Johan Petter Johansson
Encyclopedia
Johan Petter Johansson sometimes known as JP, was a Swedish
inventor and industrialist. He invented a modern adjustable spanner
(patents in 1891 and 11 May 1892). He obtained over 100 patents in total.
He was born in Vårgårda
in western Sweden, the oldest of six children in a crofter
's family. His was first employed as an assistant operator of a steam engine
at a local peat
factory. He left Vårgårda at age 19, in 1873, for Motala
to work as a navvy
. Following military
service in 1874, he moved to Eskilstuna
where he worked for the Bolinder-Munktell
factory, and in 1878 he moved to Västerås
where he found employment at a mechanical workshop
. Following that, he worked as a blacksmith
at a nearby farm.
At this time, he had made a decision to leave Sweden for the United States
. This never happened; he was instead offered a more esteemed job by his former employer Munktells, and the offer changed his mind.
He eventually decided to start his own business and, in 1886, moved to Enköping
where he started Enköpings Mekaniska Verkstad (the Mechanical Workshop of Enköping) which quickly became a successful venture. It was during the years in his workshop that he invented the adjustable spanner
and the plumber wrench
. In 1890, B.A. Hjort & Company agreed to distribute his tools worldwide under the "Bahco" trademark. The Bahco tools became greatly successful, and the company is still in operation and has manufactured over 100 million wrenches to date.
Johansson transferred the then-large enterprise to his son, Hannes Brynge, and the B.A. Hjort & Company in 1916. He started experimenting with electrical armature and in 1919 opened a new factory, Triplex, which manufactured electrical pendulum
s and various devices.
He died 89 years old after having been productive for the most of his life.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
inventor and industrialist. He invented a modern adjustable spanner
Adjustable spanner
An adjustable spanner or adjustable wrench is a spanner with a "jaw" of adjustable width, allowing it to be used with different sizes of fastener head rather than just one faster, as with a conventional fixed spanner...
(patents in 1891 and 11 May 1892). He obtained over 100 patents in total.
He was born in Vårgårda
Vårgårda
Vårgårda is a locality and the seat of Vårgårda Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 5,041 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
in western Sweden, the oldest of six children in a crofter
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
's family. His was first employed as an assistant operator of a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
at a local peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
factory. He left Vårgårda at age 19, in 1873, for Motala
Motala
Motala is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,798 inhabitants in 2005. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping...
to work as a navvy
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
. Following military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
service in 1874, he moved to Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
where he worked for the Bolinder-Munktell
Bolinder-Munktell
AB Bolinder-Munktell was a tractor and machines manufacturer founded in Eskilstuna, Sweden in 1932 through the merger of the mechanical companies Bolinder and Munktell...
factory, and in 1878 he moved to Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
where he found employment at a mechanical workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
. Following that, he worked as a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
at a nearby farm.
At this time, he had made a decision to leave Sweden for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This never happened; he was instead offered a more esteemed job by his former employer Munktells, and the offer changed his mind.
He eventually decided to start his own business and, in 1886, moved to Enköping
Enköping
Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 20,204 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm....
where he started Enköpings Mekaniska Verkstad (the Mechanical Workshop of Enköping) which quickly became a successful venture. It was during the years in his workshop that he invented the adjustable spanner
Adjustable spanner
An adjustable spanner or adjustable wrench is a spanner with a "jaw" of adjustable width, allowing it to be used with different sizes of fastener head rather than just one faster, as with a conventional fixed spanner...
and the plumber wrench
Plumber wrench
A plumber wrench is a tool to rotate pipes used in plumbing. The wrench is adjusted to different pipe diameters by rotating the key ring . This tool can close with significant force and thus does not need to engage a nut...
. In 1890, B.A. Hjort & Company agreed to distribute his tools worldwide under the "Bahco" trademark. The Bahco tools became greatly successful, and the company is still in operation and has manufactured over 100 million wrenches to date.
Johansson transferred the then-large enterprise to his son, Hannes Brynge, and the B.A. Hjort & Company in 1916. He started experimenting with electrical armature and in 1919 opened a new factory, Triplex, which manufactured electrical pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
s and various devices.
He died 89 years old after having been productive for the most of his life.