years. On Johan’s death in around 1890, the forge was sold by his widow, Kajsa-Stina, to Anders Erik Bergqvist, who in turn handed the forge on to his son Erik Bergqvist in 1924. Erik was a trained smith and farrier, with a wife called Britta. Erik died in 1941 and Britta was suddenly responsible for the forge. In contrast to that other forge widow Kajsa-Stina half a century before, Britta decided to hold on to the Svedbro forge.

Britta ran the forge for six years under the name ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ with the help of smiths John Enander and Rudolf Larsson. Their products included welded high-pressure boilers and water heaters. However, a shortage of materials during the Second World War brought such production to an end. Instead, they continued to manufacture grub hoes, lifting tongs and lifting hooks.

partnership with gränsfors bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 saw John Enander’s nephew Per Enander, aged 22, start an apprenticeship at the Svedbro forge, which now produced a large number of contract pieces for ironmonger O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö. After a few years, Per married Britta’s only daughter and in 1947 took over the Svedbro forge, which also changed its name to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per continued to supply the ironmonger in Bergsjö and in 1948 also started making an older version of a wrecking bar that was sold to Gränsfors Bruk.

1951 marked the start of another partnership between Svedbro Smidesfabrik and the Stockholm-based company Skogsdon AB, with Svebro producing a number of different forestry tools for them.

In 1952, Gränsfors Bruk’s owner Torgny Eriksson, office manager Axel Bäckström and salesman Tore Vestin contacted Svedbro Smidesfabrik about them making a new wrecking bar, for which Gränsfors Bruk would provide the steel. The wrecking bars were branded TOVE after salesman Tore Vestin, and were based on an original design that Smedbro Smide had been making since 1942. However, the partnership between the two companies was not a great success, with the steel often running out and Gränsfors Bruk frequently dragging out payments to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1960, Per Enander was offered the option of taking over from Axel Wennerström as forge manager at Gränsfors Bruk and at the same time selling Svedbro Smidesfabrik to Gränsfors Bruk. Per declined the offer. Instead, Per built a new forge in Gnarp with the help of Gnarp Municipality. Per and his wife Elsie worked here until their retirement in 1985.

the swedish government buys and sells (1960 – 1985)

During the 1960s, Svedbro Smidesfabrik expanded beyond wrecking bars and forestry tools to include forestry machines. In 1961, Skogsdon AB, a company whose business concept was to “develop and sell everything as a lumberjack needs”, become the minority shareholder in Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1971, the Swedish National Forest Enterprise, Domänverket (today Sveaskog) bought Skogsdon AB, making the Swedish state a joint owner of Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1978, Skogsdon bought all the shares in Svedbro Smidesfabrik and changed its name to Svedbro Smide AB. That same year, Skogsdon bought and merged with its rival Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB which had offices and warehouses in the Swedish town Säter. In connection with this, Skogsdon moved its headquarters from Stockholm and its warehouse, which since the 1960s has been located near Svedbro, also to Säter which in the eyes of the forest industry in Sweden, were more centrally located.

During the 1970 – and 1980’s, Svedbro Smide manufactured 50 or so different forestry tools alongside the wrecking bars. Sales of forestry tools, sold by Skogsdon, later Nordforest Skogsdon, however decreased as the number of active forest workers dropped due to increased mechanisation of forestry. Major products were during this time for example the tree felling tool, Stalpen and planting equipments, including a new planting tube.

In 1982, Domänverket sold Svedbro Smide to Gabriel Brånby who had previously been the CEO of Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. In 1985, Svedbro Smide bought Gränsfors Bruks AB that had just gone bankrupt, and this was the beginning of a new journey.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

In 1985, Svedbro Smide purchased the company Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide forged wrecking bars and forestry tools in Gnarp using technology that was similar to what Gränsfors had. The two businesses were merged into a single unit under the name of Gränsfors Bruks AB, but in 2005, the business was once again split into Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruk’s Wrecking Bar Forge in Gnarp.

In 1988, Gränsfors Bruk sold off its forestry tools business to Sandvik’s subsidiary Eia and concentrated more on making axes, splitting mauls, tree felling jacks, planting tubes and wrecking bars.

Some time later, the planting tube business was also sold off to Finnish company Lännen.

more paintaking and quality-driven production (1988 – )

Until now Gränsfors Bruk had, like other manufacturers, focused on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, often at the cost of both function and quality. The working environment was poor, the smiths were doing piecework and faults in the forging were concealed through rough grinding, rubbing, polishing and finally painting. A great deal of effort went into the post-production work and profit margins were low.

In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago. Knowledge about axes, their function and environmental issues became the guiding light for axe production. The restructuring was based on the insight that when you strip out everything that is unnecessary, you often get a more honest, eco-friendly and even attractive product.

The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time. The most important factor became quality, not quantity. The focus was placed on ensuring that the job of forging was done well, which removed much of the need for subsequent grinding. Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles. One by-product of this major change in production was that in 1990 Gränsfors Bruk won a prize in the Ecological Design competition organised by Svensk Form and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Despite competition among axe manufacturers remaining extremely tough in the 1980s and 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk became an increasingly sizeable player in the axe market. The company improved production and started selling in a growing number of countries. The idea of taking a step back to more painstaking and quality-driven production gradually started yielding results. Several other axe manufacturers also followed the ‘Gränsfors method’ and began producing axes in a similar vein – a clear indication that the changes were right, although the copies were sometimes ridiculously similar to the originals from Gränsfors.

focus on product development (1990 –)

One major reason why Gränsfors Bruk has survived in the face of tough competition from chainsaws and copies is its crystal clear strategy, with a focus on product development.

Gränsfors Bruk has always kept a step ahead of its copiers and driven the development of new models. Almost all the information available on axes and axe design was studied. Old axes with different appearances and functions were analysed, practical tests were carried out with a wide range of axes and many old axe forgers and axe users were interviewed – always with a view to staying a step ahead of competitors and leading the way in axe knowledge and product development. Without the many thousands of hours spent amassing knowledge in our professional field, it would have been difficult to make the decisions on change and investment that followed.

As well as providing a solid foundation for the company, the accrued knowledge also resulted in The Axe Book, which now accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors, and the Axe Museum, which has proved a goldmine for product development ideas. In the 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk started working with independent experts and many of the heavily copied models were quickly replaced with new models offering better design and function. None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990. The Swedish Carving Axe was produced in collaboration with craftsman Wille Sundqvist and others in 1994. In 1995, Gränsfors Bruk developed and launched the Hunter’s Axe, which was consciously made so different from other axes that the design was able to be protected under intellectual property law. The Hunter’s Axe was named an ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ in 1995. That same year is when Gränsfors Bruk started selling its axes with a 20 Year Product Guarantee. In 1996, Gränsfors Bruk launched a new range of broad axes and other tools for log-building. 1997 saw the arrival of a new, smaller Carpenter’s Axe and the earlier version, which had been copied, went out of production. By this time, eight new models had been introduced since 1990.

The whole range of axes for splitting wood was replaced in 1997-1998 and a brand new type of splitting axe and maul was launched, with a steel collar to protect the handle. The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute declared Gränsfors Bruk’s new Large Splitting Axe ‘Best in Test’. 1998 also marked the appearance of the American Felling Axe, developed jointly with US canoe builder and woodsman Geoffrey Burke. The Gränsfors Mini Hatchet came out in 2000 and was an instant success. A range of sharpening tools was launched in 2003, as well as the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe. Over the period 2000-2006, various replicas of historic axes from the Iron Age and Viking Age were also developed, under the title of Ancient Northern European Axes. Now they are simply called Gränsfors Bruk’s Ancient Axes. In 2008 came the Outdoor Axe in partnership with survival expert Lars Fält. The Outdoor Axe is now protected by a patent.

* Lars Fält established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years.

Over the past 25 years of Gränsfors Bruk’s history, product development has been critical to the company’s survival, an ongoing process that must never stop.

a new generation takes over (2010 –)

Over the years, many axe forges in Sweden and around the world have closed down. As of 2013, the only forges left in Sweden were Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik and Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. Finland has Fiskars, whose range includes axes. In Norway and Denmark there are no big axeproducers left.

Gränsfors Bruk is doing well, despite two deep financial crises over the past decade. The company has in fact strengthened its position in the axe market and gradually increased its revenues. Gränsfors Bruk’s axes are now sold in 30 countries, making it one of the leading axe producers in the world, with an extremely strong brand in its industry. Recent years have seen a gradual generational shift within the company, where two of Gabriels sons, Adam and Daniel are now leading the company.

Tiden före Gränsfors Bruks AB (1868 – 1902)

De första konkreta historiska kunskaperna vi har om yxsmide i Gränsfors är från mitten av 1800 – talet. År 1868 flyttade liesmeden Johan Pettersson (JP), 33 år, med familj och broder Anders Pettersson (AP), 18 år, från Älvdalen till Gränsfors och startade där Gränsfors Liesmedja. Johan Pettersson smidde troligen också yxor i sin liesmedja där han var verksam fram till 1900. Hans yngre broder Anders Pettersson köpte 1871 en annan liesmedja i Gränsfors, den smedja som 1902 skulle bli grundstommen i Gränsfors Bruks yxsmedja. Anders smidde förutom liar också yxor. Under senare delen av 1800-talet började de stora skogsavverkningarna i Norrland och efterfrågan på skogsverktyg och framför allt yxor ökade markant. Ca 400 000 människor arbetade hel- eller deltid i skogen när avverkningarna var som störst.

Under slutet av 1800 – talet fanns det ett tiotal s.k. yxfabriker i Sverige där stora mängder yxor tillverkades. De mest kända yxsmedjorna fanns, från söder räknat, i Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle och Edsbyn. Även om det tidigt förekom en omfattande export av yxor så fanns den stora efterfrågan norr ut. Därav idén att lägga en ny yxsmedja norr om de redan befintliga. Det kom att bli i Gränsfors.

Gränsfors Bruks AB bildas (1902)

1902 bildade Anders Pettersson aktiebolaget Gränsfors Bruk och bolaget övertog smedjan i Gränsfors.

Begreppet ”bruk” användes som benämning för äldre tiders större produktionsföretag t.ex. bergsbruk och järnbruk. Båda dessa verksamheter styrdes av kungliga privilegier. Bergsmännen hade privilegier och skyldigheter att bryta malm och tillverka tackjärn men endast järnbruken hade rätt att från tackjärn tillverka stångjärn – utgångsmaterial för fortsatt tillverkning av produkter av järn.

Bruk används även för andra verksamheter t.ex. glas- och papperstillverkning. Bruken var till stor del självförsörjande samhällen, där det mesta man behövde för produktion och överlevnad producerades lokalt. Jord- och skogsbruk, liksom anställdas boende och livsmedelsförsörjning, var integrerat med verksamheten. En grundförutsättning för många bruks lokalisering var tillgången till energi i form av vattenkraft.

Alla bruksprivilegier avskaffades 1859 och öppnade för en friare konkurrens. De gamla bruksföretagen ombildades ofta till aktiebolag. Vissa tog bort namnet bruk men behöll länge greppet som den dominerande arbetsplatsen och maktfaktorn på sin ort.

Ordet Bruk i Gränsfors Bruks bolagsnamn var troligen ett sätt att få företaget att verka större och anrikare än det egentligen var. Gränsfors Bruk härstammade absolut inte från de gamla bruken med kungliga privilegier men detta visste troligen inte kunderna som ofta låg långt ner i Sverige och som aldrig satt sin fot i närheten av Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson var chef vid det nya bolaget under åren 1902 – 1908. Till Gränsfors kom Alfred Wennerström som tidigare hade arbetat på andra yxbruk i Sverige. I det nya bolaget började också smeden Oskar Rising som tidigare arbetat vid smedjan i Billnäs i Finland (nuvarande Fiskars). 1907 arbetade 10 personer vid Gränsfors Bruk. Efter Anders Pettersson var bankmannen A. Lundberg under några år chef vid Gränsfors Bruk.

Familjen Eriksson (1917 – 1982)

1897 hade Olof Eriksson, 25 år, från Kall i Jämtland flyttat till Bergsjö där han startade järnaffär under namnet O. Eriksson Järnaffär. Förutom sin detaljhandelsverksamhet bedrev han också handel av varor som han lät tillverka, mest hos företag på orten. Det var bl. a. liar, yxor, skogsverktyg och det som allmänt gick under namnet svartsmide. Olof Eriksson var mycket driftig och var med och startade flera företag på orten. År 1917 övertog Eriksson, Gränsfors Bruk och blev då bolagets verkställande direktör. Efter 1917 ökade yxproduktionen markant som följd av att bolaget investerade i en ny smidespress ”Arboga 35”, med hjälp av finansiering från järnhandlare Eriksson. Pressen kostade då 17 000 kronor. Smidespressen används fortfarande vid Gränsfors Bruk för smide av bl.a. Gränsfors Outdoor yxa och Gränsfors Lilla yxa.

Exportsatsningar (1920 – 1960)

1920 stod yxtillverkningen nästan stilla. En kort tid arbetade bara bröderna Birger och Axel Wennerström vid Gränsfors Bruk. På 1920-talet tog Olof Eriksson kontakt med ryska ambassaden i Stockholm vilket blev inledningen till export till Ryssland. Exporten vidgades senare till ett stort antal länder där bl.a. Sydamerika och Kanada blev viktiga marknader. Bland exportländerna fanns också USA, Nya Guinea, Australien, Nya Zeeland, Finland och Lettland. Vid den allmänna krisen på 1930-talet var produktionen liten men tog snart ny fart.

På 1940- och 1950-talet var Axel Bäckström chef och Axel Wennerström produktionsansvarig. Trots att svenska var det enda språk de och alla andra på Gränsfors Bruk behärskade hade företaget under denna period en omfattande export till framför allt USA, Argentina och Colombia. Under och efter 2:a världskriget var lönsamheten tillfredsställande och Gränsfors Bruk firade 50 års jubileum 1952 med flaggan i topp. Det året tillverkades det nästan 200 000 yxhuvuden och arbetsstyrkan var 40 man. 12 av dessa som arbetat vid bruket 25 år eller längre tilldelades medalj för lång och trogen tjänst.

Senare samma år uppstod dock en allvarlig ekonomisk kris för bolaget som en direkt följd av att ägaren till den mycket stora kunden Strohecker & Broesamle i San Francisco, med varumärket STRO-BRO, blev sjuk och inköpen från denna viktiga kund uteblev. Flera av de anställda fick sägas upp. Efter några år blev dock den amerikanska kundens ägare frisk och affärerna kom åter igång och Gränsfors Bruk fick återanställa.

När Olof Eriksson dog 1956 övergick vd-skapet från Axel Bäckström till Olof Erikssons son, Torgny Eriksson. Omkring 1960 slutade så väl Axel Bäckström som Axel Wennerström. Torgny var vd och senare styrelseordförande i Gränsfors Bruk till sin död. Torgny efterlämnade sju barn, däribland sonen Lars Eriksson som fick ta på sig den svåra uppgiften att leda ett litet familjeföretag med åtta ägare (sju syskon + mor). Lars svåger Johan Skärgård var produktionschef, kamrer var Lars bror Olle Eriksson, som samtidigt också arbetade vid familjens företag Erikssons Järnhandel i Bergsjö. Att vissa inom ägarfamiljen arbetade i företaget och andra enbart var aktieägare gjorde det säkert inte lättare att leda företaget.
Olle Andersson, en självlärd teknisk tusenkonstnär som höll produktionsutrustningen i trim, betydde mycket för Gränsfors Bruk under 50- 60- och en bit in på 70-talet.

Produktionen vid Gränsfors Bruk var under 1960-talet över 200 000 yxhuvuden per år. Exporten var stor bl.a. till USA, Finland, Kanada, Argentina och Thailand. Exportkorrespondensen sköttes under dessa år av Oliny, Torgny Erikssons syster. Exporten till Finland gick genom det finska företaget Stridsberg & Björk och lär vissa år ha varit över 40 000 yxhuvuden.

Motorsågen tar över (1960 – 1982)

Under 1960- och 1970-talen minskade skogsavverkningarna samtidigt som motorsågar allmänt började användas vid skogsarbete, först för fällning och sedan också för kvistning av det fällda trädet. Det blev färre skogsarbetare och det blev färre människor som använde yxa. Följden blev att efterfrågan på yxor i Sverige minskade dramatiskt under slutet av 1960-talet och början av 1970-talet. De kvarvarande yxsmedjorna kunde leva vidare och tillfälligt även öka sin produktion som följd av att konkurerande yxsmedjor hade upphört samtidigt som exporten av yxor kunde ökas. 1974 tillverkade Gränsfors Bruk 200 000 yxhuvuden, varav 80 procent gick på export.

Den första oljekrisen i mitten av 1970-talet innebar en plötslig och mycket kraftig efterfrågan på yxor, samtidigt som försäljningspriserna på yxor steg, inte minst i Sverige. Att tillverka och sälja yxor blev åter mycket lönsamt. Samtliga yxtillverkare i Sverige gjorde då samma strategiska misstag. De satsade på den lönsamma svenska, finska och norska marknaden där de lättaste och snabbaste pengarna fanns. Produktionskapaciteten utnyttjades till 100 procent, men yxtillverkarna hann inte med att leverera till alla kunder och exportkunder på andra sidan haven fick vänta. Det rationaliserades så mycket som möjligt och det skaffades automatiska slipmaskiner, vilket förenklade både produktionen och yxorna. Många gånger dessvärre på bekostnad av yxornas kvalitet. Gränsfors Bruk satsade stort och byggde 1979 en ny byggnad över de gamla smidesmaskinerna. Investeringen blev dock en finansiell belastning för bolaget.

