The history of Viking traced back to 1906, when
Peter Mathias Røwde founded
A/S Viking Gummivarefabrikk. In 1913, the factory was destroyed by fire, so Røwde founded
Askim Gummivarefabrikk on 17 January 1920 in
Askim, as a continuation of the business that existed before the fire, producing galoshes for shoes. In the 1930s, Viking produced vehicle tires, rubber flooring, stair coverings (also used in the
Royal Palace), hot water bottles, school backpacks, gloves, camping mats and rubber bands. In 1934, the factory burned to the ground and a new plant was built, with 1100 employees, Viking was one of the largest Norwegian companies at the time. In the 1970s, with a market share of over 50%, Viking was the market leader in tyres in Norway. After a reorganisation in 1971, the company was named
Viking-Askim. In the mid-1980s,
Borregaard became the majority shareholder of the company; the Viking group was dissolved, and tire production was spun off in 1984 into a separate company called
Viking Dekk and acquired by
Gislaved, a Swedish tire manufacturer, which was in turn controlled by the Nivis Tyre company. Between 1990 and 1991, German company
Continental AG acquired Nivis Tyre and the Viking tyre brand; following this acquisition, the Askim factory was closed in 1991. 2008 saw the first annual sales of more than one million tires. == References ==