Significant ABU Friends
GÖRAN ENOCSON:
Workshop floor to ABU Management
over 30 years
Dear Wayne!
I got your E-mail and I will try to help you as much as I can. I have seen your
Web site before and I must say, ABU Garcia should be proud of having a person as
you and I hope they are supporting you in every why they can.
In order to let you know little about me and what I have done at ABU Garcia I
write a little story.
Personally I started my career 17 years of age 1958 at the old Urfabriken
as an worker coming out of a technical school for making fine tools. I
worked six years making all prototypes from the designing department, everything
from lures, rods, reels and accessories. One day it could be a small lure and
next day a Big Game Reel. As a young man it was fun to go down to Mörrum River
and try all products to see if it worked. Many times Göte Borgström came to us
with a handwritten idea and ask us to make it. When it was finished we had to
tell him because he wanted to be the first to test. It was an interesting time
of my life, I got so many opportunities to give my input to how the products
should work.
In 1964 I got the opportunities to work with the production technique for a few
years until Len put me in the school again to be an engineer and a Logistic
Manager in the company. After the school was finished my different jobs at the
company moved fast.
In 1982 I moved together with my family to USA, Farifield the head Office for
Garcia, and I became a Vice President Product development worldwide. It was an
interesting time, we had moved lots of production to Far East in order to stay
competitive in cost. The designing department was still In Svängsta in order to
use all knowledge from the past, but the design and function should be adapted
to a worldwide market. This time I was traveling between USA, Sweden and Far
East all the time.
We moved back to Sweden again in 1985 and I become a President for Production
company as well as Head of the Svängsta operation, the old ABU.
I left the company in 1988 after being headhunted to a job as Managing Director
for Tarkett AB, a worldwide Flooring company.
During my 29 years 11 months and 2 weeks at Urfabriken, ABU and later ABU Garcia
I have seen lots of changes and lots of big people from the whole world. In 1958
when I started my job they made a big extension of the building and it was, in
our town a big company. It was important to stay on top of all investments and
Göte and Len Borgström was always looking for new ways to develop both products
and production.
In the past Urfabriken had both taximeter and fishing reels in the product
portfolio and by using the knowledge from making cogwheels for taximeter the
reels from Svängsta was outstanding compare to all competitors. Later on the
Japanese people got to know how to produce too but started to make copy of the
reels from Svängsta.
Before I left the company I made a special room for all prototypes made during
all years. I brought in as many retired people I could in order to make the
catalog over the prototypes when they were made. I don’t think this room are
there any longer, with new owners there are always new decisions. But when we
had this room finished just before I left the company I could sit there for
hours and see my own life from I started in the company to the day I was sitting
there. The room was full of ideas and memories and a story how a company was
developing during all this years.
This is picture of my lovely wife Monica and myself from a visit of the 20
biggest customers from USA at the season opening of fishing at Mörrums River. We
had a wonderful fishing and was catching 17 salmon the first day.
Before we could fish I had to take out all ice from the river and this was the
first time its happened. For many people from USA it was an experience since
they were not used to ice at all.
Wayne, this is a short introduction and I will spend more time to help you in
your great job of keeping a history of the world finest company one time.
Next instalment from Goran re the Rakan and rods and reels development at ABU.
I have been reading your page and I can help you with some more information.
The
Rakan was developed around 1960 and I made the prototype by myself. The reason
why Len doesn’t remember can be Rakan was never a success. Rakan was more a
shape of the Swedish Craw fish and probably too big for fishing.
I can also give you some information regarding the Ambassadeurs.
The first real magnetic spool brake real was developed in beginning of 1980 and
was implemented in the Mag Ambassadeurs. Mag 1 Mag 11 and Ultra Mag XL Flipping.
This magnetic system was the only one who worked in practice. The design of
this reel was given a Industrial Design Award in Munich and I have the picture I
got from Germany.
In 1982 we thought a lot about ergonomics for reels and rods. I was living in
USA and was searching for a design company who understood what I was looking
for. I found Henry Dreyfuss Associates in Manhattan. We started with a brain
storming of what was important for a fisherman when its coming to reel and rod
combined. Comfort was the key word, especially for a Bass fisherman who should
act fast. To be able to fish a lot without being tired.
