The Technology Company that Prefers Vansbro
Hydroforming Design Light (HDL) in Vansbro uses water pressure to shape plate. The method is not new; it was used even before World War II to shape helmets for soldiers. What is new are the much smaller machines that HDL designed. The company is in a phase where it is shifting from problem-solving to producing what customers want. Its success, according to Alvar Palmqrantz, HDL’s CEO and founder, depends on two things: world class professionals on the floor and a financier who believes in our idea and has long-term patience.
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Hydroforming Design Light has been involved
with the several Triple Steelix projects.
The roller ski and also in the Tent project.
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Why Vansbro of all places? Alvar Palmqrantz leads the life of a commuter between Västerås, where he and his wife live, and Vansbro.
“There are both hard and soft factors that contribute to why the company is located where it’s located. Here in Vansbro we had the opportunity to create a ‘super team’ consisting of a number of people who are world class specialists in their respective fields. You can only build a team like this can in a small town where a large company closed down. The small town allows social control and the closed large enterprise is the source of the skills bank. In the political sphere, the combination ‘closure of large enterprise in small town’ = CRISIS! For an entrepreneur, it’s pure GOLD!”
We are approaching twenty employees, all highly skilled professionals, and each an example of successful recruitment. The only thing that’s a bit disappointing so far is that we didn’t manage to recruit any women, but surely we’ll resolve this problem as we did with everything else.
Towns the size of Vansbro are extremely efficient. A while back I went out on errands and visited the bank, the grocery store, and the accountant and I dropped off a package to be mailed. All in all, it took 45 minutes. If I had ridden my bike it would have taken 25 minutes flat.
Accessibility to the leisure activities I enjoy is similar. I swim one evening a week in what is probably the best-kept pool in Sweden and sometimes I'm all alone in the pool. In summer I like to take a round of golf. The same thing there, no queues or waiting times, so having my own swimming pool and my own golf course make a decent argument for why I picked Vansbro.
The soft parts—how you feel about a place—usually involve feelings based on meetings with people and the lingering atmosphere these meetings leave behind. To explain what I mean I’ll give two examples that definitely strengthened my feelings for Vansbro.
The decision was made that Finnveden and I would go our separate ways and I went with “my best buddy Alf” (named so by my grandchild) through the shop to say goodbye. One of the employees, Jonny, is a Leksand fan, a team which only in its most generous moments allows opponents as much as a goalpost shot. When I shake his hand, he looks me in the eye and says: “I hope it goes well for you, Alvar….and we’re both Leksand fans!” Then Alf takes me by the arm and says with admiration in his voice: “You come before Leksand”. With a little reflection, I realized that it doesn’t get any better than that.
Once inside the office the phone rings and I get an offer to join the local hunting team. Who can resist something like that?