ASEA
 | |
 ASEA HQ in Västerås | |
| Company type | Publicly traded aktiebolag |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electrical engineering |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Defunct | 31 December 1987 (merged with Brown Boveri to form ABB) |
| Successor | ABB |
| Headquarters | , |
Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company.
History
ASEA was founded in 1883[1] by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås as a manufacturer of electrical light and generators.[2] After merging with Wenström's & Granström's Electrical Power Company (Wenströms & Granströms Elektriska Kraftbolag) the name was changed to Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget, literally the "General Swedish Electrical Limited Company", or ASEA for short.[2]
In 1987, it announced a merger with the Swiss company Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) to form ABB.[1][3] The merge took effect on 1 January 1988.[4] After this merger, ABB acquired several companies, including the power transmission and distribution operations of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the Combustion Engineering Group.[1]
- 1889 – the partner Jonas Wenström creates 3-phased generators, motors and transformers.
- 1933 – The company removes the swastika from its logo, due to the symbol's association with Nazi Germany.[2]
- 1953 – ASEA creates the first industrial diamonds.
- 1954 – HVDC Gotland project, first static high-voltage DC system
- 1960s – ASEA builds nine of 12 nuclear plants in Sweden.
- 1968 – ASEA's elevator business gets acquired by Kone
- 1974 – Industrial robots are introduced by ASEA
- 1987 – Acquires Finnish Oy Strömberg Ab
- 1988 – Merges with Brown, Boveri & Cie, Asea Cylinda laundry appliances branch bought by Finnish furniture maker Asko, renamed Asko ASEA.
Business management
CEOs
- 1883–1891 – Ludvig Fredholm
- 1891–1903 – Göran Wenström
- 1903–1933 – Sigfrid Edström
- 1934–1942 – Arthur Lindén
- 1942–1949 – Thorsten Ericson
- 1949–1961 – Åke Vrethem
- 1961–1976 – Curt Nicolin
- 1976–1980 – Torsten L. Lindström
- 1980–1988 – Percy Barnevik
Chairman of the Board
- 1891–1891 – Ludvig Fredholm
- 1892–1909 – Oscar Fredrik Wijkman
- 1910–1914 – Oscar Wallenberg
- 1914–1933 – Sten Ankarcrona
- 1934–1949 – Sigfrid Edström
- 1949–1956 – Thorsten Ericson
- 1956–1976 – Marcus Wallenberg
- 1976–1991 – Curt Nicolin
See also
References
- ^ a b c Crainer, Stuart. ""A.B.B., the Dancing Giant" by Kevin Barham and Claudia Heimer". strategy+business. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ a b c "Tämä ei enää olisi mahdollista: ASEA myi sähkötarvikkeita hakaristin voimalla" [This would no longer be possible: ASEA sold electrical supplies under the power of a swastika]. Kauppalehti (in Finnish). 4 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ "BBC-Brown, Boveri and Asea Announce Merger". Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ ASEA-BBC merger Modern Railways issue 472 January 1988 page 34
Further reading
- Jan Glete, Asea under hundra år: 1883–1983: en studie i ett storföretags organisatoriska, tekniska och ekonomiska utveckling. (Västerås, 1987). (in Swedish).
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