Hans Johan Uno Forsberg

Hans Johan Uno Forsberg ( -1942)

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1942 Obituary.

HANS JOHAN UNO FORSBERG died on March 23rd, 1941, at the age of sixty. Born at Arbra in Sweden, and son of a master smith, Mr. Forsberg acquired his early education at Gavle and, after graduating in 1901, he attended the Tekniska Hogskola until 1906, when he qualified as a mining engineer. He was immediately successful in obtaining an appointment at the Kungl. Tekniska Hogskolans Materialprovningsanstalt (Testing Department of the Royal Technical College). The work at this institute had an important influence on his future activities. In 1909 he travelled in England and Germany, visiting steelworks and many testing laboratories, and was able to spend a term at Sheffield University studying metallography. The following year he became engineer to the forge at Leufsta Bruk, where for a time practical forging work took the place of more theoretical metallography. The scope at this

works was too limited, however, with the result that in 1912 he applied for, and obtained, the position of manager to the then contemplated testing and research laboratory of the Svenska Kullagerfabrik, soon to become known throughout the world as SKF. With the active support of Sven Wingquist, principal of that firm, a modern laboratory was built. In a surprisingly short time, thanks to Mr. Forsberg’s capacity and energy for research, an ordered scheme of dealing with steel analyses, specifications and methods of testing and control was in operation. After two years’ work in the laboratory, he became chief engineer to the works. By this time his outstanding qualities were well appreciated by the board of directors, who sent him to the United States of America in 1915 to erect and put in production a ball-bearing factory at Hartford, Connecticut. Returning to Sweden in 1918, he was made technical director and deputy managing director of SKF. In 1938 he became managing director. From 1934 to 1937 he was also manager of Hofors Bruk. The phenomenal development of the SKF concern under the leadership of Mr. Forsberg is too well known to require comment. Hofors Bruk is the company supplying the steel requirements of SKF and, by the direct and indirect influence of Mr. Forsberg’s activities, its production methods were rationalised and the steelmaking capacity was trebled. The improvements made under his direction included the introduction in 1929 of the charging of the blast-furnace with 100% sintered ores, the transfer of hot metal direct from the blast-furnaces to the open-hearth furnaces, the erection of a charcoal-drying plant, and in 1934 the erection of a complete new hot rolling-mill. Among his later undertakings was the construction in 1937 of two 15-ton electric-arc furnaces to make steel by a duplex process of his own to suit the special conditions at Hofors.

Apart from his SKF activities, Mr. Forsberg took an active interest in Swedish economic and civil affairs, especially in the later years of his life. He was on the board of several companies, including Skandinaviska Banken A/B, Trafikaktiebolaget Grangesberg-Oxeldsund, A/B Bofors and Gamlestadens Fabrikers A/B. He was Vice-Chairman of Sveriges Industriforbund (Federation of Swedish Industries), Member of Council of Sveriges Verkstadsforeningen (Swedish Engineering Association), of Jarnbruksforbundet (Iron-works Association), of Svenska Arbetsgivareforeningen (Swedish Employers’ Federation), of Ingeniorsvetenskapsakademien (Engineers’ Academy of Science) and deputy on the board of Jernkontoret. He was also Vice-Chairman of a national association for the preservation of Swedish culture abroad.

He was elected a Member of The Iron and Steel Institute in 1926.

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