17 minute read
Stakeholder analysis and dialogue
“By remodelling our facility and expanding it with a sludge dehydrator based on modern dehydration technology, we can create a drier material with less volume, which means fewer transports, which in turn will have a positive impact on fuel consumption and our climate footprint.”
Seeing and building the structure
So it’s a win-win situation – and that’s where the infrastructure specialists at Gunnar Hansson Svetsteknik come in. Stena Recycling bought the dehydration plant from a supplier, but Gunnar Hansson Svetsteknik was chosen to remodel the facility and integrate the new dehydration plant.
“Our job has been to see to it that everything is installed effectively and intelligently so everything works exactly as planned,” says Magnus Krantz, project manager at Gunnar Hansson Svetsteknik. We also helped with the blueprints and design planning.
In addition to the process-related parts of the pipe installation, we were also in charge of installing mezzanines, stairs and railings. It’s quite an extensive project and it is to be CE-marked as well. We’re very happy to have been entrusted with the task. Much of our job is about listening and being flexible, so Stena Recycling really gets the most out of their sustainability investment. It’s an added bonus that the project contributes to a combination of better resource management, reduced climate impact and business benefit.”
The new facility will go online this autumn. Looking forward to the results, Robert Karlsson emphasises how much he appreciates the great teamwork.
“It gives a great sense of security and added value that the staff at Gunnar Hansson Svetsteknik have so much experience in design and welding, because they can provide solutions and good ideas based on knowledge and a lot of experience.”
Mezzanines and railings are an important part of the installation that contribute to a safe and easy environment to work in. From the left: Jonas Brolin, Magnus Krantz, Stena Recycling’s Robert Karlsson and Jonas Bäckström.
ECONOMY
Having a healthy financial base is a necessity for us to pursue our sustainability measures. This is why we work with developing our operations and services from a economic perspective to make them more circular and attractive on the market. Having sustainable growth with expanding operations and finances is also a necessity for us to offer secure, rewarding jobs, contribute resources to society through taxes and fees, and last but not least, have the muscle to pursue change projects to benefit the environment and climate.
HÅLLBAR INDUSTRI, INNOVATIONER OCH INFRASTRUKTUR
Development
We want to contribute to inclusive industrialisation and promote sustainable innovations. By developing sustainable solutions, we can add value to our customers’ sustainability processes. With our own innovative development projects, we can also make our own operations more circular.
OUR OBJECTIVE
Sustainable products and services. In 2030 100% of the products and services we offer will be sustainability declared.
Sustainability-promoting development projects from a brand and business perspective.
By offering our customers circular solutions, sustainability measures become a natural part of our business development. However, we have not set any goals yet for this focus area.
GOVERNANCE AND MONITORING
Through internal development and improvement projects, we can contribute to improved sustainability for our customers and our employees alike. With more circular, resource-efficient and ergonomic solutions, we can integrate the sustainability perspective in our business concept and create sustainable growth for ourselves and others. However, we cannot report any key figures today for any of our focus areas, as we lack any tools for systematic monitoring. The goal is to reflect the internal information flows that already exist at management level in our business areas and see how far we can build them up. One such example is Proton Lighting, which currently performs light and energy calculations for its customers that concretely show the link between development, customer benefit and climate impact.
COMPLETED ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
The Proton Group’s business areas have many established activities in this area. Proton Engineering’s development team supports automotive customers in the development of new solutions for fuel transition; Proton Finishing’s X-Team was created to design new solutions for sustainability in all areas of the operations; and Proton Lighting carries out development projects for more ergonomic and energy-efficient working environments in combination with innovative LED products. In the framework of JL Safety’s operations we offer safer working environments and machine safety. Proton Technology, a leader in corrosion testing, ensures that customers can develop products with better resistance and lifespan, which in the long term can contribute to reduced use of materials and better conservation of resources.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Since being able to produce sustainability declarations for products and services is a strong competitive advantage, we are beginning to develop a system for sustainability declarations in each of our business areas. For example, Proton Lighting will continue to develop the use of light controls for lower power consumption and enhanced comfort. Proton Finishing aims to develop a more environmental pre-treatment for ED powder and a process with only passivation for zinc castings. At the same time, Proton Finishing will carry out an automation project for a more sustainable operational procedure. We aim to implement requirements to incorporate recycled material in the metal components in Proton Engineering.
