The decision that changed everything
In 1926, a local Ironworks approached the Åshammar Bolt Factory with an unusual request to manufacture rivets in a newly developed stainless steel. Another manufacturer had already declined the assignment as it was too difficult and different from conventional production.
But the Åshammar Bolt Factory accepted the challenge.
That decision would ultimately reshape global manufacturing. Stainless steel behaves very differently from carbon steel under cold forming conditions and engineers at Åshammar had to adapt their production methods. But the effort paid off.
By 1929, most standard fastener products could be supplied by the Åshammar Bolt Factory in stainless steel – making it one of the earliest manufacturers in the world to offer a comprehensive stainless steel fastener product range.
But this was more than just a product launch, it was the founding of a new industrial identity. The enhanced strength and corrosion resistance of stainless steel fasteners that would prove essential for twenty-first century industry can be traced back to a single decision to accept a job that someone else had refused.