Thulinverken
Thulinverken was a Swedish aircraft, automobile, motorcycle, engine, and railway-brake manufacturer founded by Enoch Thulin in Landskrona.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Thulinverken was a Swedish engineering and manufacturing company based in Landskrona. It originated in 1914 as Enoch Thulins Aeroplanfabrik, an aircraft enterprise established by the aviator and aircraft designer Dr. Enoch Thulin. The company is historically significant because it became Sweden’s first aircraft manufacturer and helped establish Landskrona as an early center of Swedish aviation production. During its first period, the business concentrated on aircraft and aircraft engines. Its engine portfolio included the Thulin A, an air-cooled nine-cylinder rotary engine associated with the 80-horsepower Le Rhône 9C design; the Thulin D; the Thulin E, described as a likely reproduction or adaptation of the water-cooled six-cylinder Mercedes D.II engine; and the Thulin G, an air-cooled eleven-cylinder rotary engine related to the Le Rhône 11F and rated at approximately 100 horsepower. The Thulin E was also manufactured by Scania-Vabis, indicating that the company’s engine work formed part of a broader Swedish industrial effort to develop domestic aviation technology. The First World War period placed the company under financial strain. Following these difficulties, the enterprise was reorganized in 1922 as AB Thulinverken. The restructured company broadened its activities beyond aviation. In 1920, Thulin had begun automobile manufacturing, and passenger-car production continued into 1928. The company also produced motorcycles, including the Thulin MC I and MC II series. These vehicle programs reflected the period’s common transition among early aviation manufacturers into road-vehicle engineering, but they did not become the company’s enduring business foundation. Over time, the manufacture of brake systems became Thulinverken’s principal industrial focus. This shift moved the company away from complete aircraft and road vehicles toward specialized mechanical equipment, particularly braking technology relevant to rail transport. In 1958, Thulinverken merged with Svenska AB Bromsregulator, a brake-equipment company founded in 1913. The merger consolidated the businesses’ expertise and formed part of the longer industrial lineage that later became associated with SAB Wabco. Thulinverken no longer operates as an independent company. Its surviving industrial activities became part of SAB Wabco AB, which was acquired by the French transport-equipment group Faiveley Transport in 2004. The company’s historical identity therefore spans several distinct phases: pioneering Swedish aircraft production, a short-lived automobile and motorcycle business, and a more durable specialization in braking systems. Its legacy is principally preserved through Swedish aviation and industrial history and through the successor businesses connected with railway-brake manufacturing.
History
Thulinverken began in Landskrona in 1914 under the name Enoch Thulins Aeroplanfabrik. It was founded by Dr. Enoch Thulin, an aviator and aircraft designer, and became Sweden’s first aircraft manufacturer. The company’s initial work centered on aircraft and aviation engines, including several engines marketed under the Thulin name. These included the Thulin A, a nine-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine associated with the Le Rhône 9C type; the Thulin D; the Thulin E, probably based on the six-cylinder water-cooled Mercedes D.II; and the Thulin G, an eleven-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine related to the Le Rhône 11F. The Thulin E was also produced by Scania-Vabis. The enterprise faced financial difficulties during the First World War period. In 1922 it was reconstructed as AB Thulinverken. Its activities had already expanded beyond aircraft: automobile production began in 1920 and continued until 1928, with the Thulin A and Thulin B among the associated models. The company also manufactured motorcycles, including the Thulin MC I and MC II. These ventures placed Thulinverken among the early Swedish manufacturers attempting to apply aviation-era engineering capabilities to automobiles and motorcycles. Complete vehicles and aircraft were not the company’s lasting commercial direction. Manufacturing brake systems gradually became its principal focus. This specialization was strengthened in 1958 when AB Thulinverken merged with Svenska AB Bromsregulator, a brake-equipment company founded in 1913. The combination linked the Thulinverken name to a wider Swedish industrial history in railway braking and control equipment. The independent company subsequently disappeared as its remaining operations were incorporated into SAB Wabco AB. Faiveley Transport acquired SAB Wabco in 2004, making Faiveley the later corporate owner of the successor industrial activities. Thulinverken’s legacy consequently exists in two forms: as an important early chapter in Swedish aviation and vehicle manufacturing, and as part of the corporate and technical ancestry of later railway-brake businesses.
