Swedish sewing machine manufacturer is 130

Swedish sewing machine manufacturer is 130 Sewing machine manufacturer Viking Sewing Machines AB celebrates its 130th anniversary this year. The company is celebrating with a number of events around the world and two special anniversary machines which have been given royal names, Oscar and Sophia, and which are made in the colours of the Swedish flag, yellow and blue. Today, Viking Sewing Machines is Sweden's only sewing machine manufacturer and one of the world's leading players in the market for domestic sewing machines; the company has a turnover of around two billion kronor a year, and employs 1,500 staff around the world, 500 of whom work at Huskvarna on product development and production amongst other things; Huskvarna is also where the group management is based. Viking Sewing Machines has grown dramatically in recent years thanks to a succession of profitable launches of new sewing machines and after- sales products. The company is celebrating its anniversary year with a host of different events all over the world, including an exhibition opening at the Husqvarna fabriksmuseum in March on the company's 130 year history. The company's Swedish origins will be marked in a number of ways, including two anniversary machines in Swedish colours. These machines have been named after Oscar II, who ascended to the Swedish throne in the same year as the company made its first sewing machine (1872), and his wife Sophia. Viking Sewing Machines' first model, the Nordstjärnan [North Star], will appear as a silhouette on the machine's panels. "Today's domestic sewing machines have little in common with the Nordstjärnan. This was mechanised hand sewing, whereas today we often have multifunctional, software-driven sewing machines. The guiding star for our sewing machines and after-sales products has slowly but surely shifted from making sewing machines to providing sewing pleasure," says Hans-Peter Hindrikson, marketing manager at Viking Sewing Machines. The anniversary celebrations started in January. CONTACTS Hans-Peter Hindrikson, PR manager international, Tel: 036 14 73 70, Mobile: 070-699 37 00 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/11/18/20021118BIT00490/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/11/18/20021118BIT00490/wkr0002.pdf