Trelleborg AB is a global engineering group specializing in polymer technology, headquartered in Trelleborg, Sweden. As of 2023, the company employs 15,646 people and generates annual revenues of 34 billion SEK. It became a public company in 1964 and currently trades on the Nasdaq Stockholm as a large-cap component.

History

The company was founded in 1905 as "Trelleborgs Gummifabriks AB" (the Rubber Factory Corporation of Trelleborg) by Henry Dunker and Johan Kock, who were both already active in the rubber industry. Initially, the company had 150 employees and produced bicycle tires and rubber for industrial applications. During World War I, the Swedish Armed Forces placed substantial orders. By the mid-1930s, the number of employees had reached 1,000. Beginning in the 1950s, the share of revenue from sales outside of Sweden increased; in 1950, it was 4%, and in 1970, it was 40%. In 1964, Trelleborgs Gummifabriks AB was floated at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The current name was adopted in 1977. Between 1983 and 1991, the strategy was to act as a wide-ranging industrial conglomerate, with a particular focus on mining and metals. Later, the company's focus returned to rubber products. In 1999, the scope was further narrowed by specializing in industrial applications. In 2003, polymer-based precision seals were added to the product offerings. In 2009 the European Commission fined several marine hose producers, among them Trelleborg AB, "...for participating in a cartel for marine hoses between 1986 and 2007 in violation of the ban on cartels and restrictive business practices in the EC Treaty (Article 81) and the EEA Agreement (Article 53)." In mid-2012, Trelleborg and Freudenberg formed a 50–50 joint venture in antivibration applications for light and heavy vehicles, TrelleborgVibracoustic. Trelleborg divested its shares in this venture to Freudenberg in 2016. In 2022, Trelleborg acquired the Lindau-based aerospace interiors company, MG Silikon GmbH, an entity within Saint-Gobain Group, and the US-based company Minnesota Rubber & Plastics from private equity firm KKR for US$950million.

Operations

Trelleborg AB is divided into the following business areas:

Market

Trelleborg AB was in 2018, according to Rubber & Plastics News, the third-largest player in the world market for non-tire rubber products. The net sales for 2022 had the following geographical distribution:

Ownership

The 10 largest shareholders of Trelleborg AB, as of December 31, 2023:

Governance

Since April 27, 2023, Johan Malmquist has been Chairman of Trelleborg AB. The following table lists the chairmen in chronological order since the company was founded. Since October 1, 2005, Peter Nilsson has been president and CEO of Trelleborg AB. The following table lists the presidents and CEOs in chronological order since the company was founded.