2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the Atlas Copco Group and one and a half centuries of pioneering & delivering breakthrough innovations to customers in many different industries. we take this opportunity to express our gratitude for our partners’ support and collaboration over the years.
This very hands-on approach to innovation helps us develop highly efficient and sustainable products that meet the needs of not only our customers, but also society and the world.
After 150 years in business, we know that always focusing on creating tangible customer value is the best way to remain an industry leader.
Atlas Copco was founded in Stockholm, Sweden, and initially delivered equipment for construction of the Swedish railroad system. Since then, the Group has evolved and today supports customers in many different industries, enabling everything from food production to space travel.
Today we provide products, services, and solutions in around 180 countries and almost every industry. The world keeps changing and we have always changed with it. These days sustainability is a game changer, and we are working to incorporate its possibilities in all our processes to stay ahead: in R&D, production, logistics, as well as in how our products and services are being used.
Passionate people make it happen
Since the start in 1873 we have strived to find new, innovative solutions to society’s challenges. We started by supplying products for the railway expansion in the late 1800s and from there expanded into compressors, tools and rock drills needed to industrialize the world. Today, we hold world-leading positions in many of the same industries, but also in completely new segments such as vacuum. Still, our purpose remains the same: creating a better tomorrow by empowering our customers to grow and drive society forward.
Throughout our history, our innovative spirit and our values – innovation, sustainability, doing business in an ethical way – have remained intact. However, most of all it’s about passionate people and their drive and ideas to find new and better ways to shape the future.
A global footprint
Over a century and a half, the Atlas Copco Group has grown to be a truly global industrial company, with a direct presence in over 70 countries and customers in more than 180. A primary driver for that worldwide footprint has been a need and a willingness to operate close to its customers. It’s hard to offer good service in each market without good local knowledge and local experts.
Compressor Technique’s history
Atlas Copco first got into the compressor game in 1904 when it started making piston compressors in-house. Since then, it has played a major role in advancing compressor technology to meet new industry needs
A decade later, in the 1960s, Atlas Copco became the first company in the world to present a transportable piston compressor supplying oil-free compressed air. A parallel breakthrough was the launch of a stationary oil-free compressor, the Z series which made compressed air viable for new markets, including the textile, food, and medicine industries.
In the 1970s a company team set out to bring about the next phase in compressor technology. Their work initially led to making several compressor parts more energy efficient, especially motors. This laid the foundation for taking the promising variable speed drive (VSD) technology to new levels, making it even more efficient and also better adapted to customer needs.
Vacuum Technique’s history
In vacuum technology, the Atlas Copco Group is standing on the shoulders of two vacuum industry giants that it acquired in the last decade – Edwards and Leybold – who each came with completely game-changing innovations going back over a century. The Group is now ushering in a new era with the recycling of rare earth materials.
The first vacuum air pump was invented in 1649, but it would take about 250 years until the potential of this technology could be realized. At the turn of the 1900s, as light bulbs were invented and became more widespread, vacuum pumps had a key role to play.
Industrial Technique’s history
From first pneumatic caulking and riveting hammers in the 1880s to today’s 5G-connected tools, the Atlas Copco Group has always sought to expand the realm of power tools.
Building on over a century of innovation in power tools, the Atlas Copco Group is today working on a new generation of connected tools to help enable a fourth wave of the industrial revolution (“Industry 4.0”). Connected power tools will play a key role in an ecosystem of automated and data-driven manufacturing processes, making the dream of the smart factory a reality.”
Power Technique’s history
The Atlas Copco Group has been first in introducing several new types of portable compressors, with innovations going back over a century. Now, the Power Technique business area is on a journey to support the transition to a low-carbon society. This journey has been ongoing for over a decade, leading the transition away from diesel to electrification and beyond. Soon, the world’s first battery-driven portable compressor will be launched – while looking ahead to hydrogen.
Our culture
“We have a very strong company culture of welcoming different perspectives and empowering our employees to take decisions. we believe a large part of our success is built on our ability to adapt, while always focusing on delivering value for our customers. We would like to thank all our stakeholders to continue shaping the future together through our technologies and service solutions in many years to come
