A legacy of innovation and growth

Gustav Kjöllerström was born on February 26, 1906, in Stackebo, not far from Tranemo. This marked the start of a journey that would eventually culminate in the founding of Tranemo Textil AB. In 1933, Gustav Kjöllerström married Svea with plans to become farmers. To prepare for this life, Svea attended a school to learn all she could about housekeeping in the countryside, intending to take advantage of what agriculture would provide for them. However, their dream was shattered as Gustav developed an illness that made the manual labor of farming impossible. With the need to find a new source of income to provide for his family, Gustav decided to attend a business school. After graduating, Gustav found work at Hägg in Grimsås, which had a small sewing factory. This marked the beginning of Gustav Kjöllerström's involvement in the founding of Tranemo Textil AB.

Tranemo Textil was founded by three men, including Gustav Kjöllerström. Tranemo was a community with limited job opportunities, particularly for women, prompting Gustav and his associates to begin selling shares to start a sewing factory. In January 1934, an interim board was appointed, deciding to construct factory premises. By April, the drawings were finalized, and tenders could be opened during the inaugural general meeting of Tranemo Textil AB on April 30th, 1934. The interim board transitioned into the company's board of directors. While awaiting the completion of the factory building, production commenced in Tranemo's old school. Knut Palmqvist and factory supervisor Lennart Johansson operated a sewing workshop in Gölingstorp, which was relocated to Tranemo. Their expertise and customer connections facilitated the start of production. The first customer was Hagberg & Hedlund in Gothenburg, for whom tailored trousers were manufactured. The product range gradually expanded to include various workwear and flannel shirts. Within the first 14 months, goods worth SEK 72,968 were invoiced.

In 1942, Gustav Kjöllerström acquired all shares in Tranemo Textil AB, forming the family business. Unfortunately, Gustav and his two associates soon found themselves at odds, leading to the formation of three separate companies: Tranemo Textil, Gefa, and Yllefabriken. "I was already involved in the factory's activities at that time," reminisced K-G Kjöllerström, Gustav’s son. "You may have seen a picture with all the staff from 1942 with me in the middle? Perhaps I was a child labourer before the term even existed. I remember cutting threads and folding overalls with the assistance of Aunt Lisa Pettersson and Ruth Gustavsson. And not to mention all the sorting and inventorying of sewing threads when my father purchased lots of them at random prices. Some of those threads may still be around today." Inga Larsson, Gustav’s daughter, reflected on her childhood experiences: "I was even earlier; where else would I have taken my first steps if not in the office? Over the years, we tried to help in different ways, like sewing loops. Unfortunately, the manager was displeased because I operated the sewing machine too quickly, causing the needles to break. Printing labels with a blue stencil machine was another common task; I remember how dirty I would get doing that.

It was always assumed that Ingas brother, Karl-Gustav “K-G” waould take over the the family business. However, while working on his thesis for the Stockholm school of economics. K-G took a closer look at the Swedish clothing industry and like others, came to the conclusion that it would soon be too expensive to produce clothes in Sweden. One oof the countries that appeared to have the right conditions for the textile industy was Portugal, and in the late sixties, K-G relocatet there to begin production. K-G established a company in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, called Tranemo Textil Lda. This company began to cooperate increasingly with Tranemo Textil AB, particularly after the establishment of the workwear sales department in 1974. "In 1967, I relocated to Portugal and established a factory in a backyard in Corroios. By 1968, we were manufacturing garments in Tranemo, Hallstahammar, and Portugal. We produced 1.1 million garments for 1 customer, resulting in 1 delivery and 1 invoice per week. The customer was Stockhaus & Co." - K-G.

