THE INNOVATIVE MASTER BLACKSMITH
In 1950, Gunnar Persson became the next generation master of his trade in the family It was he who developed the company according to the business concept that Proplate lives by today.
His idea was a “Steel Service Center”, that is, an external supplier of sheet metal processing services, which came to replace many of the sheet metal workshops that had been available to heavy-plate users. Such an external supplier did not exist when innovator Gunnar Persson started this business in the 1950s.
FROM ONE-PIECE PRODUCTION TO SERIAL PRODUCTION
During the 1950s, a major step was taken towards the modern business we see today. The small smithy was developed into a workshop with modern machines and advanced operations. In the pictures, Gunnar Persson demonstrates operations in both old and new methods.
SMIDESBOLAGET’S PRODUCTS IN THE 1950s AND 60s
Heavy lifting devices and tiltable trailers were available in the Smidesbolaget’s array.
In the pictures they are demonstrated by Gunnar Persson.
Mostly Persson family relatives worked in the company. They are seen together in the picture in front of the small Degerfors workshop with their respective families
Entrepreneurial spirit and unconventional solutions have always been a hallmark of the family business. When Gunnar Persson did not receive funding to build an industrial building, the machines were simply placed outdoors.
Plate bending, 1973. The picture shows Per Persson,
brother of Anders Persson, with his back to the camera.
On the other side of the plate is Roger Andersen,
Anders’ uncle.