GB
Key ratios 2011/2012 (10/11) Boards, 1 November 2012
Part of the Mellby Gård Group since
1997
2008
2001
Mellby Gård’s holding
> 90%
> 90%
> 90%
Revenue
MSEK 434 (MSEK 448)
MSEK 17 (MSEK 9)
MSEK 827 (MSEK 796)
EBITA
MSEK 43 (MSEK 49)
–
MSEK 128 (MSEK 129)
Number of employees
205 (135)
29 (15)
183 (179)
Anders Bülow Henrik Mella
Sten Libell Per-Arne Olsson
Anders Bülow Ludovic Huitorel, Stephen Childs
Torkel Härdeman Bo Forsén Sten Libell Fredrik Hansson Paula Kökeritz
Tomas Gustafsson Rune Andersson (deputy)
Cale Access AB
Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB
Feralco AB
The Cale Access Group, with its head office in Sweden and subsidiaries in Norway, Germany, France, the UK, Canada and the USA, is a worldleading supplier of unmanned machines and systems for the collection and administration of fees, primarily in the areas of parking and public transport. Cale products offer flexible, powerful automated ticket systems combined with unique design, user-friendliness and a high level of security. The products, which are marketed primarily under the Cale name, deliver unstaffed payment in most environments.
With its nine hundred hectares, Eriksberg is one of Northern Europe’s biggest game reserves and enclosed nature reserve. A place where magnificent red and fallow deer, bison, wild boar and mouflon sheep roam freely. The farm attracts around 40,000 visitors a year, a figure that is rising every year.
Feralco manufactures chemical products primarily for water treatment and the paper and pulp industry. These are largely inorganic products, based on aluminium and/or iron. The head office is in Helsingborg and the Group has subsidiaries in a number of European countries.
Through Rune Andersson/ Mellby Gård AB, Eriksberg has developed to become a modern conference facility with a first class hotel and restaurants, with front row seats for the drama created by nature. Eriksberg offers a unique meeting place, where the contrasts between eras and styles create a captivating, vibrant atmosphere, ideal for corporate/ management groups who want to work undisturbed and spend a few hours relaxing, and naturally also opportunities for private events. One of the facilities is ideal for ‘hideaway’ meetings and those where maximum security is required.
The company’s products are used for, among other things, supplies of drinking water for most of Europe’s major cities, and also in the treatment of waste water and in specialised industrial markets.
Board of Directors Chairman MD
Cale has been part of the Mellby Gård family since 1997 – originally as a part of Bewator, but in 2004 the Bewator and Cale divisions were divided into two separate companies, and at the end of 2004 Cale became wholly owned by Mellby Gård. Cale now markets products and solutions developed in-house to an international market. The company’s products are often part of a total concept, in which they deliver major service content with the aim of optimising customers’ operations. Cale offers the tools and the service that are needed in order to be secure in the management of all functions for fee collection, ticketing, finance, maintenance, operation and administration. www.cale.se
Among other things, visitors can go on safari and see the wild animals in their natural habitat and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. There is an extensive programme of experiences, which is being constantly developed. For those with an interest in hunting, Eriksberg can offer both individuals and groups hunting experiences that are out of the ordinary. “On the animals’ terms!” www.eriksberg.nu
Rune Andersson Erik Andersson Olof Johansson Sten Libell Hannele Arvonen
www.feralco.com
2011 (2010)* 2003
2005
2007
1995
1995
> 90%
> 90%
> 90%
> 90%
50%
MSEK 303 (MSEK 295)
MSEK 1,103 (MSEK 927)
MSEK 285
MSEK 1,126 (MSEK 1,057)
MSEK 1,170 (MSEK 1,394)
MSEK 48.9 (MSEK 47.3)
MSEK 240 (MSEK 180)
Neg
MSEK 37.3 (MSEK 37.4)
MSEK 236 (MSEK 376.3)
171 (159)
541 (510)
211
110 (111)
329 (307)
Tomas Gustafsson Fredrik Johansson
Hans Stråberg Acting Orvar Magnusson
Tomas Gustafsson Fredrik Wistrand
Rune Andersson Thomas Svensson
Rune Andersson Kent Johansson
Marianne Willén Sofia Gottberg Norén Sten Libell Johan Andersson Paul Sverdrup Erik Andersson
Rune Andersson Anders Bülow Bo Forsén Fredrik Hansson
Erik Andersson Johan Andersson Rune Andersson Ola Bartholdsson
Erik Andersson Pontus Bogren Erik Thuring Sten Libell Agneta Lilliehöök Jan Erik Nilsson (employees’ representative)
Johan Andersson Erik Andersson Stefan Johansson Anders Bülow Hans Berggren Susann Lejon Robert Forsberg (trade union representative, GS)
Flash AB
Roxtec AB
Optik Smarteyes AB
Älvsbyhus AB**
Flash offers colourful, basic, female clothing with a fashionable emphasis. The clothes are designed in house and sold in the company’s own stores, currently 71 in total. The target group is independent, active women who have passed the age of 30, are young at heart and care about their appearance. At Flash they find clothes for all occasions, for everyday use and for parties. The company’s mission is to create clothes that are both attractive and functional. They must also be of good quality and attractively priced.
Since its inception in 1990, Roxtec has consistently and in a targeted way developed and marketed secure, flexible seal solutions for cable and pipe penetrations in demanding applications. It is above all flexibility and simplicity that characterise Roxtec, both as a supplier and a product. With the MultidiameterTM invention, which is based on adaptable sealing modules with removable layers, Roxtec has set a new standard for the opportunities to create seals around cables and pipes of different materials and in different dimensions. Roxtec has solved the problem in a smart, costefficient way that has been significant for owners, designers and fitters in a number of industries all over the world.
The Smarteyes chain of optical retailers is a real newcomer in the industry, with the objective of being the H&M of the optical industry.
Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB
The company was founded in 1968 by the Sverdrup family and has been part of the Mellby Gård Group since 2003. Some twenty people work at head office in Lund on marketing, purchasing, design and warehousing. The garments, of Swedish design, are manufactured primarily in the Far East. www.flashwoman.se
The company’s customers are in sectors such as shipbuilding, oil and gas, process industry, energy, construction, telecoms and manufacturing industry. Roxtec has 21 subsidiaries all over the world, and supplies peace of mind in more than 70 markets by creating secure working and living environments, protecting equipment and investments, guaranteeing long-term reliability in various installations and contributing to efficient processes and lower total costs. www.roxtec.com
Smarteyes’ ambition is to have the lowest prices in the market at all times without compromising quality and service. The frames are designed in Sweden and always reflect the latest changes and trends. Smarteyes’ target group is fashionconscious people, and they are investing in stores with a modern design that are bright and pleasant – here too they are a pioneer in the industry. The company has reversed the traditional approach, in which a low basic price is often quoted with additional options for each customer, often resulting in a pair of glasses becoming extremely expensive. At Smarteyes the customer always knows in advance how much he or she will be paying. Two price levels are applied for the clear glasses offered: one for single vision and one for progressive – regardless of sight impairment and choice of frame. The low fixed price also means that the customer often chooses to buy extra pairs. The aim is also to take Smart eyes’ business model and concept into the international market. The first step was to move into the German market, and expansion will continue into more countries. www.smarteyes.com
Söderberg & Haak is Sweden’s leading privately-owned import company for machines for the green sector. The company started life as an iron and steel wholesaler in 1866, and about 30 years later a separate company was formed for machines. This was the origin of Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB, which celebrated its centenary in 1998. The company is a distributor and support company for the New Holland, Case IH, Krone, JCB and Amazone brands. The resellers are 50 or so private, independent entrepreneurs in Sweden, from Råneå in the north to Ystad in the south, offering the customer categories of farmers and engineering contractors full-scale sales, service and spare parts supplies. Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB has been a part of the Mellby Gård Group since 1995. The company’s employees largely have their roots and/or qualifications in the agricultural sector. This is an advantage in terms of both sales and service, as well as in the wide range of training activities provided. Many times each year, people in various positions from resellers and end customers come to the purpose-built premises in Staffanstorp to be trained by Söderberg & Haak’s own staff on the machines and services that they market. www.sodhaak.se
Älvsbyhus AB’s business concept is to build highquality prefabricated, cellarless wooden houses on 1–1.5 floors at the lowest price in the market. This means that they assume responsibility for the whole construction process, from foundations to a house that is ready to move into. They achieve this by having both in-house staff and a group of regular contractors. Älvsbyhus has always had its own sawmill, which means that they are self-sufficient in most respects. The company’s market is in Sweden, Finland and Norway, with forty or so resellers in those three countries. As an individual brand, Älvsbyhus is believed to be the biggest in Scandinavia, with a production level of 950 houses and a provisional figure of approx. 800 houses for 2012. Älvsbyhus is a family firm that was founded in 1944 by Göran Johansson (grandfather of current MD Kent Johansson) and his best friend Gunnar Johansson. Initially it was a pure joinery business, but in 1960 it set up the house production business that is still being run to this day. Since the mid1990s the company has been owned through companies in equal shares by the Johansson and Andersson families, i.e. for the Andersson family through Mellby Gård. www.alvsbyhus.se
2011 (2010)*
2011 (2010)*
2011 (2010)*
2008
2011
2010
2007
45% of capital, 55.1% of votes
40%
30%
29.99%
MSEK 66.1 (MSEK 38.1)
MSEK 261.4 (MSEK 255.5)
MSEK 691.2 (MSEK 610.4)
MSEK 3,807 (MSEK 3,971)
MSEK 49.2 (MSEK 24.6)
MSEK 8.5 (MSEK 7.7)
MSEK 5.1 (MSEK 33.4)
MSEK 404 (MSEK 435)
5 (4)
2 (2)
1,474 (1,350)
1,888 (1,914)
Rune Andersson Thomas Pohjanen
Thomas Svensson Matilda von Rosen
Bengt Wallentin Tobias Lindfors
Anders Bülow Fredrik von Oelreich
Björn Suurwee Sten Libell
Rune Andersson Jarl Sintorn Britt-Marie Eriksson Sten Libell (deputy) Mats Eriksson (deputy)
Niklas Jansson Rune Andersson Anders Bülow
Tina Andersson Tomas Gustafsson Pia Rudengren Magnus Yngen Göran Andreasson, Per-Åke Halvordsson and Inge Larsson (employees’ representatives)
Excalibur Värdepappersfond AB
BM Agri AB**
StudentConsulting AB**
Duni**
BM Agri AB is a private operator with national coverage in the cereal and oilseed market that aims to give the grower the highest possible price and the industrial customer a competitive price while maintaining the traceability of each batch. This is done by working in close collaboration to market the grower’s harvest directly to industrial customers on wholesale market terms. BM Agri identifies the best price options, after which the grower is engaged and assumes responsibility for work on guaranteeing the quality of batches sold.
StudentConsulting is a staffing company specialising in students, academics and people starting out on their careers, in the occupational areas of Finance, Customer Service, Administration, IT, Sales, Logistics and Production.
Duni is a leading supplier of attractive, functional products for tabletop and takeaway. The Duni brand is marketed in more than 40 markets and is a market leader in Central and Northern Europe. The Group is listed on the NASDAQ OMX exchange in Stockholm. Duni has around 2,000 employees in 17 countries, a head office in Malmö and production facilities in Sweden, Germany and Poland.
Excalibur is a special fund set up under the Swedish Act (2004:46) on Investment Funds, focusing on the interest rate and currency markets. The fund is managed by Excalibur Värdepappersfond AB. The Excalibur Fund started as a Swedish special fund on 1 April 2001. The fund aims to secure the value of capital and to deliver a stable return based on a thorough analysis of basic economic factors. www.excalfond.se
BM Agri also trades in fertiliser and sells to growers. The fertiliser is bought partly in Sweden and partly in boatloads that are imported, primarily from Poland. Within these three segments – cereals, oilseed and fertiliser – BM Agri is striving to be an operator that not only offers competitive value for money, but is also a flexible, responsive, simple and reliable business partner. www.spannmal.se
In 2011 StudentConsulting employed 8,530 people in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. StudentConsulting was founded in Luleå in 1997 by Niklas Jansson, Tobias Lindfors and Benny Grahn. The business concept was to introduce university and college students into trade and industry by offering extra jobs alongside their studies. The company now operates on a national basis with parttime staffing, full-time staffing, recruitment and employment services in the niche area of students, academics and people starting out on their careers. Clients include major national and international companies and government authorities. StudentConsulting currently operates from 92 offices in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. www.studentconsulting.se
The company is divided into three business areas: Professional, Consumer and Tissue. The Professional range offers first-class products for tabletop and serving, such as serviettes, tablecloths, candles, place mats and packaging solutions for ready meals. Customers are primarily in the hotel, restaurant, catering and large-scale kitchen sectors. In the Consumer business area, Duni offers products for consumers via the retail sector, specialist stores and home furnishing stores. The product range creates pleasant environments for all occasions where people enjoy food and drink. It includes everything from serviettes, candles and tablecloths to plastic products such as glasses, cups, cutlery and plates. Duni’s Tissue business area manages external sales of tissues, primarily to customers for the manufacturing of hygiene products. www.duni.se
* Financial year = calendar year ** Associated company
Contents Company facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Agriculture, horses, forestry and hunting . . . . 10 Company structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Financial key ratios, Mellby Gård AB . . . . . . . . 13 Cale Access AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Feralco AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Flash AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Roxtec AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Optik Smarteyes AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Älvsbyhus AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Excalibur Värdepappersfond AB . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 BM Agri AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 StudentConsulting AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Duni AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6
Contact details
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
38
T
his annual report is an account of the past financial year in the Mellby Gård Group. The individual companies are presented, and we also gain a brief insight into their operations. We also receive an account of the major events that took place during the financial year and what expectations are for the future. Mellby Gård is the collective name of the industrial group of companies that Rune Andersson has built up over the course of a quarter of a century. A Group that has many legs to stand on, and consists of companies that are either leaders or number two in their industry. Or have the potential to be so. Mellby Gård is also the name of an agricultural property in the heart of Skåne, which under the guidance of Rune Andersson has grown to become an ultramodern, rational agricultural business and one of the county’s biggest animal producers. Operations at the farm also include professional horse breeding, forestry and hunting. The financial troubles in the world around us have made their mark, and naturally this also affects the various companies in the Group. But all of the companies in the Group display success, strength and stability in relation to their own sectors. Thanks to the tremendous diversity of activities and the stability that this provides, the Mellby Gård Group has once more reported very good profitability. Some businesses have performed slightly better, others slightly less well, but overall the Group is once more presenting a very strong financial result.