Growth
We want to contribute to sustainable growth, where we can continue to invest in new technology, develop new products and services and develop our employees’ skills through profitable operations.
OUR OBJECTIVE
Profitability. We have a profitability goal of 6–8% over the business cycle. Growth. We have an annual growth goal of at least 7.2%. Solidity. We have a solidity goal of at least 35%. Ambassadors. We aim to measure customer satisfaction in all of our business areas. However, no detailed goals have been set as yet.
GOVERNANCE AND MONITORING
Our profitability is measured monthly, because the operating profit is measured the current month and the cumulative value is measured throughout the year. In the future we will measure all figures monthly, but always rolling. Until now, growth has been measured via a monthly report that compares with the previous year sales and budget. From January 2023 we will measure growth rolling over the last 12 months and in relation to the vision in the group strategy of a doubling of sales every ten years. Solidity is measured once a year.
COMPLETED ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
In 2019–2020, the Proton Group made a series of acquisitions aiming to spearhead growth in the group by broadening the offering to the customers. The acquisitions included JL Safety and Cedoc, which specialise in consulting and software in machine safety (the Proton Edge business area) and Anderstorps Lackeringsservice, Alsab (Proton Finishing business area). With the acquisitions of Teknikrör i Kinna and Gunnar Hansson Svetsteknik, a whole new business area was created: Proton Structure, which focuses on advanced pipe installations for the process industries. Our assessment is that the demand for qualified services in this area will increase as customers refurbish their plants and transform their processes as a part of their sustainability measures.
In 2021, the Proton Group initiated a project in collaboration with the University of Gothenburg and growth researcher Jonas Fasth to actively pursue and develop the group’s growth measures. The management group and business area managers have attended workshops and strategy development meetings, and now they are starting to implement their learning in the organisation.
Our key figures on growth and solidity in 2021 require a comment to put them in perspective as regards the pandemic. Growth in 2021 is strong in relation to the goals, but must be viewed in the light of the loss of sales in 2020 and the recovery the following year. The strong solidity of 2021 can also be linked to the pandemic; government support was received and thus no dividends were paid, which had a positive effect on solidity.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The Proton Group’s strategic growth goal is to double sales every ten years. We cannot achieve this on our own; it must occur in collaboration with our customers. Our challenge at the moment is thus to get closer to our customers in order to be able to develop new, sustainable offers that support them in their profitability and in their sustainability development. Among other things, we need to get involved earlier in our customers’ product development process. As a first step, we will identify our customers’ needs and ambassadorship by measuring customer satisfaction by applying NPS* in all companies. Based on the dialogue with our customers, we will then set aside the necessary development resources to continue with our growth-promoting measures.
Key figures
ANNUAL PROFITABILITY
As a percentage over a business cycle.
TARGET
6–8%
ANNUAL GROWTH
Percentage per year.
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
>7.2% 28.5%
TARGET OUTCOME IN 2021 OUTCOME IN 2021
6%
SOLIDITY
Percentage per year.
TARGET
>35%
OUTCOME IN 2021 48.7%
Growth researcher:
Growth is a priority in the Proton Group’s strategy – and is also part of the group’s sustainability strategy. In 2021, a growth project was initiated in collaboration with the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg. The aim is to create the change needed to achieve the group’s growth goal.
onas Fasth is a researcher and lecturer at the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law, where he focuses on strategy and change processes in growth companies. In his research, Jonas studies the dynamics of growth to develop knowledge about the activities and processes that created it. His focus is on the actions of the managers and employees of growth companies.