När de glada yxåren på 1970-talet var över, kom en rejäl baksmälla för hela yxbranschen med drastiskt minskad efterfrågan. Motorsågen hade nu helt tagit över i skogsbruket och oljekrisens yxkunder hade försvunnit. När den svenska branschen åter försökte sälja yxor till de exportkunder som tidigare under flera år hade neglischerats, gick det inte så bra. Exportkunderna hade inte kunnat vänta, utan skaffat sig nya yxleverantörer från bland annat Kina, Brasilien och USA. De nya konkurrenterna hade ofta betydligt lägre priser och sämre kvalitet jämfört med de svenska. Kravet på yxor med hög kvalitet var inte heller lika eftertraktat som tidigare. Anledningen var att den kvalificerade skogsarbetaren, som tidigare använt yxan i sitt arbete, hade försvunnit som yxanvändare till förmån för motorsågen.

Detta tillsammans med minskad efterfrågan på yxor även i exportländerna gjorde att prisnivåerna sjönk. Det såldes färre yxor till lägre priser samtidigt som kostnaderna för yxtillverkning steg. Lönsamheten hos yxtillverkarna sjönk därmed avsevärt.
Det blev ekonomiskt ansträngande för Gränsfors Bruk och nya lösningar försökte hittas. Bl. a. gjordes ett avtal med finska yxtillverkaren Fiskars, där Gränsfors Bruk skulle smida yxhuvuden märkta Fiskars, vilka Fiskars sedan skulle sälja i Finland. Det långåriga samarbetet med Stridsberg & Björk i Finland upphörde därmed. Det nya arrangemanget blev dock ett misslyckande för Gränsfors Bruk som på några år tappade all sin försäljning till Finland.

Gränsfors Bruk i konkurs (1982– 1985)

1982 sålde familjen Eriksson Gränsfors Bruks AB. De nya ägarna och den nya företagsledningen hade dessvärre inget intresse av yxtillverkning, utan satsade helt på att med statliga stöd kunna investera och tillverka så kallade länkstöd. Dessa skulle sedan enligt planerna säljas till det börsnoterade företaget Ljusne Kätting i Söderhamn, som bl.a. hade off-shore-industrin som kunder. Det hela fungerade dock aldrig som ledningen hade tänkt sig. Den stora nybyggda smidesmaskinen fungerade aldrig bra och produktionen kom aldrig igång. 1985 gick Ljusne Kätting i konkurs och drog med sig Gränsfors Bruk i fallet.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

När Gränsfors Bruks historia beskrivs måste även företaget Svedbro Smides historia beskrivas. Gränsfors Bruks historia börjar egentligen från två håll.

Svedbro Smides historia börjar i slutet av 1800-talet med smeden Tideman. Han grundade 1878 en vattenfallssmedja i Svedbro, vid Annån som korsar vägen mellan Gnarp och Bergsjö, ca en mil från Gränsfors. Smedjan gick dock i konkurs redan efter ett år och Svedbrosmedjan övertogs då av Johan Sjölander som drev den i ca 12 år. Vid Johans bortgång omkring 1890 såldes smedjan av Johans änka, Kajsa-Stina, till Anders Erik Bergqvist, som i sin tur lät sonen Erik Bergqvist ta över smedjan 1924. Erik var utbildad smed och hovslagare, och gift med Britta. 1941 dog Erik och Britta fick ta över ansvaret för smedjan. Britta bestämde sig då, i motsatsen till vad hennes föregångare smedänkan Kajsa-Stina gjort ett halvt sekel tidigare, att behålla Svedbro-smedjan.

Britta drev smedjan i sex år under namnet “Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus” med hjälp av smederna Johan Enander och Rudolf Larsson. Det tillverkades bl.a. svetsade högtryckskokare och vattenvärmare. Brist på material under andra världskriget gjorde dock att denna tillverkning avstannade. Istället fortsatte det tillverkas Flåhackor, Timmersaxar och Lyftkrokar.

Samarbete med Gränsfors Bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 börjar Johan Enanders brorson, Per Enander 22 år, arbeta som lärling i Svedbro-smedjan hos Britta. Det smiddes nu mycket legosmide till O Erikssons Järnhandel i Bergsjö. Per gifte sig efter några år med Brittas ena dotter och övertog 1947 Svedbro-smedjan. Smedjan bytte då även namn till Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per fortsatte att legotillverka till järnhandlaren i Bergsjö och 1948 började det tillverkas en äldre version av kofotar som såldes till Gränsfors Bruk.

År 1951 startades även ett samarbete mellan Svedbro Smidesfabrik och det Stockholmsbaserade företaget Skogsdon AB. Till Skogsdon AB tillverkades en mängd olika skogsverktyg.

1952 tog Gränsfors Bruks ägare Torgny Eriksson, kontorschefen Axel Bäckström samt säljaren Tore Vestin kontakt med Svedbro Smidesfabrik och ville att de skulle börja tillverka en ny kofotsmodell där Gränsfors Bruk skulle hålla med stål. Kofotarna gavs varumärket TOVE efter säljaren Tore Vestin. Modellen byggde på en förlaga som Smedbro Smide hade tillverkar sedan 1942. Samarbetet mellan de två företagen fungerade dock dåligt då bl.a. stålet ofta tog slut och Gränsfors Bruk ofta drog på betalningarna till Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1960 fick Per Enander erbjudande att bli verkstadschef på Gränsfors Bruk, efter Axel Wennerström, och samtidigt sälja Svedbro Smidesfabrik till Gränsfors Bruk. Per tackade nej. I stället byggde Per en ny smedja i Gnarp med hjälp av Gnarps kommun. Där kom såväl Per som hustrun Elsie att arbeta tills de blev pensionärer 1985.

Svenska staten köper och säljer (1960 – 1985)

Under 60-talet tillverkades det inte bara kofotar och skogsverktyg hos Svedbro Smidesfabrik utan också skogsmaskiner. 1961 blev Skogsdon AB, ett företag vars affärsidé var att ”utveckla och sälja allt som en skogsarbetare behövde”, minoritetsdelägare i Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1971 köptes Skogsdon av statliga Domänverket (nuvarande Sveaskog) och Svedbro Smidesfabrik fick då svenska staten som delägare. År 1978 köpte Skogsdon samtliga aktier i Svedbro Smidesfabrik som samtidigt bytte namn till Svedbro Smide AB.  Samma år köpte och fusionerade Skogsdon med konkurrenten Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB som hade kontor och lager i Säter. I samband med detta flyttade Skogsdon huvudkontoret från Stockholm och lagret, som sedan 1960-talet legat i anslutning till Svedbro, till det för skogssverige mera centralt placerade Säter.

Under 1970- och 1980-talet tillverkade Svedbro Smide ett 50-tal olika skogsverktyg förutom kofotar och legoprodukter. Försäljningen av skogsverktyg, som såldes genom Skogsdon, senare Nordforest Skogsdon, minskade dock som följd av att antalet aktiva skogsarbetare minskade när mekaniseringen i skogsbruket ökade. Viktiga produkter var på den här tiden bland annat trädfällriktaren Stalpen och planteringsutrustning, bland annat ett nytt planteringsrör.

1982 sålde Domänverket Svedbro Smide till Gabriel Brånby. Han hade tidigare varit vd på Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. 1985 köpte sedan Svedbro Smide det då konkursade Gränsfors Bruks AB vilket blev början på en ny resa.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

1985 köper Svedbro Smide företaget Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide smidde kofotar och skogsverktyg i Gnarp med en teknologi som var lik den som fanns vid Gränsfors. De båda verksamheterna fördes administrativt samman till en enhet under namnet Gränsfors Bruks AB. Verksamheten är sedan 2005 åter delad på Gränsfors Bruks Yxsmedja i Gränsfors och Gränsfors Bruks Kofotssmedja i Gnarp.

1988 sålde Gränsfors Bruk skogsverktygsrörelsen till Sandviks dotterbolag Eia och Gränsfors Bruk koncentrerade sig mer på tillverkning av yxor, vedklyvar, trädfällriktare, planteringsrör och kofotar.

En tid senare såldes även tillverkningen av planteringsrör till finska företaget Lännen.

En mer omsorgsfull och kvalitetsinriktad tillverkning (1988 – )

Gränsfors Bruk hade fram till nu, i likhet med andra tillverkare, fokuserat på tillverka yxor så snabbt och så billigt som möjligt, ofta på bekostnad av yxornas funktion och kvalitet. Arbetsmiljön var dålig, smederna arbetade på ackord och brister i smidet doldes genom grovslipning, finslipning, polering och slutligen målning. Det gick åt stora mängder energi vid efterbearbetningen och lönsamheten i tillverkningen var låg.

I slutet av 1980-talet tog Gränsfors Bruk ett steg bakåt till en mera traditionell och hantverksmässig tillverkning som man haft långt tidigare. Yxkunskap, funktion och miljöhänsyn blev vägledande för yxtillverkningen. Förändringen byggde på insikten att när man tar bort det som är onödigt får man ofta en riktigare, miljövänligare och samtidigt kanske också, en vackrare produkt.

Produktionsackorden togs bort och det kvalificerade hantverket fick istället ta den tid det tog. Det blev kvalitet och inte mängd som var viktigast. Fokus lades på att själva smidet blev bra och var välgjort, vilket ledde till att stora delar av yxans slipning kunde tas bort. Bort togs även all målarfärg, lack och lösningsmedel samt epoxylimmet som tidigare använts vid skaftningen. Denna stora förändring i tillverkningen ledde bland annat till att Gränsfors Bruk år 1990 fick pris i tävlingen Ekologisk Design som arrangerades av Föreningen Svensk Form och Naturskyddsföreningen.

Konkurrensen bland yxtillverkare var under 80- och 90- talet fortfarande mycket hård. Gränsfors Bruk blev trots det en allt större spelare på yxmarknaden. Företaget fick upp produktionen och började sälja i allt fler länder. Idén att ta ett steg bakåt till en mera omsorgsfull och kvalitetsinriktad tillverkning började sakta ge resultat. Flera andra yxtillverkare följde även efter ”Gränsfors-modellen” och började göra yxor som liknade Gränsfors yxor. Ett bra betyg på att förändringarna varit riktiga även om kopiorna ibland var nästan löjeväckande lika sina förlagor från Gränsfors.

Fokus på produktutveckling (1990 –)

En stor bidragande orsak till att Gränsfors Bruk överlevt, trots den hårda konkurrensen från motorsågar och plagiat, har till stor del berott på en mycket tydligt strategi, där fokus legat på produktutveckling.

Gränsfors Bruk har hela tiden legat steget före de som plagierat och lett utvecklingen av nya modeller. Nästan all tillgänglig information om yxtillverkning och yxor studerades. Gamla yxor med olika utseenden och funktion analyserades, praktiska prover gjordes med ett mycket stort antal yxor och många gamla yxsmeder och yxanvändare intervjuades. Hela tiden för att ligga steget före konkurrenterna och vara ledande inom yxkunskap och produktutveckling. Utan de många 1000-tals timmar av kunskapsinhämtning inom verksamhetsområdet hade det varit svårt att ta de beslut om förändringar och investeringar som sedan gjordes.

Den insamlade kunskapen blev inte bara en bra bas för företaget att stå på, det resulterade även i bland annat Yxboken, som numera följer med varje yxa som säljs av Gränsfors, samt Yxmuseet som har varit en guldgruva för idéer vid produktutvecklingen. Gränsfors Bruk började under 1990-talet att samarbeta med fristående experter och många av de plagierade modellerna byttes snabbt ut mot nya modeller med bättre form och funktion. Ingen av de åtta modeller som fanns 1987 fanns kvar 1990. År 1994 togs slöjdbilan fram i samarbete med bl.a. slöjdaren Wille Sundqvist. 1995 utvecklade och lanserade Gränsfors Bruk Jägarens yxa, som medvetet gjordes så avvikande från andra yxor att den skulle kunna skyddas med hjälp av immateriellt skydd. Jägarens yxa erhöll 1995 utmärkelsen ”Utmärkt Svensk Form”. 1995 började Gränsfors Bruk även lämna 20 år garanti på sina yxor. 1996 lanserade Gränsfors Bruk en ny serie av bilor och andra verktyg för timring. 1997 kom en ny mindre snickaryxa och den tidigare varianten av Snickaryxan som hade blivit kopierad slutade tillverkas. 1997 fanns i produktion åtta nya modeller som inte fanns 1990.

Hela sortimentet av yxor för klyvning av ved byttes ut under åren 1997-1998 och en helt ny typ av klyv och släggyxor lanserades, där klyvyxorna bl.a. hade fått ett skaftskydd av stål. I en test gjord av Statens Provningsanstalt blev Gränsfors Bruks nya Stora Klyvyxa ”Bäst i Test”. 1998 utvecklades även Amerikansk fällyxa i samarbete med den amerikanska kanotbyggaren och skogmannen Geoffrey Burke.

År 2000 togs Gränsfors Bruks lilla yxa fram och blev snabbt en storsäljare. En serie slipverktyg togs fram 2003 och samma år lanserades även Gränsfors Bruks minsta klyvyxa. Under åren 2000 – 2006 togs även flera repliker av historiska yxor från järnåldern och vikingatiden fram, som då fick benämningen Gamla Nordeuropeiska yxor. Numera kallas de bara Gränsfors Bruks Historiska yxor. 2008 utvecklades Outdoor yxan i samarbete med överlevnadsexperten Lars Fält*. Outdoor yxan är idag mönsterskyddad.

* Lars Fält har bland annat varit med och etablerat försvarsmaktens överlevnadsskola och har under 35 år undervisat försvarets jägarförband.

Produktutvecklingen har under de senaste 25 åren av Gränsfors Bruks historia varit viktig för företagets överlevnad, en pågående process som aldrig får stanna upp.

En ny generation tar över (2010 –)

Under årens lopp har många yxsmedjor i Sverige och världen successivt lagts ned. Kvar i Sverige finns år 2014 bara yxsmedjorna Hultafors/Hults Bruk i Åby, S.A. Wetterlings i Storvik och Gränsfors Bruk i Gränsfors. I Finland finns Fiskars som bl.a. tillverkar yxor. I Norge och Danmark finns det inga stora yxtillverkare kvar.

Gränsfors Bruk har klarat sig bra, trots två mycket stora finansiella kriser under 2000 – talet. Företaget har till och med stärkt sin position på yxmarknaden och ökat sin omsättning successiv. Gränsfors Bruks yxor säljs numera i ett trettiotal länder och är idag ett av de ledande yxmärkena i världen med ett mycket starkt varumärke i sin bransch. Under senare åren har det successivt skett en generationsväxling inom företaget, där två av Gabriels söner, Adam och Daniel Brånby tagit över.

Die Zeit vor Gränsfors Bruks AB (1868-1902)

Die ersten konkreten Belege für eine Axtschmiede in Gränsfors stammen aus der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts. 1868 zog der Sensenschmied Johan Pettersson (JP) im Alter von 33 Jahren mit seiner Familie und seinem 18-jährigen Bruder Anders Pettersson (AP) nach Gränsfors und richtete die Sensenschmiede Gränsfors ein. Vermutlich stellte Johan Pettersson in seiner Sensenschmiede, die er bis zum Jahr 1900 unterhielt, auch Äxte her. 1871 kaufte sein jüngerer Bruder Anders Pettersson eine weitere Sensenschmiede in Gränsfors, die 1902 den Grundstein für die Axtschmiede von Gränsfors Bruk bildete. Auch Anders stellte sowohl Sensen als auch Äxte her.

In der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts begann in Nordschweden die Holzfällerei im großen Stil, und der Bedarf an Holzwerkzeugen, vor allem Äxten, explodierte. Auf dem Höhepunkt der Holzfällerindustrie arbeiteten rund 400.000 Menschen im Haupt- oder Nebenberuf im Wald.

Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts gab es rund zehn Axtfabriken in Schweden, die große Mengen an Äxten produzierten. Die bekanntesten Axtschmieden, vom Süden des Landes nach Norden, lagen in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle und Edsbyn. Obwohl schon früh viele Äxte exportiert wurden, gab es den größten Bedarf weiterhin in Norden, weshalb die Idee entstand, eine neue Axtschmiede nördlich der bestehenden zu bauen. Man entschied sich natürlich für Gränsfors.

Die Gründung von Gränsfors Bruks AB (1902)

1902 gründete Anders Pettersson die Aktiengesellschaft Gränsfors Bruk, die die Schmiede in Gränsfors übernahm.

Der Begriff ‘bruk’ (Werk) wurde früher als Bezeichnung großer Industrieunternehmen verwendet, wie beispielsweise in ‘bergsbruk’ (Bergwerk) und ‘järnbruk’ (Eisenhütte). Diese beiden Tätigkeiten unterlagen königlichen Privilegien. Bergwerksunternehmen hatten das Privileg und die Pflicht, Eisen abzubauen und Roheisen herzustellen, aber nur die Eisenhütten hatten das Recht, das Roheisen zu Eisenbarren zu verarbeiten – das Basismaterial für die Herstellung von Eisenprodukten.