7
Mellby Gård / Mellby Gård Industri AB Rune Andersson, Anders Bülow
Rune Andersson, founder and Chairman of the Board, Mellby Gård AB
Bo Bjelkenstav, Financial Market
8
OUR DIVERSITY PROVIDES FANTASTIC STABILITY “Another good year as come to an end and once more we can be satisfied as we close the books on the year,” says Rune Andersson, summarising the financial year 2011/2012 for Mellby Gård AB and Mellby Gård Industrier AB. “This is the benefit of having operations in a wide range of sectors, as we do. In a way, they all balance out one another. The economy goes up and down, exchange rates fluctuate and as we look at the year as a whole, it was essentially the same as the year before.” “Roxtec has continued to perform really strongly. There’s been something of a change in purely geographical terms, with slightly poorer growth in China, but it’s been stronger, for example, in the USA. When we moved into Roxtec, they were basically operating in two sectors. We’ve consciously broadened and developed a number of other business segments, and also found new geographical markets. The company is now
extremely robust and has had a phenomenal year,” confirms Anders Bülow. “Even Feralco is toughing it out and doing really well. Basically they have a stable market, which is certainly affected by economic fluctuations, but as the raw material side is an important factor as regards the profit, we also benefit when there’s a recession. “Cale has had something of a moderate year. In the first instance because the company’s reseller in the US market suffered significant problems. But this is what gave us the opportunity to acquire the business. We’re now running the US market under our own steam, which we are of course pleased about,” says Anders Bülow. “What we highlight as our philosophy at all times to our subsidiaries is organic growth,” emphasises Rune Andersson. “Acquisition isn’t that easy, it’s much more stable and safe to grow organically. It might take longer, but look at Flash, for example, which had 25-26
Anders Bülow, CEO, Mellby Gård Industri AB
Sten Libell, Administrative Director
Rolf Andersson, Accounts Manager
Orvar Magnusson, Administrative Director as from 1 January 2013
Eva Åberg, Administrative Assistant
9 shops when we moved in and is now up to 72. Smarteyes is another example that’s building all the time. The ideal is if you can grow with what you have, that’s the main priority with growing organically, and then sometimes you have to acquire in order to achieve further growth.” “Smarteyes has moved into a really exciting phase,” says Tomas Gustafsson, Chairman of the Board. “We’re growing really strongly and have now opened 30 units in Sweden. At the moment we’re considering opening 50 or 65 shops in Sweden. We’ve employed more than 200 people in the last 15 months.” “Flash has just kept on going during the year,” says Anders Bülow. “It’s been a tough year for the clothing industry, but Flash has done well and is delivering modest growth and once more generating a very good profit. “Duni has found things a bit tougher because of a fall in demand. But we can’t really talk in terms of either
an upturn or a downturn, it’s been more of a sideways movement.” “Söderberg & Haak has had an outstanding year,” confirms Rune Andersson. “I’m amazed that they once more succeeded in beating the previous year’s record profit. “BM Agri has become well established in the market, and I believe their service for hedging and locking a proportion of production at a good price has made us popular among many farmers.” Sten Libell, who was for many years Administrative Director at head office, will be taking things a little easier. Orvar Magnusson will be taking over Sten’s mantle. Orvar comes from the same position in Roxtec and has been in the Group since 2005. “Sten will keep a number of important, specific jobs. Among other things, he’ll be a Board member at Eriksberg, Söderberg & Haak, Excalibur and BM Agri,” concludes Rune Andersson.
10
Mellby Gård
Other businesses
Anders Elmqvist, inspector
Jan-Olov Alfredsson, trotting trainer
MELLBY GÅRD – A MODERN FARMING BUSINESS Mellby Gård is in the heart of Skåne and has grown to become a modern farm with an emphasis on pork and beef production. Horse breeding and forestry are other activities that keep staff busy. Pig production is around 16,000 slaughter pigs a year, making Mellby Gård one of the biggest producers in the county. The Swedish pig industry has virtually halved in total, which has almost resulted in shortages of Swedish pork at slaughterhouses. This has meant that prices have risen significantly in the past year. “During the past year we’ve installed and made serious progress with our composting drum,” explains Anders Elmqvist, who is an inspector on the farm and is responsible for agricultural operations. “We take care of the manure generated by our livestock in an efficient, environment-friendly and economical way. We’ve installed a large composting drum in which we blend manure from pigs, cattle and horses in
special proportions. It’s all then composted in a rotating drum to which we add air. The final product is an odour-free, nutrient-rich soil improvement agent, which we sell to companies that blend the compost with soil, package the blend in plastic sacks and supply products that end up on the shelves in gardening shops. “It’s a good way of dealing with the manure and also reduces the need for manure spreading areas, and we avoid having to drive the manure long distances. “We work actively to keep down costs on the farm. For example, we’ve now got a permit to build a power plant. We have an old mill with a waterfall, which we’re now going to use to produce electricity to meet at least some of the farm’s demand. The power plant is a project that we’re going to get to grips with as soon as time permits. “It’s in areas like this that we can identify economies in the business,” concludes Anders Elmqvist.
11 Horse breeding “Breeding of horses for trotting continues apace. More and more trotting horses with their origins at Mellby Gård are making appearances on trotting tracks around the country. And at the top of the rankings. We have really good quality here, and it’s getting better all the time,” says Jan-Olov Alfredsson, known to everyone as Norse, who is trotting trainer and responsible for this area of activity at Mellby Gård. “We’ve had lots of successes over the year, and it looks as though we’re on the right track. The results provide clear evidence of that,” concludes Jan-Olov Alfredsson. Forestry and hunting The forest around Mellby Gård consists mainly of fir, oak and beech. In addition to commercial timber production, the game-rich land is also used to hunt elk,
deer, wild boar and birds. This takes place under the guidance of Andreas Molin, who works together with other experienced hunters to offer opportunities for interesting hunting excursions on Mellby Gård’s land.
Company structure, 1 November 2012
Mellby Gård AB
Mellby Gård Industri AB
Mellby Gård Jordbruks AB
shareholding >90%
shareholding >90%
Cale Access AB shareholding >90%
Feralco AB shareholding >90%
Flash AB shareholding >90%
12
Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB shareholding >90%
Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB shareholding >90%
Optik Smarteyes AB shareholding >90%
Roxtec AB
Älvsbyhus AB
shareholding >90%
shareholding 50%
StudentConsulting AB
Excalibur Värdepappersfond AB
shareholding 30%
shareholding 45%
BM Agri AB shareholding 40%
Duni AB shareholding 29.99%
Financial key ratios
Mellby Gård AB Consolidated balance sheet, 30 June 2012. Amounts in MSEK.
