We believe in Swedish industry
The industrial sector has for a long time been a significant part of Sweden's GDP. Today, however, we see that this sector is all too often lost when talking about industries that will lead a competitive Sweden into the future. We want this Ekan Management change.
We believe in the innovation power of Swedish industry
In the autumn of 2013, we therefore started work on the goal of increasing our presence in the Industrial Sector in order to be able to support the development efforts that enable innovation and sustainable competitiveness. Hans-Owe Sjöö, a business developer with long experience from, among other things, the automotive industry, was commissioned to lead the venture. This is how he talks about how he looks at the future of Swedish industry and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
Hans-Owe, Swedish industry today lives in a reality with squeezed margins in a globalized market with an ever faster pace of innovation. How should we be able to compete in such an environment?
- Globalization means that we must be the best in the world at everything, all the time. The Swedish recipe does not look the same as other countries. Our strength lies in innovation and innovative ways of solving existing problems and meeting future needs.
With traditional thinking that only focuses on man-time costs, relocation to low-cost countries continues. But by thinking new and changing our working methods we can move home and create competitive operations in Sweden. It is already happening today and the move is not just about production. In 2013, for example, we could see how Geely from China established a new car development center in Gothenburg. CEVT it is named and has grown from a start with a small team to several hundred people in the beginning of 2014. This is due to a growing understanding of the competence and ability to create innovative products in Sweden.
How can Ekan Management support Swedish industry in its quest for long-term competitiveness? What is the magic concept?
- Ekan has long experience of helping large and complex organizations move from idea to implementation and results. For us, the order of values is Challenge, Involve and Realize, guiding in everything we do. Simply call it our recipe for success.
Today, business and business development is very much about using IT correctly. Our competence lies here as an independent player in helping the business to set the right requirements and to design IT solutions in a way that creates value for the organization.
In addition to execution power and interaction between operations and IT, Management Innovation is a crucial issue for the future. In order for Svensk Industri to "win", we must stand out in the competition. There is great potential here if we succeed in creating more agile, innovative and decision-making organizations compared to the outside world. In this area, Ekan has excellence, which is evident, among other things, in the prestige mission to represent the international idea movement Beyond Budgeting Institute on the Swedish market.
In addition to this, we have a wide range of references and methods for developing businesses. We are very much looking forward to supporting Swedish industry to a long-term sustainable competitiveness to a greater extent.