Gustaf Woldemar Wrede af Elimä (28 July 1889 – 17 February 1958) was a Finnish
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
, engineer and businessman. He is best known for his contribution to Finnish
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
production.
Wrede was born to influential Finnish industrialist Wrede family; his father
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
Carolus Wrede
Baron Carl Gustaf Garibaldi Fabian "Carolus" Wrede af Elimä (27 December 1860 — 15 May 1927) was a Grand Duchy of Finland, Finnish industrialist.
Wrede studied five grades in Turku and in 1881 started his career at Hackman, Hackman & Co. in V ...
worked as manager in number of Finnish engineering companies. Due to his background, Wrede got a good education and subsequently a good position in his father's company, in which he designed
Kullervo
Kullervo () is an ill-fated character in the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot.
Growing up in the aftermath of the massacre of his entire tribe, he comes to realise that the same people who had brought him up, t ...
tractor.
As manager of
Ab Dalsbruk Wrede grew a hardy manager who saved the company from closure and developed the production. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Wrede led the
nickel mining A nickel mine is a mine that produces nickel. Some mines produce nickel primarily, while some mines produce nickel as a side-product of some other metal that has a higher concentration in the ore.
Geology
Nickel occurs in two general types of or ...
company
Petsamon Nikkeli Oy. After the war he led the
metal industry
Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
production for
war reparations to the Soviet Union. As manager of
Valmet
Valmet Oyj is a Finnish company and a developer and supplier of technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp (paper), pulp, paper and energy industry, energy industries.
Valmet has over 200 years of history as an industrial oper ...
, Wrede participated in developing of
Valmet tractor
Valmet (originally Valtion Metallitehtaat - State Metalworks) was a company formed in 1951, when the country of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company, Valmet. The factorie ...
s.
Early years and studies
Wrede's parents were
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
, manager
Carolus Wrede
Baron Carl Gustaf Garibaldi Fabian "Carolus" Wrede af Elimä (27 December 1860 — 15 May 1927) was a Grand Duchy of Finland, Finnish industrialist.
Wrede studied five grades in Turku and in 1881 started his career at Hackman, Hackman & Co. in V ...
and Siri née Söderhjelm.
His nickname within the family was ''Dutta''.
[Zilliacus: ''Appelassa.'' pp. 63–81.] The affluent Wrede family had been involved in industrial development for generations already. Carolus Wrede was the main owner of engineering companies
Åbo Jernmanufaktur
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 16 ...
and
Åbo Waggonfabrik
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 16 ...
. It was rather natural, that also Gustaf Wrede became oriented to engineering. He studied eight grades in
Swedish-speaking ''
Nya svenska läroverket'' in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
. In 1907 he started studies in
Technische Universität Darmstadt
The Technische Universität Darmstadt (official English name Technical University of Darmstadt, sometimes also referred to as Darmstadt University of Technology), commonly known as TU Darmstadt, is a research university in the city of Darmstadt ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
where he graduated in 1911 as Mechanical Engineer.
Wrede's sister Siri married
Wilhelm Wahlforss
Emil Wilhelm Wahlforss (25 June 1891 – 20 June 1969) was a Finnish engineer, industrialist and vuorineuvos.
Early life
Wahlforss was born in Helsinki, the capital of Grand Duchy of Finland. His father Henrik Alfred Wahlforss was an appreciat ...
, who later became an influential businessman. Wrede and Wahlforss worked both as colleagues and later leading large competing engineering companies.
Kullervo
![Kullervo tractor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Kullervo_tractor.jpg)
Carolus Wrede's companies produced
agricultural machinery
Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that the ...
and he became interested in
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
s, as he saw a big market potential in
Russian Plain
The East European Plain (also called the Russian Plain, "Extending from eastern Poland through the entire European Russia to the Ural Mountaina, the ''East European Plain'' encompasses all of the Baltic states and Belarus, nearly all of Ukraine, an ...
s where fields reached as far as eye can see. Right after his studies Gustaf Wrede to United States to learn more about
vehicle production. He worked for a number of
automotive companies in 1911–1912. During 1912–1914 he worked as
Chief Engineer
A chief engineer, commonly referred to as "ChEng" or "Chief", is the most senior engine officer of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship, and holds overall leadership and the responsibility of that department..Chief engineer's ...
for
Jackson Automobile Company
The Jackson Automobile Company was an American Brass Era automobile manufacturer located in and named for Jackson, Michigan. The company produced the Jackson from 1903 to 1923, the 1903 Jaxon steam car and the 1904 Orlo.
Company History
Byron ...
in
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, where he focused on learning tractor technology. In 1914 Wrede returned to Finland and became Chief Engineer of Åbo Jernmanufaktur, where he started to develop a tractor. The
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, which started shortly after, slowed down the development work; the factory was completely stopped during
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
in 1918. The new tractor was finally introduced in the following autumn. In the meantime,
Finland had become an independent state and the prominent Russian market was closed. However, the market of
Baltic states
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
looked promising.
