The man who shaped the modern steel industry – Part 2: The trials

Episode 71

The man who shaped the modern steel industry – Part 2: The trials

We explore the remarkable story of how Göran Fredrik Göransson helped transformed the steel industry and laid the foundation for the company that would become today's Sandvik.

This second episode of three follows Göransson through the most uncertain period of his journey. While experimenting with Henry Bessemer's revolutionary steelmaking process at Edsken, he faces repeated technical failures, financial collapse and growing pressure to abandon the project.

"Göransson was not trained in steelmaking. It was an entirely new field for him. It is said that if he had actually had the knowledge, he would soon have realized that continuing the experiments was hopeless. So it's good he didn't know," says Carina Dahlberg, Sandvik historical advisor, who shares the historical context behind one of the most important technological breakthroughs of the Industrial Revolution.

The episode tells the story of persistence, curiosity and determination as Göransson and his team gradually learn to master a process that had defeated others before them. It is also the story of a financial crisis that spread across the world and forced Göransson's company, Elfstrand, into bankruptcy.

While Sandvik no longer produces steel, Göransson's entrepreneurial spirit lives on through the company's curiosity, customer focus and passion to win.