Ekman & Co AB, 216 år 2018
Ekman & Co är ett av världens största handelshus i skogsbranschen. Verksamheten bedriver handel med pappersmassa, papper, returfiber och biobränsle, där massa är huvuddelen och Ekman världsledande. Företaget levererade 2017, fantastiska 4,7 miljoner ton massa och papper, och omsättningen var 20 miljarder kronor inkl. agenturverksamheten. Bolaget har ca 280 anställda och styrs från fyra hubbar, Miami, Hong Kong, Zürich och Göteborg. Bolagets säte är Göteborg. Affärer görs i ett hundratal länder genom lokalkontor och agenter. En allt viktigare del av verksamheten är långsiktiga avtal med skogsbolag, där dessa outsourcar sin marknadsföring och försäljning till Ekman ibland på världsbasis, eller enskilda marknader.
CEO Jan Svensson. Ordförande Matts Ekman C:3:2:7:2; styrelse ledamöter Caroline Ekman C:3:2:7:2:1 Oscar Ekman A:3:1:4,
Frank Graves, Michael Olsson, Personalrepresentant Jessica Bodin plus 3 suppleanter från familjen.
Ekman & Co grundades 1802. Huvudverksamheten var under 1800-talet export av svenskt järn, där bolaget svarade för en betydande del av de mellansvenska brukens utskeppning över Göteborg. Från slutet av 1800-talet blev massa och papper en allt viktigare verksamhet och järn- och stålförsäljningen upphörde. Bolaget var också tidvis ägare av massa- och pappersbruk. Familjen förlorade kontroll och ägande i bolaget 1965 till investmentbolaget Säfveån i Göteborg. När detta så småningom landade i Volvosfären och blev Catena, som sedan renodlades till Bilia och bilförsäljning, fick familjen möjlighet att åter komma in som ägare. Detta skedde 1995 genom ett konsortium av Peter, Oscar, Matts, Claes och Harald Ekman, Carl Langenskjöld samt Oscar och Anna Ekmans donationsfond, Oscar och Maria Ekmans donationsfond, Alba Langenskjölds stiftelse, Skandia Investment samt MVI senare Atle. År 2006 löste familjen ut de externa parterna. Efter en 30-årig parentes ägs bolaget åter av familjen Ekman med stiftelser till 65% samt personalen till 35%.
Läs mer om Ekman & Co på deras webbsida www.ekmangroup.com
Historia
| 2016 | Reliance Fibres Limited, based in London UK, is acquired. |
| 2014 | Ekman celebrates 100 year anniversary in China. |
| 2011 | Ekman acquires Kwok Fung, China to increase its presence in paper and packaging in Asia. First pellets deliveries from Russian partnership in bioenergy. Total sales volume for Group 3,7 million tons. |
| 2010 | Collaboration with Vyborgskaya Cellulose on the worlds’ largest wood pellet factory. |
| 2009 | The Ekman Group’s sales volume exceeds for the first time 3,000,000 tons. |
| 2008 | The Bioenergy Division is established. |
| 2007 | KC International renamed Ekman Recycling. |
| 2006 | The Ekman family and the Ekman employees acquire Atle AB’s and Skandia Invest AB’s shares in Ekman |
| 2004 | Ekman acquires KC International, New Jersey USA. The recovered Materials Division is established |
| 2002 | Our 200 year anniversary as an incorporated company. |
| 2000 | Launch of Ekman Online. |
| 1999 | The Ekman Group’s sales volume exceeds for the first time 2,000,000 tons. Atle AB acquires MVI Ltd’s shares and become the largest shareholder in Ekman. |
| 1996 | The company changes its name back to Ekman & Co AB |
| 1995 | The Catena Group sells its shares to: MVI Ltd., Skandia investment the Ekman employees and management and the family Ekman. |
| 1992 | Ekman acquires Intercontinental Cellulose Sales Inc. (ICS Inc), and Ekman becomes the world’s largest independent sales organization for the forest industry. Handling over 1,000,000 tons of products. |
| 1987 | Ekman Liebig was formed through the acquisition of Jan Liebig International. |
| 1986 | Ekman becomes a subsidiary of the Catena group, listed on the Stockholm stock exchange. When Catena acquires the Säfveån group |
| 1983 | Diversified operations comes to an end and Ekman concentrates on trading in pulp and paper. |
| 1982 | Protector Insurance Ltd is established, with main focus on transport and warehouse risk insurance. |
| 1965 | Ekman becomes a subsidiary of the Säfveån Group. Major trading business was conducted in pulp, paper, iron, steel, machinery and engineering products. |
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| Ekman & Co:s gamla bokföringsarkiv på landsarkivet i Göteborg | |
| 1954 | Ekman imports textiles, clothing, watches, optics and home electronics products, primarily from Japan and Southeast Asia |
| 1945 | The end of the second World War was the starting point for a very expensive period for Ekman. The turnover, in fixed prices, increases six times during the next 20 years. |
| 1923 | Ekman is reconstructed into a limited company, Ekman & Co AktiebolagThe founding of the School of Economics and Business Adminstration in Gothenburg is made possible through donations from Ekman and other prominent families |
| 1914 | Ekman is the first Swedish trading house operating in China through the founding of Ekman Foreign Agencies Ltd. and the opening of a branch office in Shanghai |
| 1913 | Ekman establishes an independent agency in Tokyo. This was to be transformed into Ekman & Co. (Japan) Ltd in 1935. Ekman acquires Orrefors and made it to the world renowned glassworks. |
| 1907 | Ekman participates in the opening of the transocean line to Southeast Asia.The main building of the University of Gothenburg was inaugurated on 18 September 1907, solely funded by the Counsul Oscar Ekman |
| 1891 | The founding of the University of Gothenburg is made possible through donations from Oscar Ekman and other Gothenburg merchants. |
| 1890 | The Swedish forest industry begins to export pulp and paper. Ekman is one of the pioneers. |
| 1874 | Ekman moves away from the manufacture of iron to production of sulphate pulp (at the Gustafsfors mill). |
| 1864 | Ekman is participating in the financing of Swedish basic industry and Oscar Ekman plays a prominent role when Skandinaviska Kredit AB. Later Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken is incorporated in Gothenburg. |
| 1856 | Carl Edvard Ekman, son of Gustav Henric Ekman and brother of Gustaf Ekman, acquires Finspångs Bruk. |
| 1843 | Gustaf Ekman, son of Gustav Henric Ekman, invents the Ekman Welding Furnace, enabling Lancashire forge and rolling mill operations in Sweden. |
| 1815 | Ekman is partowner in a merchant fleet consisting of ten ships. |
| 1813 | Gustav Henric Ekman and Gustaf Rudolf Prytz acquires the Lesjöfors Ironworks. |
| 1802 | The trading company Ekman & Co is founded by Gustaf Henric Ekman, son of Peter III Ekman, and Gustaf Rudolf Prytz. |
| 1761 | Peter III Ekman continues his father’s business but concentrates on trading of herring. |
| 1733 | Peter II Ekman, son of Peter I Ekman, sets up a business in Gothenburg specializing in timber goods. |
| 1698 | Peter I Ekman, son of Daniel Joensson Ekman, specializes in timber goods and builds a sawmill. |
| 1663 | Daniel Joensson Ekman sets up a business selling iron and timber. |