Das Wort ‘bruk’ wird auch für andere Fabriken verwendet, z.B. ‘glasbruk’ (Glashütte) und ‘pappersbruk’ (Papiermühle).

Die Hütten und Mühlen waren größtenteils autonome Gemeinschaften und das Meiste, was für die Produktion und das Überleben benötigt wurde, wurde vor Ort hergestellt. Land- und Forstwirtschaft gehörten ebenso zum Betrieb wie Nahrung und Unterkünfte für Angestellte. Der Standort vieler Hütten und Mühlen war vor allem von der Verfügbarkeit von Energie aus nahegelegenen Flüssen abhängig.

Im Jahr 1859 wurden alle königlichen Privilegien abgeschafft, womit mehr Wettbewerb in den Branchen ermöglicht wurde. Aus den alten Industriebetrieben wurden oft Aktiengesellschaften. Einige strichen das Wort ‘bruk’ aus ihrem Namen, behielten jedoch ihre Stellung als Hauptarbeitgeber und führendes Unternehmen der Region.

Das Wort ‘bruk’ im Firmennamen von Gränsfors Bruk war vielleicht eine Strategie, das Unternehmen größer und traditionsreicher erscheinen zu lassen, als es war. Gränsfors Bruk geht mit Sicherheit nicht auf die alten Industriebetriebe mit ihren königlichen Privilegien zurück, aber diese Tatsache war seinen Kunden, die oftmals im weit entfernten Südschweden saßen und niemals in der Nähe von Gränsfors gewesen waren, vermutlich nicht bekannt.

Anders Pettersson stand dem neuen Unternehmen von 1902-1908 vor. In dieser Zeit kam Alfred Wennerström nach Gränsfors, nachdem er zuvor in anderen Axtschmieden in Schweden gearbeitet hatte. Auch Oskar Rising, der in der Schmiede in Pinjainen in Finnland (heute Fiskars) gearbeitet hatte, stieß zum Unternehmen. 1907 waren 10 Personen bei Gränsfors Bruk beschäftigt. Nach Anders Pettersson leitete der Bankier A. Lundberg für einige Jahre Gränsfors Bruk.

Die Familie Eriksson (1917-1982)

Olof Eriksson zog im Alter von 25 Jahren von Kall in Jämtland nach Bergsjö und eröffnete unter dem Namen O. Eriksson Järnaffär eine Eisenwarenhandlung. Neben seiner Tätigkeit als Einzelhändler handelte er auch mit Waren, die er hauptsächlich bei lokalen Herstellern selbst in Auftrag gab. Dazu zählten Sensen, Äxte, Forstwerkzeuge und andere Artikel, die unter dem Oberbegriff Eisenwaren liefen. Als ungemein geschäftstüchtiger Mann war Olof Eriksson an der Gründung mehrerer Unternehmen in der Region beteiligt. 1917 übernahm Eriksson Gränsfors Bruk und wurde Geschäftsführer. Nach 1917 stieg die Axtproduktion durch den Erwerb einer neuen ‘Arboga 35′ Schmiedepresse, die zum Teil vom Eisenwarenhändler Eriksson finanziert wurde, sprunghaft an. Die Presse kostete damals 17.000 schwedische Kronen und wird bei Gränsfors Bruk noch heute zum Schmieden der Gränsfors Outdoor-Axt und des Gränsfors Minibeils verwendet.

Der Export im Mittelpunkt (1920-1960)

Im Jahr 1920 kam die Axtproduktion beinahe zum Erliegen. Für kurze Zeit arbeiteten nur die Brüder Birger und Axel Wennerström bei Gränsfors Bruk. In den 1920er Jahren kontaktierte Olof Eriksson die russische Botschaft in Stockholm, was zum Beginn von Exporten nach Russland führte. Die Liste der Exportmärkte wurde später erheblich länger; ganz oben standen Südamerika und Kanada. Zu den Exportländern zählten auch die USA, Neuguinea, Australien, Neuseeland, Finnland und Lettland. Während der Weltwirtschaftskrise in den 1930er Jahren war die Produktion gering, nahm aber bald wieder Fahrt auf.

In den 1940er und 1950er Jahren war Axel Bäckstöm Geschäftsführer und Axel Wennerström Leiter der Produktion. Obwohl sie und alle anderen Mitarbeiter von Gränsfors Bruk keine andere Sprache als Schwedisch sprachen, exportierte das Unternehmen während dieser Zeit hauptsächlich in die USA und nach Argentinien und Kolumbien. Während und nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg liefen die Geschäfte weiterhin gut, und 1952 feierte Gränsfors Bruk in guter Verfassung sein 50. Jubiläum. In jenem Jahr stellten die 40 Mitarbeiter beinahe 200.000 Axtköpfe her. Zwölf der Männer, die seit 25 Jahren oder länger in der Schmiede gearbeitet hatten, erhielten eine Medaille für ihren langen und treuen Dienst.

Im weiteren Verlauf des Jahres geriet das Unternehmen jedoch in eine schwere finanzielle Krise. Diese wurde durch den Verlust eines der Hauptkunden, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, verursacht, nachdem der Besitzer krank geworden war. Das hatte zur Folge, dass mehrere Mitarbeiter entlassen werden mussten. Wenige Jahre später aber war der amerikanische Kunde wieder genesen und der Betrieb wurde wieder aufgenommen, wodurch Gränsfors Bruk neue Leute einstellen konnte.

Als Olof Eriksson 1956 starb, übernahm Olof Erikssons Sohn, Torgny Eriksson, das Ruder von Axel Bäckström. Axel Bäckström und Axel Wennerström verließen das Unternehmen beide um das Jahr 1960. Torgny war bis zu seinem Tod Geschäftsführer und später auch Vorstandsvorsitzender von Gränsfors Bruk.

Er hinterließ sieben Kinder, darunter den Sohn Lars Eriksson, der sich mit der schwierigen Herausforderung konfrontiert sah, Leiter eines kleinen Familienunternehmens mit acht Besitzern (den sieben Geschwistern und seiner Mutter) zu werden. Lars’ Schwager Johan Skärgård war Produktionsleiter, während als Hauptbuchhalter Lars’ Bruder Olle Eriksson fungierte, der gleichzeitig auch für das Familienunternehmen Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö arbeitete. Dass einige Familienmitglieder im Unternehmen arbeiteten und einige nur Gesellschafter waren, machte die Unternehmensführung sicherlich nicht einfacher.

Olle Andersson, ein Autodidakt und genialer Ingenieur, der dafür sorgte, dass die gesamte Produktionsausstattung die Anforderungen erfüllte, war in den 50ern, 60ern und bis in die 70er Jahre hinein eine wichtige Person bei Gränsfors Bruk.

In der 1960er Jahren stellte Gränsfors Bruk mehr als 200.000 Axtköpfe pro Jahr her und exportierte große Mengen in die USA und nach Finnland, Kanada, Argentinien und Thailand. In dieser Zeit kümmerte sich Oly, Torgny Erikssons Schwester, um die Exportkorrespondenz. Exporte nach Finnland liefen über das finnische Unternehmen Stridsberg & Björk und beliefen sich in einigen Jahren auf mehr als 40.000 Axtköpfe.

Der Siegeszug der Kettensäge (1960-1982)

In den 1960er und 1970er Jahren ging die Holzfällerei zurück, und es wurden zunehmend Kettensägen für Holzfällerarbeiten eingesetzt, zunächst zum Fällen und später auch zum Entasten der gefällten Bäume. Es gab weniger Forstarbeiter und weniger Menschen, die Äxte verwendeten. Infolge dessen sank die Nachfrage nach Äxten in Schweden in den 1960er und frühen 1970er Jahren dramatisch. Die verbliebenen Axtschmieden konnten nur überleben und ihre Produktion sogar vorübergehend erhöhen, weil konkurrierende Schmieden geschlossen wurden und der Export von Äxten Wachstumspotential bot. 1974 stellte Gränsfors Bruk 200.000 Axtköpfe her, von denen 80 % exportiert wurden.

Die erste Ölkrise Mitte der 1970er führte zu einer blitzartig steigenden Nachfrage nach Äxten, deren Verkaufspreis nicht zuletzt in Schweden stieg. Die Produktion und der Verkauf von Äxten war wieder ein profitbringendes Geschäft, aber alle Axthersteller in Schweden begingen denselben strategischen Fehler. Sie konzentrierten sich auf die profitablen Märkte in Schweden, Finnland und Norwegen, in denen sich am einfachsten und schnellsten Geld machen ließ.  Die Produktionskapazitäten wurden zu 100 Prozent ausgelastet, aber die Hersteller konnten trotzdem nicht alle Kunden bedienen, und Exportkunden am anderen Ende der Welt mussten warten. Abläufe wurden so weit es ging rationalisiert und es wurden automatische Schleifmaschinen eingeführt, die sowohl die Produktion als auch die Äxte einfacher machten – oft auf Kosten der Qualität der Äxte. Gränsfors Bruk tätigte große Investitionen und baute im Jahr 1979 ein neues Gebäude über den alten Schmiedemaschinen, aber diese Investition wurde zu einer finanziellen Belastung für die Firma.

Nachdem die guten Zeiten der 1970er zu Ende gegangen waren, bereitete die sinkende Nachfrage der gesamten Axtindustrie schwere Kopfschmerzen. Die Kettensäge hatte die Forstwirtschaft nun vollständig eingenommen und die Kunden, die während der Ölkrise Äxte gekauft hatten, waren verschwunden. Die schwedische Industrie versuchte, wieder an jene Exportkunden Äxte zu verkaufen, die man mehrere Jahre lang vernachlässigt hatte, hatten jedoch wenig Erfolg. Die Exportkunden hatten nicht warten können und bezogen ihre Äxte nun von anderen Anbietern aus Ländern wie China, Brasilien und den USA. Die neuen Konkurrenten boten oft im Vergleich zu den schwedischen Produkten sehr viel niedrigere Preise und eine schlechtere Qualität, aber qualitativ hochwertige Äxte waren nicht mehr so gefragt wie früher. Professionelle Waldarbeiter, die früher für ihre Arbeit Äxte verwendeten hatten, arbeiteten jetzt mit Kettensägen.

Zusammen mit der geringeren Nachfrage nach Äxten in Exportländern führte dies zu einer Senkung des Preisniveaus. Es wurden weniger Äxte zu niedrigeren Preisen verkauft, obwohl gleichzeitig die Kosten für die Axtproduktion stiegen, wodurch die Hersteller von Äxten herbe Gewinneinbußen einstecken mussten.

Es waren finanziell schwierige Zeiten für Gränsfors Bruk, und man war auf der Suche nach neuen Lösungen. Eine dieser Lösungen war eine Vereinbarung mit dem finnischen Axthersteller Fiskard, gemäß der Gränsfors Bruk Axtköpfe der Marke Fiskars herstellte, die Fiskars anschließend in Finnland vertrieb. Dadurch endete die langjährige Partnerschaft mit Stridsberg & Björk in Finnland. Die neue Vereinbarung stellte sich als Fehlentscheidung für Gränsfors Bruk heraus, als das Unternehmen in nur wenigen Jahren den gesamten Absatz in Finnland verlor.

Gränsfors Bruk geht bankrott (1982-1985)

1982 entschied sich die Familie Eriksson dazu, Gränsfors Bruks AB zu verkaufen. Die neuen Eigentümer und Geschäftsführer hatten leider kein Interesse an der Herstellung von Äxten und konzentrierten sich voll und ganz auf die Investition in und die Herstellung von Kettengliedern mit staatlicher Unterstützung. Der Plan war, diese Glieder anschließend an das börsennotierte Unternehmen Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn zu verkaufen, zu dessen Kunden die Offshore-Industrie gehörte. Dieser Plan ging jedoch nicht auf. Die große neue Schmiedemaschine funktionierte nie richtig, und die Produktion kam nie in Gang. 1985 ging Ljusne Kätting bankrott und zog Gränsfors Bruk mit sich in den Abgrund.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878-1940)

Die Geschichte von Gränsfors Bruk ist nicht vollständig, ohne den Wurzeln von Svedbro Smide ebenfalls nachzugehen. Tatsächlich hat die Geschichte von Gränsfors Bruk zwei Wurzeln.

Die Geschichte von Svedbro Smide beginnt im späten 19. Jahrhundert mit einem Schmied namens Gustav Tiderman. 1878 eröffnete er eine wasserbetriebene Schmiede in Svedbro am Fluss Annån, der die Straße von Gnarp nach Bergsjö ca. 10 km von Gränsfors entfernt kreuzt. Der Betrieb ging jedoch nach nur einem Jahr bankrott, und die Schmiede in Svedbro wurde von Johan Sjölander übernommen, der sie 12 Jahre lang führte. Nach Johans Tod um das Jahr 1890 wurde die Schmiede von seiner Witwe Kajsa-Stina an Anders Erik Bergqvist verkauft, der sie 1924 wiederum an seinen Sohn Erik Bergqvist weitergab. Erik war gelernter Schmied und Hufschmied und mit einer Frau namens Britta verheiratet. Erik starb 1941, und plötzlich war Britta für die Schmiede verantwortlich. Anders als Kajsa-Stina, jene andere Witwe eines Schmieds ein halbes Jahrhundert früher, beschloss Britta, die Schmiede in Svedbro weiterzuführen.

Britta betrieb die Schmiede sechs Jahre lang unter dem Namen ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ mithilfe der Schmiede John Enander und Rudolf Larsson. Zu ihren Produkten zählten unter anderem geschweißte Hochdruckkessel und Warmwasserbereiter. Materialmangel während des zweiten Weltkriegs setzte dieser Produktion jedoch ein Ende. Stattdessen wurden nun Hacken, Hebezangen und Hebehaken hergestellt.

Partnerschaft mit Gränsfors Bruk (1940-1960)

1943 ging der Neffe John Enanders, Per Enander, mit 22 Jahren in die Ausbildung in der Schmiede in Svedbro, die inzwischen viele Auftragsstücke für den Eisenwarenhandel O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö herstellte. Nach einigen Jahren heiratete Per Brittas einzige Tochter und übernahm 1947 die Schmiede in Svedbro, die ihren Namen in Svedbro Smidesfabrik änderte. Per belieferte auch weiterhin die Eisenwarenhandlung in Bergsjö und begann 1948 außerdem mit der Herstellung einer älteren Version von Kuhfüßen, die an Gränsfors Bruk verkauft wurden.

1951 begann eine weitere Partnerschaft zwischen Svedbro Smidesfabrik und dem in Stockholm ansässigen Unternehmen Skogsdon AB, für das Svedbro eine Reihe verschiedener Forstwerkzeuge herstellte.

1952 kontaktierten der Eigentümer von Gränsfors Bruk, Torgny Eriksson, Büroleiter Axel Bäckström und Vertriebsleiter Tore Vestin Svedro Smidesfabrik bezüglich der Produktion eines neuen Nageleisens, für das Gränsfors Bruk den Stahl liefern würde. Die Kuhfüße wurden nach Vertriebsleiter Tore Vestin TOVE genannt und basierten auf einem älteren Modell, das Svedbro Smide seit 1942 hergestellt hatte.

Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen den beiden Unternehmen war jedoch kein großer Erfolg, denn oft ging der Stahl aus, und Gränsfors Bruk verzögerte regelmäßig Zahlungen an die Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1960 erhielt Per Enander das Angebot, die Position als Schmiedeleiter bei Gränsfors Bruk von Axel Wennerström zu übernehmen und gleichzeitig die Svedbro Smidesfabrik an Gränsfors Bruk zu verkaufen. Per lehnte das Angebot ab. Stattdessen baute er mit der Unterstützung der Gemeinde Gnarp eine neue Schmiede in Gnarp. Hier arbeiteten Per und seine Frau Elsie bis sie 1985 in den Ruhestand gingen.

Der schwedische Staat kauft und verkauft (1960-1985)

In den 1960er Jahren wurden bei Svedbro Smidesfabrik nicht nur Kuhfüße und Forstwerkzeuge hergestellt, sondern auch Forstmaschinen. 1961 wurde Skogsdon AB, ein Unternehmen, dessen Geschäftsidee es war, “alles, was ein Forstarbeiter benötigt, zu entwickeln und zu verkaufen”, Minderheitseigentümer von Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1971 wurde Skogsdon vom staatlichen Domänverket (jetzt Sveaskog) übernommen und dadurch wurde der schwedische Staat Miteigentümer von Svedbro Smidesfabrik.

Im Jahr 1978 kaufte Skogsdon alle Anteile an Svedbro Smidesfabrik und damit wurde der Name in Svedbro Smide AB geändert.  Im gleichen Jahr übernahm und fusionierte Skogsdon mit dem Konkurrenten Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB, das seinen Sitz und sein Lager in Säter hatte. Dadurch verlagerte auch Skogsdon seinen Hauptgeschäftssitz von Stockholm und das Lager, das sich seit den 1960er Jahren in der Nähe von Svedbro befand, in das für das schwedische Forstgeschäft zentraler gelegene Säter.

In den 1970er und 1980er Jahren stellte Svedbro Smide neben Kuhfüßen und der Lohnfertigung ungefähr 50 verschiedene Forstwerkzeuge her. Die Verkaufszahlen der Forstwerkzeuge, die erst von Skogsdon und später von Nordforest Skogsdon vertrieben wurden, gingen jedoch zurück, da die Anzahl der aktiven Forstarbeiter durch die zunehmende Mechanisierung der Forstarbeit abnahm. In dieser Zeit lag der Schwerpunkt der Produkte u.a. auf dem Fällheber Stalpen und der Pflanzausrüstung mit einem neuen Pflanzrohr.