In his collaboration with the Proton Group, Jonas was in charge of workshops and discussions that will form the basis of our future change work. The project was conducted at management level and resulted in a change project for which we will build support in the organisations in each of the business areas.
“The core question I’m trying to answer is: What defines a growth company?” he explains. “Growth companies are good at handling change and thinking outside the box. These are insights that greatly benefit both employees in the company and private individuals. Change makes companies and individuals grow.”
JWhat is change? “Change is learning. Imagine a company, or person, for that matter, being able to make maximum use of all the available resources – both those within the company and those in the world around them. The possibilities would be endless. It is theoretically possible, but in real life no one manages it, because there is something in the way. I call it the ‘understanding gap’. The understanding gap is the difference between where we are now and what we have the potential to achieve. It affects the way we think and our mental map, which is what we base our actions on as individuals and as groups. When we realise that we can do things differently, that we can change things, we reduce the gap and get a bit closer to that optimal situation.”
What does it take to succeed with change?
“If you run a business, it’s important that you have the right people. It doesn’t matter how good your ideas are if you don’t have staff who can carry them out. But with the right people you can succeed, even if the idea is only semi-good. As a business, you need to recruit, and keep, employees who have that energy. Then, of course, not everyone has the same energy levels, and they don’t have them all the time. Some people are going through a difficult period in their personal lives, or have other reasons to resist change. If 100 employees participate in a change process, you can bet that there are 100 different perceptions of what’s going on. All people act based on their understanding and do their very best. It’s very unusual that someone resists out of sheer spite. To create change and energy, we also need a clear framework that gives us the best conditions to work in. So we need to paint a clear picture of what goal we want to achieve and create a game plan that shows how we work and according to what values. Then all employees need to have the right conditions to act based on what they can and want to achieve. This is not about comparing performances, who does more and who does less, it’s about everyone contributing in their own way. And finally, the company must have the energy, the skill, the time and the money it takes to implement the changes. In a learning organisation, you create time and space for people to think, but unfortunately time is often lacking in organisations.”
Jonas Fasth is a growth researcher at the University of Gothenburg.
PROTON ENGINEERING
Our core values are the foundation of Proton Engineering’s sustainability measures.
“From a pure business perspective, our sustainability measures can contribute to giving our customers added value. And here, our values carry us forward and have given us a certain advantage,” says Proton Engineering’s CEO Marcus Malveholm.
roton Engineering is registered with NQC Supplier Assurance, a self-assurance questionnaire (SAQ) system for sustainability reporting. The system specialises in handling supplier risks in the automotive industry and according to Supplier Assurance is the most frequently used self-assurance system in the automotive sector.
Global advantage
In the latest report, Proton Engineering shows a total score of 80%, a strong result in national comparisons and even globally. The industry average in Sweden is 60% and the global average is 67%.
Proton Engineering’s CEO Marcus Malveholm thinks that the good results are due to the company’s core values.
“We have a strong grounding in our values, and sustainability is a natural part of this. Our goal was not to get bogged down in internal measures. We have taken it a step further and begun to measure and understand our footprint on the world with the assistance of our suppliers.”
One of the areas in which Proton Engineering has succeeded particularly well is in the use of materials, prioritising recycled and traceable metal.
“Being able to procure and offer our customers recycled materials is an effective way of reducing
Pour and our customers’ carbon dioxide footprint, without in any way affecting the quality of the finished component,” says Marcus Malveholm. “We do not use any environmentally hazardous chemicals in our production and we monitor the lists of harmful substances.” The stringent requirements Proton Engineering has for their suppliers apply across the board. “Naturally we require that they follow all conventions, laws and regulations. But we also want them to select at least three areas under the Global Compact in which they regularly measure and demonstrate improvements. We are still in the early stages of these efforts, but we have begun doing regular follow-ups of our suppliers on site.”
