Silva Sweden AB

1950 Silva The Ranger orienteering sighting compass introduced to North America featuring a mirror sighting system and liquid-damped needle.

1958 Silva Production AB expands with new plastics manufacturing operations

1960 Silva Production AB expands with new tooling and manufacturing operations. Silva introduces its first wrist compass, featuring a mechanical needle dampener.

1964 Silva Ranger Type 15 deluxe compass introduced with optional adjustable declination, clinometer, and quadrant scale

1973 New manufacturing plant, Instrumentverken in Sollentuna. Johnson Wax Associates (JWA) acquires Silva, Inc. (Silva USA).

1980 JWA moves its corporate headquarters to Binghamton, New York, closing the Silva USA compass factory in La Porte, Indiana. Type 50 Hand Bearing compass introduced for small boat owners.

1981 Silva Production AB launches its first electronic instrument design

1981 Acquisition of different lines of sporting goods for Swedish sport market by Silva Production AB.

1982 Production of first electronic instruments by Silva Production AB.

1985 Johnson Worldwide Associates (JWA) purchases Silva Ltd. of Canada.

1986 Enlargement of Silva Production AB manufacturing plant in Sollentuna.

1989 Launching of largest investment program ever for The Silva Group. Market - production - research & development.

1990 Inauguration new premises Silva France. 25 million compasses produced. Acquisition of precision instrument producer Sisteco of Finland

1992 Silva Group introduces a GPS receiver with an integrated digital compass

1995 Björn Kjellström dies. The Silva factory in Haninge is reinaugurated.

1996 Silva Production AB acquires Brunton, Inc. and terminates its compass distribution agreement with Silva USA/JWA. Type 25 Ranger Pro compass introduced.

1997 JWA (later Johnson Outdoors, Inc.) files suit to retain exclusive rights to the Silva brand name in North America.

1998 Pursuant to a settlement agreement with JWA, Silva Production AB of Sweden agrees not to market compasses under the Silva brand in the USA and Canada. Silva of Sweden AB signs agreement with Brunton, Inc. to distribute its original Silva Swedish-made compasses under the Brunton and Nexus labels in North America. In turn, Brunton-designed compasses such as the Brunton 9020, 8040, and Eclipse and sourced from the U.S. and China are labeled with the Silva or Silva Voyager brand for sale in areas outside North America.

2000 Silva introduces the Silva Multi-Navigator a combined GPS, electronic compass, and barometric altimeter, sold as the Brunton MNS in North America.

2002 Silva opens a production facility in mainland China as a joint venture for production of some Silva compass models.

2005 Haninge, Sweden production facility closes. Silva acquires 100% ownership of the Shenzhen, China production facility.

2006 Fiskars AB acquires Silva Production AB Group of Sweden

2009 Fiskars sells Brunton Inc. to Fenix Outdoor AB of Sweden. Silva of Sweden stops exporting its compasses and GPS devices to North America under the Nexus and Brunton brands, and halts further imports of Brunton products to Europe under the Silva name.

2011 Fiskars sells Silva Sweden AB to Karnell, a Swedish investment firm. Silva ceases all compass production in Sweden.

2012 Silva Shenzhen becomes sole production facility for Silva compasses.

2016 After expiration of the Recta AG/Suunto Oy Turbo-20 global needle patent, Silva Sweden AB introduces its first global needle compasses.

2018 Silva Sweden AB reacquires North American distribution rights to the Silva brand from Johnson Outdoors. Silva discontinues all compass production at the Shenzhen facility and outsources future compass manufacturing to the HANZA Group in Suzhou, China

North American trademark dispute

After the founding of Silva USA in 1946 and Silva Ltd. in Canada two years later, both affiliates were later acquired by Johnson Wax Associates, later Johnson Camping, Inc., and by 1985, Johnson Worldwide Associates (JWA). From 1980, JWA had imported Swedish-made compasses manufactured by Silva Production AB for sale in North America.

In 1996, a decision by Silva Production AB to end sole distribution of its Swedish-made Silva-brand compasses by Silva USA led to a court battle the following year between JWA and Silva Production AB (Silva Sweden AB).

In 1998, JWA and Silva Production AB of Sweden reached a settlement whereby JWA retained the exclusive right to sell compasses under its Silva trademark in North America, made by unnamed manufacturers. JWA also retained the North American rights to some product names such as Ranger, Polaris, 1, 2, 3 and others commonly used and recognized in the U.S. and Canadian markets and made popular during the time Silva Production AB was manufacturing Swedish-made Silva compasses for JWA in North America. JWA was eventually renamed Johnson Outdoors, Inc.

For its part, Silva Production AB/Silva Group retained the right to manufacture and sell compasses, GPS tools, and other navigational products under its Silva trademark outside the United States and Canada, as well as market its Swedish-made compasses and GPS tools in North America under the Brunton, Elite, and Nexus brands. The Swedish firm also retained the right to state on Nexus packaging and in the Nexus catalog that Nexus compasses were made by Silva Production AB, but did not retain the right to advertise this fact. In 2006, the Fiskars Corp acquired the Silva Group, which included Brunton.

In 2009 Fiskars sold Brunton Inc. to Fenix Outdoor AB of Sweden, and in consequence, Silva Production AB stopped exporting Silva of Sweden compasses to North America under the Brunton and Nexus brands, and halted further imports of Brunton products to markets outside North America under the Silva brand. From 1998-2018, Silva of Sweden AB could not distribute its compass products to the USA or Canadian markets.

In 2018, Silva Sweden AB reacquired the U.S. and Canada distribution rights to the Silva brand from Johnson Outdoors.