Serial production
Serial may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media The presentation of works in sequential segments
* Serial (literature), serialised literature in print
* Serial (publishing), periodical publications and newspapers
* Serial (radio and televisio ...
of Wrede's tractor named
Kullervo
Kullervo () is an ill-fated character in the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot.
Growing up in the aftermath of the massacre of his entire tribe, he comes to realise that the same people who had brought him up, t ...
started in 1919. Kullervo was produced in two variants of different
engine outputs. The stronger, 30-
hp version was originally intended for the Russian export. The smaller, 15-hp model was designed for domestic market. While the construction was modern, Kullervo was not sales success; despite of government
subsidies
A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
, American
Fordson
Fordson was a brand name of tractors and trucks. It was used on a range of mass-produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son Inc from 1917 to 1920, by Ford Motor Company (U.S.) and Ford Motor Company Ltd (U.K.) from 1920 to ...
ruled the Finnish market. Production ceased in 1924, until when just 300 units were sold.
In 1920–1922 Wrede worked as general manager in another agricultural machinery producer
Tykö bruks Ab.
Dalsbruk
![Dalsbruk - Kolugnarna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Dalsbruk_-_Kolugnarna.jpg)
Wrede was recruited to lead
Ab Dalsbruk in 1922; Dalsbruk produced basic ironware products, such as
bar iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" t ...
,
chain
A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...
and
nails. Finland was in economical upswing and Wrede started an investment programme. Despite of intense price competition, the company's
order book
An order book is the list of orders (manual or electronic) that a trading venue (in particular stock exchanges) uses to record the interest of buyers and sellers in a particular financial instrument. A matching engine uses the book to determine ...
was in a good level. In January 1924 Dalsbruk became part of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
Wuppermann company, which secured its financial status giving security to investments; the most important ones were a new
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
and modern
rolling mill
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...
. The Wuppermann family had high expectations for potential of the Dalsbruk factory and invested on it total 23.5 million
Finnish mark
The markka ( fi, markka; sv, mark; sign: Mk; ISO code: FIM, typically known outside Finland as the Finnish mark) was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The mark was divided into 100 pe ...
s. The youngest son of the owning family Gerhard Wuppermann was appointed Deputy Director.
Already in 1926 the company started to have problems; it was hit by
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
and a
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
that took for over two months from June until August. Problems continued in the following year, when Dalsbruk was in strike and
lockout
Lockout may refer to:
* Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage
**Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914
* Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues
**MLB lockout, lock ...
for total seven months. When this was over, the economic cycle had turned worse. Dalsbruk operated then just four days per week and the number of shifts was cut down. Wuppermann family had to fund the operations by
bills of exchange
A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, whose payer is usually named on the document. More specifically, it is a document contemplated by or consisting of a ...
. The company still owned large areas of land which was eventually sold; this reduced the need for money borrowed. In 1929 the company debt reached 5.5 million marks and in addition Wuppermann family had taken debt for Dalsbruk for 10.5 million. The Wuppermanns decided to run down operations in Dalsbruk in a hygienic manner. In September 1930 the family gave Dalsbruk shares to Wrede, whose task was now to make the tough decisions. Salaries were cut, chain and nail production was sold and headcount was reduced. As the Finnish government changed its tariff policy more favourable, Wrede managed to press the losses down in 1930–1931. Abandoning of
gold standard
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...
in autumn 1931 and the subsequent
devaluation
In macroeconomics and modern monetary policy, a devaluation is an official lowering of the value of a country's currency within a fixed exchange-rate system, in which a monetary authority formally sets a lower exchange rate of the national curren ...
improved Dalsbruk's competitiveness. On the other hand, following collapse of international raw material bar
cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
, competition had become more intense and prices dropped.
In 1932 Dalsbruk got a large order for
train wheel
A train wheel or rail wheel is a type of wheel specially designed for use on railway tracks. The wheel acts as a rolling component, typically press fitted onto an axle and mounted directly on a railway carriage or locomotive, or indirectly on a b ...
s and axles from the
State Railways, which led to immediate improvement; prices had stabilised, the factory was saved, Wrede had become its owner and paid compensation to Wuppermann family for continuation of operations. Wrede continued investing on the Dalsbruk.
Before Dalsbruk, Wrede had succeeded in his life mainly because of his
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
background and wealthy family. The experience he gained as manager had a major impact on the rest of his life and toughened him to perform in his later duties.
In 1939 he sold his Dalsbruk shares to
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...
Group, a company led by his brother-in-law, Wilhelm Wahlforss.
[Zilliacus: ''Ahven.'' pp. 138–149.]
During 1924–1934 Wrede led Suomen Pultti ja Konetehdas Oy and in 1935–1946 he worked as manager of Suomen Lasitehdas.
