With steel as the base, Triple Steelix shall promote increased growth and attractiveness of the Bergslagen region. Triple Steelix is an innovation system created to serve as a link and a driving force in the cooperation between companies in the steel and engineering industries, together with the associated services sector. Triple Steelix is in an arena on which the collective knowledge in companies, together with the regional resources in research and the public sector, produce development and offer opportunities for innovations.
In today’s economic situation, it is more important than ever before to be able to offer the resources needed by companies for stable, long-term development. An innovation system must be sufficiently stable to be able to survive even in a deep business downturn. Triple Steelix can provide just such stability. And we have also taken it upon ourselves to be part of the regional leadership in the Counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg – leadership that involves cooperation with other regional players who are working towards the development of the economy and companies.
Operations started in 2006 and are now well established in the region. According to the results of the interactive research pursued within the project, almost 140 companies are involved in various ways in the activities of Triple Steelix. Out of this total, around 70 companies participate in concrete projects. The total target group for Triple Steelix comprises around 700 companies. The companies that participate in a project conclude an agreement with Triple Steelix, whereby the activities in the project are formalized, which ensures stability and continuity in the operations of the innovation system.
The number of municipal authorities that participate in the operations and finance them is continually increasing. The two new municipalities of Mora and Ockelbo joined in 2008, and a total of 13 municipalities in the region now participate. Other partners in the operations are county administrative boards, regional development bodies and universities.
Due to the additional two new municipalities that now participate in Triple Steelix, the opportunities are improved for acting in a cohesive manner for securing the future supply of competence in the region. The shortfall of competent manpower that will arise can be filled only by creating new innovative and entrepreneurial environments. Business development and entrepreneurship are therefore now as important to Triple Steelix as product development and production methods.
The focus for Triple Steelix was originally on the production orientation of the participating companies, e.g. sheet steel, stainless steel and machining. This classification soon proved to be insufficient for covering one of the most important areas – services and service for the large steelmakers in the region: SSAB, Sandvik, Fagersta Stainless, Erasteel, Ovako and Outokumpu.
Services and Service therefore became a further field of activity. Services and Service are now the most important development area in the innovation system.
The strategy for Triple Steelix has been developed during 2008 by the companies involved being classified into the ”upstream-downstream” concept, depending on their relation to the heart of Triple Steelix, namely the customers and demand-makers represented by the large steel industry. Upstream are all of the services and service companies that serve SSAB, Sandvik and other large companies. Downstream are the companies that refine and process the products of the steelworks. Triple Steelix turns to both of the categories – although the focus is increasingly on the companies upstream. The Triple Steelix cluster is based on the steelworks and their needs for the services and service from stable and technically advanced subcontractor companies.
In parallel with this “re-focusing”, which also means that the build-up of knowledge around business models is as important as technical research projects, the Triple Steelix organization has been classified into three geographical areas:
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• North
• South
• East
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This geographic classification facilitates the preparation of projects by informal contacts and by the establishment of networks. Around 70 pilot studies and projects are currently in progress within Services and Service in these three geographical areas. Projects are decided by the relevant Working Group or, in certain cases, by the Management Board.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL RESULTS IN 2008
• Two new municipalities - Mora and Ockelbo – have joined the innovation system
• The research profile has been strengthened by cooperation agreements with ÅMA (Ångströms Materials Academy) and Swerea IVF research institute
• The internationalization work has been strengthened by attendance at fairs and conferences in other countries
• The entirely new ”Upstream-downstream” strategic concept has been introduced in order to identify the companies that are suppliers, subcontractors, product owners and subcontract manufacturers
• 34 new research projects have been started during the year
• The projects have increasingly been focused on Services and Service, where the development potential is greatest – both nationally and internationally
• The fields of activity of Triple Steelix have changed from being production-oriented to being geographically based
• 479 companies continually receive information from Triple Steelix
• 253 company visits have been made within Triple Steelix
• About 40 new company visits have been made within Triple Steelix
• The Efficient Workplaces Concept has been introduced for about 15 companies in the three geographic regions
• The Welding Robot Centre – a competence centre for welding – has been established at the Dalarna Svetsteknik AB company in Borlänge
• The Clean Production Center (CPC) currently has 19 projects at various stages of maturity
• The Hellmans SBA Verkstad company in Norberg is focusing on the next business upturn and has recently completed the Efficient Workplaces (EA) project in a group that also includes five other companies
• The X-innovations AB company was established in Fagersta last spring and is selling an entirely new product: Wind-X. This is an invention for rolling up strip and fire-fighting hoses by means of an ordinary electric drill/screwdriver, which was developed with the assistance of Triple Steelix.
• 3 new networks have been started in the Bergslagen region: CPC, the Network of Suppliers to the Royal Household, and Hydraulic Network (newly started)
• New patent, Torque Grip (brake), SE530580C2