A/S Per Kure, variously also known as A/S Per Kure Norsk Motor- og Dynamofabrikk and ASEA–Per Kure, was a manufacturer first of electric heaters and later of

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

s. Founded by Per Kure in 1897, it was for most of its history based at Hasle in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The company was dissolved during the creation of Asea Brown Boveri in 1988.

History

Per Kure, born in 1872, returned to Norway in 1897 after receiving an education in electronics in Mittweida, Germany. He established the company that bore his name on 28 September. The company started working with installation of electrical apparatuses, including lights and motors. Originally located in the street ''Kristian Augusts gate'', the company moved to ''Universitetsgata 24'' in 1905. The company was importer of Elektra, a Swiss brand of electrical heaters, and from 1911, the company received a license to produce the products for Norway and Sweden. In 1912, the company started selling products from Nya Förenade Elektriska Aktiebolaget of Sweden in Norway. After it had merged to create

Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget ''Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget'' (English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company. History ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås as ...

(ASEA), Per Kure took over ASEA's Norwegian division, Norsk Motor- og Dynamofabrik, and the new company was renamed A/S Per Kure Norsk Motor- og Dynamofabrik. The merged company produced transformers, which were largely sold for production of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

in Norway. In 1937, all of the company's manufacturing was localized at Hasle. Per Kure remained CEO until 1938, by which time the company had 500 employees. Per Kure built transformers two classes of Norwegian

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...

s, El 5 and El 9. In 1944, during the

Second World War 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 ...

, the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

was active with sabotage against companies which were supplying the German armed forces. Workers at Per Kure had joined the communist resistance group Osvald. Because of the Allied bombing of Germany, Per Kure was thought to become part of a decentralized production facility for assembly of aircraft engines, and Osvald considered the plant a legitimate target. On 30 May 1944, the entire plant at Hasle was blown up and several transformers severely damaged. The action was not coordinated with central parts of the resistance, such as

Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...

, which had a more passive strategy. In 1945, Per Kure died, and ASEA bought the company and renamed ASEA–Per Kure. In 1967, the production of Elektra products was sold. The company remained until 1988, when ASEA merged to become ABB. In 1988, ASEA–Per Kure was dissolved and the following year, production of transformers at Hasle ceased.

References

{{reflist Manufacturing companies established in 1897 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1988 Manufacturing companies based in Oslo 1988 disestablishments in Norway Norwegian companies established in 1897