National Industri and Richard Pfeifer

The Very Beginning

Richard Pfeifer (RP) was founded as a company in Sarpsborg, southeastern Norway, in February 1920. From the very beginning, the company produced power transformers and industrial transformers for the Norwegian market. In doing so, it laid the foundation for a transformer tradition in Sarpsborg that would continue for generations.

A major turning point came in 1970, when National Industri (NI) acquired Richard Pfeifer. At the time, NI also had links to transformer operations in Drammen that had previously been associated with Westinghouse Electric International Co. This marked the beginning of a new phase. NI shifted production from power transformers to special industrial transformers of shell-type design and, in parallel, expanded into international markets. The company soon exported furnace and rectifier transformers worldwide and, by the end of 1988, had become the world leader in furnace transformer production.

That same year, ABB incorporated National Industri into ABB National Transformer. Then, in 1994, ABB decided to close the Sarpsborg plant and move operations to Drammen. Although many employees relocated, others chose to remain in Sarpsborg.

Instead of ending the story there, former National Industri and ABB employees chose to continue it. Their experience, commitment, and local roots led to the founding of Norsk Trafo Service (NTS) in 1996. In this way, transformer production continued in Sarpsborg, built on decades of knowledge and tradition.