Screws and metal components for cars Finnveden

SCREWS AND METAL

COMPONENTS FOR CARS

Finnveden Polska SA, of Bielsko-Biala, Poland is a leading producer of screws and metal structures for the car and commercial vehicle markets. It also constitutes an important part of Finnveden Group, a renonwed Swedish partner to the international automotive industry, writes Piotr Sadowski.

Finnveden, with headquarters in Gothenburg in Sweden, is an engineering group with strong positions in a number of market segments. It is a leading supplier to the car and commercial vehicle markets developing and manufacturing customerspecific components and systems, based on metallic materials. The group has five production units, three of which are in Sweden (Forsheda, Hultsfred and Olofström) and two in Poland, in Bielsko-Biała. In addition, it has assembly units in Sweden, Belgium and the UK. The origins of its presence in Poland, however, go as far as 1998, when Swedish company Bulten AB acquired part of Bielska Fabryka Wyrobów Śrubowych (the Bielsko-Biala Screw Products Factory).

In the group

The roots of the original factory date to the late 19th century. The manufacturer consisted of two companies: “Bartelmuss & Suchy” and “Theodore Pollak & Son”. The first one was founded in 1880 with the aim of producing screws, washers, rivets and accessories for textile industry. “Theodore Pollak & Son” began its activity in the 1909 manufacturing wire goods, drawn wire, nuts, rivets, iron bolts and screws, metal plugs and materials for railway industry.

This initial division defined the company’s further history. After World War II it became a state owned factory consisting of two units

from what earlier were the old Bartelmuss and Pollak factories. In the 1960s a development and modernisation of the company was started and important investments were made. As a result, it has become a leading company in the screw business in Poland.

Changes in the political system in Poland and the transformation from a planned socialist economy fully controlled by the State to a free market took place in 1989. In consequence, state owned companies went through the process of privatisation. Bielska Fabryka Wyrobow Srubowych was transformed into a joint-stock company owned by the State Treasury. This transformation was followed by a further privatisation process. As a result, the production was again split into two parts: the Automotive Division and the Standard Division. In 1998 the Automotive Division was purchased by Bulten AB, a leading supplier of fastening systems, mainly to the European automotive industry. Thus the two long industrial traditions have merged, as Bulten was founded in 1873.

In 2000 Bulten AB was acquired by another Swedish Company, Finnveden. Founded in 1982 Finnveden’s aim was to develop and safeguard the trade and industry in the local business area.

During the late 1990s a new strategic direction was set. Finnveden AB was to become a global supplier to the international automotive industry. In November 2004, a public cash offer was made to the shareholders in Finnveden AB by Nordic Capital, a Swedish private equity company. Three months later the offer

was finalised. With new owners, Finnveden continued to establish a presence in new geographical markets.

Currently, Finnveden’s core operations are divided into two business areas named: Bulten and Metal Structures. Bulten traditionally develops and manufactures a wide range of fasteners for the automotive industry, from standard products to leading-edge fasteners. The offering also includes technical development, materials and production know-how and logistics. Customer-specific special fasteners also make up a large part of the product range.

Metal Structures develops and produces optimised multi-material interior and exterior structures for car and truck applications. The offering is based on extensive materials and process know-how, along with unique knowledge of the effects on the application of using several different materials. Screws and castings

Both parts of the Finnveden activity are present in Poland. As part of the Bulten division the Polish operation is the leading producer of screws in Poland. The range of items depends on the needs and expectations of customers. What is specific for the company is that it is able to manufacture screws on the basis of a customer’s engineering drawing. The company delivers screws that fasten components, such as airbags, safety belts and other safety equipment items to such automotive companies as Audi, Autoliv, Bosch, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Nissan, Opel, Scania, Toyota, TRW, Volkswagen, Volvo, and others. It works with some of the industry’s leading suppliers and greatly values the cooperation, as it contributes to its own successes.

The Metal Structures division operation in Bielsko-Biala relies on state-of-the-art technology of the magnesium casting house. It manufactures different vehicles parts for Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar. However, sometimes even this latest technology is not enough for achieving the exceptional quality of the final product that is required by clients. This is why the company performs hand-grinding when finishing the roof elements cast in Bielsko-Biała especially for Jaguar vehicles.

Well-adjusted traditions

Finnveden Polska employs around a third of all the group’s employees around the world and reaches significant levels of annual sales, close to €30 million. The majority of the production is sold abroad.

In Finnveden Polska not only are the industrial traditions merged, but what is also present is the Swedish socially-responsible corporate model. The company invests in its people as it realises that this translates into overall business success. n