Our history
What began in 1914 in Vara, Sweden, has grown into a leading global partner in grain handling. Discover the journey behind our innovation, craftsmanship, and long-standing commitment to the agricultural industry.
Skandia Elevator is a family business that is now in its third generation. It was founded in 1914 by brothers Nils and Gustav Larsson, two farmer’s sons who started to produce threshing machines and sell them to neighbouring farms. Almost a century later, the company is still based in Arentorp in Vara Municipality, Sweden, and is run by Nils’ grandsons, Jonas and Joakim Larsson. However, it has evolved from being a small, local farming business into Europe’s market leader in smart grain transport equipment, also being a frontrunner in delivering grain plant data and knowledge to professional farmers.
This is how the journey unfolded:
An active period in the company’s journey both launching a new generation of elevators and becoming a natural part of the agricultural industries digital transformation, through Grain Cloud. To further develop Grain Cloud’s offer, Skandia Elevator historically made its very first acquisitions, becoming the full owner of temperature line company Liros Electronics i Malmö AB and part owner of the automation company Automations Teknik i Lidköping AB in 2021. Grain Cloud also teamed up in a partnership with Dataväxt, to create further value for its users and created its first EIP-project to develop its traceability functions. Altogether a successful period in which the turnover target in the business plan was reached. From the turn of 2023, the Larsson brothers switches positions as Jonas Larsson began the role as Skandia Elevator's new CEO, while Joakim Larsson continues as Vice president and sales manager.
After Skandia Elevator had reached the goal of becoming the leading manufacturer of grain transport equipment in Europe, a new strategy for product development was created: To be the leader in smart grain transport equipment. And to be one of the leaders in delivering grain plant data and knowledge to professional farmers. Therefore, in 2017, the company founded the Grain Cloud brand with its innovative products as a completely new business area which is based on the idea of giving the farmer total control over the grain work on the farm. The digital products within Grain Cloud allow the farmer to optimize the entire value chain and create a traceable and sustainable agriculture. The result is superior control over the grain, invaluable insights and the ability to initiate, modify and terminate processes remotely.
Anders Larsson took over as the sole owner of the company in 1989, and his strong leadership laid the foundation for the company Skandia Elevator is today. 1999 saw the formulation of the objective of becoming Europe’s leading manufacturer of conveying systems for the grain industry within fifteen years. The entire company worked together towards this objective throughout the first decade of the new millennium. And in 2010, Skandia Elevator did indeed become Europe’s leading manufacturer of conveying systems for the grain industry.
In 1979, Skandia Elevator was one of the first companies to begin manufacturing elevators and conveyors in galvanised sheet metal. Something that proved to be an important success factor for the company. During the 1980s and 1990s, there was great focus on new export markets and an emphasis on product development. The range was supplemented with curved and inclined conveyors, making the company even more competitive.
In 1961, Nils’ son, Anders Larsson, and Gustav’s five children took over the business. By the following year, they had already produced the very first elevator, which was made entirely from timber. The company spent the 1960s and early 1970s developing a broad range of products which included both elevators and complete drying systems. In 1975, a decision was made to concentrate production on conveying equipment only. In the same year, the company also began to export products outside of Sweden’s borders. The export forced the company to keep developing.
The company, Bröderna Larsson i Arentorp AB, was founded in 1914 by brothers Nils and Gustav Larsson. During the first few years, they only produced threshing machines, which were called Skandia Tröskverken, and their customers were mainly neighbouring farmers. In the 1920s, the first self-cleaning threshing machine was developed, reaping great success for the Larsson brothers. The demand for Skandia’s threshing machines increased with time and, in 1945, a new product was added to the range, namely a manure spreader.