Assets
Equity and liabilities
Intangible non-current assets 1,195 Tangible non-current assets 1,048 Financial non-current assets 2,155 Inventories 763 Current receivables 2,221 Cash, bank, investments 1,773
Equity Provisions and minority interests Liabilities to credit institutions Liabilities to owners & associates Other liabilities
5,063 319 1,766 878 1,129
TOTAL ASSETS
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
9,155
9,155
Key ratios, Mellby Gård AB
2011/2012
EBITDA EBITA EBIT
Board of Directors, Mellby Gård AB 2010/2011
852.6 847.3 728.6 745.0 644.3 673.4
Rune Andersson, Chairman Sten Libell, deputy
Mellby Gård Industri AB Consolidated balance sheet, 30 June 2012. Amounts in MSEK.
Assets
Equity and liabilities
Intangible non-current assets 1,051 Tangible non-current assets 325 Financial non-current assets 120 Inventories 294 Current receivables 580 Cash, bank, investments 746
Equity Provisions and minority interests Liabilities to credit institutions Other liabilities
1,691 172 626 627
TOTAL ASSETS
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
3,116
3,116
Key ratios, Mellby Gård Industri AB
Board of Directors, Mellby Gård Industri AB
Rune Andersson, Chairman Erik Andersson Johan Andersson Anders Bülow Sten Libell, deputy
2011/2012
EBITDA EBITA EBIT Number of employees
2010/2011
546.3 509.3 475.4 438.3 397.8 370.1 1,071 984
13
Cale Access AB
MD Henrik Mella
14
DIGITISATION IS THE KEY TERM FOR THE FUTURE IN THE CAR PARKING INDUSTRY “The past financial year has really been up and down,” confirms Henrik Mella, MD of Cale Access AB. “Last autumn sales plummeted overnight when our reseller in the USA was hit by legal problems following investigations by the FBI and the IRS. The USA is one of our most important markets of all, and to deal with the situation we set up a subsidiary, Cale America, acquired our reseller’s assets and took over the workforce. “In the short term, the events in the USA hit our profit, but things are looking good for the future. We now have an effective subsidiary, Cale America, which this spring won the biggest tender in the USA with more than 500 machines in Pittsburgh. ”We also won the distribution rights to single- and double-space meters for card payments, which are being manufactured in China. At the moment we’re running tests on production and checking how the
Chinese factory satisfies our requirements for quality, finish and delivery performance. “As regards the creation of new subsidiaries, Denmark is next in line. Cale Denmark will be opening this autumn. “Our back office system is one of our real strengths, and we’re now linking mobile phone payment and single/double-space meters into our system. The keyword for the future in the car parking industry is digitisation. If mobile phone payments are to be effective, the whole chain has to be digitised. Otherwise how does the meter attendant know that you’ve used your phone to pay if you don’t have a receipt to put in your windscreen? “In due course Cale, either alone or via business partners, will be offering solutions in the field of mobile phone parking and surveillance. Many customers will
15 be demanding this in the near future. And we’re well on the way. I expect us to be able to start this during calendar year 2013. “The major challenge in the immediate future is the product cost. We manufacture in Sweden, and the strong krona puts us in a poorer position in our export markets. But it’s not just the strong currency that’s the issue, we must focus in general terms on reducing the cost base. The new product portfolio has excellent functionality, but for many markets it’s simply too expensive. “So we’re currently trialling a concept, mainly in Southern Europe, of hiring out our machines. From our perspective there’s not much risk, as the machines generate income, are screwed to the ground and can easily be switched off remotely if the rent isn’t paid. We’re fine-tuning the concept, and in early 2013 we
expect to be going out and marketing such solutions on a broad front as one of several financing options. “The Group has really grown during the year, especially Cale America. Another important event is that we’ve fully launched the new CWT Compact machine, and the first major installations are now in place. Finally, we’ve moved our head office from Solna to nice new premises in Kista. We were quite simply too cramped, and the premises really needed an overhaul. We now have a modern office with room to expand as required,” concludes Henrik Mella.
Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB
MD Per-Arne Olsson
16
ERIKSBERG – A PARADISE FOR ANIMALS AND PEOPLE “We’re now ready to welcome the world,” says PerArne Olsson, MD of Eriksberg. “The hotel, the restaurants and the meeting areas have now been completed and we’re up and running and ready to face the future. We’re just taking the first steps on an exciting journey into the future, where only our imagination will limit what we can achieve with the unique range of products that Eriksberg has to offer. “In the past it was our natural surroundings and the animals that made us unique. We’ve now taken the concept one step further and added various kinds of accommodation and conference facilities, and combined it with gastronomy that exceeds most people’s expectations.” Eriksberg is basically one of Northern Europe’s biggest game reserves, consisting of a wonderful area of countryside by the coast in Blekinge. It was founded by author and researcher Bengt Berg, who since the
1940s has provided animals with a sanctuary where they could live and thrive on their own terms. Extensive investments have been made since Mellby Gård took over Eriksberg five years ago. In particular in creating a holistic concept that has been planned down to the tiniest detail. “Companies can come here to hold their kick-off or management group meetings in an environment that is without parallel in Europe. And private individuals are also welcome to come and enjoy Eriksberg. Many come for a weekend to treat themselves, to unwind in our relaxation centre with outdoor jacuzzis and to enjoy our wonderful kitchen, which has learnt very quickly to make use of the best from nature’s very own larder. We have our own slaughterhouse at the farm and produce our own game, which is served in our restaurants. “And then we have all the people who visit Eriksberg during the summer months, when the park is open for
17 general tourism, hunters who under expert guidance make sure that game stocks are kept at a suitable level, especially during the autumn and winter, as well as all of the children and adults from near and far who take part in our annual Christmas market.” A unique building has recently been constructed at a secluded location within the enclosed area: Liljetorpet, which covers 750 square metres and has its own bay. Liljetorpet offers extra levels of security and quality. It was built for important meetings of heads of state or for business leaders who feel the need to meet and consult in a secure environment. “Liljetorpet is ideal for hideaway meetings. Certain people nowadays can’t move around freely, so Eriksberg and Liljetorpet offer a destination for those who need to get away from it all and relax. We believe that Liljetorpet will put Eriksberg and Blekinge on the world map.”
As Eriksberg is classified as an animal park, both land and water are exempted from the Swedish Right of Public Access. “During the past financial year, all of the buildings have been completed. Detail after detail have been finished off and put into place. The artistic decorations are complete and the kitchen, under head chef Jesper Karlsson, has found its form. This was proven not least of all last autumn, when Eriksberg came second in Game Restaurant of the Year.” 13 September 2012 saw the royal opening of Eriksberg, and a large number of guests were invited. “The royal couple visited Liljetorpet and spend a while at Utsikten, which really was at its best in the glorious sunshine. In the background you could hear the baying stags, and we were able to enjoy the harmonious, humble Eriksberg ambience that exists here,” concludes Per-Arne Olsson.