We designed a reel and rod built a hand and a arm with less stress under the
fishing trip. It was an very interesting work since the technical problem was
not a limit. I got a prototype and went back to the Swedish engineers and told
them what kind of features I wanted to be built in to this product. Everybody
sad it was impossible because it was too small and it was too narrow. I
told them, this is what I want to have, and I will be back in four weeks.
ABU Garcia had just started to use the CAD ( computerized design system) so the
engineers could see on the screen if it worked or not. It was an interesting
time and in the final end they made the product with all features built in the
shape of the comfort.
During the time we produced all the tooling’s, we were running machines in
Finland from Sweden using the new technology, CAD, were we could by using the
telephone line between our computer and the Finnish tooling machine. Today this
is not a big deal but it shows that ABU Garcia was in the front 30 years ago.
The name of the reel was, POLARIS, during the development time, because it was
the future for a fisherman. Later we changed the name to “Ambassadeurs 1021
Plus” and was launched in Las Vegas with fishermen in full size built in
plaster. We had all Swedish engineers there to explain all the features on the
products and it was a success.
I think this was the start of the new generation of fishing reels in the world,
a new Ambassadeur product.
New rods was introduced in the same time with ergonomic handles, finger touch
grip , for feeling when the fish touching the lure.
In the reels ABU Garcia has always been in the front of the development and rest
of the world has followed.
Think about the Ambassadeur, the Abu 500, Cardinal reel, Magnetic spool break,
low profile Ambassadeur etc. etc.
I can give you much more but its late here now so I have to come back with more
info.
Hello Wayne!
I feel it very interesting to have a friend who knows more about ABU Garcia then
most of the people in the company. Nobody in Svängsta has a collection of
information as you have.
You write about Henning Karlsson as a inventor of ABU Museum. Henning Karlsson
ha s a lot of information but only from what he has been told. Henning was not
the only one who built the ABU Museum, he had three people who had a greater
knowledge then Henning. This was
Hilding Isacsson, Holger
Wickström and Ingvar Sivefjord
who had been working longer
for ABU then Henning. Unfortunately all this people has gone, but I must say
this people was the real people behind the museum and they were the collectors
of all old machines, tooling’s and parts. Without these three men there had not
been any museum.
I don’t have any pictures from Hilding, Holger and Ingvar
and its many years since they died. All three of them were Foremen / Supervisors
in the factory. Hilding was the Manager for machine department for lathe
operation, Holger was the Manger for the drill- and milling machines and Ingvar
was the Manager for the assembling of all reels to be shipped around the world.
They all started as kids
and had been growing together with the company and to get greater
responsibilities.
These three people collected all old machines which was not used any longer, nothing was sent for disposal or to be used as a second hand machine. Everything was covered with oil to prevent the corrosion and stored in an old building. When they were retired they start to think about the history of ABU from watches to reels. Henning was still working in the company and he had worked for all these Managers and had also a great interest in history of ABU.
This was the start of cleaning all old machines and tooling’s and install them
in the old building where it all started.
Since these three men were retired, Henning has done a tremendous job to develop
the museum to what it is today. I am writing about this three people because
everybody seems to forget them.
I have been speaking to people today who are involving them self to the museum
and I must say I am happy to see that new people are taking over after Henning
Karlsson one day. I hope they can make the museum more international
because I know there are lots of people from rest of Europe who are interesting
of the history and to get the information out they need more people who can
speak foreign language.
Another story
of
interest
to add I hope.
Recent images supplied by Len Borgstrom have Goran on holidays in USA, fishing off Florida.
The sequence of images here show he has caught a nice Tarpon. (captured and released)
Med Vänliga Hälsningar / Best Regards
Göran Enocson
If you are a person that has significantly had an effect on design/development/testing of ABU equipment over the years please contact me wayne@realsreels.com if you wish your contribution documented for posterity and the immediate interest of the ABU fans worldwide!