1982 verkaufte Domänverket Svedbro Smide an Gabriel Brånby. Er war von 1977 bis 1980 bereits Geschäftsführer von Skogsdon gewesen. 1985 kaufte dann Svedbro Smide das in Konkurs gegangene Gränsfors Bruks AB auf – der Beginn einer neuen Reise.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985- )

1985 kaufte Svedbro Smide das Unternehmen Gränsfors Bruk auf. Svedbro Smide schmiedete mit einer ähnlichen Technik, wie sie in Gränsfors angewendet wurde, Kuhfüße und Forstwerkzeuge in Gnarp. Die beiden Betriebe schlossen sich unter dem Namen Gränsfors Bruks AB zu einem Unternehmen zusammen, aber 2005 wurde es wieder in Gränsfors Bruks Axtschmiede in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruks Nageleisenschmiede in Gnarp geteilt.

1988 verkaufte Gränsfors Bruk sein Forstwerkzeuggeschäft an Eia, ein Tochterunternehmen von Sandvik, und legte seinen Schwerpunkt auf die Herstellung von Äxten, Spalthämmern, Fällhebern, Pflanzrohren und Kuhfüßen.

Einige Zeit später wurde auch das Pflanzrohrgeschäft verkauft, und zwar an das finnische Unternehmen Lännen.

Gründlichere und qualitätsorientiertere Produktion (1988-)

Bisher hatte sich Gränsfors Bruk, wie auch andere Hersteller, darauf konzentriert, Äxte so schnell und preiswert wie möglich herzustellen, oft auf Kosten der Funktionalität und Qualität. Das Arbeitsumfeld war mangelhaft, die Schmiede leisteten Akkordarbeit und Fehler in der Verarbeitung wurden durch grobes Schleifen, Scheuern, Polieren und schließlich Lackieren verdeckt. Es wurde viel Aufwand für die Nachbearbeitung betrieben, und die Gewinnmargen waren klein.

Ende der 1980er Jahre machte Gränsfors Bruk einen Schritt zurück zu einem traditionelleren, handwerklicheren Produktionssystem, das vor langer Zeit üblich gewesen war. Das Wissen über Äxte, ihre Funktion und Umweltfragen wurden zum Leitbild der Axtproduktion. Die Restrukturierung geschah auf Grundlage der Erkenntnis, dass man, wenn man alles Unnötige weglässt, oft ein ehrlicheres, umweltfreundlicheres und ansprechenderes Produkt erhält.

Die Akkordarbeit wurde abgeschafft; stattdessen durften qualifizierte Handwerker sich nun Zeit lassen. Der wichtigste Aspekt wurde die Qualität, nicht die Quantität. Der Schwerpunkt wurde darauf gelegt, zu garantieren, dass die Schmiedearbeit gut ausgeführt wurde, wodurch die Notwendigkeit des anschließenden Schleifens erheblich abnahm. Abgeschafft wurden ebenfalls alle Farben, Lacke und Lösemittel sowie der Epoxydkleber, der zuvor zur Befestigung der Griffe verwendet worden war.

Ein Nebenprodukt dieser umfangreichen Produktionsumstellung war, dass Gränsfors Bruk 1990 einen Preis in einem Wettbewerb für umweltfreundliche Designs gewann, der von Svensk Form und dem Schwedischen Naturschutzverein veranstaltet wurde.

Obwohl die Konkurrenz zwischen den Herstellern von Äxten in den 1980ern und 1990ern sehr stark blieb, wurde Gränsfors Bruk ein zunehmend großes Unternehmen auf dem Axtmarkt. Es verbesserte seine Produktion und begann mit dem Verkauf in eine steigende Anzahl von Ländern. Die Idee, einen Schritt zurück zu gehen, hin zu einer gründlicheren, qualitätsorientierteren Produktion, trug allmählich Früchte.

Mehrere andere Axthersteller kopierten die ‘Gränsfors-Methode’ und begannen, in einem ähnlichen Geiste Äxte herzustellen – ein deutliches Zeichen dafür, dass die Änderungen richtig waren, auch wenn die Kopien den Originalen von Gränsfors mitunter lächerlich ähnlich waren.

Schwerpunkt Produktentwicklung (1990-)

Einer der Hauptgründe dafür, dass Gränsfors Bruk angesichts der scharfen Konkurrenz durch Kettensägen und Kopien überlebt hat, ist seine klare Strategie, den Schwerpunkt auf die Produktentwicklung zu legen.

Gränsfors Bruk ist seinen Nachahmern immer um einen Schritt voraus und treibt die Entwicklung neuer Modelle voran. Man studierte nahezu alle verfügbaren Informationen zu Äxten und Axtbau. Alte Äxte mit andern Formen und Funktionen wurden analysiert, praktische Tests mit einer Reihe von Äxten durchgeführt und viele alte Axtschmiede und Benutzer von Äxten befragt – immer mit dem Ziel, der Konkurrenz voraus zu sein und im Bezug auf das Wissen über Äxte und die Produktionsentwicklung federführend zu sein.

Ohne die Tausenden von Stunden, die wir damit verbracht haben, Wissen über unseren Berufszweig anzuhäufen, wäre die Entscheidung für die anschließenden Veränderungen und Investitionen schwer zu fällen gewesen.

Das zusammengetragene Wissen bot nicht nur eine solide Grundlage für das Unternehmen, sondern führte auch zum ‘Buch der Äxte’, das nun mit jeder durch Gränsfors verkauften Axt mitgeliefert wird, und zum Axtmuseum, das sich als Goldgrube für Ideen für die Produktentwicklung erwiesen hat. In den 1990er Jahren begann Gränsfors Bruk, mit unabhängigen Experten zusammen zu arbeiten, und viele der stark auf Vorlagen gründenden Modelle wurden bald durch neue Modelle ersetzt, die ein besseres Design und bessere Funktionalität boten. Keines der im Jahr 1987 angebotenen acht Modelle war 1990 noch im Programm.

Die Schwedische Schnitzaxt wurde 1994 in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Handwerker Wille Sundqvist und anderen Experten produziert. 1995 entwickelte und lancierte Gränsfors Bruk das Jägerbeil, das bewusst so anders als andere Äxte entworfen wurde, dass es im Rahmen des geistigen Eigentumsrechts geschützt werden konnte. Das Jägerbeil wurde 1995 als ‘Herausragendes schwedisches Design’ gewürdigt. Im selben Jahr begann Gränsfors Bruk, Äxte mit einer Produktgarantie von 20 Jahren zu verkaufen.

1996 brachte Gränsfors Bruk ein neues Sortiment an Breitäxten und anderen Werkzeugen für den Blockhausbau auf den Markt. 1997 war das Jahr der Einführung eines neuen, kleineren Tischlerbeils, und die alte Version, die man kopiert hatte, wurde nicht mehr hergestellt. Inzwischen sind seit 1990 acht neue Modelle eingeführt worden.

Das gesamte Sortiment an Spaltäxten wurde 1997-1998 ersetzt, und es wurde eine ganz neue Art von Spaltäxten und -hämmern mit einem Stielschutz aus Stahl auf den Markt gebracht. Das schwedische Prüfinstitut Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut erklärte die neue große Spaltaxt von Gränsfors Bruk zum Testsieger. 1998 erschien auch die Amerikanische Fällaxt, die zusammen mit dem amerikanischen Kanubauer und Waldarbeiter Geoffrey Burke entwickelt worden war.

Das Gränsfors Minibeil wurde im Jahr 2000 eingeführt und wurde sofort ein Erfolg. 2003 wurden ein Sortiment mit Schleifwerkzeugen und die Kleine Spaltaxt auf den Markt gebracht. Im Zeitraum zwischen 2000-2006 wurden auch mehrere Nachbildungen historischer Äxte aus der Eisen- und Wikingerzeit unter dem Titel “Historische Äxte” entwickelt. Inzwischen heißen sie einfach Gränsfors Bruks Historische Äxte. 2008 kam die Outdoor-Axt in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Überlebenskünstler Lars Fält. Die Outdoor-Axt ist inzwischen patentgeschützt.

Bildunterschrift: Lars Fält gründete die Swedish Armed Forces Survival School und trainiert seit 35 Jahren das Ranger-Bataillon der schwedischen Armee. (Bild Lars Fält)

In den vergangenen 25 Jahren der Geschichte von Gränsfors Bruk war die Produktentwicklung entscheidend für das Überleben des Unternehmens, und dieser fortlaufende Prozess darf nie aufhören.

* Lars Fält gründete die Swedish Armed Forces Survival School und trainiert seit 35 Jahren das Ranger-Bataillon der schwedischen Armee. 

In den vergangenen 25 Jahren der Geschichte von Gränsfors Bruk war die Produktentwicklung entscheidend für das Überleben des Unternehmens, und dieser fortlaufende Prozess darf nie aufhören.

Eine neue Generation übernimmt (2010-)

Im Verlauf der Jahre haben viele Axtschmieden in Schweden und dem Rest der Welt den Betrieb eingestellt. 2013 waren die einzigen verbleibenden Schmieden in Schweden Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik und Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. In Finnland gibt es Fiskars, die unter anderem Äxte führen. In Dänemark und Norwegen gibt es keinen einzigen Axthersteller mehr.

Gränsfors Bruk geht es trotz zweier schwerer Finanzkrisen im letzten Jahrzehnt gut. Tatsächlich hat das Unternehmen seine Position auf dem Axtmarkt gefestigt und seinen Umsatz allmählich erhöht. Die Äxte von Gränsfors Bruk werden zur Zeit in 30 Ländern verkauft, was das Unternehmen zu einem der führenden Axtproduzenten weltweit und einer starken Marke in der Branche macht. In den letzten Jahren hat ein stufenweiser Generationenwechsel im Unternehmen stattgefunden, wo zwei Gabriels Söhne, Adam und Daniel führen nun das Unternehmen.

Tiden före Gränsfors Bruks AB (1868 – 1902)

De första konkreta historiska kunskaperna vi har om yxsmide i Gränsfors är från mitten av 1800 – talet. År 1868 flyttade liesmeden Johan Pettersson (JP), 33 år, med familj och broder Anders Pettersson (AP), 18 år, från Älvdalen till Gränsfors och startade där Gränsfors Liesmedja. Johan Pettersson smidde troligen också yxor i sin liesmedja där han var verksam fram till 1900. Hans yngre broder Anders Pettersson köpte 1871 en annan liesmedja i Gränsfors, den smedja som 1902 skulle bli grundstommen i Gränsfors Bruks yxsmedja. Anders smidde förutom liar också yxor. Under senare delen av 1800-talet började de stora skogsavverkningarna i Norrland och efterfrågan på skogsverktyg och framför allt yxor ökade markant. Ca 400 000 människor arbetade hel- eller deltid i skogen när avverkningarna var som störst.

Under slutet av 1800 – talet fanns det ett tiotal s.k. yxfabriker i Sverige där stora mängder yxor tillverkades. De mest kända yxsmedjorna fanns, från söder räknat, i Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle och Edsbyn. Även om det tidigt förekom en omfattande export av yxor så fanns den stora efterfrågan norr ut. Därav idén att lägga en ny yxsmedja norr om de redan befintliga. Det kom att bli i Gränsfors.

Gränsfors Bruks AB bildas (1902)

1902 bildade Anders Pettersson aktiebolaget Gränsfors Bruk och bolaget övertog smedjan i Gränsfors.

Begreppet ”bruk” användes som benämning för äldre tiders större produktionsföretag t.ex. bergsbruk och järnbruk. Båda dessa verksamheter styrdes av kungliga privilegier. Bergsmännen hade privilegier och skyldigheter att bryta malm och tillverka tackjärn men endast järnbruken hade rätt att från tackjärn tillverka stångjärn – utgångsmaterial för fortsatt tillverkning av produkter av järn.

Bruk används även för andra verksamheter t.ex. glas- och papperstillverkning. Bruken var till stor del självförsörjande samhällen, där det mesta man behövde för produktion och överlevnad producerades lokalt. Jord- och skogsbruk, liksom anställdas boende och livsmedelsförsörjning, var integrerat med verksamheten. En grundförutsättning för många bruks lokalisering var tillgången till energi i form av vattenkraft.

Alla bruksprivilegier avskaffades 1859 och öppnade för en friare konkurrens. De gamla bruksföretagen ombildades ofta till aktiebolag. Vissa tog bort namnet bruk men behöll länge greppet som den dominerande arbetsplatsen och maktfaktorn på sin ort.

Ordet Bruk i Gränsfors Bruks bolagsnamn var troligen ett sätt att få företaget att verka större och anrikare än det egentligen var. Gränsfors Bruk härstammade absolut inte från de gamla bruken med kungliga privilegier men detta visste troligen inte kunderna som ofta låg långt ner i Sverige och som aldrig satt sin fot i närheten av Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson var chef vid det nya bolaget under åren 1902 – 1908. Till Gränsfors kom Alfred Wennerström som tidigare hade arbetat på andra yxbruk i Sverige. I det nya bolaget började också smeden Oskar Rising som tidigare arbetat vid smedjan i Billnäs i Finland (nuvarande Fiskars). 1907 arbetade 10 personer vid Gränsfors Bruk. Efter Anders Pettersson var bankmannen A. Lundberg under några år chef vid Gränsfors Bruk.

Familjen Eriksson (1917 – 1982)

1897 hade Olof Eriksson, 25 år, från Kall i Jämtland flyttat till Bergsjö där han startade järnaffär under namnet O. Eriksson Järnaffär. Förutom sin detaljhandelsverksamhet bedrev han också handel av varor som han lät tillverka, mest hos företag på orten. Det var bl. a. liar, yxor, skogsverktyg och det som allmänt gick under namnet svartsmide. Olof Eriksson var mycket driftig och var med och startade flera företag på orten. År 1917 övertog Eriksson, Gränsfors Bruk och blev då bolagets verkställande direktör. Efter 1917 ökade yxproduktionen markant som följd av att bolaget investerade i en ny smidespress ”Arboga 35”, med hjälp av finansiering från järnhandlare Eriksson. Pressen kostade då 17 000 kronor. Smidespressen används fortfarande vid Gränsfors Bruk för smide av bl.a. Gränsfors Outdoor yxa och Gränsfors Lilla yxa.

Exportsatsningar (1920 – 1960)

1920 stod yxtillverkningen nästan stilla. En kort tid arbetade bara bröderna Birger och Axel Wennerström vid Gränsfors Bruk. På 1920-talet tog Olof Eriksson kontakt med ryska ambassaden i Stockholm vilket blev inledningen till export till Ryssland. Exporten vidgades senare till ett stort antal länder där bl.a. Sydamerika och Kanada blev viktiga marknader. Bland exportländerna fanns också USA, Nya Guinea, Australien, Nya Zeeland, Finland och Lettland. Vid den allmänna krisen på 1930-talet var produktionen liten men tog snart ny fart.

På 1940- och 1950-talet var Axel Bäckström chef och Axel Wennerström produktionsansvarig. Trots att svenska var det enda språk de och alla andra på Gränsfors Bruk behärskade hade företaget under denna period en omfattande export till framför allt USA, Argentina och Colombia. Under och efter 2:a världskriget var lönsamheten tillfredsställande och Gränsfors Bruk firade 50 års jubileum 1952 med flaggan i topp. Det året tillverkades det nästan 200 000 yxhuvuden och arbetsstyrkan var 40 man. 12 av dessa som arbetat vid bruket 25 år eller längre tilldelades medalj för lång och trogen tjänst.

Senare samma år uppstod dock en allvarlig ekonomisk kris för bolaget som en direkt följd av att ägaren till den mycket stora kunden Strohecker & Broesamle i San Francisco, med varumärket STRO-BRO, blev sjuk och inköpen från denna viktiga kund uteblev. Flera av de anställda fick sägas upp. Efter några år blev dock den amerikanska kundens ägare frisk och affärerna kom åter igång och Gränsfors Bruk fick återanställa.

När Olof Eriksson dog 1956 övergick vd-skapet från Axel Bäckström till Olof Erikssons son, Torgny Eriksson. Omkring 1960 slutade så väl Axel Bäckström som Axel Wennerström. Torgny var vd och senare styrelseordförande i Gränsfors Bruk till sin död. Torgny efterlämnade sju barn, däribland sonen Lars Eriksson som fick ta på sig den svåra uppgiften att leda ett litet familjeföretag med åtta ägare (sju syskon + mor). Lars svåger Johan Skärgård var produktionschef, kamrer var Lars bror Olle Eriksson, som samtidigt också arbetade vid familjens företag Erikssons Järnhandel i Bergsjö. Att vissa inom ägarfamiljen arbetade i företaget och andra enbart var aktieägare gjorde det säkert inte lättare att leda företaget.
Olle Andersson, en självlärd teknisk tusenkonstnär som höll produktionsutrustningen i trim, betydde mycket för Gränsfors Bruk under 50- 60- och en bit in på 70-talet.

Produktionen vid Gränsfors Bruk var under 1960-talet över 200 000 yxhuvuden per år. Exporten var stor bl.a. till USA, Finland, Kanada, Argentina och Thailand. Exportkorrespondensen sköttes under dessa år av Oliny, Torgny Erikssons syster. Exporten till Finland gick genom det finska företaget Stridsberg & Björk och lär vissa år ha varit över 40 000 yxhuvuden.

