How it all began...
1910 Founded in 1910 as Lagerstedt & Krantz. LK was originally a wholesale agency and an iron manufacturing company, focused primarily on sales.
1933 Operations were taken over by Lars Schuberth and Albrecht Behm, and the range of products was expanded to include water, waste-water, and HVAC products.
1950 As general agents the company now had great success with several well-known brand names; KWC’s “spakblandar” programme for public spaces; sewerage systems and cisterns in plastic from Geberit; sanitation products from the Dutch company Sphinx and bathtubs from the Italian manufacturer Zoppas
1970 One of the most important events in the company's history took place in 1970 when the company was made general agent for Conex fittings for HVAC installations. The agency for these fittings that save on installation time came about because of the demand by heating and plumbing wholesalers and sales took off. Conex become the cornerstone of LK’s continued growth and profitability that was used to create a nationwide distribution network of installers and heating and plumbing wholesalers. The sales force continued to have access to new time-saving heating and plumbing products and systems to launch in the Swedish construction market.
1973 With these successes the company grew in size. The old industrial building in Bromma was purchased in 1977 and an office and warehouse was built in Malmo, Helsingborg and Oslo in 1980, 1987 and 1990 respectively. In addition to the property in Oslo, Lagerstedt & Krantz Fastigheter AB markets, owns and manages other business sector properties in the company.
1980 Over time, LK transformed from a trader of other companies’ products into a developer and producer of its own, more technically advanced, products and solutions.
1983 The company was sold to the Behm family and Stikkan Anderssons’s Music Sweden AB. The Behm family would finally take over the whole company in 1995. The company’s first location outside Sweden is established in Oslo.
1984 The subsidiary LK Armatur AB was now established in Helsingborg and during its years of operation, LK Armatur has launched many unique and popular products, such as MultiFill, ThermoMat, MultiZone and HydroMix
1990 LK began manufacturing valves, filters, and actuators for the marine industry.
1998 For the further development of LK’s heat and tap water systems polyethylene pipes took on a central and strategically important role. With the task of developing and manufacturing this kind of pipe the company LK Pex AB was set up in Ulricehamn. Today, from its own factory, the company supplies not only its sister companies LK Systems and LK Armatur, but also retailers in Europe, the USA and the Middle East with its proprietary quality pipes.
2000 LK started to produce and sell high-quality PE-Xa pipes at its production facility.
2007 To meet increasing demand, LK began to prefabricate its own products and systems.
2008 LK Armatur opens its production facility in Zrenjanin, Serbia. The Serbian production facility is an exact reflection of the pipe production in Helsingborg and is primarily used to produce prefabricated pipe systems in copper and stainless steel.
2008 LK Systems grows and establishes a new company in Finland.
2011 The separate company LK International is established with the aim of being able to offer the UK market products from the LK Group’s three business areas - LK Armatur, LK Pex and LK Systems.
2014 LK inaugurates a modern pipe factory of 10,000 m2. in Ulricehamn.
2017 A single common brand platform is developed. All subsidiaries now belong to the one and the same brand - LK .
2018 LK Armatur Deutschland GmbH is founded.
2020 LK and Labtrino commence collaboration.This new and unique water meter uses patented technology and is assembled on the outside of the pipe, which creates positive effects in terms of both time and cost. The company and the technology are the result of research conducted at KTH and aim to create increased awareness of water consumption. In addition to this collaboration, LK also becomes a part-owner of Labtrino.
2020 LK celebrates 110 years.