VISIT TO P.T.JAMAFAC NOVEMBER 13 2002.

 Being a Swede in Indonesia, I was very surprised when I one day found a matchbox in the street with a very old Swedish brand label. In my research, I recognized that Swedish Match in 1999 had signed an agreement to acquire 40 percent of P.T Jamafac, the Indonesian largest producer of matches. The cooperation was initiated in 1971 and expended in 1996. Jamafac has production units in Jakarta and Bogor and we have the pleasure to learn some more and be guided by the Manager Ibu Ida Irawaht in the Jakarta factory.

I think we will get a very interesting meeting – only some weeks before the nice time of Christmas candles!

MATCHES HISTORY

In the 1800s, steel, flint, and tinder were still used to make fire. The first phosphorus matches were created in the 1830s. Matches were kept in special containers since they could ignite against any surface.

In 1844, Professor Gustaf Erik Pasch received a patent for invention of the safety match. Pasch replaced poisonous yellow phosphorus with non-poisonous red phosphorus. He also separated the chemical ingredients for the match tip and put the phosphorous on a striking surface on the outside of the box. Matches could be lit only on this striking surface. The safety match was born. This was a significant invention, which made Sweden world famous. Unfortunately, production was complicated and expensive.

In 1864, the 28-year-old engineer Alexander Lagerman designed the first automated match machine. It was at this time, as manufacturing shifted from manual labor to mass production, that safety matches from Jönköping (Sweden) matches were exported all over the world and became world famous.

In 1868, the Vulcan AB match factory was founded in Tidaholm, Sweden. Today, the Tidaholm factory, owned by Swedish Match, is considered to have the most technologically advanced match production line in the world. Environmental considerations are an important part of the manufacturing process and dangerous chemicals have been removed and matchboxes are made of recycled paper. 

SOLSTICKAN FOUNDATION

For the benefit of children and the elderly since 1936

A share of the sale price from every box of matches sold under the Solstickan brand name is allocated to the Solstickan Foundation. The foundation was established in 1936. In those days, activities of the Solstickan Foundation were focused primarily on financial support for summer camps, where needy children from metropolitan areas were afforded opportunities to enjoy the sun, swimming and fresh air. Today, the activities are concentrated on providing assistance for disabled and chronically ill children and the elderly. The support is rendered through direct contributions to various organizations and allocations of Solstickan funds for research and development.

When the Solstickan Foundation was established, its objective was to correct shortcomings in community support activities. As welfare standards increased, financial support from the Solstickan Foundation was gradually shifted to become more of a supplement to social resources. Even in its early stages, support efforts were focused on the needs of sick and developmentally impaired children. Allocations are also made to organizations that work with the elderly and research programs that study diseases and ailments that afflict the elderly. During recent years, the foundation's goal has been to inspire and support ideas and initiatives, an area in which Solstickan has one of its greatest strengths - the ability to work quickly and effectively.

Members of the Solstickan Foundation's Board of Directors are appointed by the Swedish government. Board members consist of experts in areas relating to children and the elderly. Since its establishment, the Foundation has distributed nearly SEK 90 million (9 million US$) to children and the elderly.

Einar Nerman, a noted Swedish artist, was commissioned to design the Solstickan matchbox label. He created the Solstickan Boy, which has become one of the most recognized and best-known symbols in Sweden today, and one of the world's most widely reproduced works of art

DID YOU KNEW THIS ABOUT MATCHES?

What is the annual world consumption of matches?
Six trillion matches are consumed every year. Placed end to end, they would stretch about 260 million kilometers; or put another way, they would stretch from the earth to the sun and almost back again. 

What is a safety match? What makes it safe?
A safety match can be ignited only by striking it on the specially prepared, chemically active, friction surface on the side of the box. The term safety match is derived from its non-toxic properties in comparison with early phosphorous matches.

Safety matches are safe because they are not poisonous. Before the invention of safety matches (by G. E. Pasch in 1844), matches were made with highly toxic yellow phosphorous. Nowadays, matches of all types are equally safe. 

How many matches on average can be made from one tree?
On average, one million matches can be made from one tree.

What type of wood is used for matches?
The finest quality matchsticks are made of aspen. The timber must be strong, tough, white and odorless. It must also be straight-grained, easy to work with and sufficiently porous to absorb paraffin wax. Aspen has the best combination of all these matchmaking properties.

How many matches does a match machine make every day?
A modern match machine produces approximately 250 million matches a day. The first continuous production match machine was designed by C. Lagerman in 1892. It made 200,000 matches an hour.

How many matches are lit per second around the world?
190,000 matches are lit per second around the world.

How does Swedish Match protect its timber rights?
Swedish Match plants two trees for every tree it cuts down. The trees are taken from carefully managed forests in Scandinavia and Russia, and from plantations in Brazil, India and Turkey.

What striking properties are essential for safe matches?
The most important attributes of safe matches are that they strike easily; they do not split or drop hot debris; the splints do not break; the splints do not continue to glow after the flame is extinguished; they contain no toxic heavy metals; and they are safe for the environment.

How many lengths of matches exist, and are they all made of aspen?
Matches come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest are wax matches, some of which are only 25 mm long. The largest matches are over 300 mm long. Matches made in Europe are generally made of aspen or poplar, although imported matches can be made from a wide variety of timber. Waxed paper and cardboard matches are also produced.

What is a strike anywhere match?
A strike anywhere match will ignite when struck against any rough surface. Despite this characteristic, most users strike them on the rough surface provided on the side of the box.

What is the colored matchhead made of?
The head of a match is a complex mixture of chemicals. Some typical ingredients are potassium chlorate, a powerful oxidizer; gelatin, the binder that cements all the ingredients together; sulphur or red phosphorus, easily ignitable substances used in safety matches; phosphorus sesquisulphide, an easily ignitable substance used only in strike anywhere matches; inert materials, silicates of various types used to moderate the reaction and ensure stable ash; various other ingredients to color the head, to maintain the correct pH, to control viscosity, and to control density.

When was the first match made?
The first matches emerged in the 1820s. Unlike today's matches, these had serious drawbacks. They were difficult to ignite and showered the user with sparks. A little later, more user-friendly matches were introduced. They ignited easily, but the matchheads contained yellow phosphorus, a very toxic substance. In the 1870s, phosphorus matches were forbidden in many countries in Europe. They were finally outlawed by international agreement (the Berne Treaty) in the 1920s. A safe substitute for the yellow phosphorus in strike anywhere matches was developed in the 1890s.