Motorsågen tar över (1960 – 1982)

Under 1960- och 1970-talen minskade skogsavverkningarna samtidigt som motorsågar allmänt började användas vid skogsarbete, först för fällning och sedan också för kvistning av det fällda trädet. Det blev färre skogsarbetare och det blev färre människor som använde yxa. Följden blev att efterfrågan på yxor i Sverige minskade dramatiskt under slutet av 1960-talet och början av 1970-talet. De kvarvarande yxsmedjorna kunde leva vidare och tillfälligt även öka sin produktion som följd av att konkurerande yxsmedjor hade upphört samtidigt som exporten av yxor kunde ökas. 1974 tillverkade Gränsfors Bruk 200 000 yxhuvuden, varav 80 procent gick på export.

Den första oljekrisen i mitten av 1970-talet innebar en plötslig och mycket kraftig efterfrågan på yxor, samtidigt som försäljningspriserna på yxor steg, inte minst i Sverige. Att tillverka och sälja yxor blev åter mycket lönsamt. Samtliga yxtillverkare i Sverige gjorde då samma strategiska misstag. De satsade på den lönsamma svenska, finska och norska marknaden där de lättaste och snabbaste pengarna fanns. Produktionskapaciteten utnyttjades till 100 procent, men yxtillverkarna hann inte med att leverera till alla kunder och exportkunder på andra sidan haven fick vänta. Det rationaliserades så mycket som möjligt och det skaffades automatiska slipmaskiner, vilket förenklade både produktionen och yxorna. Många gånger dessvärre på bekostnad av yxornas kvalitet. Gränsfors Bruk satsade stort och byggde 1979 en ny byggnad över de gamla smidesmaskinerna. Investeringen blev dock en finansiell belastning för bolaget.

När de glada yxåren på 1970-talet var över, kom en rejäl baksmälla för hela yxbranschen med drastiskt minskad efterfrågan. Motorsågen hade nu helt tagit över i skogsbruket och oljekrisens yxkunder hade försvunnit. När den svenska branschen åter försökte sälja yxor till de exportkunder som tidigare under flera år hade neglischerats, gick det inte så bra. Exportkunderna hade inte kunnat vänta, utan skaffat sig nya yxleverantörer från bland annat Kina, Brasilien och USA. De nya konkurrenterna hade ofta betydligt lägre priser och sämre kvalitet jämfört med de svenska. Kravet på yxor med hög kvalitet var inte heller lika eftertraktat som tidigare. Anledningen var att den kvalificerade skogsarbetaren, som tidigare använt yxan i sitt arbete, hade försvunnit som yxanvändare till förmån för motorsågen.

Detta tillsammans med minskad efterfrågan på yxor även i exportländerna gjorde att prisnivåerna sjönk. Det såldes färre yxor till lägre priser samtidigt som kostnaderna för yxtillverkning steg. Lönsamheten hos yxtillverkarna sjönk därmed avsevärt.
Det blev ekonomiskt ansträngande för Gränsfors Bruk och nya lösningar försökte hittas. Bl. a. gjordes ett avtal med finska yxtillverkaren Fiskars, där Gränsfors Bruk skulle smida yxhuvuden märkta Fiskars, vilka Fiskars sedan skulle sälja i Finland. Det långåriga samarbetet med Stridsberg & Björk i Finland upphörde därmed. Det nya arrangemanget blev dock ett misslyckande för Gränsfors Bruk som på några år tappade all sin försäljning till Finland.

Gränsfors Bruk i konkurs (1982– 1985)

1982 sålde familjen Eriksson Gränsfors Bruks AB. De nya ägarna och den nya företagsledningen hade dessvärre inget intresse av yxtillverkning, utan satsade helt på att med statliga stöd kunna investera och tillverka så kallade länkstöd. Dessa skulle sedan enligt planerna säljas till det börsnoterade företaget Ljusne Kätting i Söderhamn, som bl.a. hade off-shore-industrin som kunder. Det hela fungerade dock aldrig som ledningen hade tänkt sig. Den stora nybyggda smidesmaskinen fungerade aldrig bra och produktionen kom aldrig igång. 1985 gick Ljusne Kätting i konkurs och drog med sig Gränsfors Bruk i fallet.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

När Gränsfors Bruks historia beskrivs måste även företaget Svedbro Smides historia beskrivas. Gränsfors Bruks historia börjar egentligen från två håll.

Svedbro Smides historia börjar i slutet av 1800-talet med smeden Tideman. Han grundade 1878 en vattenfallssmedja i Svedbro, vid Annån som korsar vägen mellan Gnarp och Bergsjö, ca en mil från Gränsfors. Smedjan gick dock i konkurs redan efter ett år och Svedbrosmedjan övertogs då av Johan Sjölander som drev den i ca 12 år. Vid Johans bortgång omkring 1890 såldes smedjan av Johans änka, Kajsa-Stina, till Anders Erik Bergqvist, som i sin tur lät sonen Erik Bergqvist ta över smedjan 1924. Erik var utbildad smed och hovslagare, och gift med Britta. 1941 dog Erik och Britta fick ta över ansvaret för smedjan. Britta bestämde sig då, i motsatsen till vad hennes föregångare smedänkan Kajsa-Stina gjort ett halvt sekel tidigare, att behålla Svedbro-smedjan.

Britta drev smedjan i sex år under namnet “Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus” med hjälp av smederna Johan Enander och Rudolf Larsson. Det tillverkades bl.a. svetsade högtryckskokare och vattenvärmare. Brist på material under andra världskriget gjorde dock att denna tillverkning avstannade. Istället fortsatte det tillverkas Flåhackor, Timmersaxar och Lyftkrokar.

Samarbete med Gränsfors Bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 börjar Johan Enanders brorson, Per Enander 22 år, arbeta som lärling i Svedbro-smedjan hos Britta. Det smiddes nu mycket legosmide till O Erikssons Järnhandel i Bergsjö. Per gifte sig efter några år med Brittas ena dotter och övertog 1947 Svedbro-smedjan. Smedjan bytte då även namn till Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per fortsatte att legotillverka till järnhandlaren i Bergsjö och 1948 började det tillverkas en äldre version av kofotar som såldes till Gränsfors Bruk.

År 1951 startades även ett samarbete mellan Svedbro Smidesfabrik och det Stockholmsbaserade företaget Skogsdon AB. Till Skogsdon AB tillverkades en mängd olika skogsverktyg.

1952 tog Gränsfors Bruks ägare Torgny Eriksson, kontorschefen Axel Bäckström samt säljaren Tore Vestin kontakt med Svedbro Smidesfabrik och ville att de skulle börja tillverka en ny kofotsmodell där Gränsfors Bruk skulle hålla med stål. Kofotarna gavs varumärket TOVE efter säljaren Tore Vestin. Modellen byggde på en förlaga som Smedbro Smide hade tillverkar sedan 1942. Samarbetet mellan de två företagen fungerade dock dåligt då bl.a. stålet ofta tog slut och Gränsfors Bruk ofta drog på betalningarna till Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1960 fick Per Enander erbjudande att bli verkstadschef på Gränsfors Bruk, efter Axel Wennerström, och samtidigt sälja Svedbro Smidesfabrik till Gränsfors Bruk. Per tackade nej. I stället byggde Per en ny smedja i Gnarp med hjälp av Gnarps kommun. Där kom såväl Per som hustrun Elsie att arbeta tills de blev pensionärer 1985.

Svenska staten köper och säljer (1960 – 1985)

Under 60-talet tillverkades det inte bara kofotar och skogsverktyg hos Svedbro Smidesfabrik utan också skogsmaskiner. 1961 blev Skogsdon AB, ett företag vars affärsidé var att ”utveckla och sälja allt som en skogsarbetare behövde”, minoritetsdelägare i Svedbro Smidesfabrik. 1971 köptes Skogsdon av statliga Domänverket (nuvarande Sveaskog) och Svedbro Smidesfabrik fick då svenska staten som delägare. År 1978 köpte Skogsdon samtliga aktier i Svedbro Smidesfabrik som samtidigt bytte namn till Svedbro Smide AB.  Samma år köpte och fusionerade Skogsdon med konkurrenten Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB som hade kontor och lager i Säter. I samband med detta flyttade Skogsdon huvudkontoret från Stockholm och lagret, som sedan 1960-talet legat i anslutning till Svedbro, till det för skogssverige mera centralt placerade Säter.

Under 1970- och 1980-talet tillverkade Svedbro Smide ett 50-tal olika skogsverktyg förutom kofotar och legoprodukter. Försäljningen av skogsverktyg, som såldes genom Skogsdon, senare Nordforest Skogsdon, minskade dock som följd av att antalet aktiva skogsarbetare minskade när mekaniseringen i skogsbruket ökade. Viktiga produkter var på den här tiden bland annat trädfällriktaren Stalpen och planteringsutrustning, bland annat ett nytt planteringsrör.

1982 sålde Domänverket Svedbro Smide till Gabriel Brånby. Han hade tidigare varit vd på Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. 1985 köpte sedan Svedbro Smide det då konkursade Gränsfors Bruks AB vilket blev början på en ny resa.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

1985 köper Svedbro Smide företaget Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide smidde kofotar och skogsverktyg i Gnarp med en teknologi som var lik den som fanns vid Gränsfors. De båda verksamheterna fördes administrativt samman till en enhet under namnet Gränsfors Bruks AB. Verksamheten är sedan 2005 åter delad på Gränsfors Bruks Yxsmedja i Gränsfors och Gränsfors Bruks Kofotssmedja i Gnarp.

1988 sålde Gränsfors Bruk skogsverktygsrörelsen till Sandviks dotterbolag Eia och Gränsfors Bruk koncentrerade sig mer på tillverkning av yxor, vedklyvar, trädfällriktare, planteringsrör och kofotar.

En tid senare såldes även tillverkningen av planteringsrör till finska företaget Lännen.

En mer omsorgsfull och kvalitetsinriktad tillverkning (1988 – )

Gränsfors Bruk hade fram till nu, i likhet med andra tillverkare, fokuserat på tillverka yxor så snabbt och så billigt som möjligt, ofta på bekostnad av yxornas funktion och kvalitet. Arbetsmiljön var dålig, smederna arbetade på ackord och brister i smidet doldes genom grovslipning, finslipning, polering och slutligen målning. Det gick åt stora mängder energi vid efterbearbetningen och lönsamheten i tillverkningen var låg.

I slutet av 1980-talet tog Gränsfors Bruk ett steg bakåt till en mera traditionell och hantverksmässig tillverkning som man haft långt tidigare. Yxkunskap, funktion och miljöhänsyn blev vägledande för yxtillverkningen. Förändringen byggde på insikten att när man tar bort det som är onödigt får man ofta en riktigare, miljövänligare och samtidigt kanske också, en vackrare produkt.

Produktionsackorden togs bort och det kvalificerade hantverket fick istället ta den tid det tog. Det blev kvalitet och inte mängd som var viktigast. Fokus lades på att själva smidet blev bra och var välgjort, vilket ledde till att stora delar av yxans slipning kunde tas bort. Bort togs även all målarfärg, lack och lösningsmedel samt epoxylimmet som tidigare använts vid skaftningen. Denna stora förändring i tillverkningen ledde bland annat till att Gränsfors Bruk år 1990 fick pris i tävlingen Ekologisk Design som arrangerades av Föreningen Svensk Form och Naturskyddsföreningen.

Konkurrensen bland yxtillverkare var under 80- och 90- talet fortfarande mycket hård. Gränsfors Bruk blev trots det en allt större spelare på yxmarknaden. Företaget fick upp produktionen och började sälja i allt fler länder. Idén att ta ett steg bakåt till en mera omsorgsfull och kvalitetsinriktad tillverkning började sakta ge resultat. Flera andra yxtillverkare följde även efter ”Gränsfors-modellen” och började göra yxor som liknade Gränsfors yxor. Ett bra betyg på att förändringarna varit riktiga även om kopiorna ibland var nästan löjeväckande lika sina förlagor från Gränsfors.

Fokus på produktutveckling (1990 –)

En stor bidragande orsak till att Gränsfors Bruk överlevt, trots den hårda konkurrensen från motorsågar och plagiat, har till stor del berott på en mycket tydligt strategi, där fokus legat på produktutveckling.

Gränsfors Bruk har hela tiden legat steget före de som plagierat och lett utvecklingen av nya modeller. Nästan all tillgänglig information om yxtillverkning och yxor studerades. Gamla yxor med olika utseenden och funktion analyserades, praktiska prover gjordes med ett mycket stort antal yxor och många gamla yxsmeder och yxanvändare intervjuades. Hela tiden för att ligga steget före konkurrenterna och vara ledande inom yxkunskap och produktutveckling. Utan de många 1000-tals timmar av kunskapsinhämtning inom verksamhetsområdet hade det varit svårt att ta de beslut om förändringar och investeringar som sedan gjordes.

Den insamlade kunskapen blev inte bara en bra bas för företaget att stå på, det resulterade även i bland annat Yxboken, som numera följer med varje yxa som säljs av Gränsfors, samt Yxmuseet som har varit en guldgruva för idéer vid produktutvecklingen. Gränsfors Bruk började under 1990-talet att samarbeta med fristående experter och många av de plagierade modellerna byttes snabbt ut mot nya modeller med bättre form och funktion. Ingen av de åtta modeller som fanns 1987 fanns kvar 1990. År 1994 togs slöjdbilan fram i samarbete med bl.a. slöjdaren Wille Sundqvist. 1995 utvecklade och lanserade Gränsfors Bruk Jägarens yxa, som medvetet gjordes så avvikande från andra yxor att den skulle kunna skyddas med hjälp av immateriellt skydd. Jägarens yxa erhöll 1995 utmärkelsen ”Utmärkt Svensk Form”. 1995 började Gränsfors Bruk även lämna 20 år garanti på sina yxor. 1996 lanserade Gränsfors Bruk en ny serie av bilor och andra verktyg för timring. 1997 kom en ny mindre snickaryxa och den tidigare varianten av Snickaryxan som hade blivit kopierad slutade tillverkas. 1997 fanns i produktion åtta nya modeller som inte fanns 1990.

Hela sortimentet av yxor för klyvning av ved byttes ut under åren 1997-1998 och en helt ny typ av klyv och släggyxor lanserades, där klyvyxorna bl.a. hade fått ett skaftskydd av stål. I en test gjord av Statens Provningsanstalt blev Gränsfors Bruks nya Stora Klyvyxa ”Bäst i Test”. 1998 utvecklades även Amerikansk fällyxa i samarbete med den amerikanska kanotbyggaren och skogmannen Geoffrey Burke.

År 2000 togs Gränsfors Bruks lilla yxa fram och blev snabbt en storsäljare. En serie slipverktyg togs fram 2003 och samma år lanserades även Gränsfors Bruks minsta klyvyxa. Under åren 2000 – 2006 togs även flera repliker av historiska yxor från järnåldern och vikingatiden fram, som då fick benämningen Gamla Nordeuropeiska yxor. Numera kallas de bara Gränsfors Bruks Historiska yxor. 2008 utvecklades Outdoor yxan i samarbete med överlevnadsexperten Lars Fält*. Outdoor yxan är idag mönsterskyddad.

* Lars Fält har bland annat varit med och etablerat försvarsmaktens överlevnadsskola och har under 35 år undervisat försvarets jägarförband.

Produktutvecklingen har under de senaste 25 åren av Gränsfors Bruks historia varit viktig för företagets överlevnad, en pågående process som aldrig får stanna upp.

En ny generation tar över (2010 –)

Under årens lopp har många yxsmedjor i Sverige och världen successivt lagts ned. Kvar i Sverige finns år 2014 bara yxsmedjorna Hultafors/Hults Bruk i Åby, S.A. Wetterlings i Storvik och Gränsfors Bruk i Gränsfors. I Finland finns Fiskars som bl.a. tillverkar yxor. I Norge och Danmark finns det inga stora yxtillverkare kvar.

Gränsfors Bruk har klarat sig bra, trots två mycket stora finansiella kriser under 2000 – talet. Företaget har till och med stärkt sin position på yxmarknaden och ökat sin omsättning successiv. Gränsfors Bruks yxor säljs numera i ett trettiotal länder och är idag ett av de ledande yxmärkena i världen med ett mycket starkt varumärke i sin bransch. Under senare åren har det successivt skett en generationsväxling inom företaget, där två av Gabriels söner, Adam och Daniel Brånby tagit över.

the time before gränsfors bruks ab (1868 – 1902)

The first concrete evidence we have about an axe forge in Gränsfors dates from the mid-19th century. In 1868, scythe smith Johan Pettersson (JP), aged 33, moved with his family and his brother Anders Pettersson (AP), aged 18, from Älvdalen to Gränsfors and set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge. Johan Pettersson probably also made axes in his scythe forge, which he ran until 1900. In 1871, younger brother Anders Pettersson bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which in 1902 formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge. Anders also forged both scythes and axes.

The latter part of the 19th century marked the start of large-scale logging operations in northern Sweden and demand for forest tools, above all axes, exploded. Around 400,000 people worked full- or part-time in the forest at the peak of the logging.

By the end of the 19th century there were around ten axe factories in Sweden turning out large quantities of axes. The most well known axe forges, from the south of the country upwards, were in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle and Edsbyn. Although axe exports were high from an early stage, the biggest demand remained up north, which is how the idea came about to build a new axe forge north of the existing ones. The chosen location was of course Gränsfors.

formation of gränsfors bruks ab (1902)

1902 saw Anders Pettersson form the limited company Gränsfors Bruk, which took over the forge in Gränsfors.

