Ruben Rausing
Encyclopedia
Ruben Rausing was the founder of the liquid
food
packaging company Tetra Pak
. He was born in Helsingborg
, Sweden
in 1895. On his death Ruben Rausing was Sweden
's richest person.
, a small fishing hamlet in the district of Raus outside of Helsingborg
in the south of Sweden
, to August and Mathilda Andersson. His father ran a small but successful business as a master painter. Rausing went to Upper Secondary School in Helsingborg
, graduating in 1915. When doing his military service, Rausing, at the time still called Ruben Andersson, was allegedly nick-named rausingen by his fellow servicemen, meaning "the lad from Raus". Taking a liking to this denomination, he eventually changed his surname from Andersson to Rausing.
), a well-known printing company. In 1919 he earned a scholarship from SSE to continue his studies at Columbia University
in New York
and obtained a MSc
in Economics
in 1920. Experiencing self-service grocery stores for the first time during his stay in America, Rausing realised that this system, yet unknown in Europe, was going to be part of a new way of retailing.
Returning to Sweden in 1920, Rausing continued his employment at SLT, first as a Manager Assistant and then as a Manager. During his time at SLT, Rausing became closely aqcuainted with the industrialist Erik Åkerlund and in 1929 Rausing left SLT to form a new packaging company together with Åkerlund in Malmö
, Åkerlund & Rausing. Åkerlund & Rausing was the first packaging company in Scandinavia and eventually became a leading manufacturer of dry food carton packages. Initially, however, the company had difficulties making profits and in 1933 Åkerlund sold his share to Rausing, who became the sole owner.
At the time, non-carbonated drinks such as milk and juices were sold in heavy and cumbersome glass bottles and Rausing was determined to find a way of implementing the new, modern packaging technology he had seen in America, spending a lot of resources on developing new concepts. With the aim of producing a carton container for liquid foods, similar to the hygenic and practical wax-coated paper cartons Rausing had seen overseas, Åkerlund & Rausing created the plastic-coated carton tetrahedron
, patented on 27 March 1944. Rausing reportedly got the idea when he saw his wife Elisabeth stuffing sausages. The project was engineered by Erik Wallenberg
, an employee at the company lab who is credited for the invention. In 1951 Tetra Pak
was founded in Lund
as a subsidiary to Åkerlund & Rausing.
In 1951 there was still no viable packaging material for the new package, and efforts to develop packaging material increased. Finally, in 1952, the first machine producing tetrahedron
cream packages was sold to Lundabygdens Mejeri, a local dairy. The new packaging system was not an immediate success and the company had difficulties throughout the 1950s, with Rausing continuing to spend huge amounts on development. Initially catering primarily to the Swedish market, the company expanded gradually, with Germany
(1954), France
(1954) and Italy
(1956) as its first export markets.
Tetra Pak's commercial break-through did not arrive until the mid-60s with the new Tetra Brik package, introduced in 1963, and the development of the Aseptic technology
. The late 1960s and the 1970s saw a global expansion of the company, much due to the new Tetra Brik Aseptic package, debuted in 1968, which opened up new markets in the developing world and sparked off a virtual explosion in sales. After 30 years of ceaseless effort and investment, Rausing's venture finally proved to be successful and Tetra Pak eventually became the leading food processing and packaging company in the world.
at Lund University
in 1957, in Economics
at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration in 1959 and in Technology
at the Royal Institute of Technology
in 1977. He was a member of The Royal Swedish Academy for Engineering Sciences (Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademin, IVA).
, Gad
and Sven. For tax reasons, Rausing left Sweden
in 1969. All his life, however, he kept his country home Simontorp, outside of Lund
.
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
packaging company Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
. He was born in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1895. On his death Ruben Rausing was Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's richest person.
Early life
Ruben Rausing was born in 1895 in RååRAA
-RAA:* Research on Armenian Architecture* Ralph Appelbaum Associates* Recreation and Amusement Association, a system of brothels set up by the Japanese government for US occupation forces* Recreational Aircraft Association* Recreational Aviation Australia...
, a small fishing hamlet in the district of Raus outside of Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
in the south of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, to August and Mathilda Andersson. His father ran a small but successful business as a master painter. Rausing went to Upper Secondary School in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, graduating in 1915. When doing his military service, Rausing, at the time still called Ruben Andersson, was allegedly nick-named rausingen by his fellow servicemen, meaning "the lad from Raus". Taking a liking to this denomination, he eventually changed his surname from Andersson to Rausing.