No management system
What brings down the total score of Proton Engineering is the working conditions, human rights and health and safety in the workplace, says Marcus, explaining that they do not have a management system for these issues yet. “For companies operating in Sweden, where we have exemplary labour laws, health and safety legislation and strong unions, it has not been deemed necessary to establish management systems for monitoring these things. Everything works well
anyway. But the lack of a management system brings down our points, so we plan to establish one, such as ISO 45001, which is the management system for health and safety. But I can’t say when it will happen; nothing has been decided yet.”
Marcus points out that Proton Engineering has a long tradition as an industrial company with strong roots in the local community.
“The people in and around the company are extremely important to us, and we have a long tradition of offering our employees growth opportunities, both in the form of CPD and in the form of new tasks. We also work closely with the region’s universities and host at least one degree project a year.”
Future challenges
During the course of the year, Proton Engineering conducted an energy audit and identified opportunities to save energy and reduce our climate impact.
“The result is that we are currently replacing our old T8 fluorescent tubes with energy-efficient LED lighting. We will also make investments related to our compressors, and we are planning a major initiative to recycle the heat from our automatic welding machine, using it to heat the building.”
Other improvement opportunities that Proton Engineering has identified are in IT security, although this is an issue related to group-level management.
From a financial sustainability perspective, Proton Engineering, like many other companies, faces major challenges.
“There is great uncertainty, with worries about rising inflation and prices of everything from materials to energy and transports. This is unfortunately a situation we can’t remedy just by saving; for us it’s about working efficiently and balancing our costs according to what is reasonable. We have to find a way to ensure that everyone in the supply chain, all the way to the end customer, has the opportunity to generate a profit and we can share the increased costs. This is a giant challenge now, for us and everyone else.”
“We have a long history of offering our internal talents the chance to have a career or try out new fields.”
CEO Marcus Malveholm
80%
Proton Engineering’s total score
60%
National comparison
67%
Global comparison
NQC Supplier Assurance, SAQ Self assurance system, 2021 result
Company management
Working conditions and human rights
Health and safety
Business ethics
Environment
Supplier dialogue
Responsibility when purchasing raw material
100% 37% 68% 80% 93% 80% 100%
PROTON TECHNOLOGY
The ability to create change through others is Proton Technology’s most important contribution to sustainability.
“With our tests, we contribute to reducing the throw-away mentality worldwide,” says CEO Stefan Gustafsson-Ledell.
“Globally, corrosion damage in industry is said to correspond to about three per cent of a country’s GDP; the same is true in Sweden,” says Stefan Gustafsson-Ledell. “That’s a huge amount of money, and a massive environmental impact, when all those parts need replacing.”
Great demands and tough conditions
Proton Technology in Bankeryd is considered one of the leading laboratories in the industry for corrosion testing. The business is based on the concept of testing according to applicable requirements regardless of where in the world the product is used, whether for high temperatures and humidity or cold climate and salted roads.
The business is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, certified to ISO 9001 and 14001, and a member of the international ILAC network. The facility in Bankeryd has the equipment and expertise to conduct tests using over 200 different methods corresponding to a variety of industry standards and requirements. Proton Technology has customers in many of the world’s leading truck and vehicle manufacturers and their customers worldwide. It also has customers in the furniture and manufacturing industries.
Lasts longer
For Stefan and his colleagues, the core operations – the services – are Proton Technology’s significant contribution to a more sustainable society.
“If we can verify the effect and the requirements for the surface treatment, we contribute to ensuring that our customers’ products last longer. Many of our customers have also started looking at their surface treatment methods to see if there are more environment-friendly processes that give the same or better results. Our tests help them with that. I also like to think that our flexible attitude and stringent requirements contribute to spreading knowledge and changing attitudes and methods on other markets around the world.”
And Proton Technology’s customers confirm this. Patrik Gustafsson is Head of Cab & Bus Body, Materials Technology, YTMR, at Scania:
“The market today has zero tolerance of corrosion damage, both aesthetically and in terms of corrosion affecting function. Scania is a
