Business News Borås Tidning
In place after million-dollar move - wants more neighbors: “Everything has gone smoothly”
Eton systems has customers all over the world who buy their ceiling-mounted production lines.
Now the multi-million move from Gånghester to Nordskogen is complete.
- “We can triple our turnover from here without any problems,” says CEO Jerker Krabbe.
It took a year from groundbreaking to moving in. During the year, Eton Systems made major investments in its new headquarters, but also in improved machinery.
The old machinery used to create Eton systems' own production lines in Gånghester has to some extent been moved with them. The old parts in green have been joined with new parts in blue. Energy-intensive ovens and powder coating have been replaced by a different kind of steel and an expensive laser that welds the steel together with high precision.
Technician Jan Johansson has been involved in rebuilding the machines after the move. Some parts have been custom-built by the staff themselves.
- The feeling is good. But for me as a technician, the feeling varies from day to day, until we can press the button and everything works. This is the backbone of the system,” says Jan Johansson, looking at the 25 meter long machine.
Full operation is expected to be a week away when BT visits. Before then, the inauguration of the premises will also be demolished, with about a hundred invited guests.
Jerker Krabbe emphasizes that there is pride in the fact that they could remain in Borås, despite the move.
- “We have found it important to preserve our roots and the heritage of Borås as Sweden's textile city. We want to be part of it,” he says, adding:
- “It's fantastic that we can build things like this in Sweden and still have good profitability.
The company employs around 35 people, with another 20 or so around the world, including in the US, Thailand and Portugal.
- “It's great to feel that everything has gone well. Everyone helped during the process,” says Johan Stavemo, who was project manager for the move.
The trend where more and more companies want to locate their production closer to the market in Europe and the USA is noticeable in Eton system's order books, says Jerker Krabbe.
- “The big brands in the textile industry are saying more and more clearly that they don't want all their production in Bangladesh or China, for example. They want to have some production in Europe, and then they need to automate.
The new head office in Nordskogen also enables the company to profile itself more as a software company - in addition to the workshop area where they build the production lines, they also have a lot of knowledge in-house about how the systems should be operated and controlled. With new premises, the internal identity can also be reshaped.
- “Nothing is set in stone here, but you can work forward in a different way,” says Jerker Krabbe.
He sweeps his gaze out of the windows, towards the treetops and Öresjö. Adjacent to Eton Systems' new premises is still just an empty gravel field. They would like to have another neighbor here, in addition to the neighbors that already exist - on the other side is the e-commerce giant Nelly, for example.
- “As it is now, it's just a gravel field that's damming up. It doesn't really feel finished until another tenant comes in. It's high on the wish list.
