100 exciting years with CTC

Washing machines, sinks and minesweepers

Although boilers were CTC's top sellers in the early years, the company's range was much wider than that. CTC initially produced toilet seats and bathroom sinks, and it was even this type of sanitary ware that took centre stage when the company was founded in 1923.

Another important product was washing machines. In the early 1900s, Gunnar Tellander was chairman of the board of the washing machine manufacturer Calor AB and co-founder of the washing machine manufacturer Coronaverken. These and a third manufacturer, Domus, were bought by CTC and merged into Wascator AB. It remained part of CTC until 1973 when it was bought by Electrolux.

During and after the war years in the 1940s, CTC produced gas generators for cars and lorries and also equipment to prevent mine sweeping. Hospital equipment in the form of 'autoclaves', which were a form of sterilisation equipment, were also products in CTC's catalogue. Similarly, CTC made valves for radiators that were revolutionary because they allowed for more precise regulation of heat. CTC also improved and developed shunt valves for boilers.

- "In the early decades, CTC had many strings to its bow, not least because the Second World War meant that they had to be creative," says Kent.

But how did the Gothenburg-based CTC end up in Ljungby? It started when Gunnar Tellander began to take an interest in Ljungby Armatur & Metallfabrik in the late 1920s. But before he could buy the factory in Ljungby, he passed away in 1930, aged only 54. His successors, however, followed through with their plans. They bought the metal factory and took over the 1 000 square metre premises on Fogdegatan in Ljungby in 1931. Board member Eric Höglund justified the establishment in Ljungby with 'the town's good railway connections and the good availability of labour'.

The Ljungby factory specialised in the production of the new type of boiler and water heater, which had already made a big impact on the market. But it also produced washing machines. The factory in Ljungby grew and had to be expanded in stages as demand increased. The original 12 employees in 1931 quickly became more and soon CTC was the largest employer in Ljungby.

- CTC grew like crazy and over the years has been of great importance for Ljungby's development, through all the jobs created. At its peak, 500 people were employed at CTC in Ljungby and more than 60,000 boilers were produced per year. "It is sad that Tellander did not get to enjoy this great success and see his vision become reality," says Kent Karlsson.

AGA won the tug of war

In the 1950s, CTC's ambitions were high and it acquired several companies, including EA Rosengren and Husqvarna Borstfabrik. The new group, which was also listed on the stock exchange, was named Corona AB. CTC was the group's largest company. But perhaps the suit was too big and after a turbulent time in the 1970s, the group sold off several companies. CTC made a new start and needed a new strong owner. There was a tug of war for the company, which was eventually won by AGA, not least because AGA was the company favoured by the trade unions.

AGA decided that a new modern factory would be built in Ljungby and that the head office would be moved there from Gothenburg. It was around this time that Kent Karlsson got his first job at CTC, as a summer worker. He was then involved in the move to Näsvägen in 1977.

- "I remember it as a good time. Everyone was very positive about the new situation and everyone helped out. AGA was a stable owner and CTC was a large company," says Kent Karlsson, who has held several different roles at CTC since the 1970s, including development manager. Today he is responsible for ensuring that the products fulfil the required laws and regulations.

AGA owned CTC until 1984 when it sold the company to SAAB. This was followed by several years of ownership changes and a merger with Bentone. In 2017, CTC was bought by former competitor NIBE, which owns the company today.

First exhaust air heat pump in Sweden

At CTC, development and innovation have been central since the days of Gunnar Tellander. Tests, trials, new ideas, but also the occasional dead end, have brought the company and its products forward. For several decades, testing and trials have taken place in what is commonly known as the "lab", and many projects have been run together with the research community. The goal has always been to meet customer needs, which has not always been easy when reality changes.

After many years of producing boilers fuelled by wood and coke, CTC had to switch production in the 1950s when oil became cheap. Instead, oil boilers and combination boilers for both wood and oil were created. When oil became expensive in the 1980s, CTC began to design different models of heat pumps. The first exhaust air heat pump was called CTC Master and the first air/water heat pump was called CTC Rebell. Rebell was the first of its kind in Sweden when it was launched in 1985. These did not have a major impact as oil prices again fell sharply, but CTC had still taken the first steps towards heat pumps.

First with Nordic Ecolabelling

The price of oil meant that in the 1990s it was once again the oil boiler that was in demand. 

- Even though the oil boiler dominated, we began to think much more environmentally about our products. The requirements became stricter, not least from Germany and Switzerland, which was great and very important for our development," says Kent Karlsson.

In 1992, the CTC 1100 oil boiler was launched at the VVS exhibition in Stockholm. It was a compact oil boiler with a heat exchanger for preparing hot water. The boiler became very competitive and popular and together with Bentone's environmental burners, CTC's 1100 model was the first oil boiler in Sweden to be certified under the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. 

- "It meant a lot to be the first boiler manufacturer to receive this award. It has always been important for CTC to be at the forefront when it comes to the environment, and this provided inspiration for the future," says Kent Karlsson.

In the late 1990s, oil became expensive again and CTC decided to start producing heat pumps again.

- "There was a lot of resistance and scepticism because things had gone so badly in the 1980s, but I would say that if we hadn't dared to take that step in 1999, we wouldn't be here today," says Kent Karlsson, who was one of the employees who helped develop the new products around the turn of the millennium.

With a life cycle perspective towards the future

In 2006, CTC remodelled the factory in Ljungby to focus entirely on heat pumps. For some years now, oil boilers have been a thing of the past at CTC.

- Phasing out the oil boiler took time, but I feel that CTC has always had the ambition to be at the forefront when it comes to using energy in a sustainable way. Nowadays we talk about sustainability being in focus throughout our business, not just in the products, we need to have a life cycle perspective and not just look at the impact of the heat pump itself on the environment, says Kent.

Today, the perspective of social sustainability also exists at CTC - to create good conditions for employees and society.

- "We are careful about how and where the components we buy are manufactured, and we regularly check that the working conditions meet all our standards.

Now CTC's journey continues, together with CTC AB and the owner NIBE, who also is located in Småland, Sweden.

- It is inspiring to see how the development of heat pumps is progressing. Not least in Europe, where we in Sweden can be part of the transition from oil and gas to much more sustainable solutions. With NIBE, we have taken a lot of steps forward. They have made major investments that have equipped us for the future," says Kent Karlsson.