A couple of years after K-G moved to Portugal, Gustav came to the conclusion that it was unrealistic to think that he could manage the Swedish sewing factory. K-G expanded operations in Portugal together with his old classmate from Tranemo, Jonny Ridefjord, and at its peak, we had 800 employees plus 500 people doing contract sewing. Gustav therefore asked his daughter Inga and her husband Håkan if they would consider moving back to Tranemo so that Håkan could take over the responsibility for Tranemo Textil. Håkan thought it would be beneficial to gain leadership experience, and with a promise to Inga that they would only stay for a maximum of five years, he accepted the offer. Inga was not so keen on the idea and initially declined: “I would never return to Tranemo, and we were not interested in the clothing industry. Furthermore, I made it clear that I would not live in Berga. As you know, my wishes did not come to fruition. The following year, Håkan took over the role as CEO, and despite everything, we settled down in Tranemo. As you can understand, it's nothing I regret now." - Inga Larsson

Håkan Larsson took on the position of the company’s CEO. With youth and enthusiasm on his side, he soon noticed that other sewing factories had begun producing jeans. "Why can't we do the same?" he pondered. Thanks to Håkan's prudent financial management, along with efficiency improvements in the business operations, he swiftly acquired the necessary machinery, and Tranemo Textil began manufacturing jeans. “This was just when V-jeans were coming into fashion and we were producing all the big brands, Puss & Kram, Gul & Blå and sgt Pepper” he recalls.

At this time, the consequences of the textile crisis were becoming increasingly apparent. The closures that began in the wool industry quickly spread to other textile sectors and even to the clothing industry. Håkan realized that the chances of survival as a contract sewing company seemed slim and that an alternative solution had to be found. "We actually found two solutions," reveals Håkan. "Firstly, we set up Tranemo Metal, then we also started producing workwear."

During 1973-1974, we made our first attempt to sell workwear. K-G's production facility in Portugal was really good at sewing work overalls as they already had experience with it, so Gustav ordered 2000 pieces. He paid 1 kr per overall, and the first customer he visited in Falkenberg bought no less than 1000 of them. "Selling workwear is straightforward," thought Gustav before he continued to a customer in the neighboring village of Länghem, where he sold the rest. During this time, we also hired our first salesperson, Lars Bengtsson, which turned out to be a stroke of luck. As our old orders decreased, the sales of workwear increased. This meant that we never had to lay off staff due to lack of work.

“My father and we have been doing this for 70 years. There have been many winds blowing in different directions both with and against us. We thank you all for your efforts during all these years. Whether you have sewed or cut threads, written invoices or cleaned does not matter, everyone has been important for Tranemo Textil and contributed to the fact that we can celebrate 70 years.” - Inga. “This is nostalgia and history. Now we hand over to Max, Sofie and Catrine.” - Håkan.

Tranemo launches its first inherent Flame Retardant collection, Cantex. A new approach to the market with knowledge-based sales lead by legendary Salesman Roger Johansson, was the start of a paradigm shift from old chemically impregnated Flame Retardant technology to the new safer inherent fibers.

Tranemo Workwear Logistics Center, 5000 m² high warehouse opens its gates. Tranemo Workwear AS, based in Norway, is founded. Under the management of Pål Branderud, Tom Roger Melby and Frank Melbye.

Tranemo Workwear Benelux, based in Holland is separated from Tranemo Workwear Ltd under the managment of Lizette and Wilmar Platenkamp. “Nowadays, we have a team of 8 people in total – 5 women and 3 men. In 2022 we hired our 1st Belgian salesperson to serve the Belgian market in a better (and, if needed, French) way. We have been growing fast in the last 5-10 years and still, we are very positive about the Benelux market as we see many possibilities and the need for high quality and comfortable FR Workwear in growing (new) energy and electricity sectors. With our high knowledge we are able to help the safety engineers in finding the right solution for their working environments, this in close cooperation with our dealers.” - Lizette Platenkamp, Managing Director for Tranemo Benelux.

It started with Christian Rosenlöf, a workwear salesman who became interested in Tranemo’s high-quality garments. He drove his showroom bus around the country and began marketing a relatively unknown brand for Finland at that time. Today, the team continues to grow, and Tranemo Finland has even received the Menestyjät Award, which is based on financial risk and business success.

Tranemo launches its first PFAS-free Flame Retardant collection, Cantex WS. Featuring improved heavy welding classification, flexible stretch design and fluorocarbon free construction, we’re proud to present Cantex Weld Stretch - a Flame Retardant fabric that sets new standards for safety, comfort and sustainability.

Since early 2023, Tranemo has been using AutoStore, which we refer to as Doris, to streamline our warehouse and order management processes. Doris stands for "Deliver Orders, rapidly, instantly, and securely" and has provided us with numerous benefits – both for our customers and for our working environment.