Mandals - since 1775

18th and 19th Century - Production of Ropes

Mandals AS was established in 1775 under the name Mandals Reberbane. In those days Norway was ruled by Denmark, thus it was the Danish king who approved the establishment of the company. Norway broke free from Denmark in 1814, only to end up in a union with Sweden until 1905. All the while business at Mandals was uninterrupted.

Back in the 18th century the city of Mandal, located at the southern tip of Norway, was a busy international port. All the sailing vessels of course needed lots of ropes, and this was the basis for the foundation of the company. Ropes remained the sole product for almost one hundred and fifty years, and not until 1922 did fire hoses become a supplementary product to the ropes.

20th Century – Hoses and Weaving Looms

After several changes in ownership over time, the two Christiansen brothers took over the company in 1927. Weaving looms were needed in the hose production, resulting in the development of the first Mandals Circular Weaving Loom. Development of our weaving looms is ongoing, currently by the newly split out sister company Mandals Technology AS (see www.mandals-t.com).

Mandals continued the product development also of hoses, and became innovators of the lay flat hose. The “extrusion through the weave” technology was implemented at an early stage, and is still vital to the company.

In 1970 Hans Christiansen took over the ownership from his father and uncle, while the remaining rope production was sold. The focus since then has been various types of hoses and also circular weaving looms. The company became known worldwide as Mandals Reberbane Christiansen & Co. AS.

21st Century – New products, new owners, new name, new customers

The “extrusion through the weave” technology was at first only applying nitrile rubber, but in the 1980’s Mandals also developed hoses extruded with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). These are much more complicated products, but Mandals has successfully developed this business over time, and has high ambitions in this field.

In 2004, Hans Christiansen - a “grown up” man at 75 years - sold the company to three local investors: The Mosvold family (Kurt Mosvold is a Member of the Board), Rune Iversen (Chairman of the Board) and Øyvind Berntsen (Managing Director and Member of the Board).

Under new owners, the company name “Mandals Reberbane Christiansen & Co. AS” had to be replaced. Since the international known brand name of the company is “Mandals”, the decision was easy. The company was renamed Mandals AS, and a new company logo was developed.

Mandals is now through its first 230 years, and with great respect for the history we are very motivated to go on for another 230. The ambition is to further develop Mandals both in the circular weaving loom area and the lay flat hose area – as of 2008 split into two separate sister companies. To be able to reach our goals, we need to keep the product quality at a high level and to make sure that we have strong relationships to those we serve and live from - our valuable customers.

Developing the company, we also have strong ambitions in establishing new customer relations. So if you need a quality hose product, we look forward to meet the future together with you.

Best wishes for you and your company.