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he story of Hammar Maskin is a classic story of entrepreneurship from the parts of Sweden traditionally known for small businesses. It began when Bengt-Olof Hammar was studying at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg and was doing a dissertation about sidelifters. He borrowed a modest startup capital, designed a prototype, packed his Volkswagen Beetle with photo slides and documentation and started travelling the length and breadth of Sweden trying to sell his product. Eventually the owner of a haulage firm had the courage to buy the prototype. Bengt-Olof Hammar used the money from the sale of the prototype to purchase raw material for four new swinglifters. And that's how it all started. The first factory was built in Olsfors in 1975, a modest building with a floor area of 3,200 ft² (300 m²). After only two years the factory had to be extended to three times that size.