Ab Saffle Mobelfabrik Biography
Seffle Möbelfabrik was founded in 1909 by a group of furniture manufacturers who had been left unemployed due to the general strike. These workers decided to start an employee-owned factory to find work. Over the years, the company was operated and owned by seventy-year-old employees until 1957.
Through determination and an intensive marketing strategy, the company grew in the 1930s to become one of the leading furniture industries in western Sweden. In 1957, the company was sold to Kaj Bonnier/String Design AB. In 1971, String-Seffle was acquired by Varia Industrier AB in Flen, which was owned by Edvard Söderberg. Söderberg was also managing director of String-Seffle from 1972 to 1976.
Unfortunately, in 1979, the company declared bankruptcy and the company archive was destroyed. This project aims to document the history of Seffle Möbelfabrik and its 70 years of activity. In addition to a description of Säffle's products and operations, the project offers an overview of the development of the furniture industry in Sweden, moving from craftsmanship to industrialization.
Like many other companies in the industry, Seffle Möbelfabrik made a major investment in design in the 1950s. In 1960, it reached third place in the ranking of the most exported furniture from Sweden. However, the company was not the only one affected by the economic downturn, changes in consumer habits, and competition posed by increased furniture imports in the 1970s.
Seffle Möbelfabrik was part of a group of furniture companies that focused on producing high-quality furniture. The result of this documentation project will be published in book form, providing an informative text accompanied by abundant photographic material. Both company archives and a large number of private individuals were consulted to obtain materials and knowledge necessary for this work.