Feralco AB
Ludovic Huitorel, MD of Feralco Europe
18
Stephen Childs, MD of Feralco Europe North
GOOD RESULTS IN A STABLE MARKET “With revenue of almost SEK 830 million and a profit of SEK 117 million, we can confirm that the Feralco Group had a good year. The profit shows the strength of our business model,” say Stephen Childs and Ludovic Huitorel, who between them share the role of MD of the Feralco Group. “Feralco supplies chemicals for water treatment to both industry and municipalities. We always focus on the orderer’s or the client’s needs and deliver the best solution based on their needs and circumstances. The fact that we’re represented all over Europe and also parts of Africa gives us good market knowledge and an understanding of regional needs, opportunities and limitations.” “Thanks to Feralco’s products and solutions, more than 120 million people in over 20 countries in both Africa and Europe have access to serviceable drinking water. This geographical spread offers security, as the
company is not adversely affected to any great extent by local or regional circumstances. This contributes to making Feralco a company that is stable in the long term,” explains Ludovic Huitorel. “We must also emphasise the extraordinary performance that the company’s recent expansion has highlighted. Partly the acquisition of the water treatment business from Eka Chemicals in Sweden, and partly the launch of Feracid, a new production facility in France, in partnership with the Novacap Group,” emphasise Ludovic Huitorel and Stephen Childs. “The profit in Northern Europe is on budget, and despite something of a downturn in the industry we’re seeing increases in sales volume, margins and profits since the previous year. There are exciting times ahead for Feralco, and I see good opportunities for growth, both organically and through acquisitions. We have a strong team that is both experienced and focused,” says Stephen Childs.
19 Huitorel joins in and explains that Southern Europe, for natural reasons, has been a more uncertain market, but that the business area has shown resilience and performed well even in these difficult times. Countries such as Spain and Italy have started processes to review current social models, which will probably create the conditions for a more attractive market. “I’m convinced that these reforms will generate conditions and more opportunities to further develop Feralco in the region,” summarises Ludovic Huitorel. “All in all, the Feralco Group is well equipped to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of the next few years. We believe that 2012/2013 in particular will be an interesting year in terms of continued initiatives and further development within the Feralco Group,” conclude Stephen Childs and Ludovic Huitorel.
Flash AB
MD Fredrik Johansson
20
FLASH KEEPS ON GROWING! “Over the past year, the fashion industry in Sweden has been characterised by a number of negative external factors,” says MD Fredrik Johansson. “For example, economic turbulence and rising cotton prices have affected the industry. Customers have been more cautious, and sales in Flash’s main market of Sweden have fallen for the industry as a whole. To counteract falling sales and rising stocks, many fashion operators have been more active than usual with sales campaigns and price reductions. A number of smaller players in the market have disappeared, and the biggest players have won market shares. “Flash’s sales rose a little during the year, but didn’t really live up to expectations. We’ve opened new Flash shops in Västervik, in Skövde, on Sveavägen in Stockholm, on Västra Hamngatan in Gothenburg and in the Erikslund Shopping Center in Västerås. At the end of the financial year there were 71 Flash shops, four of them in Finland. The expansion of new shops will con-
tinue in future, while at the same time priority has to be given to developing existing shops. Adding new space to successful existing shops is a priority, this has been proven to be very positive. “Flash’s most important processes include purchasing and design,” points out Fredrik Johansson. “In these areas we’re continuing our work to offer a strong range with value-for-money basic fashion, in modern colours and materials. Our employees in these areas work continuously to keep themselves up to date and to apply upcoming trends in a way that our customers are comfortable with. As we have several long-term relationships with our suppliers, they also contribute a lot of new materials and production options. At the same time, we’re also very careful to offer our customers the basic garments they always expect to find in a Flash shop. “Social media are developing apace, and of course we at Flash are active there, but in our ambition to
21 communicate our fashion to all of our customers we also use more traditional media, such as the daily press and monthly magazines, to communicate our retail campaigns and fashion profile on an ongoing basis. “In our shops we continue to strive to offer the best customer service in the fashion industry. Customers who visit Flash shops must always receive a warm welcome,” emphasises Fredrik Johansson. “Those who just want to browse around in the shop on their own must of course be allowed to do so, but we know that many customers really do appreciate the assistance and knowledge of the fashion scene that our shop assistants offer. By having regular visits by Mystery Shoppers* to our shops, we follow up to make sure that our shops really are delivering the customer service our customers expect. “Flash’s focus areas are the same as before. The motto in the fashion industry is “Retail is detail”. We must be good in all of our core processes, we’re only
as strong as our weakest link. We must always offer a strong range in each season’s colours and materials, our retail logistics must always guarantee that we have the right garments in the right shops, and our shop assistants must always make sure that our shops are well signed and have good displays. Our customers must always be offered the best customer service in the market. By continuing to deliver high quality in these areas, Flash will continue to develop in the right direction,” concludes Fredrik Johansson. * Mystery Shoppers Anonymous customers who are hired, for example, to buy a product, ask questions, make complaints or behave in a certain way, and then submit a detailed report of their experiences. This is one way for the company to measure the quality of service or compliance with, for example, the company’s policies.
Roxtec AB
Acting MD Orvar Magnusson
22
VERY STRONG GROWTH CONTINUES “Things have gone really well for Roxtec during the last financial year,” says Orvar Magnusson, who is Acting MD of Roxtec while recruitment of a new MD takes place. The former MD, Carl-Gustav Mattson, has moved to China with his family. He is, however, still working in the company and is now responsible for the wide-ranging operation in Asia. Roxtec is a world-leading supplier of flexible seal solutions for cable and pipe penetrations. The products protect life and assets against risks caused by everything from water, fire and gas to sand, dirt, vibrations, electromagnetic interference and pests. The products are used primarily in sectors such as shipbuilding, manufacturing industry, process industry, oil, gas, energy, construction and telecoms. Roxtec’s invention for adapting to cables and pipes of different sizes is based on sealing modules with removable layers, and provides a perfect seal, what-
ever the outer diameter of the cable or pipe. The technology makes design and construction easier, saves installation time and reduces the need for layers. At the same time, the modules make it easy to augment and upgrade. “Roxtec has 20 or so subsidiaries and a large network of resellers all over the world,” says Orvar Magnusson. “Together we provide support to customers in more than 70 markets. “During the year we’ve grown strongly in, among others, the US market, while the trend has been a little weaker in China. But we do expect a positive change there, now that Carl-Gustav Mattson has taken over the reins in Asia. “Roxtec is growing organically in the first instance, although sometimes acquisitions are needed to make progress in certain markets or within certain segments. During the past financial year we acquired, among
23 others, the UK company Sleev-it Fire Systems Ltd. This is a new phase in our ambition to broaden our product range. Sleev-it produces fireproof seals for plastic pipes, aimed primarily at cruise ships. This acquisition makes Roxtec an increasingly versatile supplier of marine safety solutions to the global shipbuilding industry and the cruise industry,” says Orvar Magnusson. During the year Roxtec also launched a new solution for electrical safety. Many customers were demanding a product that could combine safety, simplicity and flexibility in Roxtec’s cable penetration system with a facility to ground equipment. “We’ve developed a solution for metal clad and armoured cables. The product family is called Roxtec BGTM (Bonding & Grounding) and is s system for sealing large numbers of metal clad or armoured cables in the least possible amount of space. It’s used in buildings and cabinets to minimise the design and installa-
tion time, thus reducing costs. Roxtec BGTM is up to 70 per cent more area-efficient than cable glands and acts as a straight replacement for cable glands. With a cable entry, you can seal single or multiple cables of different sizes while ensuring a certified bonding or grounding termination. “All of our products meet our customers’ expectations and are quick and easy to install. So we expect continued positive growth for the company and a bright future,” concludes Orvar Magnusson.
