


At the end of the 1980s the company's geographical foothold grew and assortments expanded due to several acquisitions including the French company Ets. Atlas Copco then became one of the world's largest manufacturers of pneumatic tools and monitoring systems. Seeing the potential in industrial tools, they purchased Chicago Pneumatic Tools in 1987, which opened up the important American, French and British markets. In the early 1980s Atlas Copco was the world leader in rock drilling and pneumatics. In order to strengthen their position in the United States, several strategic acquisitions were made in the Airpower business, including the key purchase of Worthington Compressors. A number of strategic acquisitions were therefore made including the French compressor manufacturer Mauguière. These conditions meant that Atlas Copco had to accelerate and brake simultaneously in order to keep profitability up. In the 1970s, international expansion accelerated dramatically, due to various structural reforms and efficiency measures brought on by weakened economic conditions and increased production costs. In 1960 another important acquisition was made with the purchasing of Craelius. Eventually, Arpic's plants carried out a majority of Atlas Copco's compressor production. The purchasing of the Belgian compressor company Arpic Engineering in 1956, was the firm's first major international acquisition. The Swedish method that was founded during the war period laid the foundation for the international expansion Atlas Copco engaged in starting in the 1950s. The name Atlas Copco became official in 1955 and was inspired by the Belgian subsidiary Compagnie Pneumatique Commerciale (Trading Pneumatic Company). In 1948 the company terminated its diesel manufacturing and the name "Atlas Diesel" was no longer pertinent. The "Swedish method" was another war period strategy that strongly influenced the firm's pneumatic program, consisting of lightweight rock drills and drill bits with carbide tips. Manufacturing capabilities were embellished and the purchasing along with the acquisition of manufacturing subsidiaries in Sweden and other countries, was a key component to Atlas Diesel's continued growth after WWII.


The Second World War remained an active period for the firm and a time when strategic planning for development played a principal role. The economy began recovering, demand started growing again in the mid-1930s, and Atlas Diesel experienced a boom in sales, where compressed air operations was the most expansive area. The depression years caused significant losses for the company, which led to several financial reconstructions in the 1920s and 1930s. The Atlas Diesel merger experienced significant growth during the First World War and towards the end of the war, export dominated 40–50 % of production. As older production branches started phasing out, Atlas teamed up with Diesel Motors in 1917 and the new company of Atlas Diesel emerged with two primary divisions: diesel engines and compressor air products. In 1899, Atlas began developing their first air compressors and established itself as a compressor manufacturer. After the hard hit of the recession in the 1880s and the decline in railway construction, Atlas diversified its undertakings and branched off into locomotives, central heating and tool machinery. In its inauguration phase, Atlas dealt with the manufacturing, purchasing and selling of all types of material for railway construction and operations. The company was established along with Andre O. History Early development ĪB Atlas, as it was previously named, was founded by Edvard Fränckel, who was a Swedish industrialist, politician and senior official at Swedish State Railways. The Group operates in four areas: Compressor Technology, Vacuum Technology, Power Technology and Industrial Technology. The firm's shares are listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange and both 'A' and 'B' classes form part of the benchmark OMXS30 index.Ītlas Copco companies develop, manufacture, service, and rent industrial tools, air compressors (of which it is the world's leading producer), construction and assembly systems. In 2019, global revenues totaled SEK 104 billion, and by the end of that year the company employed about 38,774 people. The Atlas Copco Group is a global industrial group of companies headquartered in Nacka, Sweden. It manufactures industrial tools and equipment. Atlas Copco (Copco from Compagnie Pneumatique Commerciale) is a Swedish multinational industrial company that was founded in 1873.
