Private company

Motala Verkstad

Logo: motalaverkstad.se3

Swedish engineering company

AB Motala Verkstad is one of the oldest engineering companies in Sweden. The company was founded in 1822 during the construction of Göta Canal. Motala Verkstad has also built about 400 ships, 800 bridges (e.g. Västerbron, Skeppsholmsbron, Bergsnäsbron and the Ahvaz Bridge in Iran), railway equipment, and 1300 locomotives.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1822Founded1
Lokverkstaden Motala verkstad
Photo: Artifex, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

AB Motala Verkstad is one of the oldest engineering companies in Sweden. The company was founded in 1822 during the construction of Göta Canal. Motala Verkstad has also built about 400 ships, 800 bridges (e.g. Västerbron, Skeppsholmsbron, Bergsnäsbron and the Ahvaz Bridge in Iran), railway equipment, and 1300 locomotives. The 118-meter-tall towers of Uppsala Cathedral were also built by Motala Verkstad. During the 1970s the company was the world's largest exporter of kitchen sinks and during the 1980s they built landing gear for Swedish-built aircraft. As of 2023 the company employs about 240 people.2

The story

Motala Verkstad was started in 1822 on Baltzar von Platen's initiative. Von Platen realized the importance of having local technical knowledge during the construction of the channel. The first leader was Daniel Fraser.

From Wikipedia’s article on Motala Verkstad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1822Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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    Company websiteMotala Verkstad logo
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