Anza was founded by the Damberg brothers in 1946 under the name Bankeryds Penselfabrik. Today, we are the leading manufacturer of painting tools in the Nordic countries, with a complete range of efficient and user-friendly brushes, rollers and accessories. And while much has changed in the seven decades since its inception, most things remain the same. We still manufacture most of our products in Bankeryd, with the aim of making painting easier.
1946
The Damberg brothers start the Bankeryd brush factory.
1960
The Damberg brothers launch the roller on the Swedish market.
1973
The Anza brand is launched. The Damberg brothers wanted a name that was internationally viable and that also started with an A to get early in the phone book.
2012
Orkla acquires Anza.
2019
The brand is divided into Anza and Anza Pro.
Launch of the roller
In 1960, the Damberg brothers launched the roller on the Swedish market. Originally they were made of lambskin, but today they are made of synthetic materials.
The machine that changes everything
In 1962, the brothers left for the USA and Canada to visit other factories. On the trip, they bought a machine that produced 23 brushes per minute, and production went from 2 000 brushes a day to 10 000.
First brush factory in Europe with its own development department
Later, in the 1960s, the brothers set up a development department and began to measure capacity, covering and paint pick-up. Bankeryds Penselfabrik became the first brush factory in Europe with its own development department. Now they also started to look at other types of materials for handles and bristles to make the products better.
Tool production starts
In 1968, the factory started its first tool production of filling knifes, wallpaper rulers and cutting tools.
The Anza brand is launched
In 1973, the step to a larger business was a fact. Now they wanted to change the name to Anza, and put the name on the products. The Damberg brothers wanted an international name, and something that started with an A to appear early in the phone book. Now they also started up a large factory on Tallvägen in Bankeryd, which is still in use today.
Orkla acquires Anza
In the late 1970s, Anza was sold to its largest customer, Norwegian company Jordan, which was in turn bought by Orkla House Care in 2012. Today, Orkla House Care consists of eight leading brands of painting tools and accessories – Anza, Anza Pro, Jordan, SAM, Harris, Hamilton, Spekter and Jordan Håndverk. Read more about Orkla House Care here.
Product development with professional painters
The Damberg brothers continued to work in the company well into the 1990s. The development department was retained and still exists today, and most products are still developed in-house – from bristle blends to brush handle designs and roller frames. Often the development is done together with the professional painters, as they have the most experience in painting and different products. If you want to know more about the product development see here.
The brand is split into Anza and Anza Pro
Today, Anza works to understand customer needs and technical solution. In 2019, the focus was therefore split between home fixers (Anza) and professional painters (Anza PRO).
Anza’s development
From subcontractor to market leader, Anza developed rapidly. We are proud of our history and production in Bankeryd, which is Europe’s most modern painting tools facility. We’re also proud of our development department, which is constantly working to make more sustainable, smarter and better products. If you want to know more about our sustainability work, see here.