History

We have been around a while

Bergwire is Scandinavia’s leading manufacturer of cold-drawn, high-carbon spring wire of the highest quality. LETAB wire, which is the common name for our products, is known the world over and is used for many different types of springs.

The decision to base our operation in Lesjöfors in the heart of Bergslagen was not a random one. With access to ore, timber and hydropower, it was deemed the ideal location for working iron. Industrial iron production began here in eastern Värmland as far back as the 16th century. It was Finnish immigrants who turned their hand to the hard and complicated task of producing pig iron. A blast furnace was installed in the mid-17th century at Dalkarlssjön, which later became the site of the Lesjöfors ironworks.

With a history dating back more than 350 years, Lesjöfors is an example of a classic Swedish single-industry town. The ironworks were actually owned by three families: Pihl-Mullberg, Ekman and De Geer. It was the most dynamic of the owners, Gustaf Ekman, who in the first half of the 19th century converted the hammer mill into a steelworks. He was also responsible for expanding operations to include finished and semi-finished products, e.g. files and steel wire.

The first wire was drawn at Lesjöfors in 1849. Back then, the wire tended to be turned into cables for use in ski lifts and excavators, among other machinery, as well as in the maritime and mining industries. Only a few years after the first wire was manufactured, the Lesjöfors works began producing steel springs, and it is for this product that most of the wire produced by Bergwire is used today.