Hi Lars, welcome to BUMAX as the new Managing Director. Tell us about your career so far.
I have a strong sales background and have held a number of management roles that have involved building up and managing businesses. I come from Linde Material Handling where I was Regional Manager for two years. Before that, I was a Regional Sales Manager at Ahlsell, where I led a sales force of 60 sales reps and three sales managers. I have previously worked for Akzo Nobel Building adhesive for more than 17 years, where I worked in sales and built up an entirely new Industry Division from scratch between 2004 and 2015.
Why did you choose to take the Managing Director role at BUMAX?
Having spent the majority of my career working with adhesives at Akzo Nobel, it feels very natural working with fastening solutions again. I actually see many similarities as BUMAX also helps customers to overcome their fastener problems with superior solutions and by rethinking customer needs. BUMAX has huge marketing potential to more proactively target customers with our unique products and customer success stories.
What do you bring to BUMAX in terms of your unique competence and experience?
I would say my sales and marketing experience, as well as an understanding of different international business cultures around the world. I also bring a driven and curious mindset, and a will to win by never giving up. All to develop our business.
What do you see as the company’s main competitive advantages in the market or from a customer perspective?
We are extremely well positioned as the ‘world’s strongest’ bolt, with a great range of products, and I like the fact that we are a solutionist. BUMAX products can add significant customer value compared with standard fasteners by overcoming customer problems and reducing lifecycle costs. Being part of the Bufab Group is another competitive advantage as we can find synergies by working together with our sister companies and by thinking broader.
What are your initial priorities and objectives as Managing Director at BUMAX?
My immediate priority is to learn everything I can about BUMAX from our fantastic employees and partners. I would initially like to promote a more aggressive sales approach to find new customers, including some low-hanging fruit based on our existing customer base. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge, but production is now back to normal again after being divided into two production teams since March. Our sales teams are also working more in the field. But of course, we are closely following the Covid-19 situation and are prepared to take new action if needed.
Where will BUMAX be in five years?
I hope to double our turnover in the next five years. A more aggressive approach to marketing will be key to this, as well as focusing on sales from repeat orders. By aiming to obtain 80% of our sales from repeat orders, we will have much better long-term stability to build for the future.
Finally, what do you like to do in your free time?
I have a large family and I enjoy spending my time with them. We have a summer house in Vättern where we spend a lot of our free time. I also like gardening, chili plants and cooking.