Optik Smarteyes AB
MD Fredrik Wistrand
24
FLOURISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR DONATES GLASSES TO CHILDREN “We’ve seen really positive growth during the year, although we’ve not really fulfilled our expectations,” says Fredrik Wistrand, MD of Smarteyes AB. “The reason we’ve not quite got where we wanted to be is partly the fact that it’s been a tough year in general for the retail sector, and we’ve also felt the effects. And partly it’s simply that we’re growing so incredibly strongly that sometimes it slows us down. Among other things, we’ve made major organisational changes during the year. We used to be essentially two associate companies, one with responsibility for operations in Sweden and one that was to take care of our overseas initiatives. We’ve now merged them and created a new, bigger organisation. In connection with this, a lot of new, committed, motivated employees have arrived and a number of functions have been added to the organisation. “During the year we’ve received two excellent awards that we’re really proud of. Firstly, we were
named the most expansive optical company of the last three years by the UC credit information agency. And secondly we were named Flourishing Company of the Year by the Mayflower organisation for our initiatives to help children in Sweden to see better. We donate glasses free of charge to all children all over Sweden aged 0–8. “Of course we’re incredibly proud to receive this award, but also that since the project started we’ve given out several thousand pairs of glasses to children. “We want our employees to feel proud that they’re working for a company that cares about other people. And they can use their knowledge to do good and help others. “It must always be enjoyable and inspiring to shop with us. The fact that we’ve succeeded is proven not least of all by the “satisfied customer index”, where we’re the best in our industry,” believes Fredrik Wistrand.
25 “We strive to minimise our environmental impact in all we do, not only in terms of energy and resource consumption, but also in how we deal with our waste. It’s also very important for us and our customers that the products we sell in our shops have been produced in good working conditions. Smarteyes is one of the few retailers in the optical industry that conducts regular supplier inspections in both Europe and Asia. ”Nine new shops in Sweden and one in Germany are evidence of this year’s expansion. We now have a presence in most large towns and cities in Sweden, and are winning significant market shares in all locations where we become established. We also launched our web shop during the financial year, which means that our customers in Sweden can order glasses online. This autumn we’re also opening our Internet shop for the German market. “We’re really positive about the future and expect to be expanding our distribution network even more
in the next few years. The rate of growth will definitely increase. We’ll be focusing on organic growth in both Sweden and Germany, but will also be looking at other markets, and it’s not inconceivable that we’ll be moving into at least one new country during the next year. “A committed, motivated organisation is our most important asset. And I have to say that it’s fantastic to see what skilled and committed employees we have in our shops,” concludes Fredrik Wistrand.
Söderberg & Haak Maskin AB
MD Thomas Svensson
26
RECORD REVENUE AND NEW PROFIT HIGH “We’re rounding off the year with record figures once more,” confirms Thomas Svensson, MD of Söderberg & Haak, incidentally only the third since 1946. He is proud but at the same time humble as he explains why things are going so well for the company that is the leading private dealer in agricultural machinery in Sweden. “First and foremost, we have knowledgeable, loyal employees who really have Söderberg & Haak in their blood. This, combined with a decentralised organisational model, which means that we all work as a team, means that we are constantly developing and refining the business. There is very little “top-down” management in the organisation, which means that all employees can and do make decisions. Which leads in turn to a high level of responsibility for decisions and that they are also implemented. “Another factor that is just as important is of course our resellers. We don’t view ourselves as a general
agent, but rather as a support company that aims to simplify and make resellers’ work more cost-efficient, customer-oriented and service-minded. This collaboration is based on a foundation of a long-term approach and sustainability,” emphasises Thomas. “During the year we’ve implemented a logistical project under the motto of our assuming total control of logistics relating to our products. In the past, tractors were literally trapped at a supplier’s premises, waiting to be transported on to the resellers. Now about half go straight to the reseller, while the rest are held in stock at our premises until it’s time for delivery. “The major task for the year ahead is that we have a new IT manager, who’ll be renewing our business system. The system’s been working well for more than 20 years, but now we can’t take it any further and have to upgrade, which is of course a major investment. “We’ve finished with the property after all of the extensions and modifications we’ve made, and we
27 have enough premises for training as well and anything else we might possibly need. “Times are tough for milk producers nowadays. Really large units are needed to achieve profitability, and this means that investments are falling. At the moment we’re seeing a low level of inclination to invest in those kinds of customers. We may possibly see a recovery in spring 2013, but time alone will tell. By contrast, things are going really well on the cereal side. Good harvests and high prices mean that it will be a good year for these businesses, which means that we expect there to be some new investments in machinery. “We see the JCB brand and the part that deals with contracting machinery as offering growth potential, and we expect to be able to double sales of those kinds of machines over the next five years. We’ve had good success in selling contracting machinery to agricultural businesses that are part-time farmers and the rest of
the time sell mechanical services such as excavation, snow clearance and the like. But now we’re going to focus on pure engineering contractors. Our resellers who focus on this will have pure contract salespeople and specialist contracting engineers. “During the year we also confirmed that we’re not going to look actively for new brands, but will focus on the five we have, work more with them and win additional market shares. “We’ve also confirmed a principle that we’ve applied for a long time, but that we’ll now make a commitment to our exclusive S&H resellers, namely that all of our business will go through them. We never do any direct business or service transactions with individual customers. “We will of course also be doing all we can to attempt to match our figures for the year ahead, but I’m sure it won’t be easy,” concludes Thomas Svensson.
Älvsbyhus AB
MD Kent Johansson
28
SWEDEN’S BIGGEST BUILDER OF SMALL HOUSES – AGAIN! “There’s a general downward trend in construction in the Nordic region as a whole and in the Swedish market in particular, but we’re nevertheless confident about the future,” says Kent Johansson, MD of Älvsbyhus AB. “The volume of construction that we’ll see in 2012 will represent something like a 50% drop, which is of course negative, but at the same time we’re slowly but surely winning back the market shares we lost two years ago. Although we were occasionally in 2nd place in 2011, we won back the lead and once more and sold the most houses in Sweden in 2011. “In 2011 we built a total of 950 houses, and the forecast for 2012 is that the figure will be around 800. We’re running our factories at more or less half pace and waiting for better times. Because we know that they’ll come, it’s difficult to say exactly when, but I expect us to see things starting to improve in the second half of next year.
