The green team Nopa Nordic

AS one of Sweden’s leading manufacturers in the production and development of prefabricated concrete products, Abetong’s annual turnover is around SEK 1200 and it employs over 520 people. Abetong is a member of HeidelbergCement Northern Europe, a global leader in aggregates and a prominent player in the fields of cement, concrete and other downstream activities with nearly 53,000 employees in 2500 locations in over 40 countries.

Abetong is comprosed of four strong divisions, with 14 sales units throughout Sweden. The divisions focus on prefabricated concrete elements for the housing industry, the agricultural sector and the railway market. Ulf Malmqvist is the general manager for the international railway industry. He told Industry Europe the latest news from his division as its recent development gets ready to be launched to the market. He said, “We are very excited to talk about our new product which is soon to be introduced to the wider global market. It’s a unique product, and one which we know is perfectly in tune with the changing needs of the railway industry.” New ways for railways

Abetong’s innovative new product is focused on both the environment and the railway industry. A timber replacement sleeper that is made of pre-stressed concrete, the Tuned Concrete Sleeper, or TCS, has taken many years of expert development. Mr Bolmsvik continued, “Our Tuned Concrete Sleeper has been uniquely tuned to mimic the properties of a timber sleeper, but it is made of prestressed concrete. This gives it the performance of a timber sleeper but without the major drawbacks of an ordinary timber sleeper. It is perfectly suited to spot sleeper replacement on the type of ageing railway lines that keep some communities connected but that are not well-maintained.”

The key aspect of the Abetong TCS is the tuning process. The prestressed concrete sleeper is tuned using a patent-pending tuning machine to ensure that it gives the TCS similar characteristics to the timber sleepers, which in turn eliminates the creation of stiff points at the position of the alternative timber sleepers.

Whilst there are almost no new railway lines built using timber sleepers, there are many railways, particularly in Sweden and Europe in general that are still running on these hardto-maintain timber sleepers. Creating a huge maintenance issue that is costly and logistically difficult, the timber sleeper lines are an integral part of many rural communities.

Mr Malmqvist explained, “There are often political issues for wanting to keep costs down on rural railway lines, but for the people in these communities the railways are a vital lifeline. Also, these lines are often used as secondary lines for transporting goods and people to the main lines. So they need to be maintained but at an affordable price. Until now, there has been no alternative for replacing damaged timber sleepers. But thanks to the TCS we can meet this demand.”

Cost effective

The issue with railway lines equipped with traditional timber sleepers is that the ballast under the sleepers do not cope with the loads produced by the new type of sleepers used in modern railway construction. So when the ballast needs replacing at huge cost, the suggestion of closing the track is often raised, but

now Abetong’s TCS can be employed without ballast replacement. With a key benefit that the TCS can be used for ‘spot sleeper replacement’, randomly mixed in with good timber sleepers that do not need replacing, the issues of cost versus communities wanting to keep their active railway are addressed.

Mr Bolmsvik explained how the demand for the TCS is very likely to dramatically increase in the near future. He said, “There are changes to the European railway industry that will rapidly boost the demand for our Tuned Concrete Sleeper as there is no alternative. This is why we are in the process of obtaining two patents for it – for the features of the product and for the tuning machine – in order to protect our innovation.”

The changes to the European railway industry will soon see a ban on using poisonous creosote on railway sleepers. With all traditional timber sleepers currently coated in creosote, Abetong’s timber replacement sleeper is the only alternative for these applications. Mr Malmqvist added, “The ban has been done in such a way that there can be granted permission to continue with creosoted sleepers if there is no suitable alternative, so it is imperative that we work hard to inform the relevant players in the European railway industry that there is a suitable alternative. The Abetong Tuned Concrete Sleeper is an effective alternative that is safe and easy to install.”

A test track is currently installed in Sweden and in spring 2014 Abetong will complete the increase in its production capacity in order to be prepared for the expected upturn in demand. With active licences already in Finland, Norway, Switzerland, the Baltic States and Austria, and with interest in Asia, Australia and Africa, Abetong’s current priority is to boost the awareness of its ecologically responsible timber replacement sleeper to railway industries worldwide. n

THE GREEN TEAM THE GREEN TEAM

The leading manufacturer of ecologically responsible private label goods in the Nordic region, Nopa Nordic AS, has the stability and flexibility to grow with its customers. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to CEO Henrik Jorgensen to find out more.

Founded in Denmark in 1964 by Niels Thostrup, Nopa Nordic AS is still owned by the Thostrup family. The Nordic region’s largest and leading manufacturer of ecologically responsible private label goods in the cleaning products, detergents and personal care sectors, Nopa Nordic is widely respected as a stable and reliable partner.

CEO Henrik Jorgensen spoke to Industry Europe about how the company is proud of its long-term focus on delivering eco-friendly products to an increasingly wide customer base. “We introduced our first eco-friendly product in 1993 and we haven’t looked back! We also haven’t used any optical brighteners since we phased them out in 1996. As a proudly eco-friendly company with wonderful green products available in each of our product categories, we are excited about the growth potential we see both in our domestic and Nordic markets and beyond.”

Mr Jorgensen explained that the company is seeing a larger demand ‘south of the Danish border’ in addition to a continued demand in its traditional Nordic market. He said, “We expect growth in both these areas, which is very interesting for us as we can really shine. Our development teams are packed full of experts that understand and continue to research the very specific needs of each market – the type of detergent that a consumer wants and needs in the south of Europe is very different from that which is required in the north, for example.”

Market advantage

This appreciation and long-term experience of the various markets and their specific demands is one reason that Mr Jorgensen believes that Nopa Nordic stands out from the competition. He continued, “We are very strong in terms of new product development and we always take into consideration the various market requirements so that a new product can be tailored to suit each market where it is sold. We’ve been active so long that our extensive experience in product development is able to be effectively implemented, making it a highly valued service for our customers. As a private label manufacturer, this is a real advantage.”

The new product development and indeed product portfolio maintenance is certainly enhanced by Nopa Nordic’s collaborations with a number of leading health associations. As many of the company’s products are in the personal care and detergent category, its work alongside asthma and allergy associations adds a medically advantageous aspect too. Mr Jorgensen explained, “Nopa Nordic’s private label products are both green and extremely functional – this is how we have built our solid reputation and how we intend to continue our strong growth in new markets. We have a huge knowledge gained over nearly 50 years – very few companies in our field can even get close to that.”

Nopa Nordic is primarily focused on manufacturing private label goods for its customers, most of whom are well-known Nordic and European supermarkets and chain stores. The company offers ‘deep consumer insight’ as a standard part of its product development, with a high level of eco-friendly technology ‘built in’ to its products such as detergents and shampoos.

Growth is green

Nopa Nordic’s aim for the future is to continue its impressive growth while maintaining its famous eco-friendly quality. It will follow its customers into new markets, with exciting growth likely particularly in Russia, Germany, Asia and the Benelux countries. Mr