Trangia’s Product Developer
trangia+ newsletter may 2024
Meet Helena & Jonas – Product developers at Trangia
“Trangia’s history is full of product developers, otherwise we wouldn’t have these fantastic products we have in our range today. Today it is me and my colleague Jonas who work with the development of new products and their tools, as well as the improvement of existing products and methods”
Hi Helena! Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Trangia. Are there more members in your team?
– I am 34 years old and live in beautiful Jämtland with my husband and two kids. I grew up in a small village surrounded by forests and water, so outdoor life has always been a natural part of my everyday life. Ever since my engineering studies, focusing on product development in sports and outdoor activities, working for Trangia has been a dream. When I started in 2021, I was the first with the title product developer and began systematically working with product development, tooling updates, and digitization of existing products and production tools. But as everyone knows, Trangia’s history is full of product developers; otherwise, we wouldn’t have these fantastic products in our product range today. Currently, it’s me and my product development colleague Jonas who work with new products and their production tools, as well as improvement of existing products and manufacturing methods. However, all employees play an important role in the product developing process, which is why it’s so profitable that all development happens here at the factory and headquarters in Trångsviken.
Helena – Head of Product Development
“I love the spontaneous small adventures and think that outdoor life doesn’t have to require planning. That’s why I love to take the family out and cook something simple that’s already at home, for example, throwing together “pytt i panna” and fried eggs.”
What inspired you to develop the new gas burner, and what advantages does it have compared to previous models?
– For Trangia, it is important to manufacture our own products. We highly value having our own Swedish factory, which is the heart of Trangia. The spirit burners and stoves have always been manufactured here in Trångsviken, Sweden, and now we were ready to start producing our own designed gas burners. GB74 (our previous gas burner) has been a good and stable product that has suited our stoves well and done the job for many years, so it was obvious that the new gas burner should fit just as well in the stove. That’s why the overall design is the same as before; the holder that positions the burner in the stove and the grooved plate that lies over the holder are the same components as before. We have always produced these components here in Trångsviken, and we saw no reason to change them. The difference is in the details! A horizontal valve with a more grip-friendly knob makes it easier to assemble the hose through the lower windshield, but also easier to regulate with one hand and with gloves. The gas burner Storm has a big advantage in that it’s easier to keep the gas burner at low temperatures, which makes it significantly easier to simmer food without it burning. But the best part is probably that all components, including the case and packaging, are made in Sweden!
How do you go about developing new products at Trangia?
– The list of ideas is endless, and we have many products we want to develop, based on needs we discover ourselves but also from user input. At an early stage, there’s a lot of 3D modelling, 3D printed plastic prototypes, and experimenting with homemade prototypes. This allows us to quickly hold the prototypes IRL and get a feeling of how they will perform. We also need to evaluate the production, whether our existing equipment can manufacture the product, or if we need to modify the product or invest in new machines or tools. The details of the product need to be finalized, and materials and production tools ordered. Besides the physical product, we also need to create images, packaging, data, etc.
What trends do you see in outdoor equipment, and how do these influence Trangia’s future products?
– I see a strong interest in sustainable, genuine products of high quality. This gives us the confidence to continue focusing on high-quality products made in Sweden.
How do you collect and use feedback from users to improve your products?
– We scout in media and forums for various customer categories to see and understand what users think about their equipment, regardless of the brand. We also get a lot of feedback through our customer support, which we read and take to heart.
Are there any exciting news or upcoming products that you can share with our members?
– Yes, we have seen that many of our customers appreciate HA (hard anodized). Therefore, we will soon release products from our existing product range in HA. (And here I can reveal that there will be a HA variant of our popular Mini Trangia! )
Jonas – Design Engineer
The season for long-distance iceskating is long if you like Jonas, start chasing frozen lakes at high altitude in October! He is a real enthusiast and is a certified iceskating guide. When Jonas is not enjoying the outdoors, he works as a product developer at Trangia.
Favorite thing to make on the Trangia stove – Fried apple pie – page 63 in the cookbook:
1) Roast hazelnuts in a dry pan.
2) Slice and fry apples in butter, add syrup and cinnamon at the end.
3) Place the fried apple slices on the puff pastry and fold carefully.
4) Fry in butter on a low heat until they get a nice color on both sides.
5) Top with the roasted hazelnuts.