- 2004
Successor business acquired by Faiveley Transport
[1]Faiveley Transport acquired SAB Wabco AB, the company into which the surviving Thulinverken activities had been absorbed.
- 1958
Merger with Svenska AB Bromsregulator
[1]Thulinverken merged with the Swedish brake-equipment manufacturer Svenska AB Bromsregulator.
- 1928
Automobile production ended
[1]The company’s automobile manufacturing activity came to an end after the Thulin A and Thulin B period.
- 1922
Reorganization as AB Thulinverken
[1]Following wartime financial difficulties, the business was reconstructed under the AB Thulinverken name.
- 1920
Automobile production began
[1]Thulinverken entered automobile manufacturing, a business that continued through 1928.
- 1914
Aircraft manufacturing company founded
[1]Enoch Thulins Aeroplanfabrik was established in Landskrona by Enoch Thulin and became Sweden’s first aircraft manufacturer.
Products and positioning
An early Swedish engineering manufacturer that evolved from aviation and vehicle production into specialized brake-system manufacturing.
Aircraft engine
Thulin A
An air-cooled nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine associated with the Le Rhône 9C configuration. It was rated at approximately 80 horsepower and used a 105 mm bore with a 140 mm stroke.
Aircraft engine
Thulin D
An aircraft engine developed under the Thulin name. Reference material identifies it as possibly a double-row version of the nine-cylinder Le Rhône 9C design, although the precise configuration is uncertain.
Aircraft engine
Thulin E
A water-cooled six-cylinder aircraft engine believed to have been based on or copied from the Mercedes D.II. The same engine type was also manufactured by Scania-Vabis.
Aircraft engine
Thulin G
An air-cooled eleven-cylinder rotary aircraft engine related to the Le Rhône 11F. It was rated at approximately 100 horsepower and used a 105 mm bore with a 140 mm stroke.
Automobile · 1920
Thulin A
One of the automobile models associated with Thulinverken’s vehicle program, which began in 1920 and continued until 1928.
Automobile
Thulin B
A Thulin automobile model from the company’s short-lived road-vehicle manufacturing period in Sweden.
Motorcycle
Thulin MC I
A motorcycle produced under the Thulin name during the company’s expansion from aviation into road vehicles.
Motorcycle
Thulin MC II
A second Thulin motorcycle line associated with the company’s early Swedish motorcycle manufacturing activities.
Railway equipment
Brake systems
Brake-system manufacturing became Thulinverken’s principal industrial focus after its aircraft, automobile, and motorcycle activities. This business formed part of the successor lineage later associated with SAB Wabco.
Brand decisions
1958
Merger with Svenska AB BromsregulatorM&ABackground
Brake-system manufacturing had become a main focus of Thulinverken, creating a strategic fit with Svenska AB Bromsregulator.
Action taken
Thulinverken merged with Svenska AB Bromsregulator.
Aftermath
The merger strengthened the company’s position in braking equipment and contributed to the successor lineage later represented by SAB Wabco.
1922
Corporate reconstructionOtherBackground
The company encountered financial difficulties during the First World War period.
Action taken
The enterprise was reorganized as AB Thulinverken.
Aftermath
The reorganized company continued manufacturing while gradually shifting its center of gravity toward brake systems.
1920
Expansion from aircraft into automobilesStrategyBackground
After establishing an aircraft and aircraft-engine business, Thulinverken expanded into road vehicles during the early Swedish automobile industry.
Action taken
The company began automobile production, including the Thulin A and Thulin B, and continued this activity until 1928.
Aftermath
Automobile production was discontinued, while the company’s later industrial identity became more closely associated with brake-system manufacturing.
Recent events
- 2004
Faiveley Transport acquired the owner of Thulinverken’s successor operations[1]
M&A
Faiveley Transport acquired SAB Wabco AB, into which the surviving activities associated with Thulinverken had been incorporated.
- 1958
Thulinverken merged with Svenska AB Bromsregulator[1]
M&A
The company merged with Svenska AB Bromsregulator, a Swedish brake-equipment business founded in 1913, reinforcing Thulinverken’s specialization in braking systems.
- 1922
Thulinverken reorganized as AB Thulinverken[1]
Other
After financial difficulties during the First World War period, the aircraft and engineering enterprise was reconstructed under the name AB Thulinverken.
Sources2 sources
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