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Johan Richter (inventor)


Johan Richter (Johan Christopher Fredrik Carl Richter, 12 November 1901 in Lier, Buskerud Norge, – 13 June 1997 in Oslo) was an engineer and industrialist, but above all a groundbreaking inventor in the area of pulp and paper production. A global company – Kamyr (which split in two in 1989 and now is part of Andritz AG and Metso Paper) in Karlstad Sweden – was created solely on his inventions. Kamyr become very successful and had a staggering dominance within its core activities. He is by many in the business considered The Father of the modern pulp industry.

Richter grew up in Narvik in the Northern part of Norway. His father had a management position at LKAB who shipped its ore through Narvik. From 1919 he went to school in Trondheim and was actually commuting on the famous Hurtigruten as there was no roads at that time. He graduated as a Mechanical Engineer Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1924. After a short venue in Narvik he took on a position in the Southern France where is worked on Turbines and advanced pumping equipment. In the weekend he was climbing or skiing in the Pyrénées reminding him of the nature at home in Norway. In France he met his Norwegian wife-to-be, Astri. He married Astri Rören (1908–1992). Two children: Ole Johan (1929) Einar Christian (1932–1997). Richter returned to Norway and settled in Oslo where joined Thunes Mechanical workshop. He continued to work on Turbines but there were as well some new ideas within pulp bleaching. However, due to the Great Depression he was let go in 1932.

An industrialist – Knud Dahl – at Myrens Verkstäder (Myrens Mechanical Workshop) had heard about Richter and they met. Richter convinced Dahl he had the vision and skills to develop a new technology for pulp bleaching in a continuous process. Myrens Verkstäder and Karlstads Mekaniska Verkstad (KMW) in Sweden already had a small joint venture within pulp and paper technology named Kamyr that was located in Karlstad, Sweden. Dahl hired Richer to head up the organisation with the specific task to develop and market new technologies for bleaching and other innovations within pulp and paper. Richter then moved with his family to Karlstad.


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