The term ‘bruk’ (works) was used historically to describe large industrial companies, e.g. ‘bergsbruk’ (mining works) and ‘järnbruk’ (ironworks). Both these activities were governed by Royal privileges. Mining companies had the privilege and duty to mine iron ore and make pig iron, but only the ironworks had the right to turn the pig iron into bar iron – the base material for making iron products.

The word ‘bruk’ is also used for other factories, such as ‘glasbruk’ (glassworks) and ‘pappersbruk’ (papermill).

The works and mills were largely self-sufficient communities, with most of what was needed for production and survival produced locally. Farming and forestry were integrated into the operation, as were food and lodgings for employees. The location of many works and mills was largely determined by access to energy from nearby rivers.

All Royal privileges were abolished in 1859, opening up the industries to freer competition. The old industrial operations were often turned into limited companies. Some removed the word ‘bruk’ from their name, but retained their status as the dominant workplace and powerhouse in their area.

The work ‘Bruk’ in Gränsfors Bruk’s company name may have been a way to make the company seem bigger and more historic than it actually was. Gränsfors Bruk certainly did not emerge from the old industrial works with their Royal privileges, but this fact probably remained unknown to its customers, who were often based a long way down south in Sweden and had never set foot anywhere near Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson headed the new company from 1902-1908. Alfred Wennerström came to Gränsfors at that time, having worked at other axe forges in Sweden, as did smith Oskar Rising, who had worked at the forge in Pinjainen, Finland (now Fiskars). In 1907, there were 10 people working at Gränsfors Bruk. After Anders Pettersson, banker A. Lundberg was head of Gränsfors Bruk for a few years.

the eriksson family (1917 – 1982)

Olof Eriksson moved from Kall in Jämtland to Bergsjö aged 25 and set up a hardware store under the name O. Eriksson Järnaffär. In addition to his retail operation, he also traded in goods that he commissioned, mostly from local producers. These included scythes, axes, forestry tools and other items that generally went under the name of ironmongery. A highly enterprising man, Olof Eriksson was involved in starting up several companies in the area. In 1917, Eriksson took over Gränsfors Bruk and became its managing director. After 1917, axe production rose sharply with the purchase of a new ‘Arboga 35’ forging press, partially funded by Eriksson the ironmonger. The press cost SEK 17,000 back then, and is still used to this day at Gränsfors Bruk to forge the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe and the Gränsfors Mini Hatchet.

focus on exports (1920 – 1960)

In 1920, axe production almost came to a standstill. For a brief time, only the brothers Birger and Axel Wennerström were working at Gränsfors Bruk. In the 1920s, Olof Eriksson contacted the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, prompting the launch of exports to Russia. The list of export markets later expanded hugely, key amongst them being South America and Canada. The export countries also included the USA, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Latvia. Production was low during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but soon took off again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Axel Bäckström was in charge, with Axel Wennerström heading up production. Despite Swedish being the only language that they and everyone else at Gränsfors Bruk spoke, during this period the company successfully exported primarily to the USA, Argentina and Colombia. During and after the Second World War, business remained good and Gränsfors Bruk celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1952 in fine form. That year the workforce of 40 men produced nearly 200,000 axe heads. Twelve of these men, who had worked at the forge for 25 years or more, were awarded medals for their long and faithful service.

However, later that same year the company suffered a serious financial crisis. This was caused by the loss of a major customer, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, after its owner fell ill. As a consequence, several employees had to be made redundant, although a few years later the American customer’s owner recovered and business was reinstated, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to start hiring again.

When Olof Eriksson died in 1956, the helm transferred from Axel Bäckström to Olof Eriksson’s son, Torgny Eriksson. Axel Bäckström and Axel Wennerström both left the company in around 1960. Torgny was managing director and later chairman of Gränsfors Bruk until his death. He left behind seven children, including son Lars Eriksson, who had to take on the difficult challenge of leading a small family company with eight owners (seven siblings + his mother). Lars’ brother-in-law Johan Skärgård was production manager, while the chief accountant was Lars’ brother Olle Eriksson, who also worked for the family’s company Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö at the same time. The fact that some members of the family worked in the company and others were only shareholders cannot have made it any easier to manage the company.

Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius who kept all the production equipment up to scratch, was an important figure at Gränsfors Bruk during the 50s, 60s and into the 70s.

During the 1960s, Gränsfors Bruk produced over 200,000 axe heads per year, with major exports to the USA, Finland, Canada, Argentina and Thailand. During this time, export correspondence was dealt with by Oliny, Torgny Eriksson’s sister. Exports to Finland went through the Finnish company Stridsberg & Björk, and some years numbered over 40,000 axe heads.

the chainsaw takes over (1960 – 1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, logging levels fell and chainsaws started being widely used for forestry work, first for felling and then also for limbing the felled tree. There were fewer forest workers and fewer people who used an axe. As a result, demand for axes in Sweden fell dramatically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The remaining axe forges were able to survive and temporarily even increase their production on the back of competing forges closing at a time when the export of axes showed potential for growth. In 1974, Gränsfors Bruk made 200,000 axe heads, 80 percent of which went for export.

The first oil crisis in the mid-1970s caused a sudden surge in demand for axes, whose selling price rose, not least in Sweden. Producing and selling axes was once again a highly profitable business, but all the axe manufacturers in Sweden made the same strategic mistake. They focused on the profitable Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian markets, where the easiest, quickest money was to be made. 100 percent of production capacity was used, but the axe manufacturers were still unable to deliver to all their customers, and export customers on the other side of the world had to wait. Operations were rationalised as much as possible and automated grinders were brought in, simplifying both the production and the axes – often to the detriment of the axes’ quality. Gränsfors Bruk invested heavily and in 1979 built a new building over the old forging machines, but this investment became a financial burden on the company.

Once the good times of the 1970s came to an end, the whole axe industry was left with a terrible headache as demand plummeted. The chainsaw had now completely taken over in forestry and the axe customers of the oil crisis had disappeared. The Swedish industry tried selling axes back to the export customers that had been neglected for several years, but with little success. The export customers had been unable to wait, instead sourcing new axe suppliers from countries such as China, Brazil and the USA. The new competitors often had much lower prices and poorer quality compared with the Swedish products, but high-quality axes were no longer as desirable as they once were. The professional forest workers who used to use axes in their work were by now using chainsaws.

Coupled with reduced demand for axes in export countries, this led to a drop in price levels. Fewer axes were being sold at lower prices, even as the cost of axe production was rising, making a serious dent in the profits of axe manufacturers.

These were financially tough times for Gränsfors Bruk and new solutions were sought. One of these was an agreement with Finnish axe maker Fiskars, where Gränsfors Bruk would forge Fiskars-branded axe heads, which Fiskars would then sell in Finland. This brought to an end the long-standing partnership with Stridsberg & Björk in Finland. However, the new arrangement proved a mistake for Gränsfors Bruk, which lost all its sales to Finland in just a few years.

Gränsfors Bruk bankrupt (1982– 1985)

In 1982, the Eriksson family decided to sell Gränsfors Bruks AB. The new owners and the new management team unfortunately had no interest in axe production, focusing entirely on investing in and manufacturing chain links with the help of state aid. The plan was then to sell these links to the listed company Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn, whose customers included the offshore industry. However, things did not go quite to plan. The big new forging machine never worked properly and production never got started. In 1985, Ljusne Kätting went bankrupt, dragging Gränsfors Bruk down with it.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

No history of Gränsfors Bruk is complete without tracing the roots of Svedbro Smide as well. The story of Gränsfors Bruk actually has two branches.

Svedbro Smide’s story starts in the late 19th century with a smith called Gustav Tiderman. In 1878, he established a water-powered forge in Svedbro, on the Annån river that crosses the road between Gnarp and Bergsjö, about 10 km from Gränsfors. However, the business went bankrupt after just one year and the Svedbro forge was taken over by Johan Sjölander, who ran it for about 12 years. On Johan’s death in around 1890, the forge was sold by his widow, Kajsa-Stina, to Anders Erik Bergqvist, who in turn handed the forge on to his son Erik Bergqvist in 1924. Erik was a trained smith and farrier, with a wife called Britta. Erik died in 1941 and Britta was suddenly responsible for the forge. In contrast to that other forge widow Kajsa-Stina half a century before, Britta decided to hold on to the Svedbro forge.

Britta ran the forge for six years under the name ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ with the help of smiths John Enander and Rudolf Larsson. Their products included welded high-pressure boilers and water heaters. However, a shortage of materials during the Second World War brought such production to an end. Instead, they continued to manufacture grub hoes, lifting tongs and lifting hooks.

partnership with gränsfors bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 saw John Enander’s nephew Per Enander, aged 22, start an apprenticeship at the Svedbro forge, which now produced a large number of contract pieces for ironmonger O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö. After a few years, Per married Britta’s only daughter and in 1947 took over the Svedbro forge, which also changed its name to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per continued to supply the ironmonger in Bergsjö and in 1948 also started making an older version of a wrecking bar that was sold to Gränsfors Bruk.

1951 marked the start of another partnership between Svedbro Smidesfabrik and the Stockholm-based company Skogsdon AB, with Svebro producing a number of different forestry tools for them.

In 1952, Gränsfors Bruk’s owner Torgny Eriksson, office manager Axel Bäckström and salesman Tore Vestin contacted Svedbro Smidesfabrik about them making a new wrecking bar, for which Gränsfors Bruk would provide the steel. The wrecking bars were branded TOVE after salesman Tore Vestin, and were based on an original design that Smedbro Smide had been making since 1942. However, the partnership between the two companies was not a great success, with the steel often running out and Gränsfors Bruk frequently dragging out payments to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1960, Per Enander was offered the option of taking over from Axel Wennerström as forge manager at Gränsfors Bruk and at the same time selling Svedbro Smidesfabrik to Gränsfors Bruk. Per declined the offer. Instead, Per built a new forge in Gnarp with the help of Gnarp Municipality. Per and his wife Elsie worked here until their retirement in 1985.

the swedish government buys and sells (1960 – 1985)

During the 1960s, Svedbro Smidesfabrik expanded beyond wrecking bars and forestry tools to include forestry machines. In 1961, Skogsdon AB, a company whose business concept was to “develop and sell everything as a lumberjack needs”, become the minority shareholder in Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1971, the Swedish National Forest Enterprise, Domänverket (today Sveaskog) bought Skogsdon AB, making the Swedish state a joint owner of Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1978, Skogsdon bought all the shares in Svedbro Smidesfabrik and changed its name to Svedbro Smide AB. That same year, Skogsdon bought and merged with its rival Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB which had offices and warehouses in the Swedish town Säter. In connection with this, Skogsdon moved its headquarters from Stockholm and its warehouse, which since the 1960s has been located near Svedbro, also to Säter which in the eyes of the forest industry in Sweden, were more centrally located.

During the 1970 – and 1980’s, Svedbro Smide manufactured 50 or so different forestry tools alongside the wrecking bars. Sales of forestry tools, sold by Skogsdon, later Nordforest Skogsdon, however decreased as the number of active forest workers dropped due to increased mechanisation of forestry. Major products were during this time for example the tree felling tool, Stalpen and planting equipments, including a new planting tube.

In 1982, Domänverket sold Svedbro Smide to Gabriel Brånby who had previously been the CEO of Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. In 1985, Svedbro Smide bought Gränsfors Bruks AB that had just gone bankrupt, and this was the beginning of a new journey.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

In 1985, Svedbro Smide purchased the company Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide forged wrecking bars and forestry tools in Gnarp using technology that was similar to what Gränsfors had. The two businesses were merged into a single unit under the name of Gränsfors Bruks AB, but in 2005, the business was once again split into Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruk’s Wrecking Bar Forge in Gnarp.

In 1988, Gränsfors Bruk sold off its forestry tools business to Sandvik’s subsidiary Eia and concentrated more on making axes, splitting mauls, tree felling jacks, planting tubes and wrecking bars.

Some time later, the planting tube business was also sold off to Finnish company Lännen.

more paintaking and quality-driven production (1988 – )

Until now Gränsfors Bruk had, like other manufacturers, focused on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, often at the cost of both function and quality. The working environment was poor, the smiths were doing piecework and faults in the forging were concealed through rough grinding, rubbing, polishing and finally painting. A great deal of effort went into the post-production work and profit margins were low.

In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago. Knowledge about axes, their function and environmental issues became the guiding light for axe production. The restructuring was based on the insight that when you strip out everything that is unnecessary, you often get a more honest, eco-friendly and even attractive product.

The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time. The most important factor became quality, not quantity. The focus was placed on ensuring that the job of forging was done well, which removed much of the need for subsequent grinding. Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles. One by-product of this major change in production was that in 1990 Gränsfors Bruk won a prize in the Ecological Design competition organised by Svensk Form and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Despite competition among axe manufacturers remaining extremely tough in the 1980s and 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk became an increasingly sizeable player in the axe market. The company improved production and started selling in a growing number of countries. The idea of taking a step back to more painstaking and quality-driven production gradually started yielding results. Several other axe manufacturers also followed the ‘Gränsfors method’ and began producing axes in a similar vein – a clear indication that the changes were right, although the copies were sometimes ridiculously similar to the originals from Gränsfors.

focus on product development (1990 –)

One major reason why Gränsfors Bruk has survived in the face of tough competition from chainsaws and copies is its crystal clear strategy, with a focus on product development.

Gränsfors Bruk has always kept a step ahead of its copiers and driven the development of new models. Almost all the information available on axes and axe design was studied. Old axes with different appearances and functions were analysed, practical tests were carried out with a wide range of axes and many old axe forgers and axe users were interviewed – always with a view to staying a step ahead of competitors and leading the way in axe knowledge and product development. Without the many thousands of hours spent amassing knowledge in our professional field, it would have been difficult to make the decisions on change and investment that followed.

As well as providing a solid foundation for the company, the accrued knowledge also resulted in The Axe Book, which now accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors, and the Axe Museum, which has proved a goldmine for product development ideas. In the 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk started working with independent experts and many of the heavily copied models were quickly replaced with new models offering better design and function. None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990. The Swedish Carving Axe was produced in collaboration with craftsman Wille Sundqvist and others in 1994. In 1995, Gränsfors Bruk developed and launched the Hunter’s Axe, which was consciously made so different from other axes that the design was able to be protected under intellectual property law. The Hunter’s Axe was named an ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ in 1995. That same year is when Gränsfors Bruk started selling its axes with a 20 Year Product Guarantee. In 1996, Gränsfors Bruk launched a new range of broad axes and other tools for log-building. 1997 saw the arrival of a new, smaller Carpenter’s Axe and the earlier version, which had been copied, went out of production. By this time, eight new models had been introduced since 1990.

The whole range of axes for splitting wood was replaced in 1997-1998 and a brand new type of splitting axe and maul was launched, with a steel collar to protect the handle. The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute declared Gränsfors Bruk’s new Large Splitting Axe ‘Best in Test’. 1998 also marked the appearance of the American Felling Axe, developed jointly with US canoe builder and woodsman Geoffrey Burke. The Gränsfors Mini Hatchet came out in 2000 and was an instant success. A range of sharpening tools was launched in 2003, as well as the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe. Over the period 2000-2006, various replicas of historic axes from the Iron Age and Viking Age were also developed, under the title of Ancient Northern European Axes. Now they are simply called Gränsfors Bruk’s Ancient Axes. In 2008 came the Outdoor Axe in partnership with survival expert Lars Fält. The Outdoor Axe is now protected by a patent.

* Lars Fält established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years.

Over the past 25 years of Gränsfors Bruk’s history, product development has been critical to the company’s survival, an ongoing process that must never stop.

a new generation takes over (2010 –)

Over the years, many axe forges in Sweden and around the world have closed down. As of 2013, the only forges left in Sweden were Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik and Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. Finland has Fiskars, whose range includes axes. In Norway and Denmark there are no big axeproducers left.

Gränsfors Bruk is doing well, despite two deep financial crises over the past decade. The company has in fact strengthened its position in the axe market and gradually increased its revenues. Gränsfors Bruk’s axes are now sold in 30 countries, making it one of the leading axe producers in the world, with an extremely strong brand in its industry. Recent years have seen a gradual generational shift within the company, where two of Gabriels sons, Adam and Daniel are now leading the company.

the time before gränsfors bruks ab (1868 – 1902)

The first concrete evidence we have about an axe forge in Gränsfors dates from the mid-19th century. In 1868, scythe smith Johan Pettersson (JP), aged 33, moved with his family and his brother Anders Pettersson (AP), aged 18, from Älvdalen to Gränsfors and set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge. Johan Pettersson probably also made axes in his scythe forge, which he ran until 1900. In 1871, younger brother Anders Pettersson bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which in 1902 formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge. Anders also forged both scythes and axes.

The latter part of the 19th century marked the start of large-scale logging operations in northern Sweden and demand for forest tools, above all axes, exploded. Around 400,000 people worked full- or part-time in the forest at the peak of the logging.

By the end of the 19th century there were around ten axe factories in Sweden turning out large quantities of axes. The most well known axe forges, from the south of the country upwards, were in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle and Edsbyn. Although axe exports were high from an early stage, the biggest demand remained up north, which is how the idea came about to build a new axe forge north of the existing ones. The chosen location was of course Gränsfors.

formation of gränsfors bruks ab (1902)

1902 saw Anders Pettersson form the limited company Gränsfors Bruk, which took over the forge in Gränsfors.

