Jøtul
Encyclopedia
Jøtul AS is a Norwegian
limited company that manufactures cast iron stoves and fireplaces. The head office is situated in Fredrikstad
.
Jøtul AS is also the parent company in the Jøtul Group, with subsidiaries in the USA, United Kingdom
, Denmark
, France
, Italy
, Spain
and Poland
.
) in 1853. While stoves initially were the main products, the company had diversified by the beginning of the 20th century, when it produced turbine
s and lumber equipment. As the heating appliance manufacture decreased in importance, the production was spun off in 1916 and sold to Herman Anker, one of Kværner's managers. He founded Jøtul AS in 1920 as a sales organization for its products. The sales stagnated during the depression
in the 1920s, and 36 year old Herman Anker died in 1927, leaving it to his successor, 34 year old Johannes Gahr to modernize and eventually salvage the company. By 1935, the turnaround had succeeded, and the firm acquired its modern name.
By the 1960s, stoves using liquid fuels, especially kerosene
had supplanted wood burning appliances, a trend that was only reversed in the 1970s, partly due to the 1973 oil crisis
. Jøtul used this opportunity to gain a strong international foothold and drastically increased its exports to continental Europe
and North America
.
The Gahr family sold the business to Norcem
in 1977, and a period of international expansion began, as Jøtul acquired a number of foundries and importers abroad. This period lastet for approximately ten years, but came to an end during the recession in the late 1980s, when Jøtul once again focussed on the domestic market. However, it has resumed its international diversification in the 21st century, and today its products are sold worldwide.
Jøtul is now owned by the private equity companies Ratos
and Accent Equity Partners, plus the management of the Jøtul Group.
, Europe, South Africa
, Asia
and Oceania
.
Jotul products have received several design awards from both the Norwegian Design Council
and Red dot design awards.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
limited company that manufactures cast iron stoves and fireplaces. The head office is situated in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
.
Jøtul AS is also the parent company in the Jøtul Group, with subsidiaries in the USA, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
History
Jøtul was founded by Oluf Onsum as Kværner Jernstøberi (Kværner Foundry) in the outskirts of Christiania (now OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
) in 1853. While stoves initially were the main products, the company had diversified by the beginning of the 20th century, when it produced turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s and lumber equipment. As the heating appliance manufacture decreased in importance, the production was spun off in 1916 and sold to Herman Anker, one of Kværner's managers. He founded Jøtul AS in 1920 as a sales organization for its products. The sales stagnated during the depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the 1920s, and 36 year old Herman Anker died in 1927, leaving it to his successor, 34 year old Johannes Gahr to modernize and eventually salvage the company. By 1935, the turnaround had succeeded, and the firm acquired its modern name.
By the 1960s, stoves using liquid fuels, especially kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
had supplanted wood burning appliances, a trend that was only reversed in the 1970s, partly due to the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
. Jøtul used this opportunity to gain a strong international foothold and drastically increased its exports to continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The Gahr family sold the business to Norcem
Norcem
Norcem AS is a Norwegian manufacturer of cement, and subsidiary of HeidelbergCement. It has plants in Brevik and Kjøpsvik.-History:Norcem was established in 1968 as a merger between the three cement factories Christiania Portland Cementfabrikk , Dalen Portland Cemetfabrikk and Nordland Portland...
in 1977, and a period of international expansion began, as Jøtul acquired a number of foundries and importers abroad. This period lastet for approximately ten years, but came to an end during the recession in the late 1980s, when Jøtul once again focussed on the domestic market. However, it has resumed its international diversification in the 21st century, and today its products are sold worldwide.
Jøtul is now owned by the private equity companies Ratos
Ratos
Ratos AB is a Swedish private equity company founded in 1933 and still controlled by the Söderberg family. Ratos is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.-History:...
and Accent Equity Partners, plus the management of the Jøtul Group.
Products and markets
The Jøtul Group sells and markets its products under the brands Jøtul, Scan, Atra, Ild, Warm, Jøtul Group Accessories and Jøtul Group Chimney System throughout North and South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Europe, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
.
Jotul products have received several design awards from both the Norwegian Design Council
Norwegian Design Council
Norwegian Design Council is a Norwegian state-controlled foundation that encourages good design of Norwegian products as a key to improve innovation and the products international reputation and sales. Among the activities of the foundation is the award Merket for God Design and the Design Day...
and Red dot design awards.