Tekno (toy manufacturer)

Tekno is a Danish manufacturing company (as "Dansk Legetojs Industri") of scale model trucks and other vehicles, currently headquartered in De Lier, Netherlands. Originally established and based in Copenhagen, Tekno began manufacturing construction toys in 1928 and model vehicles immediately after World War II, selling 1 million a year during its peak.

While begun as a toy company, the focus later shifted to promotional truck models as adult collectibles and the company's headquarters was moved to The Netherlands. In the past, Tekno also manufactured model cars and airplanes.

History

Established in 1928, Tekno was the only Scandinavian company to become an accomplished die-cast toy producer, somewhat similar to the German Schuco Modell, Märklin, or Gama Toys. All of these were model firms that existed before World War II. The founder was A. Siegumfeldt, a plumber from Copenhagen, who after many years of producing wooden toys, began producing die-cast vehicles post-war perhaps late 1945. Through the 1950s, Tekno gradually became a main competitor, even to Dinky Toys.

Brochures show that the company regally celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1953. By this time a wide variety of trucks, tractors and cars were being produced along with toy miniature pots, pans and other kitchenware (Tekno Dansk 1953). Wooden houses, cranes, trucks and other toys - even small electric motors - were also made. Also in the 1950s, sometimes toys were produced in association with the Swedish company Brio.

Diecasters involved

Tekno die-cast cars and airplanes were manufactured previous to world war 2, and then after, in the main factory in Kirkebjerg, west of central Copenhagen. The complete story of toy manufacturing in the company is quite complex. From 1949 through about 1969, many Tekno models were also made by H. Langes Legetøj (Langes Toys), a diecaster in Copenhagen with which Tekno apparently had an informal association.

Langes Legetøj also cooperated with a company called Termax - which was in the same building. Termax developed many of the cars, for example, all Mercedes models, Jaguar E type, Opel models, and the DKW Junior. They then were often produced or assembled by Lange's Legetøj.

Some of Tekno's parts were cast in Nyrnbergade (where Langes & Termax were located) and then sent west about four miles for assembly in Kirkebjerg. Tekno even had another factory on the Rentemestervej and one also in Frederikssund. Later, production was also done in Glostrup, about three miles west of Kirkebjerg.

Langes Toys were bought by Kirk Toys in 1958 which saw the replacement of the Tekno name with Kirk on some vehicle bases through the 1960s. In 1969, the old agreement between Langes Legetøj and Tekno was terminated. Kirk had existed as early as 1892 as Emil Møller Phone Factory. Since 1970 the company has been sold many times. For some time it was called Kirk telecom and then in 2012 became Spectralink Europe ApS. Kirk is a family name, and in the period 1923–1967 the family stood at directorship of the phone factory. Apparently, Kirk's involvement in the toy business was a small venture compared to greater phone production.

Model Selection and details

Tekno was known for favoring Swedish auto maker Volvo Cars, making coupés, sedans, and wagons. Some of these models were used by Volvo as promotional models. Tekno had a reputation for accuracy and realism - its Volvo models and many others like the Oldsmobile Toronado and Jaguar X-KE had superb proportions and detail. Tekno trucks were also known for their detail, such as the Ford D-800 tilt-cab decorated for Tuborg Beer which featured thirty-two removable beer cases. Still, in the early 1960s, the company often used the unrealistic, flashy practice of using jeweled headlights, similar to Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys

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