The term ‘bruk’ (works) was used historically to describe large industrial companies, e.g. ‘bergsbruk’ (mining works) and ‘järnbruk’ (ironworks). Both these activities were governed by Royal privileges. Mining companies had the privilege and duty to mine iron ore and make pig iron, but only the ironworks had the right to turn the pig iron into bar iron – the base material for making iron products.

The word ‘bruk’ is also used for other factories, such as ‘glasbruk’ (glassworks) and ‘pappersbruk’ (papermill).

The works and mills were largely self-sufficient communities, with most of what was needed for production and survival produced locally. Farming and forestry were integrated into the operation, as were food and lodgings for employees. The location of many works and mills was largely determined by access to energy from nearby rivers.

All Royal privileges were abolished in 1859, opening up the industries to freer competition. The old industrial operations were often turned into limited companies. Some removed the word ‘bruk’ from their name, but retained their status as the dominant workplace and powerhouse in their area.

The work ‘Bruk’ in Gränsfors Bruk’s company name may have been a way to make the company seem bigger and more historic than it actually was. Gränsfors Bruk certainly did not emerge from the old industrial works with their Royal privileges, but this fact probably remained unknown to its customers, who were often based a long way down south in Sweden and had never set foot anywhere near Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson headed the new company from 1902-1908. Alfred Wennerström came to Gränsfors at that time, having worked at other axe forges in Sweden, as did smith Oskar Rising, who had worked at the forge in Pinjainen, Finland (now Fiskars). In 1907, there were 10 people working at Gränsfors Bruk. After Anders Pettersson, banker A. Lundberg was head of Gränsfors Bruk for a few years.

the eriksson family (1917 – 1982)

Olof Eriksson moved from Kall in Jämtland to Bergsjö aged 25 and set up a hardware store under the name O. Eriksson Järnaffär. In addition to his retail operation, he also traded in goods that he commissioned, mostly from local producers. These included scythes, axes, forestry tools and other items that generally went under the name of ironmongery. A highly enterprising man, Olof Eriksson was involved in starting up several companies in the area. In 1917, Eriksson took over Gränsfors Bruk and became its managing director. After 1917, axe production rose sharply with the purchase of a new ‘Arboga 35’ forging press, partially funded by Eriksson the ironmonger. The press cost SEK 17,000 back then, and is still used to this day at Gränsfors Bruk to forge the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe and the Gränsfors Mini Hatchet.

focus on exports (1920 – 1960)

In 1920, axe production almost came to a standstill. For a brief time, only the brothers Birger and Axel Wennerström were working at Gränsfors Bruk. In the 1920s, Olof Eriksson contacted the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, prompting the launch of exports to Russia. The list of export markets later expanded hugely, key amongst them being South America and Canada. The export countries also included the USA, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Latvia. Production was low during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but soon took off again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Axel Bäckström was in charge, with Axel Wennerström heading up production. Despite Swedish being the only language that they and everyone else at Gränsfors Bruk spoke, during this period the company successfully exported primarily to the USA, Argentina and Colombia. During and after the Second World War, business remained good and Gränsfors Bruk celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1952 in fine form. That year the workforce of 40 men produced nearly 200,000 axe heads. Twelve of these men, who had worked at the forge for 25 years or more, were awarded medals for their long and faithful service.

However, later that same year the company suffered a serious financial crisis. This was caused by the loss of a major customer, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, after its owner fell ill. As a consequence, several employees had to be made redundant, although a few years later the American customer’s owner recovered and business was reinstated, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to start hiring again.

When Olof Eriksson died in 1956, the helm transferred from Axel Bäckström to Olof Eriksson’s son, Torgny Eriksson. Axel Bäckström and Axel Wennerström both left the company in around 1960. Torgny was managing director and later chairman of Gränsfors Bruk until his death. He left behind seven children, including son Lars Eriksson, who had to take on the difficult challenge of leading a small family company with eight owners (seven siblings + his mother). Lars’ brother-in-law Johan Skärgård was production manager, while the chief accountant was Lars’ brother Olle Eriksson, who also worked for the family’s company Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö at the same time. The fact that some members of the family worked in the company and others were only shareholders cannot have made it any easier to manage the company.

Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius who kept all the production equipment up to scratch, was an important figure at Gränsfors Bruk during the 50s, 60s and into the 70s.

During the 1960s, Gränsfors Bruk produced over 200,000 axe heads per year, with major exports to the USA, Finland, Canada, Argentina and Thailand. During this time, export correspondence was dealt with by Oliny, Torgny Eriksson’s sister. Exports to Finland went through the Finnish company Stridsberg & Björk, and some years numbered over 40,000 axe heads.

the chainsaw takes over (1960 – 1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, logging levels fell and chainsaws started being widely used for forestry work, first for felling and then also for limbing the felled tree. There were fewer forest workers and fewer people who used an axe. As a result, demand for axes in Sweden fell dramatically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The remaining axe forges were able to survive and temporarily even increase their production on the back of competing forges closing at a time when the export of axes showed potential for growth. In 1974, Gränsfors Bruk made 200,000 axe heads, 80 percent of which went for export.

The first oil crisis in the mid-1970s caused a sudden surge in demand for axes, whose selling price rose, not least in Sweden. Producing and selling axes was once again a highly profitable business, but all the axe manufacturers in Sweden made the same strategic mistake. They focused on the profitable Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian markets, where the easiest, quickest money was to be made. 100 percent of production capacity was used, but the axe manufacturers were still unable to deliver to all their customers, and export customers on the other side of the world had to wait. Operations were rationalised as much as possible and automated grinders were brought in, simplifying both the production and the axes – often to the detriment of the axes’ quality. Gränsfors Bruk invested heavily and in 1979 built a new building over the old forging machines, but this investment became a financial burden on the company.

Once the good times of the 1970s came to an end, the whole axe industry was left with a terrible headache as demand plummeted. The chainsaw had now completely taken over in forestry and the axe customers of the oil crisis had disappeared. The Swedish industry tried selling axes back to the export customers that had been neglected for several years, but with little success. The export customers had been unable to wait, instead sourcing new axe suppliers from countries such as China, Brazil and the USA. The new competitors often had much lower prices and poorer quality compared with the Swedish products, but high-quality axes were no longer as desirable as they once were. The professional forest workers who used to use axes in their work were by now using chainsaws.

Coupled with reduced demand for axes in export countries, this led to a drop in price levels. Fewer axes were being sold at lower prices, even as the cost of axe production was rising, making a serious dent in the profits of axe manufacturers.

These were financially tough times for Gränsfors Bruk and new solutions were sought. One of these was an agreement with Finnish axe maker Fiskars, where Gränsfors Bruk would forge Fiskars-branded axe heads, which Fiskars would then sell in Finland. This brought to an end the long-standing partnership with Stridsberg & Björk in Finland. However, the new arrangement proved a mistake for Gränsfors Bruk, which lost all its sales to Finland in just a few years.

Gränsfors Bruk bankrupt (1982– 1985)

In 1982, the Eriksson family decided to sell Gränsfors Bruks AB. The new owners and the new management team unfortunately had no interest in axe production, focusing entirely on investing in and manufacturing chain links with the help of state aid. The plan was then to sell these links to the listed company Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn, whose customers included the offshore industry. However, things did not go quite to plan. The big new forging machine never worked properly and production never got started. In 1985, Ljusne Kätting went bankrupt, dragging Gränsfors Bruk down with it.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

No history of Gränsfors Bruk is complete without tracing the roots of Svedbro Smide as well. The story of Gränsfors Bruk actually has two branches.

Svedbro Smide’s story starts in the late 19th century with a smith called Gustav Tiderman. In 1878, he established a water-powered forge in Svedbro, on the Annån river that crosses the road between Gnarp and Bergsjö, about 10 km from Gränsfors. However, the business went bankrupt after just one year and the Svedbro forge was taken over by Johan Sjölander, who ran it for about 12 years. On Johan’s death in around 1890, the forge was sold by his widow, Kajsa-Stina, to Anders Erik Bergqvist, who in turn handed the forge on to his son Erik Bergqvist in 1924. Erik was a trained smith and farrier, with a wife called Britta. Erik died in 1941 and Britta was suddenly responsible for the forge. In contrast to that other forge widow Kajsa-Stina half a century before, Britta decided to hold on to the Svedbro forge.

Britta ran the forge for six years under the name ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ with the help of smiths John Enander and Rudolf Larsson. Their products included welded high-pressure boilers and water heaters. However, a shortage of materials during the Second World War brought such production to an end. Instead, they continued to manufacture grub hoes, lifting tongs and lifting hooks.

partnership with gränsfors bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 saw John Enander’s nephew Per Enander, aged 22, start an apprenticeship at the Svedbro forge, which now produced a large number of contract pieces for ironmonger O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö. After a few years, Per married Britta’s only daughter and in 1947 took over the Svedbro forge, which also changed its name to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per continued to supply the ironmonger in Bergsjö and in 1948 also started making an older version of a wrecking bar that was sold to Gränsfors Bruk.

1951 marked the start of another partnership between Svedbro Smidesfabrik and the Stockholm-based company Skogsdon AB, with Svebro producing a number of different forestry tools for them.

In 1952, Gränsfors Bruk’s owner Torgny Eriksson, office manager Axel Bäckström and salesman Tore Vestin contacted Svedbro Smidesfabrik about them making a new wrecking bar, for which Gränsfors Bruk would provide the steel. The wrecking bars were branded TOVE after salesman Tore Vestin, and were based on an original design that Smedbro Smide had been making since 1942. However, the partnership between the two companies was not a great success, with the steel often running out and Gränsfors Bruk frequently dragging out payments to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1960, Per Enander was offered the option of taking over from Axel Wennerström as forge manager at Gränsfors Bruk and at the same time selling Svedbro Smidesfabrik to Gränsfors Bruk. Per declined the offer. Instead, Per built a new forge in Gnarp with the help of Gnarp Municipality. Per and his wife Elsie worked here until their retirement in 1985.

the swedish government buys and sells (1960 – 1985)

During the 1960s, Svedbro Smidesfabrik expanded beyond wrecking bars and forestry tools to include forestry machines. In 1961, Skogsdon AB, a company whose business concept was to “develop and sell everything as a lumberjack needs”, become the minority shareholder in Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1971, the Swedish National Forest Enterprise, Domänverket (today Sveaskog) bought Skogsdon AB, making the Swedish state a joint owner of Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1978, Skogsdon bought all the shares in Svedbro Smidesfabrik and changed its name to Svedbro Smide AB. That same year, Skogsdon bought and merged with its rival Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB which had offices and warehouses in the Swedish town Säter. In connection with this, Skogsdon moved its headquarters from Stockholm and its warehouse, which since the 1960s has been located near Svedbro, also to Säter which in the eyes of the forest industry in Sweden, were more centrally located.

During the 1970 – and 1980’s, Svedbro Smide manufactured 50 or so different forestry tools alongside the wrecking bars. Sales of forestry tools, sold by Skogsdon, later Nordforest Skogsdon, however decreased as the number of active forest workers dropped due to increased mechanisation of forestry. Major products were during this time for example the tree felling tool, Stalpen and planting equipments, including a new planting tube.

In 1982, Domänverket sold Svedbro Smide to Gabriel Brånby who had previously been the CEO of Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. In 1985, Svedbro Smide bought Gränsfors Bruks AB that had just gone bankrupt, and this was the beginning of a new journey.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

In 1985, Svedbro Smide purchased the company Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide forged wrecking bars and forestry tools in Gnarp using technology that was similar to what Gränsfors had. The two businesses were merged into a single unit under the name of Gränsfors Bruks AB, but in 2005, the business was once again split into Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruk’s Wrecking Bar Forge in Gnarp.

In 1988, Gränsfors Bruk sold off its forestry tools business to Sandvik’s subsidiary Eia and concentrated more on making axes, splitting mauls, tree felling jacks, planting tubes and wrecking bars.

Some time later, the planting tube business was also sold off to Finnish company Lännen.

more paintaking and quality-driven production (1988 – )

Until now Gränsfors Bruk had, like other manufacturers, focused on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, often at the cost of both function and quality. The working environment was poor, the smiths were doing piecework and faults in the forging were concealed through rough grinding, rubbing, polishing and finally painting. A great deal of effort went into the post-production work and profit margins were low.

In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago. Knowledge about axes, their function and environmental issues became the guiding light for axe production. The restructuring was based on the insight that when you strip out everything that is unnecessary, you often get a more honest, eco-friendly and even attractive product.

The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time. The most important factor became quality, not quantity. The focus was placed on ensuring that the job of forging was done well, which removed much of the need for subsequent grinding. Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles. One by-product of this major change in production was that in 1990 Gränsfors Bruk won a prize in the Ecological Design competition organised by Svensk Form and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Despite competition among axe manufacturers remaining extremely tough in the 1980s and 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk became an increasingly sizeable player in the axe market. The company improved production and started selling in a growing number of countries. The idea of taking a step back to more painstaking and quality-driven production gradually started yielding results. Several other axe manufacturers also followed the ‘Gränsfors method’ and began producing axes in a similar vein – a clear indication that the changes were right, although the copies were sometimes ridiculously similar to the originals from Gränsfors.

focus on product development (1990 –)

One major reason why Gränsfors Bruk has survived in the face of tough competition from chainsaws and copies is its crystal clear strategy, with a focus on product development.

Gränsfors Bruk has always kept a step ahead of its copiers and driven the development of new models. Almost all the information available on axes and axe design was studied. Old axes with different appearances and functions were analysed, practical tests were carried out with a wide range of axes and many old axe forgers and axe users were interviewed – always with a view to staying a step ahead of competitors and leading the way in axe knowledge and product development. Without the many thousands of hours spent amassing knowledge in our professional field, it would have been difficult to make the decisions on change and investment that followed.

As well as providing a solid foundation for the company, the accrued knowledge also resulted in The Axe Book, which now accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors, and the Axe Museum, which has proved a goldmine for product development ideas. In the 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk started working with independent experts and many of the heavily copied models were quickly replaced with new models offering better design and function. None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990. The Swedish Carving Axe was produced in collaboration with craftsman Wille Sundqvist and others in 1994. In 1995, Gränsfors Bruk developed and launched the Hunter’s Axe, which was consciously made so different from other axes that the design was able to be protected under intellectual property law. The Hunter’s Axe was named an ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ in 1995. That same year is when Gränsfors Bruk started selling its axes with a 20 Year Product Guarantee. In 1996, Gränsfors Bruk launched a new range of broad axes and other tools for log-building. 1997 saw the arrival of a new, smaller Carpenter’s Axe and the earlier version, which had been copied, went out of production. By this time, eight new models had been introduced since 1990.

The whole range of axes for splitting wood was replaced in 1997-1998 and a brand new type of splitting axe and maul was launched, with a steel collar to protect the handle. The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute declared Gränsfors Bruk’s new Large Splitting Axe ‘Best in Test’. 1998 also marked the appearance of the American Felling Axe, developed jointly with US canoe builder and woodsman Geoffrey Burke. The Gränsfors Mini Hatchet came out in 2000 and was an instant success. A range of sharpening tools was launched in 2003, as well as the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe. Over the period 2000-2006, various replicas of historic axes from the Iron Age and Viking Age were also developed, under the title of Ancient Northern European Axes. Now they are simply called Gränsfors Bruk’s Ancient Axes. In 2008 came the Outdoor Axe in partnership with survival expert Lars Fält. The Outdoor Axe is now protected by a patent.

* Lars Fält established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years.

Over the past 25 years of Gränsfors Bruk’s history, product development has been critical to the company’s survival, an ongoing process that must never stop.

a new generation takes over (2010 –)

Over the years, many axe forges in Sweden and around the world have closed down. As of 2013, the only forges left in Sweden were Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik and Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. Finland has Fiskars, whose range includes axes. In Norway and Denmark there are no big axeproducers left.

Gränsfors Bruk is doing well, despite two deep financial crises over the past decade. The company has in fact strengthened its position in the axe market and gradually increased its revenues. Gränsfors Bruk’s axes are now sold in 30 countries, making it one of the leading axe producers in the world, with an extremely strong brand in its industry. Recent years have seen a gradual generational shift within the company, where two of Gabriels sons, Adam and Daniel are now leading the company.

the time before gränsfors bruks ab (1868 – 1902)

The first concrete evidence we have about an axe forge in Gränsfors dates from the mid-19th century. In 1868, scythe smith Johan Pettersson (JP), aged 33, moved with his family and his brother Anders Pettersson (AP), aged 18, from Älvdalen to Gränsfors and set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge. Johan Pettersson probably also made axes in his scythe forge, which he ran until 1900. In 1871, younger brother Anders Pettersson bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which in 1902 formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge. Anders also forged both scythes and axes.

The latter part of the 19th century marked the start of large-scale logging operations in northern Sweden and demand for forest tools, above all axes, exploded. Around 400,000 people worked full- or part-time in the forest at the peak of the logging.

