History

1912

Mr Oskar Olsson established Smidesverkstaden i Vindeln.

Until 1922

In the activity also, sales of bicycles were included until 1922. At that time the company was taken over by Mr Arvid Johansson (later Arvid Banderot) and Mr Einar Olovsson and continue to run the company under the name of Smides- & Reparationsverkstaden Olovsson & Johansson.

1920s

The main activity was concentrated to ironwork and repair workshop, but in the middle of 1920’s also a truck and transport vehicle were added to the activity.

1924

Mr Filip Johansson (later Filip Kolterud) came in a part owner in the company

1927

The activity in the company also included a car repair workshop. At that time Mr Nils Johansson and Mr Tycko Olofsson came in as part owner.

1933

Einar and Tycko leave the company and remaining owners became the brothers Nils, Arvid och Filip Johansson and cousin Mr Axel Johansson as new part owner. One year later the company name was changed to Vindelns Mekaniska Verkstad.

1930s

During the 1930's also, bus traffic and timber transportations were added to the company. Vindelkroken, a Lifting hook for the timber logger became a huge product and a sales success. The company also produced other equipment’s related to forest works at that time.

1960s

From the 1960s and forward, new owner changes occur in the company and new part owners became Mr Gunno Fridolfsson, Mr Sven-Erik Kolterud and brothers Torbjörn and Rune Axelsson. The business gowned and were concentrated into 3 primary areas: 1. Car sales, mainly Volkswagen and car repair workshop. 2. Ironwork and repair workshop, with main focus on production of the Lifting hooks, and other forest equipment’s for private forest owners. 3. Machine workshop as supplier of components to Cranab AB, mainly 280-degree Rotators. Totally more than 13 000 Rotators were produced in the company.

1970s

During second part of the 1970s, sales of cars reduces mainly due to sales concentrations to lager cities and therefore the company started to search for new products and new developments!

1982

The previous activity within the car business, welding and ironwork ends at the same time the company moves the company in 1982, from the previous location to new industrial location at the industrial area in Vindeln. New products for the small-scale forestry were developed the coming years. The company name came the same, but on-official the company name changed to Vimek at the same time as the company moved into new location, a name that also followed with all new products developed in the company.

1989

The first mini forwarder Vimek Minimaster was manufactured, a product that is available in over 1000 copies today. The company continued to develop and Vimek started to construct their own forestry cranes.

1992

Vimek was hit by the global finance cries, which resulted in new owner of Vimek and taken over by the company to Skogma in Hammerdal, Jämtland.

1993

Within Idéservice went at the same time the development of a new a bigger forwarder and 1993 the first Vimek 606D were launched. Same year Vimek will be sold to Harahytten and moved from Vindeln to Östersund. Unfortunately, the new owner ran into financial problems and went short after in bankruptcy.

1994

Already in 1994 Vimek purchased back to Vindeln and at the same time the company joins with Idéservice. The new company decides to focus only on product development, production, marketing and sales of small scale forestry machines for the low impact forestry sector. New owners in Vimek from now on is Mr Torbjörn Axelsson, Mr Rikard Rönnqvist together with Idéservice (Lars-Gunnar & Nils-Erik Nilsson)

2001

Up to 2001 the product development and production work continued with Vimek forwarders. Because of the next global finance cries, Vimek decided to move all activity from Vindeln to the location of Idéservices in Slipstensjön.

2000s

In the middle of 2000s Vimek started to develope a new machine for mechanised clearing of young forest stands. The development resulted in today’s smallest no branch road harvester on the global market, Vimek 404. Because of this new product, Vimek reached a new type customer, the semi-contractor that previous have been investing in Vimek forwarders. The huge storms in south part of Sweden, Gudrun and Per with two years in between, resulted strong to an increased interest in Vimek machines

2000s

During the second part of the 2000s, Vimek increased their marketing and sales on export, which helped Vimek to continue to grow and expand.

2013

Cranab AB invest the remaining 49% from Idéservice and become 100% owner of Vimek.

2024

Last year’s Vimek focus have been on new innovating technical solutions and machines as well as establish sales on new export markets. Today Vimek machines exports up to 25 different countries around the world, from Japan in the east and North- and Latin America in the west. Today Vimek product portfolio contains 5 different forest machines in serial production.