“House number 35,000 was delivered during the year. That went to a family on the Åland Islands. House number 34,000 was delivered to Norway and in 2012 house number 36,000 was delivered to Gällivare. We’re a Nordic group of companies that helps people to realise their dreams of a new home. “This year we’ve seriously got to grips with social media. We’ve also invested a lot in quality in recent years, as well as continuing with our product development. We’ve definitely seen a genuine upgrading of our houses, especially the interiors, which is really appreciated by those doing the building. We’re also involved in developments in terms of using new technical solutions, and are building houses that are more energyefficient than specified by requirements. All in all, we’ve really smartened up the product without needing to increase the price significantly. “We’ve created a financing package that has meant that there was no dividend to shareholders, but we
29 reinvested this in the company so that we are well placed if the financing solution we launched turns out as well as we hope it does. Behind this initiative are stricter requirements for financing house purchases. With a small cash deposit, someone who wants to buy a newly produced Älvsbyhus house can now take advantage of our special offer and thus finance their new home. We quite simply offer better terms of payment to those who want it. They can defer payments to a maximum of SEK 400,000 for up to ten years. This has proven very popular, and already well over 300 people have shown an interest in our concept and are including it in their calculations when they choose a house. We’ve also seen other effects of this, in the form of customers having even better financing solutions offered via their own bank. “At the moment we’re building 19 houses a week, which is about 800 houses annually. And we’re planning to stay at least at that level, because then we can
keep all factories running and don’t need to put any factory into mothballs. And it’s important for us to keep the competence in the company so that we’re well placed when people start building small houses again. “We’re working in a targeted way to achieve the company’s new vision, which is: Älvsbyhus shall be the natural first choice for families in Sweden, Finland and Norway who want to achieve their dreams of a new home. Älvsbyhus shall offer the best value for money in the market. “Our satisfied customers become good ambassadors who further enhance our brand. This leads to full production in all four factories. “Right now we’re focusing on sufficiently high market shares, and I’m convinced that house-building will increase in the next few years. Interest rates will stay low, there is plenty of land on which to build and there is above all vast pent-up demand,” concludes Kent Johansson.
Excalibur Värdepappersfond AB
MD Thomas Pohjanen
30
ANOTHER YEAR WITH A POSITIVE FINANCIAL RESULT “We are of course proud and delighted now that we’ve been named Hedge Fund of the Year for the third successive year by the financial magazine Privata Affärer,” says Thomas Pohjanen, who together with Björn Suurwee is responsible for managing the fund. “We strive to deliver a positive return regardless of price trends in the interest rate, stock, currency and commodities markets. We’ve succeeded with that every year that the fund has been in existence, and now that we’ve completed ten years we can really talk in terms of a stable fund. “The past financial year has been an excellent one. We increased revenue from SEK 37 to 65 million, and the pre-tax profit doubled from SEK 25 to 50 million. “We’re obviously delighted about this, and that we’ve enjoyed tremendous, increased confidence from our customers. Lots of new customers have joined us during the year, and the assets managed since the turn
of the year alone have grown from SEK 2.9 to 3.6 billion. “This includes contributions from old customers, but the customer register now also contains several new customers, both private individuals and institutional investors. “We continue to manage the fund with same approach as before. We deal in interest-bearing securities with high creditworthiness, and we constantly perform assessments based on how we view the impact of monetary policy on the interest rate markets in both Europe and the USA. Which are our most important markets. We then position the fund so that we can continue to deliver a stable return in the years ahead. “Thanks to our 25 years of experience in the industry, we’ve been through a number of crises and learnt how best to deal with the turbulence that occurs in connection with, for example, financial crises, the
31 Greek crisis, etc. Crises are something that comes along at regular intervals, and once you’ve worked your way through them a few times you know which investments to avoid and which to keep working with. ”Certain assets become far too expensive, others far too cheap, so you place the fund’s investments so that they make the best possible use of the prevailing situation. ”In the macroeconomic situation it’s self-evident that the euro crisis and the troubled countries of Southern Europe affect the market. But so far we’ve been able to make the right decisions for the fund. “We’ve been running the fund for 11 years now and have good relations with all of our partners and counterparties in the fund. And we feel satisfied with developments. It’s pleasing, for example, that we’ve essentially had no complaints about either asset management or our administrative processes.
“Customers seem satisfied not only with both profits and yields, but also with the way we communicate with them. And that’s probably because we believe that our customers should be treated in the same way that we’d like to be treated if we were customers. We believe that that’s a good basic approach. “It’s been a positive year on the whole. The fund has grown well and we’ve also further strengthened ourselves on the administrative side. This has gone very well, and we can see that our customers really appreciate our enhanced service. All in all, prospects for the future are bright, right now I see no cause for concern,” concludes Thomas Pojanen. “From our view of the company and the fund, right now it feels extremely stable.”
BM Agri AB
MD Mats Eriksson
32
Matilda von Rosen, MD as from 1 July 2012
BM AGRI – A COMPANY THAT’S GROWING “BM Agri’s revenue continues to grow. Revenue in 2011 was SEK 265 million, and with a very good profit,” says Matilda von Rosen, MD since 1 July 2012. “During the financial year we’ve broadened our product portfolio in a number of areas. Among other things, we’ve started to sell Yara’s range of fertiliser, which has made us more complete on that side. “We’re a consultancy and trading company that focuses on cereal. Our business covers the whole country, and our range of services falls into the following groups: trading in cereals and oilseed, hedging through various exchanges, trading in fertiliser and market information. “We’re a small, streamlined organisation, which we believe creates many benefits for both us and our customers. Short decision-making paths, personal contact and mutual trust always make life easier when you’re doing business.
“Our customers are various food industries, feed manufacturers and biogas plants. We also supply cereal to livestock producers. “One new feature during the financial year is that we introduced a unique product in the Swedish market. We call it a Chance/Risk agreement, which means that we work with the farmer to hedge a transaction, and share the profit or loss. We take care of the exchange contract and security, and the grower sells the physical product, to the highest bidder of course. In connection with this we buy back the future contract on the exchange and the difference is either a profit or a loss. As a rule it’s a profit,” says Matilda von Rosen. “Farmers have started to realise the benefit of these hedging transactions. They’ve learnt to find out what they can sell their products for through hedging and thus reduce their risk. This has resulted in our gaining several new customers. They also know that we do
33 our very best to make the best possible deal, as we’re sharing the profit. “Trading in oilseed, primarily in the form of rape and turnip rape, is another part of BM Agri that’s growing strongly. The business focuses on direct deliveries from the farm to AarhusKarlshamn AB in Karlshamn. “We also export quite a large volume of wheat to Denmark. As we weren’t able to sell so much cereal in Sweden in 2011, we’ve found our own channels and can thus sell the wheat at reasonable prices. “The future looks really good for BM Agri. We have plenty to do and more and more farmers are finding out about us and that it’s worthwhile comparing what different operators in the market can offer. “What we have to do now is to enhance our IT system so that it can better support us and make the business more efficient. This enables us to work with more customers. We’re striving to work with efficient
transactions, where the product goes directly from the farmer to the place where it’s going to be used. Efficient tools will help us to expand more quickly and also improve profitability for both us and the farmers. “We’re positive about the increased competition, which benefits the farmers. We often notice in our contacts with growers that many of them have also asked elsewhere. We think that’s good and shows that farmers really benefit from our being in the market,” concludes Matilda von Rosen.
