Jernkontoret - Serving the iron and steel industry since 1747

Serving the iron and steelindustry since 1747Jernkontoret, the Swedish Steel Producers’ Association, safeguards theinterests of the Swedish steel industry through working actively to ensurethe best possible operating conditions for the industry in Sweden.Steel is at the core of today’s technically advanced, research-intensiveindustry where Sweden is a world leader in several areas.

Jernkontoret– the Swedish steel producers’ associationJernkontoret, also known as the SwedishSteel Producers Association, looks afterthe interests of the Swedish steel industryin the broadest sense. It represents theindustry on issues covering trade policy,research and education, standardisation,energy and the environment as well as specificissues relating to taxation and duties.The steel industry’s labour relations areconducted by Employers’Association ofthe Swedish Steel and Metal Industry, amember of the Confederation of SwedishEnterprise.Jernkontoret has been delegated tasksrelating to Sweden’s participation in organisationsfor international co-operationwithin the steel area such as World SteelAssociation and Eurofer, the EuropeanSteel Association.Extensive technical research is directedand run by Jernkontoret in co-operationwith the steel companies in the Nordicarea. In the EU also, Jernkontoret cooperateson important steel research projects.In addition, Jernkontoret compilesindustrial statistics and carries out researchinto the history of mining andmetallurgy.Steel companies are broadly representedon the different committees and councilsthat work within Jernkontoret andthereby play an important role.Councils and committeesEnergy councilResearch and education councilEnvironment councilProduct ecology councilStandardisation councilInformation and recruitment groupHistorical metallurgy groupTHE STEEL INDUSTRY”THE SOCIETY OF IRONMASTERS”JERNKONTORET’S BOARDPRESIDENT OF JERNKONTORET_________________________________________________________________________________________INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRSRESEARCH & EDUCATIONENERGY & ENVIRONMENTINFORMATION & MARKETINGECONOMY & ADMINISTRATIONInfluenceMarketingOpinionInformationProvisionof skillsResearchIndustrymonitoringAbout twenty-five persons carry outthe day-to-day work of Jernkontoret. Itsoffices are located in its own building incentral Stockholm.Structure and ownershipJernkontoret was founded back in 1747.Since that time it has been owned by theiron- and steelworks that engage in – orhave engaged in – iron and steel manufacture.This co-partnership on the part ofan iron- or steelworks may not be liquidatedbut only ceases when operations areshut down and the partnership stake isthen transferred to another works carryingon iron and steel manufacture. Themembers of Jernkontoret pay a basic fee,the so-called “Jernkontorsdalern” – unchangedsince 1747 – that gives votingrights. The co-owners exercise their influenceover Jernkontoret through the“The Society of Ironmasters” (Brukssocieteten)that corresponds to the annualshareholders’ meeting in a limited company.The members appoint the council,which thereby constitutes the Jernkontoretboard.Just over 180 works are recorded as coownersof Jernkntoret but the majority ofthese are inactive. In the course of time,not least over the last thirty years or so,production of steel has been concentratedin fewer and larger companies. Nowadaysoperations directly related to steel manufactureare carried on in some 20 or solocalities. The companies pay an annualservice fee that funds parts of Jernkontoret’sactivities.The Jernkontoret buildingThe International Affairs Department monitors and looks after the Swedish steel industry’s interests in relation tocommercial policy issues. The department also produces statistical information and steel market predictions.Department of Research and Education administers the joint Nordic steel research programmes and co-ordinatesSwedish participation in EU research. The department also promotes the industry’s interests on issues relating to suchareas as research financing and higher education courses.Department of Energy and Environment monitors and safeguards the industry’s interests on issues relating toenergy, climate and the environment as well as associated taxation and levies, both national and international.Department of Information and Marketing highlights the role of steel, the Swedish steel industry, Jernkontoret andits operations. The department supports the industry’s long-term provision of the requisite skilled personnel. It is alsoresponsible for Jernkontoret’s web site, library and archive as well as the metallurgical history activities.Department of Economy and Administration is responsible for Jernkontoret’s economy, financial administration,personnel issues, conference premises, office services and property administration.

