No Møre Trafo Without Borgny (96)

The engineer who wrote his diploma thesis on transformers had no plans to settle for good in the furniture town when he came to Sykkylven. The first time was in 1948, to repair a damaged generator at the local power plant. A demanding job that required several trips. But after a while, something else drew him back as well. He met the woman who would become his wife, Borgny.

“Then there was no more talk of leaving,” he said in an interview with Sunnmørsposten. Borgny felt a duty, not least to help her mother, and moving away from Sykkylven was never an option for her.

Mother Møre

Today, the cheerful, welcoming and energetic 96-year-old is respectfully known as Mor Møre (Trafo). She likes that. She feels both honored and proud. And very happy that Oddvar’s life’s work is doing so well. Because in many ways, it was a tough and narrow birth.

“No, it was far from easy to come to Sykkylven and be accepted as an easterner from Sarpsborg. Nor was it easy to get a bank loan here,” says Borgny Kristiansen about the man she fell for, married, and who in 1951 founded AS Møre Transformatorfarbrikk at Aursnes.

Denied a loan

Oddvar didn’t get a single krone when he applied for a loan to start his own business. As an easterner he was met with skepticism. Things went from bad to worse when, in response to the bank manager’s question, he couldn’t confirm that he was a teetotaler and had to admit that he smoked. A loan was out of the question.

“Imagine that. That’s how it was,” says Borgny with a wry smile at the pietistic attitudes back then.

Ekornes Allies

But Oddvar had made good friends and allies in the Ekornes family. Borgny’s sister Torbjørg was married to Martin Ekornes, the brother of Jens Ellingsen Ekornes, who started what became the furniture manufacturer Ekornes. The teetotaler and non-smoker Jens had a serious talk with the bank – and “det årnæ sæ” for Oddvar. A saying from the old Østfold that the engineer brought with him to Sunnmøre and almost turned into his personal trademark when things looked darkest.

Wasn’t Going Back

“Oddvar was, like Jens, full of ideas and creative drive. They got along well, and I remember Jens saying about Oddvar that he ‘isn’t going back down,’” says Borgny.

“Meaning not back to Sarpsborg where he worked with transformers for AS Rich. Pfeiffer?”

“Yes, exactly, that’s what he meant. Jens liked both Oddvar and his engineering education, and thought Sykkylven needed more than just the furniture industry. So Jens played an important role in getting Oddvar started,” says Borgny, who was also a strong supporter of her husband.

Hosting countless factory visitors

She took care of the home and children, and for many years also hosted customers and others visiting the factory in her own home. She set the table and served the finest dinners. But she insists she never interfered in running the factory. Except for one important intervention:

The Architect Behind the Christmas Parties

Borgny wasn’t too keen on the traditional Christmas party where things could easily get a bit heated. So she thought a Christmas get-together for the whole family would be much better. A pre-Christmas gathering with employees, spouses, partners, their children, and the retirees.

“I’m proud I made that happen,” says Borgny with a smile. The Christmas party is still hugely popular.

Perfect match on the dance floor

Borgny was the youngest of the three daughters of Guri and Bent Sandal at Vik. She worked at the sheriff’s office and was described as a beautiful and lively woman when she met Oddvar for the first time, at a dance party in the youth hall Vårvon in Straumgjerde. And could he dance!

“I still remember that evening,” the 96-year-old says with a smile.

During the war, Oddvar had gone to dance school in Oslo and “knew dance steps that few in Sykkylven could match,” as it says in the book for Møre Trafo’s 60th anniversary.

Won big applause

Borgny has always stayed well informed about how things are going at Møre Trafo. On September 19 she visited the factory, bringing flowers and greetings to all employees who have contributed so much to Møre Trafo doing so well now.

“I held an information meeting for employees the same day and could share the good results for Møre Trafo, but Borgny’s greeting got much louder applause,” says CEO Runar Tandstad.

The New Boss’s Aunt

Runar is Borgny’s nephew. She makes no secret of the fact that she has always believed in Runar, who now runs Møre Trafo with a steady hand. Runar got clear advice from his uncle Oddvar when he asked what he should study: Electrical engineering, was the answer.

“I realized Runar would turn into someone quite special already when he proudly told me he had trained his cat to play goalkeeper,” says Borgny with a warm laugh. Runar has always been a football enthusiast.

“He had named the cat Beckenbauer after the German football star,” says Tor Rieve Kristiansen, the middle of Borgny’s three sons. For many years, Tor first served as Technical Manager and then as CEO of Møre Trafo.

The Circle Closed

Even though Oddvar never pushed his three sons to carry Møre Trafo forward, Tor developed an interest in both engineering and the factory.

“And I have to say I was glad when Tor eventually took over Oddvar’s life’s work. I remember Tor came home the day he became the boss and said, ‘now the circle is complete,’” says Borgny with a smile. Oddvar’s three sons Tor, Dag and Jo Rieve Kristiansen are majority owners of Møre Trafo.

72 Years On

Runar Tandstad took over as the new CEO after Leif Leira in the spring of 2023. The engineer, who also has an education in economics and management, took over Møre Trafo 72 years after his uncle founded the company. Ever since Runar was a child, he has had a very special relationship with Møre Trafo. Both Runar’s father and father-in-law worked at Møre Trafo, and several of his brothers had summer jobs at Scandinavia’s largest manufacturer of transformers and substations. Runar himself worked as a summer temp at Møre Trafo when he was younger. That was when he discovered his interest in engineering.

Borgny, a Unifying Force

“Borgny is, and has been, a unifying force in the family. She keeps close track of everything that’s going on, and she’s still better informed than most. She does this because she cares, and that’s how she has always been. That’s probably also why, in the company, she’s known as Mor Møre,” says Runar Tandstad.

She has probably had influence

Runar doesn’t quite believe Borgny when she says she has never interfered in the development and operations. Knowing Borgny, he’s sure she has had a big influence there as well.

“Oddvar was a wise man, and he probably listened more to Borgny’s advice than what comes across in our official company history,” says Runar.

Wise and Witty

Borgny also describes her husband as wise – and funny, and above all focused on making sure others were doing well. She lost him far too early. Oddvar died of a heart attack at only 65. For several years, Borgny’s biggest fear was that it would end like this.

Tough Times

Because there were many hard times, and it was not always easy to keep the wheels turning in Oddvar’s time. Even though Oddvar always tried to stay positive, and was very well liked by his employees, Borgny knows he had his dark moments when things looked bleak for a while.

Early Heart Disease

“He worked almost around the clock, but said himself that he had never had a boring day in Sykkylven or at the factory. But maybe it was all the stress the factory inevitably brought with it that made his heart fail when he was in his late fifties. He was a good man, and if he’s sitting up there looking down on us today, I think he would be proud to see that his life’s work is doing so well,” says Mor Møre.