When the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
broke out in 1939, Wrede was appointed the acting manager of Wärtsilä Group in the meantime when Wahlforss travelled abroad to negotiate about war material purchasing.
[Zilliacus: ''Myötäinen myrsky.'' pp. 151–166.]
Petsamon Nikkeli
![PetsamoMines](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/PetsamoMines.jpg)
Wrede got an offer for manager position in
Petsamon Nikkeli Oy in
Petsamo Petsamo may refer to:
* Petsamo Province, a province of Finland from 1921 to 1922
* Petsamo, Tampere, a district in Tampere, Finland
* Pechengsky District, Russia, formerly known as Petsamo
* Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast, Russi ...
1940, right after the Winter War. He took the challenging position and sold his Dalsbruk shares. The company management had recently decided to invest on
Kolosjoki mine and Wrede led the construction project determinedly. The mine was in focal point in global politics: Petsamon Nikkeli belonged to British
Mond Nickel Company
The Mond Nickel Company Limited was a United Kingdom-based mining company, formed on September 20, 1900, licensed in Canada to carry on business in the province of Ontario, from October 16, 1900. The firm was founded by Ludwig Mond (1839-1909) to p ...
which wanted to close the mine when the Finnish-German relations started to improve during the
Interim Peace
The Interim Peace ( fi, Välirauha, sv, Mellanfreden) was a short period in the history of Finland during the Second World War. The term is used for the time between the Winter War and the Continuation War, lasting a little over 15 months, from 1 ...
. In response, the Finnish government took the mine under its control. Mining began in 1940 and the nickel was sold to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
for low price.
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
between Finland and
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
began in 1941. Wrede worked under high pressure negotiating about deliveries and other conditions with the German customers. In addition to the company, Wrede led the community grown around the mine. Due to political conditions, Wrede had to leave the mine in September 1944; he placed the company keys on his office desk before he left. Subsequently, Petsamo was ceded to Soviet Union in
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...
.
Valmet
![Valmet tractors Kivääritehdas in 1950s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Valmet_tractors_Kiv%C3%A4%C3%A4ritehdas_in_1950s.jpg)
After the war Wrede was called to lead engineering industry production in
Delegation of War Reparation Industry (Soteva), where he worked in 1944–1952. In 1945–1951 he worked as manager of
Ares Oy. He was nominated to lead
Valmet
Valmet Oyj is a Finnish company and a developer and supplier of technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp (paper), pulp, paper and energy industry, energy industries.
Valmet has over 200 years of history as an industrial oper ...
but the left-wing member of the board resisted the idea. Situation changed in the 1950s after Finland had paid off the war reparations – Valmet fell into crisis, as it had to find new lines of business and start working in free market. The company needed an experienced and determined leader, and Wrede became selected new manager of Valmet in 1954 after nomination by
Väinö Tanner
Väinö Alfred Tanner (; 12 March 1881 – 19 April 1966; surname until 1895 ''Thomasson'') was a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party of Finland, and a pioneer and leader of the cooperative movement in Finland. He was Prime Minister ...
. Valmet had been formed by putting together a number of companies, many of them experienced in
defence industry
The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and serv ...
.
It was the most significant domestic competitor of the other leading Finnish engineering company Wärtsilä Group − managed by Wrede's brother-in-law.
When seeking for a new direction,
Valmet had started producing tractors. Wrede had a passion to the subject, originating from his youth, and he participated actively on tractor designing. Finnish agriculture mechanised rapidly in the 1950s and Valmet tractors gained a strong foothold in the domestic market.
Gustaf Wrede died at his home in
Königstedt Manor
Königstedt Manor ( fi, Königstedtin kartano or sv, Königstedt gård) is a historic manor house in Riipilä in the municipality of Vantaa
Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is par ...
in February 1958 after suffering of cancer.
Political career and organisational activities
During 1937–1940 Wrede was chairman of the Finnish Metal Industry Employers' Association. He was board member in Employers' Central Association in 1932–1933, 1937–1943 and 1955–1956 and chairman in 1941–1942.
In 1935–1940 Wrede was chairman of
Dragsfjärd
Dragsfjärd is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2009 it was consolidated with Kimito and Västanfjärd to form the new municipality of Kimitoön.
It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finla ...
municipal council.
Character
Wrede was regarded as proficient engineer. As a manager Wrede was an old school industrialist who rather built connections than oriented on marketing. There are number of examples when Wrede rather approached politicians instead of competing in open market.
Personal life
Wrede was married for three times. A 1915 started marriage with Ebba née Tollet ended in divorce in 1919. He got married again in 1920 to Karin Sophie née Andelin in 1920 and the couple divorced in 1946. In 1948 Wrede married Asta née Örtengren; this marriage lasted until Wrede's death.
In 1949 Wrede bought Königstedt Manor for his residence.
Sources
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrede, Gustaf
20th-century Finnish businesspeople
1889 births
1958 deaths
Valmet
Technische Universität Darmstadt alumni