Most photographers will agree that Hasselblad is the Rolls Royce of medium format cameras. Owning a Hasselblad is considered to be a prestigious affair, so imagine being able to visit the Hasselblad factory in Sweden, where all the Hasselblad cameras are made! Subscriber Peter Walker had such an opportunity when he visited Sweden a few months ago. Check out his experience as he toured the exclusive Swedish plant...

The Hasselblad Head Office in Goteborg, Sweden
(note the model Hasselblad on the roof to the right side)

For many years, I had been interested in taking a trip around Scandinavia in the summer. Well, this year, that dream came true. With my wife and son, I spent 3 weeks driving through Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Scandinavia turned out to be as photogenic as I had thought - I shot over 160 rolls of 120mm film. Whilst this number sounds high, you must remember that Scandinavia in summer has 20 hours a day of glorious sunlight…
 

Being a Hasselblad owner and knowing that Hasselblad is based in Sweden, before leaving Singapore, I explored the possibility of visiting the Hasselblad plant. Through an email contact in the product research team, I communicated with the marketing and public relations team. Unfortunately my visit to Sweden coincided with the main summer holiday time when almost every company shuts down for 3 weeks. However, if I was prepared to delay my visit by a week, they would accommodate my request.
 

Hasselblad is based in Goteborg (Gothemburg) in southern Sweden. It is an industrial port city, the home of Volvo, another Swedish company renowned for its quality. On the appointed hour, I showed up at the Hasselblad head office, to receive my first surprise of the afternoon. Hasselblad's office and factory is located in the very centre of town - like having a factory in Orchard Road. They are based in four buildings, right next to the harbour and near the central railway station. The corner building is ancient with strong architectural lines and is protected by a government preservation order. The other three buildings get progressively younger, through to the last one, which is an ugly 1970's brick building. Inside, the buildings are all interconnected by a confusion of passageways, ramps and stairs. Even my guide, who has worked there for 30 years, took a wrong turn twice during our tour. Later on, I learnt that Hasselblad are planning to move to a more modern building outside the city area, obviously a good business decision but I believe that staff will be sad to leave their historical, downtown buildings.
 

My second surprise was that I was on the tour all by myself. Whilst they have the facilities to bring groups of people through the plant, because of the holidays, my visit was to be a special one, led by the head of international marketing team, a Mr. Torbjorn Eriksson.
 

First stop was the museum and audio-visual centre. In the museum is the entire history of Hasselblad cameras, including the original wooden prototype fashioned by Victor Hasselblad in 1948 (the basic shape is still unchanged). On show are some of the NASA cameras and some of the special cameras made to commemorate special events, such as the golden jubilee of the reign of King Bhumibol of Thailand, himself a keen photographer. Photographs on the wall include shots from previous Hasselblad visitors including the Queen of England, the King of Sweden and Warren Beatty - I was walking in famous footsteps!
 

Using a massive bank of computer-controlled Hasselblad 6x6cm slide projectors, Torbjorn then ran two audio-visual shows of impressive quality. The first showed the history of Hasselblad and the second was compiled from the millions of space photos taken by Hasselblad cameras - stunning!
 

"By reading the serial number from the base of my camera and looking in a computer database, Torbjorn was able to introduce me to the women who had actually built my camera!"

Next we took a walk around the plant where more surprises awaited me. Hasselblad do not use the ubiquitous assembly line approach to manufacturing. Instead, all the components and sub-assemblies are placed on one of the high-tech workbenches of their skilled craftsmen, who then build the camera and test it. By having complete responsibility for each camera in one person's hands, quality is improved and pride of work enhanced. By reading the serial number from the base of my camera and looking in a computer database, Torbjorn was able to introduce me to the women who had actually built my camera! I was able to assure her that her work had been successful and that the only times the camera had failed, it had been my fault…
 

I met "Victor", a high-speed industrial robot who machines the camera bodies and his younger girlfriend "Victoria", who does some other messy part of the machining process. Around the manufacturing area are many large photographs from some of the many users of Hasselblad cameras, the idea being that the staff always keep in mind that they are not making the end-product, but are making a tool for photographers.
 

Finally, after the two hour tour, we visited the Hasselblad boutique, where a range of Hasselblad fashion accessories is on sale. I came away with a black Hasselblad baseball cap, a key ring and a very fashionable Hasselblad silk necktie.
 

In finishing, I must say that the Hasselblad tour was one of my personal highlights of our Scandinavian holiday. The warm welcome was wonderful, the tour fascinating. Now I understand even more why photographers proclaim the quality of Hasselblad service. If you are ever passing through Sweden, I can heartily recommend a visit to Hasselblad.

Peter Walker is a avid photographer based in Singapore, and he derives great enjoyment with his photography using his Hasselblad 205TCC. To find out more about Peter Walker, be sure to check out his website !!

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