Jernkontoret’s activitiesInternational affairsJernkontoret’s international department isresponsible for monitoring and lookingafter the Swedish steel industry’s interestsin the area of international commerce.Jernkontoret maintains close contactswith the National Board of Trade, theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and theMinistry of Industry, Employment andCommunications. These governmentdepartments require information andreports, for example in connection withSweden’s negotiations with foreign bodieson issues relating to the steel industry.Special attention is paid to developmentsin the WTO and the liberalisation ofworld trade. Jernkontoret co-operatesclosely with Eurofer and the Confederationof Swedish Enterprise.The department also produces and analysesstatistical information relating tothe steel industry.Research and technologyJernkontoret’s department of researchand education supervises the joint Nordicsteel research and also assists Swedishparticipants in European steel research inrespect of questions concerning guidelinesand applications. In addition, Jernkontoretalso monitors and takes charge ofjoint technical issues for the industry.This joint steel research is run withinJernkontoret’s fourteen technical areas.These cover the spectrum of steel productionfrom raw material to finishedmaterial, material characteristics, testingand areas of application. Energy researchalso comprises an important componentof these research activities.Jernkontoret’s technical areas (TO)TO 21 Iron-based metallurgyTO 23 Electric arc furnace technology– ladle metallurgyTO 24 Casting and solidificationTO 31 Strip & plateTO 32 Bar & profileTO 33 WireTO 34 TubeTO 41 Steel development andapplicationsTO 43 Stainless steelTO 44 Non-destructive testingTO 45 Analytical chemistryTO 51 Energy & furnace technologyTO 55 Steel production residuesTO 80 Powder metallurgyThe research is carried out at researchcentres, certain higher education institutionsand at the steel companies themselvesin the Nordic countries.In 2010 these research activities had aturnover of SEK 263 million of which45 per cent comprised payments fromJernkontoret, companies and state grants.The remaining part was made up of thecompanies’ inputs in kind which are animportant link in the contacts betweenhigher education and the companies. Thisclose co-operation is also an effectiveinstrument in converting the researchresults into practical applications withinthe steel industry.Energy, climate andenvironmentJernkontoret’s department for energy andenvironment monitors and safeguards theindustry’s interests in energy and environmentalmatters as well as associatedtaxation and levy systems, both nationallyand internationally.Jernkontoret is an important body referredto for consultation on energy andenvironmental matters.Inside the EU, Jernkontoret operates inthe first instance through Eurofer but alsothrough direct contacts primarily withGovernment Offices of Sweden andSwedish members of the EU parliament.The joint-industry monitoring takesplace with the aid of member companies'energy and environmental experts ingroups where a continuous interchange ofknowledge and experience takes place.Collaboration also takes place with organisationsin related industries and the Confederationof Swedish Enterprise as wellas with Jernkontoret's technical areas.Education and informationWith the support of Jernkontoret, amongothers, a research centre within the areaof materials engineering/metal forming hasbeen established as part of Dalarna Universityin Borlänge. This also includes anational research school in metal forming.Jernkontoret supports the Royal Instituteof Technology (KTH), Dalarna University(DU) and Luleå University ofTechnology (LTU) at a variety of levels,including funding of professorships,research engineers and recruitment activities.Visit days are arranged each year forupper secondary students to these universities,which offer education of specialinterest to the steel industry. The purposeis to give an insight into thefollowing Master of Science in Engineeringprogrammes: Material Design (KTH,DU) and Industrial, Environmental andProcess Technology (LTU).In addition, Jernkontoret producesteachers’ aides and other information e.g.books, reports, films, CD’s, lectures etc.Recruitment andscholarshipsJernkontoret supports the long-termprovision of skills and works to enhancethe industry’s image.In the run-up to the selection of universityeach spring, marketing takes place ofthe programmes of special interest to thesteel industry. The purpose is to increasethe number of qualified metallurgicalengineers. To further enhance interest inthese programmes, the steel industry,through Jernkontoret, has instituted anumber of university scholarships.Jernkontoret also administers a numberof foundations, which provide grants toresearch and development, education,study trips etc.Libraries and archivesJernkontoret’s book collections date backa long way. The library includes about600 metres of shelving covering specialistareas such as the history of mining andmetallurgy, research and development,energy, environment and trade policy.This archive also includes a collectionof portraits containing 6,000 portraits ofnotable personalities in Sweden’s industrialhistory and a collection of 7,000pictures of Swedish ironworks and mines.History of miningand metallurgyJernkontoret’s Historical MetallurgyGroup comprises a significant contactpoint for researchers interested in thehistory of mining and metallurgy. Thehistory is Nordic in scope and covers allperiods in respect of archaeological andhistorical documentation and research aswell as cultural heritage related to allproduction of iron and also other metals.Under this group, there is also a subcommitteeof experts that monitor developmentswithin the history of miningand metallurgy and initiate new researchassignments. The mining history committeealso arranges lectures, discussionsand field studies.