Career
With the help of a loan from his aunt, Rausing went on to study at the recently founded Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration, graduating in 1918. After a brief engagement at the privately owned Enskilda Banken, Rausing was employed by Sveriges Litografiska Tryckerier, SLT (later renamed EsselteEsselte
Esselte is privately held company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It is a holding company, specializing in office products. It owns several companies, including Pendaflex, Leitz, Oxford, Xyron, Rapid, and an operating company also called Esselte....
), a well-known printing company. In 1919 he earned a scholarship from SSE to continue his studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and obtained a MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1920. Experiencing self-service grocery stores for the first time during his stay in America, Rausing realised that this system, yet unknown in Europe, was going to be part of a new way of retailing.
Returning to Sweden in 1920, Rausing continued his employment at SLT, first as a Manager Assistant and then as a Manager. During his time at SLT, Rausing became closely aqcuainted with the industrialist Erik Åkerlund and in 1929 Rausing left SLT to form a new packaging company together with Åkerlund in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Åkerlund & Rausing. Åkerlund & Rausing was the first packaging company in Scandinavia and eventually became a leading manufacturer of dry food carton packages. Initially, however, the company had difficulties making profits and in 1933 Åkerlund sold his share to Rausing, who became the sole owner.
At the time, non-carbonated drinks such as milk and juices were sold in heavy and cumbersome glass bottles and Rausing was determined to find a way of implementing the new, modern packaging technology he had seen in America, spending a lot of resources on developing new concepts. With the aim of producing a carton container for liquid foods, similar to the hygenic and practical wax-coated paper cartons Rausing had seen overseas, Åkerlund & Rausing created the plastic-coated carton tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
, patented on 27 March 1944. Rausing reportedly got the idea when he saw his wife Elisabeth stuffing sausages. The project was engineered by Erik Wallenberg
Erik Wallenberg
Erik Wallenberg was a Swedish researcher, and as an employee of the Tetra Pak company invented the first Tetra Pak packaging in 1944....
, an employee at the company lab who is credited for the invention. In 1951 Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
was founded in Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
as a subsidiary to Åkerlund & Rausing.
In 1951 there was still no viable packaging material for the new package, and efforts to develop packaging material increased. Finally, in 1952, the first machine producing tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
cream packages was sold to Lundabygdens Mejeri, a local dairy. The new packaging system was not an immediate success and the company had difficulties throughout the 1950s, with Rausing continuing to spend huge amounts on development. Initially catering primarily to the Swedish market, the company expanded gradually, with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1954), 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...
(1954) and 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...
(1956) as its first export markets.
Tetra Pak's commercial break-through did not arrive until the mid-60s with the new Tetra Brik package, introduced in 1963, and the development of the Aseptic technology
Aseptic processing
Aseptic processing is the process by which a sterile product is packaged in a sterile container in a way that maintains sterility...
. The late 1960s and the 1970s saw a global expansion of the company, much due to the new Tetra Brik Aseptic package, debuted in 1968, which opened up new markets in the developing world and sparked off a virtual explosion in sales. After 30 years of ceaseless effort and investment, Rausing's venture finally proved to be successful and Tetra Pak eventually became the leading food processing and packaging company in the world.
Honors
Rausing was made Doctor Honoris Causa in MedicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in 1957, in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration in 1959 and in Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
in 1977. He was a member of The Royal Swedish Academy for Engineering Sciences (Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademin, IVA).
Personal life
Ruben Rausing was married to Elisabeth (née Varenius) and had three sons, HansHans Rausing
Hans Rausing, KBE, is a Swedish businessman based in the United Kingdom. He made his fortune from his co-inheritance of Tetra Pak , a company founded by his father Ruben Rausing and currently the largest food packaging company in the world...
, Gad
Gad Rausing
Dr. Gad Rausing was a notable Swedish industrialist and archaeologist. Together with his brother Hans he co-inherited Swedish packaging company Tetra Pak , founded by their father Ruben Rausing and currently the largest food packaging company in the world...
and Sven. For tax reasons, Rausing left Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1969. All his life, however, he kept his country home Simontorp, outside of Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
.