SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED STEEL AND ENGINEERING COMPANIES
The steel and engineering industries in the region, with associated service and maintenance industry, consist of about 700 SMEs, which usually have a complex operation with revenue from their own products, contract work, and service and maintenance. The majority are service and maintenance providers. Others have developed their own products, but often also provide subcontracting services.
The service and maintenance companies – upstream – have a varied focus, but they all share the steel and processing industry in the region as their primary market. The largest group mainly provides mechanical maintenance services. Others are technical consultancies with a variety of specialties including construction, production, automation, control and hydraulics. A small group has developed services that focus on the environment, such as waste management, energy consumption and landfills.
Yet another group of companies provides advanced components and other auxiliary materials, mainly to the steel mills.
Subcontracting companies and product owners – downstream – have metalworking as the common denominator, but vary widely with respect to size, products and market.
When asked about the future, 37 percent of small businesses expect their foreign business to increase over the next few years. Manufacturing companies are somewhat more optimistic about increased foreign trade than other companies.
- Number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry: about 700
- Half of the product manufacturing companies have annual sales in excess of SEK 50 million.
- Three of four enterprises work with their products on both the national and international markets
- Number of employees: about 22,000
- About 8,000 of them will be replaced over the next few years
- Considering the gainfully employed population as a whole, 32 percent of men and 10 percent of women work in the industry
GLOBAL STEEL AND ENGINEERING GROUPS
The steel-producing groups have strong niches in their respective lines of products.
The global market for special steels is growing.
These companies play a major role in the towns where they are based. Several of them rank among Sweden's ten largest companies.
In 2010 the steel companies had net exports of SEK 103 billion.