History of JernkontoretThe name Jernkontoret (the Iron Office)has been used ever since its foundationback in 1747. The establishment of thisorganisation as such had been discussedsince the 17th century, however.It was through the book printer andpublisher Lars Salvius that the Swedishterm for “iron office” finally establishedits currency in the year 1738.Previously, names such as “iron company”or “iron society” had also beenused. Salvius advocated “iron office” inhis contribution to the national economicdebate. This was because the term “ironcompany”, which was most widely usedat the time, related to a monopolistic andclosed organisation and had negativeassociations.King Fredrik I established Jernkontoret’sfirst regulations in 1747. This makesit Sweden’s – and one of Europe’s – old-est industrial bodies. Under the regulations,Jernkontoret’s task was partly towork for reasonable prices for differenttypes of iron and partly to facilitate thefinancing of the iron trade through payingthe interest on the loans that the Riksbank(Sweden’s central bank) had offeredon weighed iron. Subsequently, all theSwedish ironworks became partners inJernkontoret.In the 1760’s Jernkontoret acquired theright to carry on its own lending business,a right that is no longer exercised. In formalterms, however, Jernkontoret couldclaim to be Sweden’s second oldest bankafter the Riksbank.Already, during its first year of operations,Jernkontret initiated the advisoryfunction and research in the technical areathat have substantially contributed to theorganisation’s central position within theSwedish iron and steel industry.Jernkontoret’s seal since itsfoundation in the 1740’s. The twohorns of plenty filled with fruits andflowers symbolise richness andabundance. The iron symbol showsthat this prosperity is based on afoundation of iron. The box belowwith its long chain is an emblem ofJernkontoret’s banking activities.September 2011www.jernkontoret.se– your entry into Swedish steel!Co-operation partnersJernkontoret co-operates with other organisationsinstitutes e.g. the two steelresearch institutes Swerea KIMAB andSwerea MEFOS, both of which wereestablished by Jernkontoret.Other organisations where Jernkontoretis represented include the Swedish StandardsInstitute (SIS), the Swedish Instituteof Steel Construction (SBI), Foundationfor the Swedish EnvironmentalResearch Institute (SIVL), Swerea AB,the body representing Sweden’s energyintensivebase industries (SKGS), TheSwedish Welding Commission and TheRoyal Swedish Academy of Engineering(IVA).The Jernkontoret building in Stockholmalso houses the organisation Industriarbetsgivarna,which is an association offour organisations with focus on industryemployers’ issues. The secretariat for theSwedish Society of Mining and MetallurgicalEngineers is also situated in thebuilding.Industrial associations withlinks to JernkontoretBruksindustriföreningenThis association, founded in 1942, representsthe Swedish steel industry onissues that are the subject of co-operationbetween the steel industry and the Confederationof Swedish Enterprise.JärnverksföreningenSince 1889, this association has compriseda union of steel producers and wholesalers.The annual meeting, with lectures anddiscussions on issues of concern to thesteel sector, takes place in connection withthe annual Hindersmässan fair in theSwedish town of Örebro.Bergshandteringens Vänner (BHV)The object of the association, which wasfounded in 1864, is to maintain interest inmining. The annual meeting, with lecturesand discussions on subjects concerningthe Nordic steel and mining industries,takes place in connection with the Hindersmässanin Örebro.The Swedish Society of Mining andMetallurgical Engineers (SvenskaBergsmannaföreningen)The object of the association is to constituteconnections between the membersand to support activities which gainmining.The board have since 1996 the rightto issue licence for member to use theSwedish occupational title “BergsingenjörSBF”.Industry publicationsTwo periodicals are published in cooperationwith Jernkontoret: thescientific and technical “Steel ResearchInternational”, published by VerlagStahleisen in Düsseldorf and the Nordicnewsletter for the steel, metal and miningindustries “Bergsmannen med JernkontoretsAnnaler” that includes the annualinternational issue “Nordic Steel andMining Review”. Bergsmannen ispublished by Bergsmannens Förlag AB inStockholm.Postal address: Box 1721, SE-111 87 Stockholm, SwedenVisiting address: Kungsträdgårdsgatan 10Telephone: + 46 8 679 17 00 • Fax: + 46 8 611 20 89E-mail: office@jernkontoret.se • www.jernkontoret.se