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Stian Gundersen, sales and marketing at Norske Backer
Norske Backer has a long and exciting history. The story starts in Flisa, where a young boy with a thirst for invention grows up. His dream of being an inventor and entrepreneur takes him from secondary school in Kongsvinger to the technical college in Trondheim and on to Canada. There he starts his adventure in earnest.
Did you know that it was Flisa man Christian Backer who invented the heating element 100 years ago? Today, his invention is used all over the world, both in private homes and in industry. His patent is used, among other things, as a heating solution in the process industry and for oil and water heating.
Here's a short version of the Norske Backer story.
The prototype heating element saw the light of day as early as 1921, while Christian Backer was working for a professor at the Technical College in Trondheim. The element was called the Backer element.
"Christian Backer from Flisa was definitely a great inventor and entrepreneur. The fact that he is from the Kongsvinger region and worked hard to establish a factory here is something we at Norske Backer are very proud of," says Sales and Marketing Manager Stian Gundersen.
-Our head office is located in Sösdala, Sweden, where the very first factory was established in 1949. Norske Backer currently has 57 factories in 21 countries and 8,500 employees. In Norway, we have a total of 50 employees. The entire Backer Group is owned by Nibe Elements, which is part of the Nibe Industrier Group, located in Markaryd, Sweden.
Norske Backer in Kongsvinger was established in 1969 and has since become a recognized supplier of advanced heating components, including to the offshore market. - In the early years, it was mainly mass production of elements for household items and water heaters.
The invention was named the Backer process
Christian Backer was interested in research, and after completing his school-leaving exams in Kongsvinger, he got a job as a professor's assistant at the technical college in Trondheim, now NTNU. There he was also given the opportunity to pursue further studies, which he did very successfully.
Christian Backer's unique invention was named the Backer process. The basic patent dates back to 1921 and has been continuously developed over the years with a number of follow-up patents. Backer's goal was to develop a product that could be used as a heating element in an electric hotplate. His idea was that the electric hob would become an alternative to the gas stove, and that is exactly what it has become, as well as much, much more.
Traveled over to Canada
Christian Backer was not afraid to take risks and eventually emigrated to Canada. In Ottawa, he built a facility where he could experiment and further develop his patent. It was also here that he developed a total concept for production facilities and began selling licenses for the production concept.
It so happened that Christian Backer met his wife Elsa in Canada. As she had Swedish ancestry and resourceful connections in Sösdala, Sweden, the first factory in Europe was established here after World War II. Landowner Nils Bernerup of Stora Bernstorp and Erik Nilsson, a member of the Swedish parliament in Svalöv, were heavily involved in the establishment here. The factory was named Backer Elektrovärme AB.
51 years at Kongsvinger
Backer Elektrovärme AB's (now Backer BHV) main plant is still located in Sösdala. The company celebrated its 70th anniversary last year - the establishment and production at Kongsvinger started in 1969 with general mass production of heating elements for heaters, household goods and water heaters. Last year (2019), Norske Backer in Kongsvinger celebrated its 50th anniversary.
From Langeland to Siva
For almost 40 years, Norske Backer had office and production premises at Langeland in Kongsvinger. In 2008, they moved their business to the industrial area at Siva, just outside Kongsvinger. The reason for the move was the need for larger and more practical premises.
>> Read the whole exciting story about us here.
Our milestones:
1949: Backer starts up in Sösdala, Sweden.
1969: Norske Backer is founded and starts operations in Kongsvinger with mass production of heating elements.
1996: Norske Backer took over a division of Pyrox and started production of EX-certified heating products.
2000: Department in Moss. We took over our department in Moss, which was aimed at the plastics industry. We started up with production of Mica elements, among other things.
2003: We acquire the competitor Termos in Oslo, which produces heating coils.
2006: Took over Favorit in Oslo, and started production of steatite elements.
2008: Moved the location from Langeland in Kongsvinger to SIVA. We also moved all volume production to Backer OBR in Poland.
2014: Took over Wictec in Kongsvinger and with it all their mechanical production.
2015: Took over Proko in Oslo, and started production of ribbed tube ovens.
2019: We celebrate 50 years! On April 10, 1969, Norske Backer was established. Our 50th anniversary was celebrated with pizza, soft drinks, cakes, speeches and awards.