The right tool, the right price and fast delivery
Peter Cramer | OSG Scandinavia
On a Tuesday morning, cheerful conversations can be heard around the table in the city of Lund in southern Sweden. It is evident that OSG Key Account Manager Mats Andersson and the owners of Prodtek, Jakob Fornander and Ulf Lepik, have an excellent relationship. They chat about their common history, old colleges, workplace and current tasks at hand. It is a small world in the manufacturing industry. Andersson, Fornander and Lepik have known each other for many years. In fact, Prodtek was one of the first customers that Andersson acquired after OSG Scandinavia was founded in 2000, and he became the first of the company’s staff in Sweden.
From left to right, Prodtek owners Jakob Fornander, Ulf Lepik and OSG Key Account Manager Mats Andersson pose for a photograph at Produktionsteknik in Lund, Sweden.
Prodtek is short for Produktionsteknik in Lund. The company was founded in 2003 by Fornander and Lepik. The pair started the company from scratch with an empty room. Today, Prodtek employs 18 staff and has an impressive turnover of approximately 40 million Swedish krona. Prodtek has now expanded with yet another production unit located in Ystad, some 70 km south of Lund.
“I live in Ystad,” says Fornander. “For us and many other companies in the area, finding qualified labor is a challenge. Therefore, it makes sense for us to have two production sites so that we are close to our employees. And despite the distance, there is good synergy between our units,” Fornander explains.
Prodtek has a total of 11 units of Mikron 5-axis machining centers, a couple of spark erosion machines, lathes and a measuring machine. Frequently processed materials include aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel up to 60 HRC, and plastic. The most commonly used cutting tools are OSG’s AERO end mill series, the A Brand AE end mill series, the WXS and WXL series, and the EPL series.
The AERO-ETS is a part of OSG’s AERO end mill series for high-speed milling in aluminum alloys. The AERO series is perfect for high-power equipment over 80kW. It is designed to maximize the full potential of high-performance equipment. The AERO series is most ideal for high-efficiency processing of large aluminum components.
“We make prototypes for clutch housings for the automotive industry,” says Lepik as he shows off one of their manufactured items. “This is a clutch housing for a bus that is made out of a solid block of aluminum. When approved by the customer, it is subsequently manufactured by casting and then machined. We also make ready-made clutch housings for cars in the luxury segment. In these cases, the quantities are often so small that they are made of solid aluminum,” Lepik explains.
From left to right, Prodtek owners Ulf Lepik and Jakob Fornander pose for a photograph with a machined clutch housing made for a bus. Other complex products from Prodtek’s production can be seen in the background.
It all started with molding tools for the packaging industry, with TetraPak as Prodtek’s customer. “Molding tool for the packaging industry is still a large part of our production, and it will continue to be, as packaging requirements are becoming more stringent due to the increased focus on climate change,” says Fornander. “Therefore, we must come up with new solutions that minimize the use of plastic or use it in a smarter way. But we also do serial production, so we produce anything from 1 to 10,000 items.”
“We have no CFO and no receptionist,” Fornander continues. “We manage everything ourselves, and we also operate the machines ourselves. All employees are on the same level, and we all participate in the process, from raw material selection to finished products. All operators program, run the programs and carry out final checks in the machines themselves.”
Prodtek owner Ulf Lepik processes an item in one of the 11 Mikron machining centers at the company’s manufacturing facility. At Prodtek, the owners operate the machines themselves.
Lepik joins in and adds that “the fact that every employee has full responsibility for an item ensures high product quality and is a major part of our success. It creates cohesion and an inspiring atmosphere in our everyday work.”
“Therefore, we also depend on our suppliers,” Fornander says. “In the cutting tool business, it is crucial for us to have a contact who understands our production and our needs. We do not have the time to start from scratch every time and discuss quality and price. We choose a supplier based on trust – we trust that they understand our needs, and we trust that we are provided the right tools at the right price from a supplier with a broad product portfolio of high-end tools. Another important issue for us is that, when we order a tool, we need to have it delivered the next day. We get all this from OSG.”
About OSG Scandinavia
Established in 2000, OSG Scandinavia A/S serves manufacturers in northern Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The company is led by Director Peter Jørgensen since 2011 and currently employs 18 staff.
The Company Thrane Tools, located 30 km west of Copenhagen in Denmark, was founded in 1974 by Poul Thrane. In year 2000, Thrane Tools was aquired by OSG after having been a dealer of OSG tools for several years, and was renamed OSG Scandinavia A/S.
Today, OSG Scandinavia A/S serves manufacturers in northern Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The company is led by Director Peter Jørgensen since 2011 and currently employs 18 staff. Sales and technical support for manufacturers in Denmark and Sweden are provided by external salesmen from the Denmark office. There are five salesmen in both Denmark and Sweden. Norway and Finland are covered by respected dealers for many years.
Over 150,000 items are available in the Danish stock, with more being supplied by the European stock in Belgium. With inventory from both locations, OSG Scandinavia A/S is able to ship products on a daily basis for next day delivery.
Over 150,000 items are available in the Danish stock, with more being supplied by the European stock in Belgium. With inventory from both locations, OSG Scandinavia A/S is able to ship products on a daily basis for next day delivery.
For more information on Prodtek and OSG’s global network in Europe
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