People make the difference”

Collaboration between Stålrör and Proton Engineering is a textbook example of how to succeed together.

“It’s a bit like a marriage. It demands mutual respect and good dialogue to nurture the relationship,” says Tomas Eriksson, sales manager at the Stålror Group.

Stålrör does exactly what it says on the tin. Stålrör means steel pipe in Swedish and the Stålrör Group stocks, cuts and delivers pipes to the Swedish engineering industry.

That said, Thomas Eriksson is keen to emphasise that we are not talking about a traditional wholesaler.

“The entire idea of our business is to build long-term relationships and work very closely with our customers. We need to know the minutiae of our customers’ needs and challenges and adapt accordingly. Half of our inventory is customer-specific and we adapt quickly and flexibly to the customer’s circumstances. It’s crucial that we have this technical understanding. Proton Engineering has its own unique flow that places demands on materials – there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

This has proven to be a winning concept: visit any manufacturing company and you are likely to come across a pallet from the Stålrör Group, they are as good as industry standard. This small family started in Halmstad in 1966; today, it has grown to 53 employees.

The company’s relationship with Proton Engineering is long standing and based on mutual trust. These days, they deliver a number of basic items in the form of straight steel pipe in various sizes and qualities, which Proton Engineering then bends and processes on behalf of its customers.

But, of course, as Proton Engineering purchasing manager Fabian Furberg underlines, it is not the pipe that makes the difference but the people.

“We are experts at bending and endshaping. Thomas and the team at Stålrör are experts on pipes and we depend on their expertise. We may have some idea when we make an inquiry but they may well make suggest another choice of material or another solution that will improve quality and flow and have a better price, so everyone in the supply chain benefits in the long run. Of course, Proton Engineering and Stålrör have a common goal and that is to achieve the best possible result for the end customer.”

It sounds simple, but how to get there? Thomas and Fabian agree that everything depends on dialogue.

“We must talk to each other all the time. Through constant dialogue, we at Stålrör can understand the challenges and opportunities a project holds and arrive at the best possible contribution we can make,” says Thomas.

“It’s very important to us that Proton makes its needs and requirements clear. Having a long-term relationship also creates a sense of security. It’s like any other marriage. You get to know one another and each other’s way of doing things and you have to give and take. Occasionally there will be obstacles along the way that you need to navigate. We have created a shared history; Proton Engineering has been there supporting us when we needed help and we are therefore ready to go the extra mile for Proton. All of our 53 employees have a relationship with Proton and are ready to offer any support they can if something needs to be resolved.”

“When we can use our expertise to help Proton Engineering create added value for its customers, it makes us happy and proud!” says Tomas Eriksson, sales manager at the Stålrör