StudentConsulting AB
MD Tobias Lindfors
34
SWEDEN’S FASTEST-GROWING COMPANY FOR THE THIRD TIME “We’re proud, but not satisfied,” says Tobias Lindfors, MD of StudentConsulting, as he explains that the company has been named the fastest-growing company in Sweden for the third time and that they’ve been on the winners’ rostrum every year for the last five years. Average annual growth has been over 90% over the last six years! StudentConsulting specialises in staffing, recruitment and employment services for young people. The company has 92 offices in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and last year employed more than 8,500 people in Scandinavia. “Helping young people to get a job is our main driving force. We give young people a place in the world of work while at the same time satisfying companies’ demands for matched, quality-assured employees. But there’s still plenty to do. Our target market isn’t just the staffing market, but the whole labour market. In Sweden only 1% or so of employment is arranged
through staffing companies, while the corresponding figure in the rest of Europe is 2% ”In the last year the number of offices has trebled, and StudentConsulting now has a presence at more than 90 locations in Scandinavia. This autumn the business will be expanding significantly when we launch the Meet Your Future Group. ”This will consist of StudentConsulting, specialists in students and young employees, Professional Consulting for young academics and finally Work Match, which helps job seekers of all ages. “We feel it’s a natural step for the Group to become an even stronger player in the Scandinavian labour market. One of the reasons for our successes is that we’ve been so specialised, so we know that specialised subsidiaries are required for each target group to achieve success. “By the turn of the year we expect StudentConsulting to have a presence at about 100 locations in Scan-
35 dinavia, as will Work Match, which will be at all offices. Professional Consulting will increase its expansion primarily in the larger cities. “It’s our aim to be the most effective operator in the industry in terms of creating jobs in both new and traditional sectors in a secure, responsible way. In this respect we benefit from having the industry’s leading IT system, joint support functions and efficient administration. And of course the incredible commitment that exists internally to create more jobs. “We’re trying to supplement the traditional way of working on matching with the electronic way. Our candidates can record an electronic video CV of themselves, which is matched every day against assignments all over Scandinavia. This means that you can, for example, be sitting up in Kiruna and be matched with our job network of customers every day. “The name of the Group, Meet Your Future, says it all:
Customers meet their future employees. Candidates meet their future employers. “The combination of staffing, recruitment and employment services creates a really good total effect. It also makes it easier for us to switch between good times and bad times. In more difficult times, companies need even more flexibility and demand to find employment for job seekers increases, while in boom times they have a greater need to hire and recruit young academics. So we can switch between flexible staffing and recruitment and employment services,” concludes Tobias Lindfors. Student Consulting was also named Contracting Company of the Year in 2011 by the Founders Alliance*, as well as Founder of the Year in Sweden. * Founders Alliance is a business network for Sweden’s most prominent entrepreneurs. Founders Alliance was launched in 2001 as a forum for founders with experience of building strong growth companies.
Duni AB
MD Fredrik von Oelreich
36
GREATER INITIATIVES FOR LONG-TERM GROWTH “2011 saw slightly poorer sales than the previous year, but our main area, Professional, increased its revenue in terms of fixed exchange rates,” says Fredrik von Oelreich, MD and CEO of Duni. “At the same time, major initiatives were implemented to create the conditions for profitable growth in future.” Profitability was, however, held at satisfactory levels in all business areas, thanks to ongoing work on efficiency improvements as well as price increases to compensate for higher raw material costs. “The initiatives carried out in this business area have started to produce results. The trend has been stable and positive in Central Europe, our biggest market, and also in Northern Europe. On the customer side, we’re seeing structural changes in the restaurant industry, where chains operating under a common brand are growing more quickly than the market in general. This trend benefits Duni’s sales of customer-based concepts, and during the year this saw the start of
partnerships with a number of new customers in this segment.” Sales in Consumer, formerly Retail, were adversely affected during the year by the loss of a major private label customer. Otherwise sales were stable, and Duni increased its market shares during the year in the UK and Benelux. “It’s important that we increase the availability of our products for the consumer market and market our brand in supplementary distribution channels. The focus on sales to end users took one step forwards in 2011 with the opening of our own web shop in Sweden, in addition to the one that had been run for about one year by a third party in Germany. At the end of the year Duni also set up a partnership with a company that specialises in homes sales in the Swedish market. “Internal deliveries increased for the Tissue business area, while at the same time external sales fell
37 because of lower demand in the hygiene sector. Longterm measures to promote growth will continue to be a central theme in future. During the year work was stepped up to increase sales in a number of prioritised growth markets in Eastern and Southern Europe. We’ve built up a new organisation in Russia, increased our presence in Southern Europe, especially in Italy, and worked to build platforms for sales in new growth markets. “But perhaps the biggest potential in a shorter perspective is in Duni’s main markets. More than 80% of all tablecloths used by restaurants and catering companies are made of textile, and many companies are looking for alternatives. Duni has developed a revolutionary new tablecloth material – Evolin® – that combines the feel of a linen tablecloth with the benefits of a disposable solution. Evolin, our biggest launch in 25 years, will be aimed at a market where we’ve not previously had any good alternatives to offer, and which is
several times bigger than the market we currently sell to. “Duni is carrying out wide-ranging initiatives to increase growth and improve profitability. One stage of this work was the introduction in spring 2012 of a more market-oriented organisation to increase resources and promote a focus on growth in the company. “These initiatives, combined with stable cash flows and a strong balance sheet, are equipping the company to deal with a tougher climate in the world around us and to advance our market positions. Our market-leading position in the field of premium products, combined with our extensive knowledge of materials and markets, form a solid foundation for Duni’s future and are important success factors for the launch of the groundbreaking material Evolin. We have an exciting future ahead of us, with good prospects for continued success to benefit our customers, employees and shareholders,” concludes Fredrik von Oelreich.
BM Agri AB Gåsvägen 9 SE-441 40 Alingsås Tel +46 (0)322-611749 Fax +46 (0)322-12012 info@spannmal.se www.spannmal.se Cale Access AB Box 1031 SE-164 21 Kista Visiting address: Borgasfjordsgatan 7 Tel +46 (0)8-799 37 00 Fax +46 (0)8-799 37 99 info@cale.se www.cale.se Duni AB Box 237 SE-201 22 Malmö Visiting address: Ubåtshallen, Östra Varvsgatan 9 A Tel +46 (0)40-10 62 00 Fax +46 (0)40-39 66 30 info@duni.com www.duni.se Eriksberg Vilt & Natur AB Eriksberg SE-374 96 Trensum Tel +46 (0)454-56 43 00 Fax +46 (0)454-56 43 99 info@eriksberg.nu www.eriksberg.nu
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