By the end of the 19th century there were around ten axe factories in Sweden turning out large quantities of axes. The most well known axe forges, from the south of the country upwards, were in Forserum, Kölefors, Åby, Arvika, Säter, Storvik, Gävle and Edsbyn. Although axe exports were high from an early stage, the biggest demand remained up north, which is how the idea came about to build a new axe forge north of the existing ones. The chosen location was of course Gränsfors.

formation of gränsfors bruks ab (1902)

1902 saw Anders Pettersson form the limited company Gränsfors Bruk, which took over the forge in Gränsfors.

The term ‘bruk’ (works) was used historically to describe large industrial companies, e.g. ‘bergsbruk’ (mining works) and ‘järnbruk’ (ironworks). Both these activities were governed by Royal privileges. Mining companies had the privilege and duty to mine iron ore and make pig iron, but only the ironworks had the right to turn the pig iron into bar iron – the base material for making iron products.

The word ‘bruk’ is also used for other factories, such as ‘glasbruk’ (glassworks) and ‘pappersbruk’ (papermill).

The works and mills were largely self-sufficient communities, with most of what was needed for production and survival produced locally. Farming and forestry were integrated into the operation, as were food and lodgings for employees. The location of many works and mills was largely determined by access to energy from nearby rivers.

All Royal privileges were abolished in 1859, opening up the industries to freer competition. The old industrial operations were often turned into limited companies. Some removed the word ‘bruk’ from their name, but retained their status as the dominant workplace and powerhouse in their area.

The work ‘Bruk’ in Gränsfors Bruk’s company name may have been a way to make the company seem bigger and more historic than it actually was. Gränsfors Bruk certainly did not emerge from the old industrial works with their Royal privileges, but this fact probably remained unknown to its customers, who were often based a long way down south in Sweden and had never set foot anywhere near Gränsfors.

Anders Pettersson headed the new company from 1902-1908. Alfred Wennerström came to Gränsfors at that time, having worked at other axe forges in Sweden, as did smith Oskar Rising, who had worked at the forge in Pinjainen, Finland (now Fiskars). In 1907, there were 10 people working at Gränsfors Bruk. After Anders Pettersson, banker A. Lundberg was head of Gränsfors Bruk for a few years.

the eriksson family (1917 – 1982)

Olof Eriksson moved from Kall in Jämtland to Bergsjö aged 25 and set up a hardware store under the name O. Eriksson Järnaffär. In addition to his retail operation, he also traded in goods that he commissioned, mostly from local producers. These included scythes, axes, forestry tools and other items that generally went under the name of ironmongery. A highly enterprising man, Olof Eriksson was involved in starting up several companies in the area. In 1917, Eriksson took over Gränsfors Bruk and became its managing director. After 1917, axe production rose sharply with the purchase of a new ‘Arboga 35’ forging press, partially funded by Eriksson the ironmonger. The press cost SEK 17,000 back then, and is still used to this day at Gränsfors Bruk to forge the Gränsfors Outdoor Axe and the Gränsfors Mini Hatchet.

focus on exports (1920 – 1960)

In 1920, axe production almost came to a standstill. For a brief time, only the brothers Birger and Axel Wennerström were working at Gränsfors Bruk. In the 1920s, Olof Eriksson contacted the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, prompting the launch of exports to Russia. The list of export markets later expanded hugely, key amongst them being South America and Canada. The export countries also included the USA, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Latvia. Production was low during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but soon took off again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Axel Bäckström was in charge, with Axel Wennerström heading up production. Despite Swedish being the only language that they and everyone else at Gränsfors Bruk spoke, during this period the company successfully exported primarily to the USA, Argentina and Colombia. During and after the Second World War, business remained good and Gränsfors Bruk celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1952 in fine form. That year the workforce of 40 men produced nearly 200,000 axe heads. Twelve of these men, who had worked at the forge for 25 years or more, were awarded medals for their long and faithful service.

However, later that same year the company suffered a serious financial crisis. This was caused by the loss of a major customer, Strohecker & Broesamle in San Francisco, after its owner fell ill. As a consequence, several employees had to be made redundant, although a few years later the American customer’s owner recovered and business was reinstated, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to start hiring again.

When Olof Eriksson died in 1956, the helm transferred from Axel Bäckström to Olof Eriksson’s son, Torgny Eriksson. Axel Bäckström and Axel Wennerström both left the company in around 1960. Torgny was managing director and later chairman of Gränsfors Bruk until his death. He left behind seven children, including son Lars Eriksson, who had to take on the difficult challenge of leading a small family company with eight owners (seven siblings + his mother). Lars’ brother-in-law Johan Skärgård was production manager, while the chief accountant was Lars’ brother Olle Eriksson, who also worked for the family’s company Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö at the same time. The fact that some members of the family worked in the company and others were only shareholders cannot have made it any easier to manage the company.

Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius who kept all the production equipment up to scratch, was an important figure at Gränsfors Bruk during the 50s, 60s and into the 70s.

During the 1960s, Gränsfors Bruk produced over 200,000 axe heads per year, with major exports to the USA, Finland, Canada, Argentina and Thailand. During this time, export correspondence was dealt with by Oliny, Torgny Eriksson’s sister. Exports to Finland went through the Finnish company Stridsberg & Björk, and some years numbered over 40,000 axe heads.

the chainsaw takes over (1960 – 1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, logging levels fell and chainsaws started being widely used for forestry work, first for felling and then also for limbing the felled tree. There were fewer forest workers and fewer people who used an axe. As a result, demand for axes in Sweden fell dramatically during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The remaining axe forges were able to survive and temporarily even increase their production on the back of competing forges closing at a time when the export of axes showed potential for growth. In 1974, Gränsfors Bruk made 200,000 axe heads, 80 percent of which went for export.

The first oil crisis in the mid-1970s caused a sudden surge in demand for axes, whose selling price rose, not least in Sweden. Producing and selling axes was once again a highly profitable business, but all the axe manufacturers in Sweden made the same strategic mistake. They focused on the profitable Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian markets, where the easiest, quickest money was to be made. 100 percent of production capacity was used, but the axe manufacturers were still unable to deliver to all their customers, and export customers on the other side of the world had to wait. Operations were rationalised as much as possible and automated grinders were brought in, simplifying both the production and the axes – often to the detriment of the axes’ quality. Gränsfors Bruk invested heavily and in 1979 built a new building over the old forging machines, but this investment became a financial burden on the company.

Once the good times of the 1970s came to an end, the whole axe industry was left with a terrible headache as demand plummeted. The chainsaw had now completely taken over in forestry and the axe customers of the oil crisis had disappeared. The Swedish industry tried selling axes back to the export customers that had been neglected for several years, but with little success. The export customers had been unable to wait, instead sourcing new axe suppliers from countries such as China, Brazil and the USA. The new competitors often had much lower prices and poorer quality compared with the Swedish products, but high-quality axes were no longer as desirable as they once were. The professional forest workers who used to use axes in their work were by now using chainsaws.

Coupled with reduced demand for axes in export countries, this led to a drop in price levels. Fewer axes were being sold at lower prices, even as the cost of axe production was rising, making a serious dent in the profits of axe manufacturers.

These were financially tough times for Gränsfors Bruk and new solutions were sought. One of these was an agreement with Finnish axe maker Fiskars, where Gränsfors Bruk would forge Fiskars-branded axe heads, which Fiskars would then sell in Finland. This brought to an end the long-standing partnership with Stridsberg & Björk in Finland. However, the new arrangement proved a mistake for Gränsfors Bruk, which lost all its sales to Finland in just a few years.

Gränsfors Bruk bankrupt (1982– 1985)

In 1982, the Eriksson family decided to sell Gränsfors Bruks AB. The new owners and the new management team unfortunately had no interest in axe production, focusing entirely on investing in and manufacturing chain links with the help of state aid. The plan was then to sell these links to the listed company Ljusne Kätting in Söderhamn, whose customers included the offshore industry. However, things did not go quite to plan. The big new forging machine never worked properly and production never got started. In 1985, Ljusne Kätting went bankrupt, dragging Gränsfors Bruk down with it.

Svedbro Smide AB (1878 – 1940)

No history of Gränsfors Bruk is complete without tracing the roots of Svedbro Smide as well. The story of Gränsfors Bruk actually has two branches.

Svedbro Smide’s story starts in the late 19th century with a smith called Gustav Tiderman. In 1878, he established a water-powered forge in Svedbro, on the Annån river that crosses the road between Gnarp and Bergsjö, about 10 km from Gränsfors. However, the business went bankrupt after just one year and the Svedbro forge was taken over by Johan Sjölander, who ran it for about 12 years. On Johan’s death in around 1890, the forge was sold by his widow, Kajsa-Stina, to Anders Erik Bergqvist, who in turn handed the forge on to his son Erik Bergqvist in 1924. Erik was a trained smith and farrier, with a wife called Britta. Erik died in 1941 and Britta was suddenly responsible for the forge. In contrast to that other forge widow Kajsa-Stina half a century before, Britta decided to hold on to the Svedbro forge.

Britta ran the forge for six years under the name ‘Erik Bergqvist Smide Sterbhus’ with the help of smiths John Enander and Rudolf Larsson. Their products included welded high-pressure boilers and water heaters. However, a shortage of materials during the Second World War brought such production to an end. Instead, they continued to manufacture grub hoes, lifting tongs and lifting hooks.

partnership with gränsfors bruk (1940 – 1960)

1943 saw John Enander’s nephew Per Enander, aged 22, start an apprenticeship at the Svedbro forge, which now produced a large number of contract pieces for ironmonger O Erikssons Järnhandel in Bergsjö. After a few years, Per married Britta’s only daughter and in 1947 took over the Svedbro forge, which also changed its name to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. Per continued to supply the ironmonger in Bergsjö and in 1948 also started making an older version of a wrecking bar that was sold to Gränsfors Bruk.

1951 marked the start of another partnership between Svedbro Smidesfabrik and the Stockholm-based company Skogsdon AB, with Svebro producing a number of different forestry tools for them.

In 1952, Gränsfors Bruk’s owner Torgny Eriksson, office manager Axel Bäckström and salesman Tore Vestin contacted Svedbro Smidesfabrik about them making a new wrecking bar, for which Gränsfors Bruk would provide the steel. The wrecking bars were branded TOVE after salesman Tore Vestin, and were based on an original design that Smedbro Smide had been making since 1942. However, the partnership between the two companies was not a great success, with the steel often running out and Gränsfors Bruk frequently dragging out payments to Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1960, Per Enander was offered the option of taking over from Axel Wennerström as forge manager at Gränsfors Bruk and at the same time selling Svedbro Smidesfabrik to Gränsfors Bruk. Per declined the offer. Instead, Per built a new forge in Gnarp with the help of Gnarp Municipality. Per and his wife Elsie worked here until their retirement in 1985.

the swedish government buys and sells (1960 – 1985)

During the 1960s, Svedbro Smidesfabrik expanded beyond wrecking bars and forestry tools to include forestry machines. In 1961, Skogsdon AB, a company whose business concept was to “develop and sell everything as a lumberjack needs”, become the minority shareholder in Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1971, the Swedish National Forest Enterprise, Domänverket (today Sveaskog) bought Skogsdon AB, making the Swedish state a joint owner of Svedbro Smidesfabrik. In 1978, Skogsdon bought all the shares in Svedbro Smidesfabrik and changed its name to Svedbro Smide AB. That same year, Skogsdon bought and merged with its rival Nordforest Skogstillbehör AB which had offices and warehouses in the Swedish town Säter. In connection with this, Skogsdon moved its headquarters from Stockholm and its warehouse, which since the 1960s has been located near Svedbro, also to Säter which in the eyes of the forest industry in Sweden, were more centrally located.

During the 1970 – and 1980’s, Svedbro Smide manufactured 50 or so different forestry tools alongside the wrecking bars. Sales of forestry tools, sold by Skogsdon, later Nordforest Skogsdon, however decreased as the number of active forest workers dropped due to increased mechanisation of forestry. Major products were during this time for example the tree felling tool, Stalpen and planting equipments, including a new planting tube.

In 1982, Domänverket sold Svedbro Smide to Gabriel Brånby who had previously been the CEO of Skogsdon 1977 – 1980. In 1985, Svedbro Smide bought Gränsfors Bruks AB that had just gone bankrupt, and this was the beginning of a new journey.

Svedbro Smide + Gränsfors Bruk (1985 – )

In 1985, Svedbro Smide purchased the company Gränsfors Bruk. Svedbro Smide forged wrecking bars and forestry tools in Gnarp using technology that was similar to what Gränsfors had. The two businesses were merged into a single unit under the name of Gränsfors Bruks AB, but in 2005, the business was once again split into Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge in Gränsfors and Gränsfors Bruk’s Wrecking Bar Forge in Gnarp.

In 1988, Gränsfors Bruk sold off its forestry tools business to Sandvik’s subsidiary Eia and concentrated more on making axes, splitting mauls, tree felling jacks, planting tubes and wrecking bars.

Some time later, the planting tube business was also sold off to Finnish company Lännen.

more paintaking and quality-driven production (1988 – )

Until now Gränsfors Bruk had, like other manufacturers, focused on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, often at the cost of both function and quality. The working environment was poor, the smiths were doing piecework and faults in the forging were concealed through rough grinding, rubbing, polishing and finally painting. A great deal of effort went into the post-production work and profit margins were low.

In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago. Knowledge about axes, their function and environmental issues became the guiding light for axe production. The restructuring was based on the insight that when you strip out everything that is unnecessary, you often get a more honest, eco-friendly and even attractive product.

The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time. The most important factor became quality, not quantity. The focus was placed on ensuring that the job of forging was done well, which removed much of the need for subsequent grinding. Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles. One by-product of this major change in production was that in 1990 Gränsfors Bruk won a prize in the Ecological Design competition organised by Svensk Form and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Despite competition among axe manufacturers remaining extremely tough in the 1980s and 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk became an increasingly sizeable player in the axe market. The company improved production and started selling in a growing number of countries. The idea of taking a step back to more painstaking and quality-driven production gradually started yielding results. Several other axe manufacturers also followed the ‘Gränsfors method’ and began producing axes in a similar vein – a clear indication that the changes were right, although the copies were sometimes ridiculously similar to the originals from Gränsfors.

focus on product development (1990 –)

One major reason why Gränsfors Bruk has survived in the face of tough competition from chainsaws and copies is its crystal clear strategy, with a focus on product development.

Gränsfors Bruk has always kept a step ahead of its copiers and driven the development of new models. Almost all the information available on axes and axe design was studied. Old axes with different appearances and functions were analysed, practical tests were carried out with a wide range of axes and many old axe forgers and axe users were interviewed – always with a view to staying a step ahead of competitors and leading the way in axe knowledge and product development. Without the many thousands of hours spent amassing knowledge in our professional field, it would have been difficult to make the decisions on change and investment that followed.

As well as providing a solid foundation for the company, the accrued knowledge also resulted in The Axe Book, which now accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors, and the Axe Museum, which has proved a goldmine for product development ideas. In the 1990s, Gränsfors Bruk started working with independent experts and many of the heavily copied models were quickly replaced with new models offering better design and function. None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990. The Swedish Carving Axe was produced in collaboration with craftsman Wille Sundqvist and others in 1994. In 1995, Gränsfors Bruk developed and launched the Hunter’s Axe, which was consciously made so different from other axes that the design was able to be protected under intellectual property law. The Hunter’s Axe was named an ‘Excellent Swedish Design’ in 1995. That same year is when Gränsfors Bruk started selling its axes with a 20 Year Product Guarantee. In 1996, Gränsfors Bruk launched a new range of broad axes and other tools for log-building. 1997 saw the arrival of a new, smaller Carpenter’s Axe and the earlier version, which had been copied, went out of production. By this time, eight new models had been introduced since 1990.

The whole range of axes for splitting wood was replaced in 1997-1998 and a brand new type of splitting axe and maul was launched, with a steel collar to protect the handle. The Swedish National Testing and Research Institute declared Gränsfors Bruk’s new Large Splitting Axe ‘Best in Test’. 1998 also marked the appearance of the American Felling Axe, developed jointly with US canoe builder and woodsman Geoffrey Burke. The Gränsfors Mini Hatchet came out in 2000 and was an instant success. A range of sharpening tools was launched in 2003, as well as the Gränsfors Small Splitting Axe. Over the period 2000-2006, various replicas of historic axes from the Iron Age and Viking Age were also developed, under the title of Ancient Northern European Axes. Now they are simply called Gränsfors Bruk’s Ancient Axes. In 2008 came the Outdoor Axe in partnership with survival expert Lars Fält. The Outdoor Axe is now protected by a patent.

* Lars Fält established the Swedish Armed Forces Survival School and has trained the Swedish Army Ranger Battalion for 35 years.

Over the past 25 years of Gränsfors Bruk’s history, product development has been critical to the company’s survival, an ongoing process that must never stop.

a new generation takes over (2010 –)

Over the years, many axe forges in Sweden and around the world have closed down. As of 2013, the only forges left in Sweden were Hultafors/Hults Bruk in Åby, S.A. Wetterlings in Storvik and Gränsfors Bruk in Gränsfors. Finland has Fiskars, whose range includes axes. In Norway and Denmark there are no big axeproducers left.

Gränsfors Bruk is doing well, despite two deep financial crises over the past decade. The company has in fact strengthened its position in the axe market and gradually increased its revenues. Gränsfors Bruk’s axes are now sold in 30 countries, making it one of the leading axe producers in the world, with an extremely strong brand in its industry. Recent years have seen a gradual generational shift within the company, where two of Gabriels sons, Adam and Daniel are now leading the company.