Mora Armatur was founded in 1927 in the village of Östnor near Mora in central Sweden by Frost Karl Mattsson and his wife Anna Maria. Here is a look back at the history of Mora Armatur and the village of Östnor.
The farmers in Mora lived in harsh conditions in the 18th century. The lean soil yielded such poor harvests that the villagers were obliged to find alternative means of survival. To supplement their income, the villagers of Östnor in Mora turned their hand to clock making, producing the now famous Mora clocks. When the day’s work in the fields was done, they would retire indoors and continue working on their clocks. This laid the groundwork for the craft tradition that is one of the region’s greatest resources today.
Their clock making gave the villagers knowledge and experience of working with brass. The whole village was like a large clock workshop. The local making activities almost died out in the mid 19th century due to competition from cheaper and lower quality clocks from Germany and the USA.
Instead, Östnor started manufacturing Sweden’s first sewing machines. After twelve years of production, the sewing machine prices dropped so low during the prevailing economic depression that the factory owners could not make satisfactory profits.
The next local enterprise was initiated by two natives of Östnor, Finn Anders Andersson and Frost Matts Mattsson.
Finn Anders started producing the traditional Mora knives that are now sold worldwide. In the mid 19th century, Frost Mats Mattsson, a brazier, started casting clock wheels for the Mora clock manufacturers. He also produced ornaments for local traditional costumes, horse bells and saddle components. In 1876 he cast his first tap, which triggered the start of Östnor’s famous sanitary fittings industry.
Frost Mats Mattsson died in 1914. By this time, his sons Anders and Karl had assumed the management of their father’s factory (FM Mattsson).
In 1926, FM Mattsson’s operations were brought to a stop by a year-long strike. This caused Frost Karl to start his own factory, Mora Armatur, the following year. Frost Karl took with him twelve workers from the old company.
Today, both companies hold approximately 80% of the Swedish sanitary fittings market, and are competitors in several other countries. However, the two companies' headquarters are still only a stone’s throw apart in their native village of Östnor.